Jean-Jacques Degroof, a private investor in Brussels, successfully combines academic inquiry with business knowledge. Mr. Degroof has been involved with initiating companies and expanding the understanding of how organizations operate and change. He was a founding member of Hub Angels Investment Group, LLC, in Boston and has supported the launch of a number of ventures.

Mr. Degroof’s interest in finance led him to the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Labor Studies, both with highest honors. Jean-Jacques Degroof later obtained an M.S. and Ph.D. in Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He participated in a postdoctoral appointment at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at Harvard University, where he co-wrote an article on spinoff ventures in the academic realm.

Taking on teaching duties at several universities in Europe, Jean-Jacques Degroof lent his insight to students at the Vlerick School of Management in Belgium, as well as Ecole des Mines de Nantes and the Audencia Nantes School of Management, both in France. Currently, he conducts research at MIT and Louvain, and participates as a member of the Editorial Committee for the Revue Entreprendre-Innover journal.

Jean-Jacques Degroof has also worked for several banks, including the European American Bank, Brown Brothers Harriman, and J. P. Morgan. He later served as a credit officer and staff member of the Executive Committee for General de Banque BNP Fortis. At Banque Degroof, his positions included Private Banking Manager and Human Resources Manager. In his spare time, Mr. Degroof enjoys reading and tennis. He serves as President of the Degroof-Van Massenhove Foundation, a charitable organization in Belgium, and provides support to the MIT chapter of Engineers Without Borders. He is also a member of the MIT Educational Council.