Brian Halligan
{{Short description|American businessman}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Brian Halligan
| image = Brian Halligan, HubSpot.jpg
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| occupation = Executive, author
| spouse =
| children =
| alma_mater = University of Vermont
MIT Sloan School of Management
| website = [http://www.hubspot.com/ HubSpot] [https://www.propellervc.com/ Propeller]
| signature =
| footnotes =
}}
Brian Halligan is an American executive and author.{{cite web
| url = http://www.hubspot.com/company/management/brian-halligan/
| title = HubSpot Management Team, Brian Halligan, CEO & Founder
| publisher = HubSpot
| access-date = December 3, 2011
}} He is the co-founder and executive chairman of software company HubSpot{{Cite web|url=https://www.hubspot.com/company-news/yamini-rangan-ceo-brian-halligan-executive-chairman|title = HubSpot's Next Chapter: Yamini Rangan Appointed CEO, Brian Halligan to Step into Executive Chairman Role |publisher=HubSpot}} based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is also a senior lecturer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Halligan coined the term "inbound marketing" to describe the type of marketing he advocates.{{cite web
|url=http://inboundmarketing.com/brian
|title=Brian Halligan, HubSpot CEO & Co-Founder
|publisher=Inbound Marketing
|access-date=December 3, 2011
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111118030556/http://www.inboundmarketing.com/brian
|archive-date=November 18, 2011
}}
He has co-authored two books on marketing: Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs{{cite book
| isbn = 978-0-470-49931-3
| year = 2009
| publisher = John Wiley & Sons Inc
| title = Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs
| first1 = Brian
| last1 = Halligan
| first2 = Dharmesh
| last2 = Shah
}} with HubSpot co-founder Dharmesh Shah{{Cite web|title=Dharmesh Shah, HubSpot CTO and Founder|url=https://www.hubspot.com/company/management/dharmesh-shah|access-date=2021-08-25|publisher=HubSpot}} and Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead: What Every Business Can Learn from the Most Iconic Band in History{{cite book
| isbn = 978-0-470-90052-9
| year = 2010
| first1 = David Meerman
| last1 = Scott
| author1-link = David Meerman Scott
| first2 = Brian
| last2 = Halligan
| publisher = John Wiley & Sons Inc
| title = Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead: What Every Business Can Learn from the Most Iconic Band in History.
| url = http://www.davidmeermanscott.com/books_grateful-dead-marketing.htm
| access-date = 2011-12-04
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111212024632/http://www.davidmeermanscott.com/books_grateful-dead-marketing.htm
| archive-date = 2011-12-12
| url-status = dead
}} with David Meerman Scott.
Early life and education
Halligan was born in Westwood, Massachusetts, and grew up and attended public schools in Westwood, Massachusetts. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Vermont in 1990{{cite web |title=How to Succeed in Business |url=https://www.uvm.edu/news/story/how-succeed-business |website=The University of Vermont |publisher=UVM Today |access-date=7 September 2023 |date=3 January 2019}} and an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management in 2005.{{cite web |title=Faculty: Brian P. Halligan MIT Sloan |url=https://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/directory/brian-p-halligan |website=mitsloan.mit.edu |publisher=MIT Sloan School of Management |access-date=7 September 2023 |language=en |date=20 October 2022}}
Career
His career began at Parametric Technology Corporation in several roles leading up to senior vice president of the Pacific Rim. Wanting to work in a smaller company,{{cite web
| url = http://venturebeatprofiles.com/company/profile/hubspot/key_people
| title = HubSpot: Key People: Management: Brian Halligan, CEO & Founder
| publisher = VentureBeat Profiles
| access-date = December 2, 2011
| url-status = usurped
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110220124630/http://venturebeatprofiles.com/company/profile/hubspot/key_people
| archive-date = February 20, 2011
}} he joined Groove Networks as vice president of sales, where he worked from 2000 to 2004 before it was acquired by Microsoft and rebranded as Microsoft SharePoint Workspace.{{cite web
|url=http://entrepreneurship.mit.edu/services/nurture/eir/brian-halligan/entrepreneur-residence-brian-halligan
|title=Entrepreneur In Residence: Brian Halligan
|access-date=December 3, 2011
|publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120102015735/http://entrepreneurship.mit.edu/services/nurture/eir/brian-halligan/entrepreneur-residence-brian-halligan
|archive-date=January 2, 2012
| url = http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2005/mar05/03-10GrooveQA.mspx
| publisher = Microsoft
| title = Microsoft, Groove Networks to Combine Forces to Create Anytime, Anywhere Collaboration
| date = March 10, 2005
| access-date = December 19, 2011
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111208083130/http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2005/mar05/03-10GrooveQA.mspx
| archive-date = December 8, 2011
}}
After a period as a venture partner at Longworth Ventures,{{cite web
| url = http://www.generalcatalyst.com/entrepreneurs/brian-halligan
| title = Brian Halligan
| publisher = General Catalyst Partners
| access-date = December 3, 2011
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111119062820/http://www.generalcatalyst.com/entrepreneurs/brian-halligan
| archive-date = November 19, 2011
| url-status = dead
}} he co-founded HubSpot in June 2006. In HubSpot's 2022 Year In Review, the company reported $1.731 billion in total revenue and 5,895 employees with headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and offices in Dublin, Ireland (EMEA HQ), Berlin, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Japan, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and San Francisco.{{Cite web |title=HubSpot Reports Q4 and Full Year 2022 Results |url=https://ir.hubspot.com/news/hubspot-reports-q4-and-full-year-2022-results |publisher=HubSpot}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.hubspot.com/contact|title=Contact Us |publisher=HubSpot|language=en|access-date=2017-06-16}} He credits the company's success, in part, to innovations like the "Alpha, Beta, Version One" policy, in which employees begin proving their ideas might profit the company "nights and weekends" (the alpha phase) before receiving additional resources (the beta and version one phases).{{cite journal
| url = http://www.inc.com/magazine/201109/inc-500-brian-halligan-hubspot.html
| title = My Story: Brian Halligan of HubSpot
| first = Eric
| last = Markowitz
| journal = Inc.
| date = September 2010
| access-date = December 3, 2011
}} He stepped down as CEO of HubSpot after being injured in a snowmobile accident in 2021.{{Cite web |title=HubSpot cofounder to step down as CEO after accident - The Boston Globe |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/08/04/business/hubspot-cofounder-step-down-ceo-after-accident/ |access-date=2023-08-14 |website=BostonGlobe.com |language=en-US}}
He is a senior lecturer at MIT teaching "Designing, Developing, and Launching Successful Products in an Entrepreneurial Environment".{{Cite web |title=15.392 Class Home |url=https://stellar.mit.edu/S/course/15/sp15/15.392/index.html |access-date=2017-06-16 |website=stellar.mit.edu}} He previously taught "Scaling Entrepreneurial Ventures" at MIT.{{cite web |last1=Chen |first1=Elaine |author1-link=Elaine Chen |last2=Halligan |first2=Brian |title=15.S16 H2 Special Seminar in Management: Entrepreneurial Product Marketing and Development |url=http://entrepreneurship.mit.edu/course/15s16-special-seminar-management-entrepreneurial-product-marketing-and-development |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214073646/http://entrepreneurship.mit.edu/course/15s16-special-seminar-management-entrepreneurial-product-marketing-and-development |archive-date=February 14, 2012 |access-date=December 6, 2011 |publisher=MIT}}
Halligan is a corporation member of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.{{Cite press release|url=https://www.whoi.edu/press-room/news-release/woods-hole-oceanographic-institution-elects-new-corporation-members-2/|title = Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Elects New Corporation Members|publisher=Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution}} From 2014 to 2016, Halligan served on the board of directors of Fleetmatics until it was acquired by Verizon.{{Cite web|url=https://www.fleetmatics.com/fleetmatics-group-expands-its-board-of-directors|title=Fleetmatics Group Expands Board of Directors|publisher=Fleetmatics|language=en|access-date=2017-06-15 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140407054548/https://www.fleetmatics.com/fleetmatics-group-expands-its-board-of-directors |archive-date= April 7, 2014}}
In 2022 Halligan also founded Propeller Ventures and directs a $100 million climate tech venture fund specializing in ocean innovation investments.{{Cite web |title=HubSpot's Brian Halligan launches $100 million investment fund focused on climate change |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/10/20/business/hubspots-brian-halligan-gets-real-about-climate-change/ |access-date=2023-07-16 |website=BostonGlobe.com |language=en-US}} Brian is also a senior advisor at Sequoia Capital where he coaches startup founders.{{Cite web |title=Brian Halligan |url=https://www.sequoiacap.com/people/brian-halligan/ |access-date=2024-05-08 |website=Sequoia Capital |language=en-US}}
Publications, speeches, and awards
Halligan's first book, Inbound Marketing, was co-authored with HubSpot co-founder Dharmesh Shah. They coined the term “inbound marketing” and built a movement around the concept which included organizing the INBOUND conference. The thesis of the book is that because people block marketing that interrupts them, such as advertisements and spam, companies need to instead provide information that is useful to prospects, who will then self-identify. Reviewing the book, Meryl Evans said that it contains "elementary stuff..." but it "does a good job for those who don’t have a clue about how to use social media for business".{{cite news
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/external/gigaom/2010/03/09/09gigaom-inbound-marketing-a-social-media-primer-59761.html
| first = Meryl
| last = Evans
| publisher = The New York Times/GigaOm
| date = March 9, 2010
| access-date = December 19, 2011
| title = Inbound Marketing: A Social Media Primer
}} As of July 2011, the book was in its seventh printing, had sold 40,000 copies, and had been translated into nine languages.{{cite web
| url = http://influencers.smallbiztrends.com/small-business-leaders/brian-halligan/
| title = Brian Halligan, Nominated for a Small Business Influencer Award in: Leaders
| publisher = Small Business Influencers
| date = July 2011
| access-date = December 3, 2011
}}
File:David-meerman-scott-brian-halligan.png, Halligan (right) on the Marketing Lessons... book tour. The background photo montage includes Jerry Garcia, co-founder of The Grateful Dead.]]His second book, Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead, was co-authored with David Meerman Scott. It uses the marketing activities of the rock band The Grateful Dead as an example of this. Scott Kirsner, reviewing this book in The Boston Globe,{{cite news
| url = http://www.boston.com/business/technology/innoeco/2010/07/new_book_casts_the_grateful_de.html
| title = New book casts the Grateful Dead as brilliant marketers
| first = Scott
| last = Kirsner
| work=The Boston Globe
| date=July 16, 2010
| access-date=December 19, 2011
}} mentions that the authors say that they were inspired, in part, by an article in The Atlantic by Joshua Green.{{cite news
| url = https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/03/management-secrets-of-the-grateful-dead/7918/
| title = Management Secrets of the Grateful Dead
| authorlink = Joshua Green (journalist)
| first = Joshua
| last = Green
| work = The Atlantic
| date = March 2010
| access-date = December 3, 2011
}} In 2017, Halligan purchased the "Wolf" guitar once owned by Garcia for $1.9M at a charity auction. An anonymous donor made an additional donation of $1.6M and so the total benefit the Southern Poverty Law Center was $3.5M.{{Cite magazine
| title = Jerry Garcia's Legendary Wolf Guitar Sells for $1.9 Million at Auction
| first = Jon | last = Blistein
| magazine = Rolling Stone
| date = 2017-06-01
| access-date = 2017-06-05
| url = https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/jerry-garcias-wolf-guitar-sells-for-19-million-w485198
| quote =
| title = HubSpot's Brian Halligan buys Jerry Garcia's guitar for almost $2 million
| first = Andy | last = Rosen
| work = BostonGlobe.com
| date = 2017-06-01
| access-date = 2017-06-05
| url = https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2017/06/01/hubspot-brian-halligan-buys-jerry-garcia-guitar-for-almost-million/ozLYpKCaPzS5K1W3SiMaEL/story.html
| quote =
}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.splcenter.org/news/2017/06/01/auction-legendary-guitar-benefit-splc|title=Auction of legendary guitar to benefit SPLC|work=Southern Poverty Law Center|access-date=2017-06-16|language=en}} He is also co-authoring a Harvard Business Review case study on the group.{{Cite web |last=Clifford |first=Kasie |date=2022-07-19 |title=From Funnels to Flywheels |url=https://www.ritamcgrath.com/sparks/2022/07/from-funnels-to-flywheels/ |access-date=2023-07-16 |website=Rita McGrath |language=en-US}}
Halligan speaks on marketing and business topics, including at TEDx.{{cite web
| url = http://tedxboston.org/adventure/meet-with-angel-investor-joe-caruso
| title = How do you catch an angel investor's eye?
| publisher = TEDx Boston
| date = June 29, 2011
| access-date = December 7, 2011
| first1 = Brian
| last1 = Halligan
| first2 = Dharmesh
| last2 = Shah
| first3 = Joe
| last3 = Caruso
| archive-date = April 15, 2013
| archive-url = https://archive.today/20130415221446/http://tedxboston.org/adventure/meet-with-angel-investor-joe-caruso
| url-status = dead
}} Halligan has been named to Glassdoor’s annual top CEO list several times, listed by Comparably as one of the Top 5 Best CEOs of a Large Company as well as Top 5 Best CEOs for Women and for Diversity.{{Cite web|url=https://www.comparably.com/companies/hubspot|title = HubSpot Company Culture |website=comparably.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.glassdoor.com/Award/Top-CEOs-LST_KQ0,8.htm|title=Top CEOs|publisher=Glassdoor}}
He is also an occasional lecturer at Sloan on the science of selling and marketing.{{cite web
| url = http://mitsloan.mit.edu/newsroom/2011-marketing-conference.php
| publisher = MIT Sloan
| title = MIT Sloan's inaugural Marketing Conference to reveal the future of engaging the digital consumer
| access-date = January 14, 2012
| date = September 1, 2011
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120122230509/http://mitsloan.mit.edu/newsroom/2011-marketing-conference.php
| archive-date = January 22, 2012
| url-status = dead
}} MIT Sloan honored Halligan in 2023 with the Monosson Prize.{{Cite web |last=Wymer |first=Greg |title=Awards |url=https://entrepreneurship.mit.edu/awards/ |access-date=2023-07-16 |website=The Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship |language=en-US}}
Daniel Lyons incidents
In his book Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Start Up Bubble, which is sharply critical of HubSpot's management and culture, former HubSpot employee Daniel Lyons accused Halligan of age discrimination.Primack, Dan (April 16, 2016) [http://fortune.com/2016/04/06/tech-workers-and-investors-should-read-disrupted/ "Why Tech Workers and Investors Should Read 'Disrupted."] Forbes. (Retrieved 8-16-2016).
Materials obtained under the Freedom of Information Act showed that certain HubSpot executives working under Halligan considered the book "a financial threat to HubSpot, its share price, and the company’s future potential". The FBI report discussed "tactics such as email hacking and extortion" in an attempt to prevent the book from being published.[https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2016/03/23/documents-released-hubspot-probe-involving-author-dan-lyons/VZH4CN4kR5p7iyhsKEdwJI/story.html "Extortion, hacking claims sparked HubSpot investigation, FBI records show"], Boston Globe, 24 March 2016.
Halligan was forced to pay financial penalties by the HubSpot board of directors because he failed to promptly alert the board after he discovered that staff members at HubSpot behaved inappropriately. "There was definitely some fishiness. But I didn’t report it. That was my bad," Halligan said about the incident.{{cite web |last=Adams |first=Dan |url=http://www.betaboston.com/news/2015/07/29/hubspot-fires-marketing-chief-sanctions-ceo-over-incident-involving-book-about-the-company/ |title=HubSpot fires marketing chief, sanctions CEO over incident involving book about the company |website=betaboston.com |date=2015-07-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220627170039/http://www.betaboston.com/news/2015/07/29/hubspot-fires-marketing-chief-sanctions-ceo-over-incident-involving-book-about-the-company/ |archive-date=2022-06-27}}{{cite web |url=http://fortune.com/disrupted-excerpt-hubspot-startup-dan-lyons/ |title=My Year in Startup Hell |first=Dan |last=Lyons |work=Fortune |date=April 2016}}{{Cite news
| title = Extortion, hacking claims sparked HubSpot investigation, FBI records show
| first = Curt | last = Woodward
| work = The Boston Globe
| date = 2016-03-24
| access-date = 2016-04-12
| url = https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2016/03/23/documents-released-hubspot-probe-involving-author-dan-lyons/VZH4CN4kR5p7iyhsKEdwJI/story.html
| quote = Chief executive Brian Halligan was fined for failing to promptly alert the company’s board of directors after finding out about the incident.
| title = HubSpot CEO and CTO discuss firing of company's 'third founder' over attempts to obtain book manuscript
| first = Scott | last = Kirsner
| work = The Boston Globe
| date = 2015-07-30
| access-date = 2016-03-16
| url = http://www.betaboston.com/news/2015/07/30/hubspot-ceo-and-cto-discuss-firing-of-companys-third-founder-over-ethical-lapse
|url-status = dead
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150801182837/http://www.betaboston.com/news/2015/07/30/hubspot-ceo-and-cto-discuss-firing-of-companys-third-founder-over-ethical-lapse
| archive-date= August 1, 2015
| quote = I did the math on how many days I’ve been a working professional. It’s something like 6,250, and yesterday was the worst.
}}
References
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
External links
- [http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1118896653.html About the authors page at Wiley for Inbound Marketing...]
- [https://books.google.com/books?id=ldty5Dy9RVsC&dq=brian%20halligan&pg=PA163 About the authors page at Google Books from Marketing Lessons...]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Halligan, Brian}}
Category:American business theorists
Category:American business writers
Category:American technology chief executives