Jacques Habra

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Jacques Habra
Jacques Habra 2017.png
Habra - Circa 2017
Born (1974-01-09) January 9, 1974 (age 47)
Beirut
Alma materUniversity of Michigan
Height5' 11"
Spouse(s)Angela Habra
Partner(s)Married November 9th, 2019
Websitejacqueshabra.com

Jacques Habra is a Lebanese American technology entrepreneur, investor and thought leader. He is most known for founding WebElite, a web application technology agency in 1996, and creating award-winning brands and several companies that experienced successful exits, Habra is the founder and CEO of Noospheric, a startup consulting incubator based in Santa Barbara and he currently focuses on real estate development projects.[1]

Education and early career[]

Habra was born on January 9, 1974 in Beirut. A graduate of , Habra received his bachelor's degree with Honors in 1996 from the University of Michigan in English and Philosophy. Habra launched Web Elite during his senior year at the University of Michigan and sold the company in 2001 to a group of investors for an undisclosed sum.[2]

Career[]

In 1999, Habra purchased a 12,600 sq/ft commercial building (previously a movie theater) that he converted into an office space for Web Elite.[3] During Habra's leadership of Web Elite, the company pioneered online content management systems, online analytics systems, on the fly survey results, and off-line technology.[4][5]

Through WebElite, Habra created several technologies that were later adopted as mainstream Web tools[6] including one of the first content management systems (CMS) called the Auto-Mod Form, which allowed Web owners to modify content on their Web site without directly accessing servers or knowing any code. In 1999, Habra launched Unplugged, an application that allowed the use of a Web site without being connected to the Internet.[7]

In 2003, Jacques Habra joined Amer Zahr to co-found "OZ" - a night club in Ann Arbor with a middle eastern theme serving Hookahs.[8] Habra currently manages the incubator and consulting firm, Noospheric, where he develops and invests in early-stage companies. Through Noospheric, Habra has invested in TrackR (formerly Phone Halo) First Click,[9] SBClick, SelfEcho, and FreePropertyAlert.[10] Habra founded First Click in 2007 to provide online marketing services.[11]

Habra launched SelfEcho, a company, which develops technology to manage and improve well-being by tracking psychological metrics using smartphones; including the product Mobile Therapy, in 2013.[12] Habra was the lead angel investor and advisor of TrackR from 2009 - 2011.[13] In August, 2017, TrackR raised $50MM by Revolution Growth and Amazon Alexa Fund through a Series B round.[14]

In 2017, Habra joined Grown Rogue as Chief Strategy Officer, a publicly traded cannabis company with operations in Oregon, California, and Michigan. Habra is credited for coining the branding of the "The Right Experience, Every Time" for the companies' product launch in 2017 as well as helping to raise $6 Million for company expansion.[15] Habra created the branding to differentiate the company from the traditional "stoner" image to a modern application for the use of cannabis.[16]

Habra is an Adjunct Professor at Santa Barbara City College[17] and serves on several non-profit boards including the Arthritis Foundation Leadership Council, Westmont College Foundation Board,[18] MIT Enterprise Forum of the Central Coast,[19] and Mentorship Works.[20] Habra regularly speaks at technology and entrepreneurship conferences around the world.[21]

Awards[]

  • Entrepreneur of the Year in 2016 by SBTIA [22]
  • Young Entrepreneur of the Year by Andersen Consulting in 2001[23][24]
  • Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist by Ernst & Young for years 1999, 2000, and 2001[25]

References[]

  1. ^ "TrackR Raises $8.7M in Venture Capital Funding". TrackR Raises $8.7M in Venture Capital Funding. FINSMES. October 6, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  2. ^ Student Uses Internet to Launch Business by Anita Chik published by The Michigan Daily in 1996
  3. ^ Web Elite Keeps Clients on Top of the Latest Trends by Joel Smith published in Detroit News in 1999
  4. ^ Web Elite Takes Over the Big Screen, by Max Stroman published in Costar on October 10, 2000
  5. ^ Kosseff, Jeffrey (March 19, 2001). "Who's Who in Technology: Jacques Habra". Crain's Detroit Business.
  6. ^ Aho, John E. (May 5, 2000). "Jacques Habra: Young Entrepreneur Influencing the World and the Web". Insider Business Journal.
  7. ^ Firm Develops Off-line Web Hookup by Charles E. Ramirez published in The Detroit News in 2002
  8. ^ Hookah and hip-hop at OZ by Roger Lelievre published in The Ann Arbor News in 2004
  9. ^ Firm Puts Best Web site First by Stephen Nellis published in Pacific Coast Business Times on July 20, 2007
  10. ^ Matt Mason’s FreePropertyAlert.com Aims to Provide Peace of Mind, by Gina Potthoff; published by Noozhawk on July 25, 2013
  11. ^ First Click and the Fine Art of Web Marketing, by Brandon Fastman, in the Independent; published April 30, 2012; retrieved August 11, 2015.
  12. ^ Can Data Transform Therapy, by Will Schmidt; published in Tech.Co on May 14, 2015
  13. ^ About TrackR.
  14. ^ TrackR secures a $50M Series B funding round led by Revolution Growth, by Mike Butcher; published by TechCrunch on August 2, 2017
  15. ^ James, Greg (2019-01-11). "Going Rogue". Marijuana Venture. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
  16. ^ Daniels, Chris. "'Not after the Cheech & Chong profile': Inside the normalization of cannabis marketing". www.prweek.com. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
  17. ^ Non Departmental Staff at SBCC, published by Santa Barbara City College in 2014
  18. ^ Westmont Foundation Board Members, published by Westmont College in 2007
  19. ^ MIT Central Coast Board Members Archived 2015-10-10 at the Wayback Machine by MIT Central Coast Forum
  20. ^ About Mentorship Works, by Mentorship Works
  21. ^ Sinovic, Steve (January 28, 2013). "Timely Awards". Santa Barbara News.
  22. ^ Noozhawk. "SBTIA to Honor Jacques Habra, Michael Bennett, Procore, Aera Energy". Retrieved 2017-02-01.
  23. ^ Web Elite Chief is Year's Entrepreneur by Jeff Bennet published in Detroit Free Press on May 9, 2001
  24. ^ "Web Elite CEO Wins Entrepreneurial Award". The Ann Arbor News. May 9, 2001.
  25. ^ Entrepreneur of the Year Finalists, published by Crains Detroit Business on May 14, 2001
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