Gerald Risk

Teaching Statement

Gerald teaches S543, “Entrepreneurial Acquisition,” with David Dodson and Jim Ellis. This course, taught for the first time in 2009-2010, augments and draws on other courses taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business about forming and managing new enterprises. Gerald draws on his passion for helping young people build their leadership and entrepreneurial capabilities. His instruction pulls from his experience in various roles as an operator, leader, mentor, board member, and investor over the past two decades.

Bio

Gerald is an entrepreneur, investor, and educator.

He currently serves as Vice Chairman of Asurion, the world’s largest provider of technology protection services, serving more than 250 million consumers globally.  Prior to serving as Vice Chairman, he served as Asurion’s President, and as Asurion’s Chief Financial Officer prior to that.  During Gerald’s almost two decades at the company, revenue has grown from $15 million to greater than $6 billion.

As an investor, he has supported the entrepreneurial journey of a large number of leadership teams in the for profit and not for profit sectors.  He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Carillon Assisted Living (provider of assisted living services in the Southeast), Datacor (ERP software for the chemical industry), National Video Monitoring (regional provider of video surveillance services), Sunrun (provider of residential solar services), and QMC Telecom (wireless infrastructure provider in Latin America).  He is a Trustee of the Nueva School and an investor in FARM, a social impact investment firm. 

Gerald is also a Lecturer in Management at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.

Gerald began his professional career with Goldman, Sachs & Co.  He holds an MBA from Stanford and a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce from Queen’s University in Canada.

Gerald lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and two sons.

Academic Degrees

• MBA, Stanford Graduate School of Business, 1996
• Bachelor of Commerce, Queen's University, 1990

Academic Appointments

• Lecturer, Stanford GSB, 2015-16

Awards and Honors

• Investor, TTCER Partners, 2013-Present
• Vice Chairman, Asurion, 2013-Present
• President, Asurion, 2009-2013
• CFO, Asurion, 1999-2009
• Associate, Goldman Sachs, 1997-1998
• Associate, Hambrecht & Quist, 1996-1997
• Project Leader, Youth Challenge International, 1993-1994
• Analyst, Goldman Sachs, 1990-1993

Teaching

Degree Courses

2017-18

STRAMGT 543: Entrepreneurial Acquisition

For aspiring entrepreneurs who don''t have a burning idea or desire to start a company from scratch, acquiring a small business can provide a direct route to running and growing a business. This class will explore entrepreneurial acquisition (EA...

2016-17

STRAMGT 543: Entrepreneurial Acquisition

For aspiring entrepreneurs who don''t have a burning idea or desire to start a company from scratch, acquiring a small business can provide a direct route to running and growing a business. This class will explore entrepreneurial acquisition (EA...

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