John Lusk is a growth-focused leader, entrepreneur, and operator with a track record of scaling startups, transforming business models, and driving high-impact exits. Most recently, he started and led Spire Maritime, a division of Spire Global, through a period of rapid expansion and innovation, culminating in a $241M strategic exit. Under his leadership, Spire shifted from a raw data provider to an AI-powered analytics platform, expanding its market potential from $300M to $4B and significantly increased Annual Recurring Revenue, margins and profitability.
Before Spire, John built and sold Rivet & Sway, a VC-backed eyewear e-commerce brand acquired by Luxottica, and held key leadership roles at multiple high-growth startups, including WhitePages and Yapta. As an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Kauffman Foundation and a private equity operating partner, he has advised early-stage and growth-stage companies on strategy, scaling, and value creation.
John is also the author of The MouseDriver Chronicles, a bestselling entrepreneurial memoir about bootstrapping his first company, Platinum Concepts, on credit cards in San Francisco during the dot- com boom and bust. The book has been translated into six languages, featured in 200+ universities worldwide, and continues to inspire founders navigating the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. His insights on growth, leadership, and business transformation have been featured in Inc., Forbes, Business Week, NPR, and The Wall Street Journal and he has served as an advisor and board member to numerous companies and organizations over his career
A former semi-professional soccer player and avid 5AM club member, John brings a competitive, disciplined, and results-oriented mindset to every challenge. He holds a B.B.A. in Management Information Systems from Southern Methodist University and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Originally from Austin, Texas, he has lived in Luxembourg for 6+ years with his wife and daughter.