Early Life and Education
Eric Paul Lefkofsky was born on September 2, 1969, in West Bloomfield, Michigan. He grew up in Southfield, Michigan. His father was a structural engineer, and his mother was a school teacher. Lefkofsky graduated from Southfield-Lathrup High School in 1987. He then attended the University of Michigan, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1991. He went on to the University of Michigan Law School, receiving his Juris Doctor in 1993.
Rise to Success
Lefkofsky's entrepreneurial journey began after law school. In 1993, he and his college friend Brad Keywell bought Brandon Apparel, a clothing company. In 1999, they founded Starbelly, an early Internet company specializing in promotional products, which they sold to Halo Industries in January 2000. He later co-founded InnerWorkings in 2001, a print procurement services firm, which went public in 2006. In 2005, he co-founded Echo Global Logistics.
In 2008, Lefkofsky co-founded Groupon with Andrew Mason and Brad Keywell. Groupon became one of the fastest-growing companies in history. He turned down a reported $6 billion offer from Google for Groupon. He served as CEO of Groupon in 2013.
Lefkofsky founded Tempus AI in 2015, a health technology company focused on using AI to improve cancer treatment. Tempus went public in 2024.
Key Business Strategies
Lefkofsky is known for identifying opportunities to disrupt existing industries using technology. He has a history of building companies, each aiming to transform its respective sector. His strategies involve leveraging data and technology to create innovative solutions. His approach to business is characterized by his ability to see opportunities and scale them rapidly, as seen with Groupon and Tempus.
Philanthropy
Eric Lefkofsky and his wife, Liz, established The Lefkofsky Family Foundation in 2006. The foundation supports various initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life in the communities they serve, including medical research, education, and the arts. Lefkofsky and his wife joined The Giving Pledge in 2013.