James Lee Sorenson

FROM ENTREPRENEUR TO IMPACT INVESTOR

Raised in a family of entrepreneurs, Jim has always pursued opportunities to innovate. After developing a potentially disruptive technology, Jim was in the process of taking the company he build, Sorenson Communications, public. However, only two days before the scheduled launch, the dot-com bubble burst and halted the markets. Jim went back to the drawing board and in collaboration with a hearing-impaired family member realized that they could transition the company’s products to enhance communication for the deaf and hard of hearing. That company was among the largest leveraged buy-outs of the time when it eventually sold. On top of that, the company was estimated to have increased employment opportunities for the hearing impaired population by approximately four times! Jim was inspired by this company’s ability to not only make a very positive impact on an often underserved population, but also operate with an effective business model and profit that ensured ongoing sustainability. He was intrigued with the idea of finding market solutions to meet the needs of underserved communities and since then he has established the Sorenson Impact Foundation, which invests in scalable, innovative social entrepreneurs, as well as the Sorenson Impact Center at the University of Utah, which is a “think and do tank” focused on social impact and policy.