Tempus AI stands at the cutting edge of healthcare innovation as its founder and CEO, Eric Lefkofsky, builds a company powered by artificial intelligence and data. Tempus AI harnesses massive clinical and molecular data sets to enable personalized patient care, especially in oncology, with its reach now extending into cardiology, depression, radiology, and infectious disease.
Eric Lefkofsky: A Serial Entrepreneur Turns to Healthcare
Eric Lefkofsky was born in West Bloomfield, Michigan, on September 2, 1969, and raised in Southfield (a suburb of Detroit), Michigan, in a Jewish family. His father, Bill, worked as a structural engineer, and his mother, Sandy, was a school teacher. He graduated from Southfield‑Lathrup High School in 1987, then earned a bachelor’s degree with honors from the University of Michigan in 1991, followed by a Juris Doctor (JD) from the University of Michigan Law School in 1993. Over the years, he co‑founded several successful ventures, InnerWorkings, Echo Global Logistics, Mediaocean, and most famously Groupon, before founding Tempus AI in 2015, shortly after his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer.
This personal experience exposed the lack of meaningful data at the heart of cancer care. Seeing an opportunity, Eric Lefkofsky set out to revolutionize diagnostics by integrating artificial intelligence into medicine, enabling doctors to act on real data and avoid ineffective treatments.
Building Tempus AI: From Laboratory to Public Company
Founded in August 2015 in Chicago, Tempus AI began as a venture focused on sequencing tumor samples and applying machine‑learning models to guide personalized oncology treatments. Over time, the company expanded into cardiology, neurology, infectious disease, and radiology, while building a global footprint with offices in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, plus clinical labs in multiple states.
By December 2023, the company renamed itself from Tempus Labs to Tempus AI to highlight its identity as a true tech company, not merely a diagnostics lab. On June 14, 2024, Tempus AI went public on Nasdaq under the ticker “TEM,” marking its fourth IPO among Lefkofsky’s startups.
The Technology: Precision Medicine at Scale
Under Eric Lefkofsky’s leadership, Tempus AI compiles one of the largest real‑world datasets in life sciences, integrating genomic, transcriptomic, imaging, clinical outcomes, and more. The company collaborates with 19 of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies and hundreds of biotech firms, providing actionable intelligence for drug development and clinical trial design.
For example, its work with BioNTech leverages TCR/BCR immune data to support cancer vaccine development, showcasing Tempus’s ability to go beyond traditional DNA/RNA analytics.
Leadership Style & Entrepreneurial Ethos
People who’ve worked with Eric Lefkofsky describe him as intensely focused, problem‑oriented, and unafraid of harsh truths. He prefers quick, candid updates, especially when things go wrong, fostering a culture of transparency that drives performance and innovation.
Despite having built ventures across industries from logistics to advertising to e‑commerce, Tempus AI represents a deliberate pivot into healthcare, driven by a deeply personal mission and a determination to build lasting impact.
Philanthropy & Civic Engagement
Outside Tempus AI, Eric Lefkofsky co‑chairs the Lefkofsky Family Foundation with his wife, Liz, focusing on high‑impact initiatives across education, health, and the arts. The couple joined The Giving Pledge in 2013, committing to donate more than half their wealth.
He also serves on boards such as the Art Institute of Chicago, Northwestern Medicine, the Museum of Science and Industry, and the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. He remains active in tech ecosystems as co‑managing partner of venture firm Lightbank and teaches entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Facts at a glance
- Founded Tempus AI in 2015 after his wife’s breast cancer diagnosis, driven by a desire to bring data and AI into patient care.
- Rebranded to Tempus AI in December 2023 to highlight its core as an AI‑driven technology company.
- Went public on Nasdaq (June 14, 2024), symbol TEM, becoming his fourth company to IPO.
- Employs around 2,300 people as of 2024 and operates in 34 countries, with labs and datacenters across the U.S. and abroad.
Looking Ahead: Tempus AI’s Future Under Leadership
Today, Eric Lefkofsky is positioning Tempus AI for multi‑disease expansion reaching beyond cancer into cardiology, mental health, radiology and more. He emphasizes long‑term foundational work: harmonizing data across hospitals, structuring unstructured medical records, and building the infrastructure for future breakthroughs in AI‑driven drug discovery and diagnostics.
His ambition is for Tempus AI to eclipse his earlier successes like Groupon, as his enduring legacy in tech and healthcare innovation.
