Jeremy Stoppelman co-founded and serves as CEO and board member of Yelp. He is an advisor at Minted. He founded Yelp in 2004 with Russell Simmons, a former PayPal colleague. Jeremy continues to shape the company’s vision and experience, personally overseeing product development and other aspects of the business. Prior to creating Yelp, Jeremy completed his freshman year at Harvard Business School, but dropped out after founding the company. Before attending business school, Jeremy was vice president of engineering at PayPal. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the University of Illinois. He also works as an advisor at Pinterest. He is an angel investor.

Founder & CEO at Yelp | Technology Executive | Entrepreneur

Professional Summary

Accomplished technology executive and entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in building and scaling successful internet companies. Founded and led Yelp to become a global leader in local search and reviews, growing it from startup to public company. Previously served as VP of Engineering at PayPal during its critical growth phase. Demonstrated expertise in general management, internet technologies, and software development, with a strong track record of driving innovation and business growth.

Professional Experience

Chief Executive Officer Yelp.com | July 2004 – Present San Francisco, California

• Founded and scaled Yelp from concept to leading global platform for local business reviews
• Led company through successful IPO and continued growth over two decades
• Pioneered innovative approaches to local search and user-generated content
• Championed fair competition in digital markets
• Expanded service offerings into home services sector
• Drove technological innovation and AI integration
• Built and maintained strong corporate culture across global operations

Vice President of Engineering PayPal | February 2000 – June 2003

• Led 43-person engineering organization including 6 managers and 37 engineers
• Managed software development during company’s rapid growth phase
• Contributed to successful acquisition by eBay for $1.5 billion
• Scaled engineering processes and systems during period of hyper-growth
• Oversaw critical technical initiatives and infrastructure development

Software Engineer Excite@Home | August 1999 – January 2000

• Designed and implemented website features for proprietary billing and provisioning system
• Developed solutions using Netscape Livewire
• Contributed to core infrastructure development

Investment Portfolio

1. Foraged
   • Deal Date: July 12, 2023
   • Deal Type: Seed Round
   • Industry: Food Products
   • Company Stage: Generating Revenue
2. X1 Card
   • Deal Date: December 1, 2022
   • Industry: Other Financial Services
   • Company Stage: Generating Revenue
3. Superblocks
   • Deal Date: August 11, 2022
   • Industry: Software Development Applications
   • Company Stage: Generating Revenue
4. Causal
   • Deal Date: March 25, 2022
   • Industry: Business/Productivity Software
   • Company Stage: Generating Revenue
5. OfferFit
   • Deal Date: November 1, 2021
   • Industry: Business/Productivity Software
   • Company Stage: Generating Revenue
6. Echo AI
   • Deal Date: April 7, 2021
   • Industry: Business/Productivity Software
   • Company Stage: Generating Revenue
7. Studio
   • Deal Date: April 1, 2021
   • Industry: Educational and Training Services (B2C)
   • Company Stage: Profitable
8. X1 Card
   • Deal Date: January 14, 2021
   • Industry: Other Financial Services
   • Company Stage: Generating Revenue
9. Openbase
   • Deal Date: January 13, 2021
   • Deal Type: Seed Round
   • Industry: Software Development Applications
   • Company Stage: Out of Business
10. SignEasy
    • Deal Date: December 9, 2020
    • Deal Type: Seed Round
    • Industry: Business/Productivity Software
    • Company Stage: Generating Revenue

Education

Harvard Business School MBA Program | September 2003 – May 2004

• Completed first year before deferring to launch Yelp

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign BS, Computer Engineering | August 1995 – August 1999

• Graduated with Honors

Core Competencies

• Strategic Leadership
• Software Development
• Product Innovation
• Technology Management
• Entrepreneurship
• Business Strategy
• Corporate Governance
• Team Building
• Public Company Management
• Competition Policy

Recognition and Achievements

• Built Yelp into a global platform over 20+ years of continuous leadership
• Successfully navigated company from startup through IPO and public company operations
• Recognized thought leader in technology and competition policy
• Strong advocate for fair competition in digital markets
• Pioneered user-generated content model for local business reviews
• Drove expansion into multiple vertical markets including home services

Contact Information

• Location: San Francisco, California, United States

– LinkedIn Connections: 500+

– Professional Followers: 3,957