Brad Keywell

Keywell grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and attended Cranbrook Schools. He studied at the London School of Economics in 1990, received a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1991 from the University of Michigan[5] and a Juris Doctor cum laude in 1993 from the University of Michigan Law School. He is a member of the Michigan Bar Association and the State Bar of Illinois.[6]

Keywell started his career as an intern for Sam Zell's Equity Group Investments, LLC. In 1999, he and Eric Lefkofsky co-founded Starbelly, an online supply chain management firm, which was acquired in January 2000 by HA-LO (NYSE:HMK) for $240 million.[7] In February 2005, he co-founded Echo Global Logistics, a technology-based enterprise transportation management firm, which was listed on NASDAQ in June 2009.[8] Keywell served as the Chairman of the Board of the company until 2017.

In June 2006, Keywell co-founded MediaBank, a SaaS provider to the advertising and media buying industry. In 2012, a merger between MediaBank and Donovan Data Systems (DDS) created Mediaocean, and in 2014, Vista Equity Partners acquired MediaOcean.[9][10] In 2007, he co-founded ThePoint.com, an online collective action website. In late 2008, it became a collective buying platform, changed its name to Groupon and got listed on NASDAQ in 2011.[11] Keywell served on the Board of Directors from its inception through 2018.

In February 2010, Keywell co-founded Lightbank, a technology venture and mid-stage investment firm.[12] In 2013, he co-founded DRIVIN, an automobile data analytics company. In 2016, KAR Auction Services (NYSE:KAR) acquired DRIVIN in a $43 million stock deal.[13] In July 2014, Keywell founded the industrial AI software company Uptake valued at over $2.3 billion.[14][15] In 2015, he became an early investor and director of Tempus, a medical technology company.[16] In September 2018, he founded and launched the wndr museum, an experiential art museum located in Chicago’s West Loop.[17]

Keywell has been an adjunct professor at the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago[18] and the author of the book Biz Dev 3.0: Changing Business as We Know It, published by ALM Publishing.[19] He is the host of a podcast, The Upside, and a participant of the Renaissance Weekend and the TED Conference.[20]

In 2014, Keywell created the Keywell Foundation to support nonprofit and NGO enterprises. In 2015 he and his wife Kim took The Giving Pledge to give away half of their wealth.[21]

He is the founder and chairman of Chicago Ideas, an innovations and ideas gathering.[22] He is Chairman of the Future Founders Foundation, providing entrepreneurial education to students in Chicago, and Illinois Innovation Council.[23]

Keywell was the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year in 2019.[24]

• Official website