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Marcel Legrand

Investor • Operator • Advisor • Board Member • Entrepreneur

New York, New York, United States

About

I'm passionate about helping purpose-driven people & organizations succeed through meaningful change, growth & learning. I live for fast-paced, customer-focused disruption. Board roles (Tiger Global, Bain Capital, +), Columbia/Baruch degrees, 20x Ironman, dessert-first fan, husband & father of 3

Superpower

My Superpower isn't really a single thing; it’s this weird, balanced combination of four (4) very human gears that turn together. It starts with COMPASSION; I genuinely care about people & have a deep desire to truly see what they’re dealing with and figure out how to help, whether it’s a friend, customer or a teammate. I channel that understanding into COMMERCE, where I get a huge kick out of building success that achieves profit + real growth while treating everyone involved with the respect they deserve. Yes money matters to me but not so much as a flex but a way to keep score on if a commercial idea has legs. The third gear, which might sound counterintuitive, is DISPASSION; I’ve learned to be pretty stoic about the things outside my control : market shifts, unexpected setbacks, a torn hamstring... which helps me stay calm & focus only on the leverage I actually possess. Finally, and perhaps most crucially, I have a surprisingly high PAIN TOLERANCE; thanks to years of endurance training, I've developed the deep grit to push through chaos & genuinely refuse to quit until we get to the other side; delayed gratification is a gift.!

Experience

  • COO, Founding Member & Investor at Boomband · Jun 2024
  • Mentor / Investor at Techstars Boston Accelerator · Jun 2023
  • Adjunct Professor, Entrepreneurship at Monmouth University · Jul 2021
  • Advisor / Consultant at Bain Capital Ventures (Bcv) · Jul 2017 – Mar 2024
  • Chief Revenue Officer at Total Brain, A Sondermind Company · Jul 2017 – Jul 2021
  • Chief Revenue Officer at Total Brain (ASX: TTB) · Jan 2017 – Jan 2022
  • Chief Executive Officer at Pandologic · Feb 2010 – Apr 2011
  • Chief Executive Officer at Real Match / PandoLogic · Jan 2009 – Jan 2011
  • Advisor / Consultant at Tiger Global Management · Feb 2007 – Apr 2019
  • Partner at Blackfin Capital Partners · Jan 2007 – Jan 2010
  • Managing Partner & CRO at Blackfin Capital · Jan 2007 – Feb 2010
  • Operating Partner & Co-Founder at Vertical Knowledge · Jan 2007 – Jan 2017
  • Operating Partner at Vertical Knowledge · Jan 2007 – Jan 2017
  • SVP Strategy & Corporate Development at Monster · Nov 2002 – Jan 2007
  • SVP Strategy & Corporate Development at Monster Worldwide · Jan 2002 – Jan 2006
  • Senior Vice President, Product Development at Monster · Jan 2000 – Jan 2002
  • Senior Vice President - Product Development at Monster.com · Jan 2000 – Jan 2002
  • Senior Vice President, Global Development at Monster.com · Jan 1999 – Jan 2000
  • Senior Vice President, Global Development at Monster · Jan 1999 – Jan 2000
  • Regional Vice President, Sales & Marketing at Radancy · Aug 1996 – Jan 1998
  • Regional Vice President, Marketing & Sales at Tmp Worldwide · Jan 1996 – Jan 1999
  • Marketing Manager at Tmp Worldwide · Jan 1993 – Jan 1996
  • Marketing Manager at Radancy · Sep 1991 – Jan 1996

Education

  • MS · International Economics & Finance at Columbia · Jan 1998 – May 2001
  • MBA · Marketing at Baruch College – Zicklin School of Business · Sep 1994 – Jun 1998
  • BA · Communications at Hofstra University · Sep 1987 – May 1991
  • Executive Education · Strategic Negotiations at Harvard Business School/HBX
  • Executive Development Program (EDP) · Business Model Innovation at The Wharton School
  • MS · International Affairs, Finance at Columbia University

Stories

COO, Founding Member & Investor at Boomband

Skills: Business Performance Management, Entrepreneurship, Operations, Scaled Agile Framework, strategic planning and development, Teamwork

Triathlons

Faith in Human Brilliance

You know, when I really step back and look at how fast technology is changing our world, it feels less like a textbook case study and more like living through a crazy, thrilling historical movie but I’m loving the ride. I'm totally pumped about where this is going.... Yes, there’s chaos. Absolutely, we see the rough patches: feeling exposed online, the constant mental juggling act of being plugged in all the time, and the very real worry about jobs displacement because a machine can do them faster. Those messy moments are just the growing pains, the loud rumbling you hear when you're knocking down an old wall to build a much bigger, brighter room. It's happened many, many times in the past and maybe never as fast (steam engine, frozen foods, Internet...) My personal conviction, my gut feeling based on the science, is that this shift is overwhelmingly good in the long term. Think about it: suddenly, brilliant minds anywhere on the planet can connect and tackle huge problems. That’s not just convenient; that’s powerful. We're seeing doctors diagnose illness with better accuracy thanks to smart algorithms, and kids in remote villages are accessing university lectures. The stress we feel now is simply the human brain trying to catch up to a world that's becoming incredibly interconnected & scientifically enabled. The true core of this story is that we are gaining the tools to seriously lift up the human experience for everyone, making opportunities less about where you were born and more about what you can contribute. The disruption is real, but it’s the necessary shakeup for a future that is going to be wildly better and fairer than anything we’ve known.

Skills: Artificial Intelligence, Change Management, Digital Literacy, disruption, ethical reasoning, human behavior, Systems Thinking, technology

Triathlons, Endurance Racing, Marathons

Let's be honest, this a bit of a midlife crisis issue... but I train for endurance not just to finish a race, but to unlock a superpower: the ability to tell me mind, "you can keep going," long after your legs say, "F-off!" It matters for me because every long run, swim, and ride is a deposit in the bank of mental resilience, I use that to remind myself that the fortitude required to cross the finish line was inside me all along. Ultimately, this journey reminds me day after day how to embrace discomfort, conquer monumental challenges, and realize that I are far more capable than you ever imagined.

Skills

Accountability, Acquisition Transactions, Adaptability, AI Technologies, Angel Investing, Animal Care, Artificial Intelligence, balance, balance training, Business Development, Business Law, Business Performance Management, canine rehabilitation, Capital Raising, career planning, Change Management, Cognitive Processing, Communications, communicaton, consistency, Corporate Development, Corporate Strategy, Creativity, CRM Systems, Curiosity, Customer Success, Data Analysis, Data-driven Decision Making, Decisiveness, Digital Literacy, disruption, Dog Care, Dog Training, Drum Machines, drums and percussion, Due Diligence, due dilligence, emotional regulation, Endurance Training, Entrepreneurship, ethical reasoning, ethics and integrity, Financial Modeling, Fundraising, go to market strategies, Go-to-Market Strategy, Goal Setting, grit, human behavior, Humility, Investor Relations, KPI Implementation, Leadership, m&a, Market Validation, Marketing Automation, Marketing Strategy, Mentorship, music making, networking, Operational Management, Operations, P&L Management, pacing, Pain Management, Patience, Pedagogy, Percussion Instruments, persuasion, preparation, Problem Solving, process, Product Development, Resilience, restraint, return on investment analysis, Revenue Operations, rhythm, SaaS, Sales Management, Scaled Agile Framework, sensory processing, Software As A Service (SaaS), spanish, Staffing Software, strategic planning and development, stress tolerance, Systems Thinking, tactical planning, Team Leadership, Teamwork, technology, university teaching, Vendor Management, Visualization, Vulnerability