Gary E Jacobs

Gary E. Jacobs (born 1957) is an American investor, businessman, and philanthropist, and a member of the Qualcomm founding family. He is the eldest son of Irwin M. Jacobs, co-founder of Linkabit and Qualcomm, and brother of former Qualcomm CEO Paul E. Jacobs. He earned a B.A. in Management Science from the University of California, San Diego in 1979. After graduating, he worked at his father's companies — first Linkabit and then Qualcomm — from roughly 1979 to the mid/late 1990s, beginning as a software programmer and engineer and later serving as a senior educational specialist focused on improving K-12 math and science instruction. He left Qualcomm around 2000 to concentrate on education, philanthropy, and private investing.

In 1997 Jacobs founded Jacobs Investment Company LLC (JIC), where he is founder and managing director. JIC began as a vehicle for U.S. real-estate development (reportedly investing tens of millions across residential, commercial, and government-services projects) and grew into a broader portfolio exceeding $100 million spanning U.S. and Israeli holdings. Over the past decade-plus his investing has centered on life-sciences and medical-device startups, where he holds numerous board and chairman roles.

Jacobs is also chairman of NGT3 VC (an outgrowth of Next Generation Technologies), an early-stage life-sciences venture fund and government-licensed technology incubator based in Nazareth, Israel — a vehicle he has publicly framed as both an investment platform and a bridge-building effort within Israel's Arab community and the broader Middle East. Beyond investing, he is best known in San Diego for co-founding, with his wife Jerri-Ann, the Gary and Jerri-Ann Jacobs High Tech High charter school (1998–99), and for his sports ownership: majority owner of the Lake Elsinore Storm (a Class-A minor-league baseball affiliate) and, since November 2024, controlling owner of the San Diego Mojo of the Pro Volleyball Federation. He has served on the UC San Diego Foundation Board of Trustees since 2012 and chaired the JCC Association of North America. He is the father of U.S. Representative Sara Jacobs.

• Life sciences first: Primary focus on innovative medical devices, molecular diagnostics, GI/surgical technologies, and life-science therapeutics — the core of his board portfolio (DermTech, Motus GI, Nutrinia, NGT3 companies).
• Early-stage / incubator model via NGT3 VC: Described as "an early-stage VC, focused on life science technologies," holding an Israeli government franchise to operate a technology incubator; funds seed-stage medical-device and life-science companies.
• Deep, hands-on involvement: Rather than passive checks, he takes chairman/director seats and stays on boards for years (e.g., long-running DermTech chairmanship), reflecting an operator-investor posture.
• Cross-border US–Israel bridge: Publicly stated goal of using the Nazareth-based incubator to invest in and empower Israel's Arab community and promote regional cooperation — "using a life sciences incubator to promote Mideast peace."
• Real estate as a foundation: JIC's original and continuing mandate includes U.S. real-estate development (residential, commercial, government services).