who we are
we’ve started 5 companies, we’ve invested in nearly 20 companies, raised over $1.2 billion and created over $7 billion in equity value. our companies employ more than 10,000 people in over 100 offices
Eric Lefkofsky is the founder and managing partner of Lightbank. He is also the founder and director of several firms, including InnerWorkings, Inc., a global provider of managed print and promotional solutions; Echo Global Logistics, Inc., a technology-enabled transportation and logistics outsourcing firm; MediaBank, LLC, a leading provider of integrated media procurement technology; and Groupon.com, Inc., an online collective buying website. Eric is on the board of directors at the Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Contemporary Art, and is a Trustee of Steppenwolf Theatre Company. He is also a visiting professor at University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Brad Keywell is the founder and managing partner of Lightbank. He is also the founder and director of several firms, including Echo Global Logistics, Inc., a technology-enabled transportation and logistics outsourcing firm; MediaBank, LLC, a leading provider of integrated media procurement technology; and Groupon.com, Inc., an online collective buying website.
Brad is currently on the Foundation Board of Trustees of NorthShore University HealthSystem, the Board of Trustees of Imerman Angels, the Board of Directors of Warrior Productions, a Trustee of the University of Michigan Hillel Foundation, and a member of the Chicago chapter of the Young Presidents' Organization.
Paul Lee joined Lightbank as a Partner in February 2011. Previously, Paul was Managing Director and Group Head for Digital Ventures at Playboy Enterprises where he was responsible for acquiring, investing in, and launching digital businesses on behalf of the enterprise. In addition, Paul also spearheaded the digital strategy implemented in positioning the company for a take-private transaction. Prior to Playboy, Paul was a founding member and Senior Vice President at the Peacock Equity Fund, a joint venture between NBC Universal and GE Capital. In his capacity as a deal partner, some of Paul's representative Board and Observer seats include 4INFO, Greystripe, and Ramp. He first started in digital media as a co-founding employee of Click2Asia, a venture-backed online media company. Paul received a dual undergraduate degree in Mathematical Methods in Social Sciences (MMSS) and Economics from Northwestern University and an MBA from The Anderson School at UCLA.
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Vicki Levine joined Lightbank in January of 2010 and is currently a Principal. Previously, she was a Technology Investment Banking Senior Associate at Robert W. Baird, where she advised executive management teams and boards of directors of public and private company clients on corporate strategy, acquisition strategy, and corporate finance alternatives. Prior to Baird, Vicki worked at Motorola, where she held a number of roles, including mechanical design engineer, business development manager for enterprise software solutions and emerging technologies, including RFID and NFC, and most recently, design strategy manager, where she lead the effort to incorporate consumer segmentation and tiering strategy into the design stage of the product development process. Vicki holds an MBA with honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Physics, cum laude, from Duke University.
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Bill Pescatello joined Lightbank as a Principal in May 2011. He joined the team from NBCUniversal, where he was a Vice President and founding member of the Peacock Equity Fund, the venture capital arm of NBCU, from 2007-2011. While at Peacock Equity, Bill served as NBCU’s board representative at Greystripe, Ramp and Vivox. Prior to joining NBCUniversal, Bill worked at GE Capital where he helped finance leading early stage biotech companies. Bill also worked as a Finance Analyst at Morgan Stanley and at Merrill Lynch within their Global Research Group. Bill is a Chartered Financial Analyst, holds a Bachelor Degree from Northwestern University and graduated with honors from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
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Greg Caplan joined Lightbank in January 2011. He founded Crazy Cargo, a retail clothing chain and e-commerce site, Electorials.com a political blog and message board, and Fudu, a social food-delivery mobile application. He also interned at Credit Suisse as an investment banking analyst and graduated in 2010 from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.
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Marina Dedes joined Lightbank in April 2011. Prior to Lightbank, Marina was a Senior Associate in the Fixed Asset Valuation Group at Duff & Phelps. Marina holds a BS in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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Ryan Jeffery joined Lightbank in August 2010. Previously, Ryan worked with the University of Wisconsin to enhance their online curriculum and develop a comprehensive marketing campaign. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BA in Legal Studies and Environmental Studies in the spring of 2009.
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David Wald joined Lightbank in April 2011. Prior to Lightbank, David was a Senior Associate Consultant at Bain & Company. David holds a BA in Business Administration and Organizational Studies, with High Distinction, from the University of Michigan.
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Brian Ficho joined Lightbank in February 2010 and is currently the founder of oBaz, a consumer-driven buying platform that empowers users to build groups and get great deals. Upon joining Lightbank, Brian worked closely with Poggled in a product development capacity as they pivoted their business and began to scale operations in Chicago. After Poggled, he launched PayWith.Us, a contingent payment application for groups. While working on these projects, he also developed the business model and web and mobile applications for a stealth startup, Bellyflop. Prior to Lightbank, Brian worked for a environmental engineering company, during which time, he developed the original concept for oBaz. Brian graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison with a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering.
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Logan LaHive joined Lightbank in May 2011. Previously, Logan was the Director of New Business at Redbox, where he was tasked with sourcing, testing, and launching new businesses for the company. He was promoted to the position after successfully leading the company’s initiative to test and rollout video game rentals, forecasted to be a $100+ million business annually. Logan has spent the last 6-7 years in startups, focusing on launching (features, marketing plans, new product lines, seed businesses, etc), with a strong background is in project management, marketing, strategy/analytics, and product launch.
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Kevin Leland joined Lightbank in February 2010. He is the Co-founder and Vice President of Marketing and Technology for Pawngo, the first full-service online pawn shop. Previously, Kevin served as Marketing and Business Development Manager at The Wall Street Journal where he launched a new mid-tier sales division. Prior to The Journal, Kevin worked at the Chicago Tribune Media Group as a Brand Marketing Specialist, where he managed branding initiatives for RedEye, the daily commuter paper, and Tribune digital properties. Kevin is a former White House Intern and Fellow with the International Radio and Television Society. He holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, an MS in Journalism from Northwestern University, and a BA in Psychology, magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania.