Lightbank

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. At Lightbank, Paul led the firm’s investments in BabbaCo, Contently, ElaCarte, Lifecrowd, Udemy, and WhosHere. 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 Partner, Paul's representative Board and Observer seats include 4INFO, Greystripe, and Ramp. He first started in digital media as part of the co-founding team 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.
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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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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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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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Brittany Brown joined Lightbank in August 2011 as a Founder In Residence. Prior to Lightbank, Brittany was the Director of Online Marketing at Playboy Enterprises. Brittany holds a BS in Advertising, with high honors, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

 

Saurabh Sharma joined Lighbank in April 2012 as a Founder in Residence. He joined Lightbank from Barclays Capital where he was a Senior Associate in their Investment Banking Division. Prior to Barclays Capital, Saurabh led Business Development efforts at BenchPrep, a digital learning platform. Saurabh also worked as an Investment Associate at ICICI Venture, as an Investment Banking Associate at Lehman Brothers, and as a compiler optimization engineer at INRIA in Mumbai, New York, London, and Paris. Saurabh holds a Masters degree in Computer Science from Cornell University and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.