Mark

Finkel

Clinical Professor of Management

Email:

mark.finkel@yu.edu

Office Address:

Beren Hall Room 404
2495 Amsterdam Avenue New York, NY 10033

Mailing Address:

Beren Hall
Room 404
2495 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10033

Education:

BA, Oberlin College

MBA, New York University

JD, Univeristy of California (Managing Editor, Law Review)

Biography:

Mark Finkel has been deeply involved in early stage entrepreneurial enterprises for the past 25 years. Over that time, Mark has worked as an executive or active board member of numerous high-growth technology companies on the East Coast, in Silicon Valley, and in Israel. Mark has had significant international operational experience, having set up distribution channels and operations in both Europe and Asia. Mark was also the founder and Chairman of RightAnswers, an enterprise software company, which was sold to Upland Software in 2017.
Many of the companies he has been involved with have had successful exits. He has taken four companies public as Chief Financial Officer and many other companies have had M&A exits. Most recently, Mark served at the Board level for JUMP Bikes, which was bought by Uber in May 2018.
Mark has been involved in numerous social entrepreneurship ventures as well. As Chairman of the Special Kids Fund, he has pioneered the concept of a charity gift card. He has also been involved in economic development work overseas.

Teaching and Research Interests:

Mark’s academic interests revolve around helping students understand and apply the skills and concepts underlying successful entrepreneurship. These include understanding the dynamics of nascent markets, as well as those of disruptive entrants into existing markets. Of particular interest to Mark are the management skills needed to scale the entrepreneurial venture through its growth phases. Also important to Mark is understanding the characteristics of the products or services offered by the early stage enterprise that are more likely to lead to success.

Honors and Awards:

Mark serves on the Board of Directors or Advisory Board of a number of companies and non-profit organizations.