Managing Partner, Alpha Edison and serial entrepreneur
A serial entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist, Grouf has more than two decades of experience in finance and technology, founding Clementine Capital, a technology-based incubator (2011), Alpha Edison, a venture capital fund (2016) and co-founding several tech-startups including Firefly, (acquired by Microsoft, Inc.), PeoplePC (acquired by EarthLink).
Originally known as Agents, Inc., Firefly invented collaborative filtering personalization technology which could predict a user's tastes based on previously gathered preferences. Conceived in 1995 and focused on music, Firefly grew out of a project at the MIT Media Lab and was co-founded by Grouf, David Waxman, Pattie Maes, Max Metral, Upendra Shardanand, and Yezdi Lashkari. Grouf served as CEO and president of Firefly which, within a year of launching had built a community of more than 3 million users.
Firefly, which collected large amounts of personal data, implemented tools and systems for users to manage and note privacy preferences. Key contributors to OPS (Open Profiling Standard), the company developed the underlying data management technology which was later known as the P3P (Platform for Privacy Preferences). In April 1998, Microsoft acquired Firefly, and Grouf continued as Head of Privacy for a year, creating Firefly Passport (which became Microsoft Passport) and developing the .NET platform.
After leaving Microsoft, Grouf became E-I-R at SoftBank Technology Ventures before co-founding PeoplePC with Waxman and Metral in 1999. WIth a mission to democratize technology, the company bundled personal computers with internet service and access to discounted products and services and PeopleGive, a separate 501(C)3 entity which provided computers and connectivity to low income people. Grouf served as Chairman and CEO for four years, working with firms such as Ford Motor Company, Delta Airlines, and the New York Times, helping give employees home Internet access. Its business model included collective buying, which allowed the company to generate additional revenue from advertising, partnerships, and premium products. PeoplePC debuted on NASDAQ in August 2000, and in 2002 the company was acquired by Earthlink. Following the sale, he spent six months working within EarthLink as Executive Vice President and CEO of PeoplePC.
In 2003, Grouf worked with Waxman to create online-fundraising strategies for John Kerry's presidential campaign. After discovering barriers in the television advertising infrastructure, they co-founded Spot Runner, a platform which helped businesses customize effectiveness of pre-produced TV commercials by targeting ads to specific markets, after an algorithm determined the optimal time and locations of the ads.
In 2011, Grouf founded Clementine Capital, a Los Angeles-based technology incubator. Through Clementine, Grouf has developed his own ideas and provided resources, capital and strategic guidance for independent entrepreneurs and early-stage companies in both the consumer and business-to-business sector. Among others, he has worked with The BabyBox Company, Lootcrate, Pluto TV and Fig, which was acquired by eBay
In 2016, Grouf collaborated with former Goldman Sachs technology banker Michael Parekh and VC Nate Redmond to form Alpha Edison, a venture capital fund. Grouf serves as Managing Director and within a year of its founding, The Los Angeles Times reported that Alpha Edison was raising $300 million to invest in startups in addition to a $30 million side fund.
Grouf completed his undergraduate studies at Yale University in American Studies, graduating with honors and composing an opera that won “best thesis” recognition. After working as a consultant with McKinsey & Co. from 1990 to 1992, he pursued an MBA program at HBS. While earning his MBA, hw held a position as Associate in Mergers & Acquisitions with Goldman Sachs.
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. He has established scholarships at Harvard University, Yale University, and the Horace Mann School in New York, emphasizing work in entrepreneurship and social health issues
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