Management & Board Advisory
Doug Burgum is the co-founder and Chairman of the Arthur Ventures Growth Fund. Doug's career spans the world of business from entrepreneurship in a small startup to global corporate executive at Microsoft. His influence in the development of the business applications software industry for mid-market companies is globally recognized in part by his philosophy and leadership style that has touched many throughout his career. Doug was the former Sr. Vice President of Microsoft Business Solutions Group. Before joining Microsoft, Doug was chairman and CEO of Great Plains Software Inc., a midmarket software company that Microsoft acquired for over $1 billion in April 2001. In July 2002, Doug led Microsoft's $2 billion dollar acquisition of Navision a/s, a Denmark-based midmarket software company. The two companies combined to create Microsoft Business Solutions. Before joining the then-startup company Great Plains in 1983, Doug was a consultant at McKinsey & Co. He received honorary doctorate degrees from NDSU and the University of Mary in 2000 and 2006 respectively. Since retirement from Microsoft Doug has actively participated in community and business activities. He currently serves as a member of the advisory council for the Stanford Graduate School of Business and is on the board of directors of Arthur Companies Inc., Success Factors, Inc., Intelligent InSites Inc., and more recently as Chairman of the Board of SuccessFactors, which was acquired by SAP in December 2011 for $3.4 billion. Doug was also an early-stage investor in Take Care Health Systems that was sold to Walgreens in 2007. Doug is active in the community through his personal Doug Burgum Family Foundation that focuses on youth and education and in the Kilbourne Group, a real-estate development firm focused on carrying forward the history of Fargo through the development and renovation of historic buildings and sites.