Gilbert Brings Breadth of Operations Experience and Passion for Education to Leading Social Network for Studying
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 1, 2010 – Grockit (www.grockit.com), a social network for studying that uses collaborative learning and develops adaptive programs for students, announced today that Roy Gilbert joins the company as CEO. Gilbert will also join Grockit’s board of directors. Farb Nivi, Grockit’s founder, will serve as president and chief product officer, working closely with Gilbert.
Gilbert joins Grockit after seven years at Google in various operations roles where his accomplishments included winning a Founder’s Award and serving as a key early member of Google’s online sales team. Gilbert’s most recent position with the company was director of user operations and policy. In this capacity, Gilbert was responsible for search quality operations, consumer and ads policy, book scanning, Google Apps sales for small businesses and educational institutions, and consumer product support.
Prior to that, Gilbert launched and led Google’s sales and operations organization in India. While in India, Gilbert and his wife built a school in an urban slum where they found innovative ways to integrate social teaching and creative problem solving into the curriculum. It is currently ranked as one of the top government-run schools in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
“Roy is a total operational rock star and he shares in the Grockit passion for transforming education and how we learn,” said Nivi. “I am excited to have a business partner and leader like Roy to help us achieve that goal.”
“I have a passion for education that comes from being raised by a family of gifted teachers,” said Gilbert. “Farb and the team have created a platform that has the potential to revolutionize education. I am thrilled to have the privilege to work with this talented team to develop products that will change the future of learning.”
Gilbert began his career as a submarine officer in the United States Navy. Gilbert graduated with a BS in computer science from the US Naval Academy and received an MBA from Stanford University.
About Grockit
Grockit was founded in 2007 to leverage the social benefits of the Internet, improve academic achievement and to extend learning outside of the classroom. Through the application of social networking and online gaming technology, the Grockit learning platform offers students a fun and engaging way to master academic skills and to prepare for standardized tests. The diagnostic, prescriptive and adaptive nature of the platform ensures that each student receives an individualized learning experience. Grockit was founded by Farb Nivi, a former Princeton Review Teacher of the Year and academic director at Kaplan. Headquartered in San Francisco, Grockit is funded by Atlas Venture, Benchmark Capital and Integral Capital Partners and angel investors including Reid Hoffman (founder, LinkedIn) and Mark Pincus (founder and CEO, Zynga). For more information, please visit www.grockit.com.
