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Biography
Jimmy Edgerton is a Professor of the Practice, and the Director of Entrepreneurship & Innovation at the Friedman School, where he teaches and mentors students in food entrepreneurship, CPG innovation, and mission‑driven business planning.
Jimmy teaches "Food & Entrepreneurship: Idea to Impact" (NUTR 280) at the Friedman School, co-teaches in an advisory/mentorship role for Master of Science in Innovation & Management students in New Product Innovation (EM221), and oversees special projects where current students are leading diverse teams rapidly crafting ideas towards revenue generation. In Academic Year 2026-2027, Jimmy is launching a new course called "Foraging for Market Fit: Problem Identification and Customer Discovery", which is about understanding the problems of niche customer segments and simplifying value propositions. Jimmy espouses three pillars of entrepreneurship; (1) Partnership- success does not happen in isolation; (2) Value- find repeat customers in your niche’s niche and understand market conditions; and (3) Why- “It’s not what you do, it’s why you do it”.
Jimmy is a Jumbo who graduated from Tufts with a BS in Civil Engineering, Dual Major in Economics, and received a Minor in Engineering Management. Jimmy has a love of basketball/coaching and a goal to make the world a healthier, more sustainable place, so it is a natural fit that he began teaching at his alma mater. Jimmy currently is a trained National Science Foundation Innovation (NSF I-Corps) instructor for applying Market-Fit theory to academic technology/research teams.
Jimmy's experience draws on a career that spans engineering, real estate development, and the successful launch and acquisition of Watusee Foods—a chickpea‑based consumer packaged goods company—Edgerton brings deep industry experience to his work supporting student‑led ventures and fostering an entrepreneurial mindset within food and nutrition. Jimmy originally started his career as a Civil Engineer and green builder. He then founded a healthy snack/baking company, with a best friend from college-turned cardiologist, which was acquired in 2018. Previously Jimmy co-hosted the World's #1 mentoring podcast, AugMentors, and currently his research interest is on Social Capital (knowledge, connections) and its measurement in dynamic communities. Beyond Tufts Friedman Jimmy advises/consults with businesses on strategy and processes as a fractional CFO, and recently launched an "eatertainment Pickleball, Games + Events" business.
