Auren Hoffman

Auren Raphael Hoffman, born in 1974, is an American entrepreneur, angel investor, and author, currently serving as the CEO and Chief Historian at SafeGraph, a company specializing in location data derived from mobile devices. SafeGraph provides detailed information about physical places and the movements of people, aiming to support businesses in creating location-based applications and analytics tools.1

Education and Early Career

Hoffman graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in Industrial Engineering in 1996. During his college years, he founded Kyber Systems, which he sold shortly after its inception. He has since founded and led several companies, including Bridgepath Inc. and LiveRamp, the latter of which became a significant player in the data services industry before being acquired by Acxiom in 2014.12

SafeGraph and Controversies

Hoffman co-founded SafeGraph in 2016, and under his leadership, the company has faced scrutiny for its data collection practices, particularly regarding privacy concerns. In 2021, SafeGraph was banned from the Google Play Store due to policy violations related to data usage. Despite these challenges, Hoffman has emphasized the importance of ethical data sourcing and transparency in the company's operations.15

Personal Life

Hoffman is married to Hallie Alexandra Mitchell, an assistant U.S. Attorney. They married in 2011 and have been involved in various philanthropic and community initiatives.1

Contributions and Thought Leadership

In addition to his role at SafeGraph, Hoffman is known for his insights on data businesses and entrepreneurship, frequently speaking at industry events and contributing to discussions on the future of data and technology.345