Dave Girouard

Dave Girouard is an American technology executive and entrepreneur best known as the founder and former CEO of the artificial intelligence lending platform Upstart. He previously served as the President of Google Apps (later known as Google Workspace) at Google, where he was instrumental in building the company's enterprise cloud applications business. His career has focused on applying technology, particularly artificial intelligence and cloud computing, to transform traditional industries like financial services and enterprise software.

Early life and education

Dave Girouard was born around 1966 and grew up in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. He pursued his undergraduate education at the University of Michigan, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering. Following his time in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Girouard attended Harvard Business School, graduating with a Master of Business Administration (MBA). His academic background in engineering and business provided a foundation for his later work at the intersection of technology and corporate strategy.

Career

Girouard began his professional career at the management consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, where he advised clients on technology strategy. He later joined the Apple subsidiary Claris, working on the FileMaker database product. A significant shift came when he moved to the enterprise software company Netscape, during the period of intense competition in the browser wars. Following Netscape's acquisition by AOL, Girouard co-founded a startup called Virage, which focused on video search technology. In 2004, he joined Google during its early growth phase, initially working on new business development before being tasked with launching what would become Google Apps for Work. As President of Google Apps, he competed directly with established players like Microsoft Office and helped grow the service into a major component of Google Cloud Platform.

Upstart

After nearly eight years at Google, Girouard left in 2012 to found Upstart, a fintech company based in San Mateo, California. The company's mission was to leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning to assess consumer creditworthiness, aiming to provide fairer and more efficient personal loans than traditional FICO score models. Under his leadership as CEO, Upstart developed proprietary underwriting models and formed partnerships with banks like Cross River Bank. The company gained significant traction, raising venture capital from firms such as Khosla Ventures and Google Ventures. In a landmark event for the fintech sector, Girouard led Upstart through a successful initial public offering on the NASDAQ in December 2020. He stepped down as CEO in 2024, transitioning to the role of Chairman of the Board.

Personal life

Dave Girouard maintains a relatively private personal life. He is married and has children, residing in the San Francisco Bay Area. An avid supporter of educational initiatives, he has been involved with his alma mater, the University of Michigan, and has expressed interest in the broader application of AI for social good. In his limited public commentary, he has discussed the ethical implications of artificial intelligence in financial services.

Awards and recognition

Under Girouard's leadership, Upstart received numerous industry accolades, including being named to the Forbes Fintech 50 list and the CNBC Disruptor 50 list. Girouard himself has been recognized as an influential figure in fintech, receiving honors such as being listed among the "Top 100 Entrepreneurs" by Goldman Sachs. His work at Google also earned recognition, contributing to the widespread adoption of cloud-based productivity software in the enterprise software market.

Category:American technology company founders Category:American chief executives Category:Harvard Business School alumni Category:University of Michigan alumni Category:1960s births