# Tod Loofbourrow

> Tod Loofbourrow is a Boston-based entrepreneur, author, and chairman and CEO of ViralGains. He founded and led Authoria, a talent management software business that later combined with Peopleclick and became part of PeopleFluent. His career connects teenage robotics, AI consulting at Foundation Technologies, enterprise software, digital advertising, and work with MIT and Jobs for the Future.

- **Role:** Chairman and CEO at ViralGains
- **Organizations:** ViralGains, Authoria, Foundation Technologies, MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy, Jobs for the Future, iRobot
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Harvard University, University of Oxford
- **Known for:** Published a robotics manual as a teenager; public biographies report sales of 20,000 copies., Founded Authoria and led it before its 2008 acquisition., Named as co-inventor on Authoria knowledge modeling and delivery patents.

## Career timeline

- **1976** — Built Microtron, also called Mike, using a KIM-1 microcomputer.
- **1978** — Hayden Book Company published How to Build a Computer-Controlled Robot.
- **1997** — Founded Authoria, later serving as chairman and CEO.
- **2008** — Bedford Funding acquired Authoria; James J. McDevitt subsequently became CEO, with Loofbourrow serving as chairman.
- **2010** — Authoria combined with Peopleclick under Bedford Funding.
- **2011** — The combined Peopleclick Authoria business adopted the PeopleFluent name; Loofbourrow began his entrepreneur-in-residence association with MIT.
- **2015** — Appointed CEO of ViralGains on January 8, having already served on its board.
- **2022** — Served as a guest judge at MIT Analytics Lab final presentations.
- **2024** — Discussed ViralGains, zero-party data, and the company's ambitions in a May 29 Pulse 2.0 interview.
- **2025** — Led an AI and jobs discussion at JFF Horizons and published a June essay on business readiness for AI.

## Achievements

- Published a robotics manual as a teenager; public biographies report sales of 20,000 copies.
- Founded Authoria and led it before its 2008 acquisition.
- Named as co-inventor on Authoria knowledge modeling and delivery patents.
- Became CEO of ViralGains in January 2015.
- Named board chair in Jobs for the Future's 2024 annual report.
- Taught graduate courses in Internet commerce and artificial intelligence at Harvard for seven years, according to his JFF biography.

## Latest updates

- **2025-06** — Published Is Your Business Ready For AI Or Just Chasing Hype? on June 27, emphasizing business outcomes, data, and human creativity.
- **2025-06** — Posted about chairing JFF's board and moderating AI and Jobs: Apocalypse or Abundance? at JFF Horizons in New Orleans.
- **2025-02** — Published The Zero Bit: Sliders, Parking And The Search For Marketing Intelligence In The Age Of AI.

## Links

- Website: https://about.me/todloofbourrow
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/todloofbourrow
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/todatmit

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/tod-loofbourrow
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-25