User:Davidatcompass/Robert Reffkin
Robert Reffkin | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1979 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Columbia University |
| Known for | Founder of America Needs You Cofounder and CEO of Compass Marathon Runner |
| Website | https://www.compass.com/about/team |
Robert Reffkin is the founder of the non-profit America Needs You and CEO of real-estate technology company Compass. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Brooklyn College and was a White House Fellow. Reffkin is known for running marathons to raise money for charities.
Early life and education
[edit]Reffkin grew up in Berkeley, California.[1] His father died when Reffkin was 11, so he was raised by his mother.[1][2] In middle-school, Reffkin started a non-profit with his mother called "A Better Chance" that helped low-income students get into prestigious universities.[1] In 1994, at age 15, Reffkin started a DJ business, earning $100,000 by the time he graduated high school.[1][2] Reffkin attended a high school in San Francisco before getting two degrees from Columbia University.[2]
Career
[edit]Reffkin spent two years at the business consulting firm McKinsey & Company.[3] Then, he went back to college to get an MBA from Columbia, before spending two years at the financial advisory firm Lazard.[3] At age 25, he became a White House Fellow.[3] He spent a year working under John Snow, who was the U.S. Treasury Secretary at the time.[3] This was followed by six years at Goldman Sachs.[3]
While working at Goldman, Reffkin ran marathons to raise $1.3 million in order to support the opening of a new school in the Bronx.[1][3] In 2007, he started working on starting his own nonprofit, America Needs You (originally called New York Needs You), which he launched officially in 2009.[1] The nonprofit provides career advice and mentorship to low-income students.[2][3]
Reffkin returned to for-profit work in 2012, when he co-founded Compass, a real-estate technology company where he serves as CEO.[1] By 2017, it had grown to more than 30 offices and $1 billion in revenue.[1] As of 2019, the company had a valuation of $4.4 billion.[4]
Personal life
[edit]Reffkin is married with children.[1] Reffkin recently ran a marathon in every U.S. state, raising another $1 million for educational charities.[4]
Further reading
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i Raposo, Jacqueline (July 6, 2017). "The Journey Was the Exciting Part". Columbia College Today. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
- ^ a b c d Zax, David (October 25, 2013). "How A Darling Of The New York Tech Scene Gives Back". Fast Company. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Robert Reffkin, 35". Fortune. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
- ^ a b "How did this alum's mom inspire him to create a $4B startup?". McKinsey & Company. January 11, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2019.