Founder Intelligence
Dave Girouard
Credit is the gateway to economic opportunity. AI allows us to evaluate human capability and risk far more accurately than legacy three-digit credit scores.
- Role
- Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder
- Company
- Upstart
- Country
- United States
- Company founded
- 2012
Ecosystem Connection Map
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Overview
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Dave Girouard is a seasoned technology executive and entrepreneur who serves as Chief Executive Officer of Upstart. Prior to founding Upstart in 2012, Girouard spent nearly a decade at Google as the founding President of Google Enterprise, building Google Workspace and enterprise cloud computing from the ground up.
Why it matters
Girouard demonstrated how to successfully deploy machine learning into one of the most heavily regulated sectors of the economy, transforming consumer lending from backward-looking credit scores to predictive intelligence.
Editorial insight
Girouard built one of the few large, publicly traded companies organized entirely around AI-driven credit decisioning, giving outside observers a rare public window into how AI lending models perform through a full economic cycle.
Career & Timeline
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Education & Google Enterprise Leadership
Girouard studied mechanical engineering at Dartmouth College and earned his MBA from the University of Michigan. In 2004, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin recruited Girouard to build Google's enterprise software business, leading the development and commercial rollout of Gmail for Business, Google Docs, and enterprise cloud APIs.
Founding Upstart & AI Credit Underwriting
In 2012, Girouard left Google to found Upstart alongside Paul Gu and Anna Counselman. Upstart developed multi-variable machine learning models that evaluate 1,600+ data variables, expanding credit access for creditworthy Americans while lowering default risk for partner banks.
- Company founded Upstart was founded in 2012 per the company profile source on file. Source
- Product April 2012: Upstart launches with an income share agreement product rather than a traditional loan. Source
- May 2014: Pivots away from income share agreements toward a conventional personal loan marketplace model. Source
- December 2020: Completes its initial public offering on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker UPST, pricing shares at $20. Source
- Acquisition 2021: Acquires Prodigy Software to expand into auto-retail lending technology. Source
Companies
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Products
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Upstart marketplace
Explore Upstart marketplace by Upstart. Verified AI product intelligence covering core capabilities, Finance use cases, technical architecture, and…
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Technologies & Expertise
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Industries & Use Cases
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Industries
Ecosystem
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Acquisitions
- 2021: Acquires Prodigy Software to expand into auto-retail lending technology.
Latest Developments
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Related Intelligence
Reports and insights editorially linked to this founder.
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Report The State of AI in Finance: 2024–2026
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Report AI Lending and Underwriting Landscape: Companies and Market Signals
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Report AI in Finance: Verified Company Landscape
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Report Identity Intelligence: Verified Company Landscape on Brel
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Insight AI in Finance: What Changed From 2024 to 2026
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Insight AI Fraud Detection Companies: How the Market Is Evolving
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Insight AI Lending Companies: Models, Risk, and Market Shifts
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Insight AI Fraud Prevention Companies: Categories and Buyer Use Cases
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FAQ
Answers restated from verified fields on this profile.
Who is Dave Girouard?
Dave Girouard is an American enterprise technology executive and entrepreneur serving as Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Upstart, the cloud-based AI lending marketplace.
What was Dave Girouard's leadership role at Google?
Girouard spent eight years at Google (2004–2012) as President of Google Enterprise, building Google Apps (now Google Workspace), Gmail for Business, and Google Cloud from inception into a multi-billion dollar enterprise division.
Where did Dave Girouard study?
Girouard earned his Bachelor of Arts in Mechanical Engineering and Bachelor of Engineering from Dartmouth College, followed by an MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.
Sources & Verification
Primary sources
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