Jean-Jacques Degroof: "From the Basement to the Dome: How MIT's Unique Culture Created a Thriving Entrepreneurial Community"

Jean-Jacques Degroof

Alum & Author

Translating Academic Research into Innovative Ventures

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jean-jacques-degroof-280079a/

Jean-Jacques Degroof grew up in Belgium where he earned degrees from the Catholic University of Louvain (UCL). He later moved to the United States for his graduate studies where he graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)with a M.Sc. and a Ph.D. degree. He started his career in the financial services industry. He worked in academia as a research and teaching assistant at the MIT Sloan School of Management, as a post-doctoral fellow at the MIT Industrial Performance Center (IPC) and as a BCG Fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the John F. Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University. Jean-Jacques is still invited to teach regularly at various business schools in Europe.

While conducting research on the commercialization of academic research, he had the opportunity to help scientists launch technology startups both in the US and in Europe, which initiated a new phase of his career in venture investment. His portfolio includes several companies that are now quoted on stock-exchanges and others that were acquired by larger corporations.

Philanthropically, Jean-Jacques is involved in two areas. The first one is ageing in which he promotes innovative solutions to improve the well-being of elderly people.

The second one is entrepreneurship education through mentoring of young founders and supporting events encouraging and training aspiring entrepreneurs. Jean-Jacques has been an active MIT alumnus in a number of capacities, including as a member of visiting committees and advisory boards.