Nic Roth - Engineering Leader, Entrepreneur, and Advisor based in Nashville, Tennessee

My name is Nic Roth (he/him/his). I'm an Engineering Leader, Entrepreneur, Investor, and Advisor based in Nashville, Tennessee.

Thank you for stopping by my home on the web. I currently work as a Software Engineering Executive at Ford Motor Company.In my free time, I advise entrepreneurs and students at the Farley Center at Northwestern University, the Wond'ry at Vanderbilt University, and Nashville Entrepreneur Center. I love helping others and have a passion for the intersection of technology and entrepreneurship.

🧐 For those curious, you can learn more About Me.

🔎 You can find me around the web on LinkedIn or GitHub.

💬 If you'd like to chat, please Email Me.

About Me

An abbreviated bio and headshots are available here.

Working

Ford Motor Company

I am an executive-level software engineering leader at Ford, where I lead a global group of software engineers building the connected companion app (FordPass) for millions of vehicles and drivers around the world.

Volunteering

Farley Center at Northwestern

I am an Advisor for Startup Launch, an entrepreneurship and technology course launched in 2022 at Northwestern. Previously, I was an Advisory Board Member for NUvention: Web & Media at The Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. In these volunteer roles, I support undergraduate and graduate students in various capacities, including 1-on-1 sessions, ongoing team mentorship, and presenting lectures in class. I also regularly participate as a judge at pitch events. Additionally, I work with the program's faculty to deliver feedback and provide input on the course's curriculum.

The Wond'ry at Vanderbilt

I am a Mentor at the Wond'ry at Vanderbilt University. In this volunteer role, I support students with one-on-one personalized guidance in my areas of expertise and provide opportunities for learning outside the classroom.

Nashville Entrepreneur Center

I am an Advisor at Nashville Entrepreneur Center. In this volunteer role, I guide entrepreneurs and small businesses in the areas of technology, product development, and growth. My contributions vary, including 1-on-1 mentoring, small group sessions, acting as a long-term champion mentor, and presenting to groups virtually or in person at the EC.

In the past

Most recently, I led and scaled the Engineering Team at Postscript, a mobile messaging platform for e-commerce stores. Some of the best investors in the world back Postscript, including Y Combinator, Greylock, Accomplice, and OpenView. Postscript is a fully-remote company, and I helped scale the engineering team through Series C.Prior to joining Postscript, I leveraged my experience as an operator and angel investor to join Hypothesis as a Venture Partner. Hypothesis is a startup studio and seed fund that focuses on companies and founders outside the Bay Area. I sourced early-stage investment deals, assisted with deal diligence, and advised our portfolio.Before joining Hypothesis, I was Director of Engineering at Vivid Seats. There, I led a large group of software engineers across several teams. I led the teams responsible for building and growing the direct-to-consumer ticket marketplace giving millions of fans an opportunity to see their favorite teams and performers at live events. In 2019, the marketplace generated $2.3 billion in annual GOV with experiences across Web, iOS, and Android. Before my role as Director of Engineering, I led the Mobile App marketplace, where we grew order volume by 4x in three years. Vivid Seats went public in 2021.Before my time at Vivid Seats, I was an engineering leader at Avant. There, I led the development of the first-to-market direct-to-consumer mobile app lending product for customers in the US and UK. Avant was one of the most well-funded startups in the Midwest, raising $1.6 billion in debt and equity financing.Before my role at Avant, I led the development and delivery of Groupon’s mobile Coupons product. We delivered the new vertical product to over 80 million customers. Coupons became one of the highest margin businesses at Groupon, going on to earn more than $65 million in revenue in 2015. During my tenure at Groupon, I contributed as a named inventor on 7 patents granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office.I am also a serial entrepreneur, having started several businesses. I have experience raising venture capital and bootstrapping revenue-generating companies. I sold my e-commerce marketing and payments company, Distilled, to Modest, which was later acquired by PayPal.I hold a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Before transferring to Penn, I studied Computer Science, Engineering, and Entrepreneurship for three years at Northwestern University.

Prior speaking appearances

Guest Lecturer, Testing Business Ideas at Startup Launch at Northwestern University
April 12, 2022Speaker, InFlight Sessions, Hiring for Scale at Nashville Entrepreneur Center
October 14, 2021Guest Lecturer, Building a Landing Page for your Startup at NUvention:Web at Northwestern University
February 9, 2021Speaker, InFlight Sessions, How to Find a CTO at Nashville Entrepreneur Center
October 27, 2020Panelist, Mobile DevSecOps Panel: Building Secure Mobile Apps Used by Millions at DevOps World
September 23, 2020Guest Lecturer, Launch Planning & Agile Product Cycle at NUvention:Web at Northwestern University
April 7, 2020Host and Emcee, Mobile Growth Chicago
February 6, 2020Panelist, Mobile Growth Chicago
November 15, 2019Panelist, Chicago DevSecOps Meetup
October 3, 2019Guest Lecturer, Launch Planning & Agile Product Cycle at NUvention:Web at Northwestern University
April 10, 2018Guest Lecturer, Launch Planning & Agile Product Cycle at NUvention:Web at Northwestern University
April 4, 2017Panelist, Alums of NUvention:Web at Northwestern University
February 24, 2015Guest Lecturer, Customer Segments and Personas at NU Project Pitch at Northwestern University
January 27, 2014Panelist, Customer Relationships at entrepreneur@NU at Northwestern University
May 8, 2013

Featured in

My work has been featured in various publications, including BuiltIn, USA Today, and Tech Crunch.How teams work - Range - June 9, 2022Building Vivid Streams: How Vivid Seats Found New Ways to Bring Live Events to Customers - BuiltIn Chicago - August 10, 2020How to Give a Meaningful Performance Review, According to 3 Team Leaders - BuiltIn Chicago - February 12, 2020Vivid Seats Android App Named Google Play Editor's Choice - Google PlayMeet Pinal and Nic, making waves at Vivid Seats - LinkedIn - June 22, 2017Groupon Brings Freebies to iOS Devices, Creating the Most Widely Distributed Mobile Coupon Platform in the United States - BusinessWire - June 11, 2014Groupon gets into coupons, challenging RetailMeNot - USA Today - November 20, 2013Lightbank Invests $650,000 In walk.by, A New Platform Connecting Local Merchants With Online Shoppers By Way Of Smartphones - Tech Crunch - April 10, 2013

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Bio

Nic Roth is an organizational leader and software engineer, with experience at Ford Motor Company, Postscript, Groupon, Vivid Seats, Avant, and various startups. In addition to co-founding multiple startup ventures, he is an Angel Investor and former Venture Partner at Hypothesis, a startup studio and seed fund. Nic studied computer science and entrepreneurship at Northwestern University before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a bachelor's degree. He devotes his free time to advising and teaching entrepreneurship and software development. Nic has lived in Nashville, Tennessee since 2020.

Photos

Contact

The best way to get in touch with me these days is via email. My address is fairly unusual, but it's short and sweet. [email protected]

Meet with Nic

You can access my calendar and book a meeting on my scheduling page. While somewhat impersonal, this is the easiest way for you to view my availability and schedule time at your convenience.