Nick Grouf is a distinguished graduate of Harvard and Yale.
Nick Grouf has more than two decades of experience in finance and technology, including positions with Firefly Network, Inc. (now owned by Microsoft, Inc.), the Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., and PeoplePC (now owned by EarthLink). Mr. Grouf completed his undergraduate studies at Yale University in American Studies, graduating with honors and composing an opera that won “best thesis” recognition. Nick Grouf consulted with McKinsey & Co. from 1990 to 1992, pursuing ambitions as a singer and songwriter for a year in New York City prior to undertaking the MBA program at Harvard University.
While studying at Harvard University, Mr. Grouf held a position as Associate in Mergers & Acquisitions with Goldman Sachs. After receiving his MBA in 1995, he founded Firefly Network, a firm that helped establish privacy standards on the Internet through newly invented technologies such as collaborative filtering. Nick Grouf served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the company until its sale to Microsoft in 1998. He maintained a relationship with Microsoft as Head of Privacy for a year, creating Firefly Passport (which became Microsoft Passport) and assisting in the development of the .NET platform.
In 1999, Nick Grouf founded PeoplePC, a company he directed as Chairman and CEO for four years prior to its sale to EarthLink. In this capacity, he worked with firms such as Ford Motor Company, Delta Airlines, and The New York Times, helping give employees home Internet access. Following the sale, he spent six months working within EarthLink as Executive Vice President and CEO of PeoplePC.
From 2003 to 2004, Nick Grouf served the John Kerry Campaign for the U.S. Presidency, advising on IT- and online-fundraising strategies. The following year, he established the technology-focused advertising services firm Spot Runner, Inc. Developing the company from the ground up, he pioneered inexpensive marketing services geared toward small and local businesses. In January 2011, he successfully sold the firm’s Malibu Media Platform to the Harris Corporation.
Nick Grouf has served on the board of 60Frames (now part of the United Talent Agency) and maintains affiliation with a number of professional organizations, including the National Center for Women & Information Technology and the education-focused SEED Foundation. Committed to encouraging tomorrow’s leaders, he has set up scholarships at Harvard University, Yale University, and the Horace Mann School in New York, emphasizing work in entrepreneurship and social health issues.
While studying at Harvard University, Mr. Grouf held a position as Associate in Mergers & Acquisitions with Goldman Sachs. After receiving his MBA in 1995, he founded Firefly Network, a firm that helped establish privacy standards on the Internet through newly invented technologies such as collaborative filtering. Nick Grouf served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the company until its sale to Microsoft in 1998. He maintained a relationship with Microsoft as Head of Privacy for a year, creating Firefly Passport (which became Microsoft Passport) and assisting in the development of the .NET platform.
In 1999, Nick Grouf founded PeoplePC, a company he directed as Chairman and CEO for four years prior to its sale to EarthLink. In this capacity, he worked with firms such as Ford Motor Company, Delta Airlines, and The New York Times, helping give employees home Internet access. Following the sale, he spent six months working within EarthLink as Executive Vice President and CEO of PeoplePC.
From 2003 to 2004, Nick Grouf served the John Kerry Campaign for the U.S. Presidency, advising on IT- and online-fundraising strategies. The following year, he established the technology-focused advertising services firm Spot Runner, Inc. Developing the company from the ground up, he pioneered inexpensive marketing services geared toward small and local businesses. In January 2011, he successfully sold the firm’s Malibu Media Platform to the Harris Corporation.
Nick Grouf has served on the board of 60Frames (now part of the United Talent Agency) and maintains affiliation with a number of professional organizations, including the National Center for Women & Information Technology and the education-focused SEED Foundation. Committed to encouraging tomorrow’s leaders, he has set up scholarships at Harvard University, Yale University, and the Horace Mann School in New York, emphasizing work in entrepreneurship and social health issues.