Based in various European countries and a regular visitor to Boston, Jean-Jacques Degroof has an extensive background in investment management, academia, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy. His current focus is on translating innovative academic research into impactful technology startups that advance economies and humanity. A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management, Jean-Jacques Degroof has served as a Sloan fellow, a teaching assistant with the institution, and a lecturer at various business schools across Europe.

Mr. Degroof’s past leadership responsibilities include serving as a fellow of the Center for Business and Government at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He has experience launching and expanding companies in Europe and the United States, and he readily shares his knowledge as a mentor to emerging entrepreneurial teams. He has sponsored dynamic campus-affiliated programs, including the MIT chapter of Engineers Without Borders, Hacking Arts, the 15K Creative Arts Competition, and Delta v, an accelerator for entrepreneurial projects launched by MIT students and researchers.

In 2021, Mr. Degroof authored From the Basement to the Dome: How MIT’s Unique Culture Created a Thriving Entrepreneurial Community (MIT Press). The work takes a deep dive into how the Boston institution developed an experimental, multidisciplinary mindset that served as a launching pad for innovative ideas. Mr. Degroof meticulously describes how a culture of entrepreneurship took root through clubs, forums, and extracurricular competitions, even before MIT formally supported such activities.