Monday, October 28, 2024

Wyc Grousbeck

Owner & Governor
Boston Celtics

Video is available for members only

Moderator:
Lee Ainslie
Founder & Managing Partner
Maverick Capital
Trustee, ECNY

Wycliffe "Wyc" Grousbeck is a two-time NBA champion, and an experienced investor, CEO and founder. He has led or co-founded successful enterprises in sports, business, entertainment and philanthropy. He is passionate about doing the right thing and helping others.

Business Ventures
Wyc was born and raised in Boston attended Princeton University, University of Michigan Law School and Stanford Business School. He was a venture capital investor for 7 years before he conceived of the idea to buy the Boston Celtics and led the acquisition in 2002. He has been Lead Owner, Governor and CEO of the Celtics ever since, as the Celtics won their historic 17th and 18th championships in 2008 and 2024. The Celtics’ success on the court is matched in the community, as they help over 1,600 charities a year through the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation.

Wyc continued his investing career as well, co-founding Causeway Partners in 2013. Causeway has raised three venture growth funds totaling over $400 million and has invested in a number of successful sports-related businesses, including SeatGeek and most recently the recapitalization of golf’s PGA Tour.

Together with his wife Emilia Fazzalari, Wyc co-founded award-winning Cincoro Tequila in 2016 with Jeanie Buss (owner, LA Lakers), Wes Edens (owner, Milwaukee Bucks), and Michael Jordan (NBA icon). Cincoro is distributed throughout the United States, Europe, Middle East and Asian markets, and has sold over 2 million bottles to date.

Philanthropy
Emilia and Wyc serve as the Trustees of Giving | Grousbeck Fazzalari (“GGF”), a charitable foundation that supports several important initiatives in healthcare, education, and justice.

Wyc and Emilia also strongly support leading healthcare institutions such as Mass Eye and Ear, the Dana- Farber Cancer Institute, Mass General Hospital, Boston Children’s Hospital, and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital; social justice and reform programs such as the Reform Alliance; and the Earthshot Foundation, Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, Boys and Girls Clubs, Make-a-Wish, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Robin Hood.

Emilia is a member of the Trust Board of Boston Children’s Hospital, the President’s Advisory Council at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and on the board of Reform Alliance. Wyc is the former Chair of Mass Eye and Ear, a world leader in fighting blindness and deafness. He raised over $250 million for Mass Eye and Ear.

Entertainment
Emilia and Wyc co-created a situation comedy concept with their friend George in 2021 and sold it to NBC, which put it on prime-time television as “Extended Family” in 2024. It can currently be seen on NBC’s Peacock. Wyc is an avid musician and plays guitar and drums in two bands. He has shared musical bills with such artists as Billy Idol, Lenny Kravitz, Gregg Allman and the J. Geils Band.

Honors and Awards
In addition to accepting two NBA Championship trophies on behalf of the Celtics, Wyc has been awarded honorary degrees as a commencement speaker by the University of Michigan Law School and Suffolk University. He received the Citizen – Athlete Award from Princeton for “contributions to sport and society”. He has guest lectured at Boston College’s Carroll School of Business for 15 years and speaks regularly at the Harvard Business School and the MIT Sloan School of Management. He was honored as an all-Ivy rower as part of Princeton’s 1983 champion lightweight crew.