Full Name
Aaron Hurst
Job Title
Social Entrepreneur, Author, and Founder
Company (Please input the full name of your organization)
Taproot Foundation
Speaker Bio
Aaron Hurst is an award-winning social entrepreneur and CEO dedicated to using technology, research and human connection to drive positive societal change. He founded the Taproot Foundation, Imperative, and Board.dev. Currently on sabbatical, he is working on several early-stage purpose-driven ventures.
Board.dev is developing the field of technical governance to bring more tech expertise into boardrooms. AlmaBrands provides purpose transformation training, measurement, and consulting to Latin American companies. Storying is using GAI to enable everyone to author their own stories that express their creativity. The Chamber of Connection is exploring how to build civic infrastructure to address the loneliness epidemic.
In 2013, Aaron co-founded and led Imperative, a venture-backed startup that developed the first employee purpose profiling technology, enabling hundreds of thousands of people at Fortune 100 companies to discover and own their purpose at work. In 2020, he re-launched Imperative, creating the first enterprise peer coaching platform. In 2024 it was acquired by Chronus, the leading ERG and mentoring platform.
In 2001, Aaron founded the Taproot Foundation, catalyzing the $15 billion pro bono service market in the US and helping to establish similar markets in over 30 countries. The nonprofit was a pioneer in building cross-sector partnerships and accelerated the growth of corporate social responsibility.
Aaron's best-selling 2014 book, The Purpose Economy, predicted the rise of purpose as a leading driver of economic growth and innovation. He coined the term 'Purpose Mindset' and, in partnership with NYU, developed the first commercial measure of employee fulfillment. He has led national and global studies on purpose in the workplace and higher education in partnership with leading corporations and universities.
Aaron was one of the first Ashoka, Draper Richards Kaplan, and Manhattan Institute fellows. He has written multiple books and authored Fast Company’s ‘Purposeful CEO’ series. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg TV, Newsweek, MIT Management Review, and Stanford Social Innovation Review. He is a TED Prize finalist and a LinkedIn Influencer, and frequently keynotes corporate events and conferences.
A third-generation graduate of the University of Michigan, where he received the Humanitarian Award, Aaron currently lives in Seattle with his wife, Kara, Amazon’s head of sustainability and co-author of their children’s book, 'Mommy and Daddy Do It Pro Bono.'
Board.dev is developing the field of technical governance to bring more tech expertise into boardrooms. AlmaBrands provides purpose transformation training, measurement, and consulting to Latin American companies. Storying is using GAI to enable everyone to author their own stories that express their creativity. The Chamber of Connection is exploring how to build civic infrastructure to address the loneliness epidemic.
In 2013, Aaron co-founded and led Imperative, a venture-backed startup that developed the first employee purpose profiling technology, enabling hundreds of thousands of people at Fortune 100 companies to discover and own their purpose at work. In 2020, he re-launched Imperative, creating the first enterprise peer coaching platform. In 2024 it was acquired by Chronus, the leading ERG and mentoring platform.
In 2001, Aaron founded the Taproot Foundation, catalyzing the $15 billion pro bono service market in the US and helping to establish similar markets in over 30 countries. The nonprofit was a pioneer in building cross-sector partnerships and accelerated the growth of corporate social responsibility.
Aaron's best-selling 2014 book, The Purpose Economy, predicted the rise of purpose as a leading driver of economic growth and innovation. He coined the term 'Purpose Mindset' and, in partnership with NYU, developed the first commercial measure of employee fulfillment. He has led national and global studies on purpose in the workplace and higher education in partnership with leading corporations and universities.
Aaron was one of the first Ashoka, Draper Richards Kaplan, and Manhattan Institute fellows. He has written multiple books and authored Fast Company’s ‘Purposeful CEO’ series. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg TV, Newsweek, MIT Management Review, and Stanford Social Innovation Review. He is a TED Prize finalist and a LinkedIn Influencer, and frequently keynotes corporate events and conferences.
A third-generation graduate of the University of Michigan, where he received the Humanitarian Award, Aaron currently lives in Seattle with his wife, Kara, Amazon’s head of sustainability and co-author of their children’s book, 'Mommy and Daddy Do It Pro Bono.'
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