| Gregory Waldorf | |
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Greg Waldorf, 2008 |
Greg Waldorf is a CEO-in-Residence at Accel Partners. He was the founding investor and former CEO of eHarmony[1] . Before joining eHarmony as CEO in 2006, Waldorf, a graduate of the Stanford Graduate School of Business (MBA) and UCLA (BA), was an entrepreneur, investor and executive.[2]
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Waldorf started his entrepreneurial career early. At age 13, he started a successful, international software and consulting business. As Waldorf explained to the Wall Street Journal in February 2007, "Families would get a computer and they'd say, 'Oh, I think Greg Waldorf knows a lot about how to set up a computer,' and so I was that kid in the neighborhood who knew that." His mom signed him up to take a programming class, but he was so advanced he ended up teaching it.[3] After receiving his BA from UCLA, he received an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. Waldorf remains actively involved at Stanford, where he is a member of the Hoover Institution Board of Overseers, and was a founding member of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Management Board.[4]
Waldorf was drawn to eHarmony because it seemed to be meaningful, as well as a good business idea. When he made his initial investment in 2000, he joined forces with founders Greg Forgatch and Neil Clark Warren, a clinical psychologist with three decades of experience counseling married couples. Dr. Warren's experience coupled with extensive scientific research formed the basis of eHarmony’s approach: singles are matched on dimensions of personality that predict compatibility and the potential for long-term relationship success.[5] The Company continues to grow, in part due to the decreasing stigma of online dating and in part due the company’s expanding range of services, including online content and advice.[6] According to research from Harris Interactive, 542 Americans marry on an average day after meeting through eHarmony, nearly 5% of new marriages in the United States. [7] “Without Greg’s involvement, eHarmony never would have happened. From before our beginnings he guided us all along the way,” said Dr. Neil Clark Warren, the company’s Founder and Chairman of the Board. [8] By the end of 2010, Waldorf's final year as CEO, he had achieved the highest number of subscribers to date, setting a yearly record. [9]
In early 2011, Greg Waldorf announced he was stepping down from CEO of eHarmony and joined Accel Partners as CEO-in-residence. In his new position, he will work with Accel's existing portfolio companies in order to identify promising start-ups. He is interested in new ventures focused on both business and consumer services and was brought on at Accel to take the reins of one of its young companies. [10] "Greg has been an outstanding executive and board member" said Sameer Gandhi, Partner at Accel Partners. "His experience on consumer acquisition and social media will be of huge help to [the firm] and our portfolio companies." [11]
Given his expertise, Waldorf has been cited on matters relating to investing and technology in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, San Jose Mercury News, and BusinessWeek among other publications and he has made numerous broadcast appearances on CNBC.[4] In 2010, Waldorf’s contribution to technology was further recognized with the prestigious Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Technology and Sciences category.[12] Waldorf has also extended his entrepreneurship to the non-profit world, where he is a board member and founder of Startup, which has provided business training for nearly 500 aspiring entrepreneurs in East Palo Alto, CA since 1994.[13] In 2011, he became a member of Propublica's Business Advisory Council. [14]