Ralph Folz Email Address

Entrepreneur in Residence

WordStream Inc. provides software and services to help online marketers maximize the performance of their paid search and social campaigns, driving traffic, leads, and sales for lower costs. WordStream s software platform, WordStream Advisor, facilitates more effective campaigns by automating proven best practices and delivering expert-level results in a fraction of the time for campaigns on Google AdWords, Bing, and Facebook. The company s managed services division also provides full-service pay-per-click (PPC) marketing management through a fully certified team of advertising experts. WordStream has been recognized for thought leadership in digital marketing through its blog and free learning resources including PPC University, and offers award-winning free tools, such as the AdWords Performance Grader, to assist marketers with campaign analysis and strategy.

I am an entrepreneur, board director and angel investor with deep experience building technology companies. In my most recent operating position, I spent 7 years as WordStream's CEO, joining just after its B-round of financing. During my tenure as CEO the company experienced rapid growth from $1m to over $50m in revenue. The company achieved 6 years in a row on the Inc. 5000 list, and was consistently named one of the best places to work in Boston. I transitioned to Executive Chairman in 2018 and led the process which resulted in a successful sale of the company to Gannett in July of 2018. I am passionate about startups! I enjoy mentoring CEOs in rapidly growing technology companies as an independent board director. I am an active angel investor, having invested in over 20 companies to date. My angel investments are typically focused in the software/SaaS/web3/eCommerce/technology space. In addition to my board work and angel investing, I spend time mentoring. I am an Entrepreneur in Residence at Harvard Business School, mentoring MBA students on their startups. I am also a mentor with non-profit EforAll which partners with communities to help under-represented individuals successfully start businesses.