Francis Jervis is an anthropologist who studies how startups and venture capitalists are changing the nature of business. His work focusses on how successful entrepreneurs and investors depend on a uniquely acute understanding of social worlds as much as – even more than – on their technical prowess.

He is interested in both the ways UX researchers shape startups' products (in particular mobile apps), and the ways founders translate "traction" into financial valuations through the fundraising process. His work also considers the growing significance of "non-human actors," in the form of machine learning and autonomous systems, to contemporary venture investment strategy.

Francis is also the CEO and founder of TimesFree, the first platform for community task-sharing co-operatives that offers the same trust and safety features as major "sharing economy" platforms. TimesFree makes it simple and safe for groups like babysitting co-ops to share services in a simple cash-free economy. The app is based on Francis' work with Arun Sundararajan at NYU Stern.