Brad Keywell

Brad Keywell: Career Highlights

Keywell started his entrepreneurial journey at a young age, launching his first business, a greeting card company called Key Creations, at just 7 years old. While an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan, he continued to establish several businesses. He also interned for Sam Zell's Equity Group Investments during his summer breaks and later served on the Board of Directors of Sam Zell's Equity Residential (NYSE: EQR) for ten years.

Keywell co-founded Starbelly, an online supply chain management firm acquired by HA-LO (NYSE: HMK) for $240 million in 2000. He then co-founded Echo Global Logistics, a technology-enabled provider of transportation and logistics services, which had an IPO on NASDAQ in 2009. Keywell served as the founding CEO, then Chairman of the Board and lead independent director until 2017. Echo was acquired in 2021 by The Jordan Company for $1.3 billion.

Keywell also co-founded MediaBank, a SaaS provider to the advertising and media buying industry, serving as the founding CEO and then on the Board of Directors until the company's sale. In 2012, a merger between MediaBank and Donovan Data Systems (DDS) created Mediaocean. In 2014, Vista Equity Partners acquired MediaOcean.

One of Keywell's most notable achievements is co-founding Groupon, the collective buying platform that Forbes dubbed 'The Fastest Growing Company Ever' in 2010.

Groupon had an IPO on NASDAQ in 2011, and Keywell served on its Board of Directors from its inception through 2017.

Keywell co-founded Lightbank, a technology venture capital and private equity firm, where he served as a Managing Director through 2018. Lightbank's portfolio includes early-stage investments in successful companies like Sprout Social (NASDAQ: SPT), Udemy (NASDAQ: UDMY), Coffee Meets Bagel, Benzinga (sold to Beringer Capital), Reverb (sold to Etsy), Fooda, EventUp (sold to Gather), BenchPrep, Zeel, and TastyTrade (sold to IG Group).

Keywell co-founded DRIVIN, an automobile data analytics company acquired by KAR Auction Services (NYSE: KAR) for $43 million in 2016. He also co-founded Uptake, an industrial AI software company valued at over $2.3 billion. Uptake's applications are featured in the Microsoft Energy Core suite, and the company has received recognition as the Hottest Startup of the Year by Forbes in 2015 and a CNBC Disruptor 50 winner for three consecutive years, including the #5 ranked CNBC Disruptor in 2017.

Keywell is an early investor in Tempus Labs, an AI-enabled precision medicine company, and served on its Board of Directors from inception until 2019. Tempus was named to the CNBC Disruptor 50 list in 2021 and has raised over $1 billion in capital from investors including Google, Franklin Templeton, and T. Rowe Price.

In addition to his business ventures, Keywell founded WNDR Museum, an experiential art museum located in Chicago's West Loop. WNDR has since expanded to include locations in San Diego, Seattle, and Boston, with plans for further expansion.