Jonathan Lacoste
Jonathan Lacoste | |
---|---|
Born | |
Alma mater | Boston College (dropped out) |
Occupation | Entrepreneur |
Jonathan Lacoste (born September 2, 1993) is an American internet entrepreneur currently living in Boston, Massachusetts. In 2011, Lacoste along with classmate and friend Tom Coburn, co-founded Jebbit, a digital marketing software company that allows marketers to create interactive content [1]. Jonathan currently serves as the company's President [2]
Early life and education
Lacoste was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio to John and Jane Lacoste. He received his high school diploma from St. Edward High School, a private, all-male Catholic, college-preparatory high school located in Cleveland, Ohio [3]. Growing up, Jonathan was a nationally ranked ice hockey goaltender. At the height of his career, Lacoste was awarded the "Bästa Målvakt" or "Best Goaltender" Award at the World Hockey Cup in Stockholm, Sweden [4] [5]. He also became the youngest goaltender to win a game in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) [6] at the age of 16 years, 3 months for the Alpena IceDiggers. Lacoste started his academic career at Boston College, however, ended up dropping out of school after his third semester [7]. While at Boston College, Lacoste launched Jebbit with classmates Tom Coburn and Chase McAleese [8] [9]. When Lacoste and Coburn raised venture capital in the summer of 2013 for Jebbit, it made him one of the youngest internet entrepreneurs to raise venture capital at the age of 19 [10].
Jebbit
Lacoste's co-founder, Tom Coburn, received the initial inspiration for Jebbit in an airport as he observed a Hulu TV show on his laptop and realized how infrequently he paid attention to online advertising [11]. Coburn began tinkering around with the idea on his own and eventually entered it into the Boston College Venture Competition under the working name, Additupp [12]. After tying for first place, Coburn teamed up with Lacoste, and together they renamed the company Jebbit and built out a team of Boston College students before ultimately leaving school early [13]. To date, Jebbit works with brands such as Dell, Reebok, New Balance, Volkswagen, Live Nation, Keurig, Harvard University and many more [14]. By mid-2013, Jebbit had raised more than $1.8 million of venture capital from firms such as Data Point Capital and Boston Seed Capital, as well as notable entrepreneurs including HubSpot Founder Dharmesh Shah and Acquia Founder Jay Batson [15]. Jebbit has company headquarters located in downtown Boston with company employees and advisors located in San Francisco, New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Nashville. Jebbit was recognized by CNBC as one of the "Top 25 Most Promising Companies in the World" as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week in 2013 [16]. In addition, Jebbit has received industry awards at the Marketer's Choice Awards and by the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council for innovation in the digital marketing and advertising industry [17] [18] [19].
Reception
In 2013, Lacoste became one of the youngest entrepreneurs to ever receive funding from a venture capital firm, at the age of 19 [20]. He has spoken at several popular conferences, including AOL's Startup Showdown, AdWeek North America, AdWeek Europe, the 4A's Transformation, the Digiday Agency Summit and the Blue Ocean Enterprise Challenge.[1][2][3][4] In addition, Lacoste, Coburn and Jebbit have been profiled in such publications and shows as Forbes, CNBC, The Boston Globe, The Boston Business Journal and many others. In honor of being the youngest entrepreneur named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in the 2015 edition, CNBC's Squawk Box invited Lacoste on the show to discuss Jebbit and the challenges of being a millennial entrepreneur.[5]
Awards
References
- ^ The Coolest Techies at The 4A'S Startup Showdown. Momentum Worldwide. March 25, 2014.
- ^ Startup Pitch Round. 4A's Transformation. March 19, 2014.
- ^ CSU Blue Ocean Enterprises Challenge announces competitors. Boulder Valley BizWest. March 12, 2015.
- ^ $250,000 CSU Blue Ocean Enterprises Challenge returns with 28 teams. The Coloradoan. March 17, 2015.
- ^ Jebbit turning ads into opportunities. CNBC Squawk Box. February 19, 2015.
- ^ 2015 30 Under 30: Marketing and Advertising. Forbes.
- ^ 25 Under 25 Winners Announced. The Boston Globe.
Sources
![]() | This article has an unclear citation style. (July 2015) |
- 1. Nachos, Janelle. Ad Ventures. Boston College Magazine
- 2. Bloomberg Businessweek | Jonathan Lacoste Executive Profile
- 3. Business Sense | Cleveland Magazine
- 4. BeRecruited | Jonathan Lacoste Scouting Report
- 5. Cleveland.com High School Sports Player Profile | St. Edward High School, Jonathan Lacoste
- 6. More NAPHL Players Earn Recognition
- 7. Boston's Jebbit was Founded by two college undergrads. Uncubed
- 8. Alspach, Kyle. BC students raise $229k for startup, plan hiatus from school. Boston Business Journal. January 15, 2013.
- 9. Alspach, Kyle. School or Startup?. Boston Business Journal. June 1, 2012
- 10. Kirsner, Scott. Boston College-spawned Jebbit grows by linking marketing with learning. The Boston Globe. February 10, 2014.
- 11. Nachos, Janelle. Ad Ventures. Boston College Magazine
- 12. Bitonte, Kendall. A Deeper Look at the 2011 Boston College Venture Competition Winning Teams. BostInno. May 1, 2011.
- 13. Keohane, Dennis. 2014 is Going to Be a Very Good Year for Jebbit. VentureFizz. January 8, 2014.
- 14. Interactive Ad-Tech Startup Jebbit Raises $1.25M in Funding. Yahoo! Finance. August 1, 2013.
- 15. Raising Venture Capital. Boston Business Journal. August 1, 2013.
- 16. The World's Most Promising New Companies. CNBC.
- 17. Landry, Lauren. Meet the 20 Overall Winners of MassTLC's 17th Annual Leadership Awards. BostInno. September 11, 2014.
- 18. Mass Technology Leadership Council Fetes 17th Annual Technology Leadership Award Winners at Gala Celebration. Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council. September 12, 2014.
- 19. Castellanos, Sara. Entrepreneurs, tech companies honored at annual MassTLC Leadership Awards Gala. Boston Business Journal. September 11, 2014.
- 20. Jebbit Is "On Fire": Company Finishes 2014 With Numerous Industry Awards. Reuters. December 15, 2014.