Jean-Jacques Degroof is a private investor and researcher interested in social and technology entrepreneurship and its relationship with academic institutions. Born in Belgium, Degroof graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor�s degree in Business Administration from the Louvain School of Management at the Catholic University of Louvain in 1980. After completing a year of military service, Degroof applied to a Master�s program in Labor Studies at the University.
After obtaining his Master�s degree and spending a year in New York City learning about the banking industry at prominent financial institutions, Jean-Jacques Degroof moved back to Belgium. He began work at Générale de Banque, now BNP Fortis, as a Credit Analyst and as a Staff Member of the Executive Committee from 1985 to 1986. In 1986, Jean-Jacques Degroof joined Banque Degroof as a Human Resources manager. He became a Manager of the Private Banking Division from 1988 to 1993.
In 2002, Degroof received his Ph. D. in Management after defending his dissertation entitled, �Spinning off Ventures from Academic Institutions outside High Tech Entrepreneurial Areas.� Between 2002 and 2004, Degroof focused intensively on research, working at both at Harvard University and MIT for a time.
Jean-Jacques Degroof has published works on management-related topics in academic publications such as the OECD�s Science Technology Industry Review and the Journal of Technology Transfer. He also has attended international conferences and given lectures at institutions such as the Vlerick School of Management in Belgium and the Ecole des Mines in France. Degroof maintains academic affiliations with the Catholic University of Louvain, the MIT Industrial Performance Center, and is a member of the editorial board of the Journal Entrerendre & Innover.��
In his spare time, Jean-Jacques Degroof enjoys playing tennis.