People

Our Team

Sometimes known as the "Smart Tribe," we're a collaboration of experts for the collaboration economy.

In 2000, John Della Volpe started to connect the dots. He was in the midst of conducting a groundbreaking research study at Harvard University - one that gave him a front row view of Millennials and the way in which they viewed the world, engaged in their communities, received information and communicated. Flash forward to the innovation that was happening in politics - from new approaches to fundraising to grassroots mobilization to communication with new audiences. For John, they were perfect examples of how organizations could apply social networking principles to achieve bottom-line results. He sensed it was the beginning of a tectonic change - and he was inspired to create a company that would help businesses capitalize on it.

In 2007, John founded SocialSphere, one of the very first strategy firms focused on the Web 2.0 space. He chose Harvard Square as the company's headquarters, because it is the epicenter of knowledge, innovation and Millennial thought and culture. He handpicked a team of business strategists, analytical experts, ethnographers, technology, marketing and creative gurus. He completed his "smart tribe" by bringing in Millennials from around the world who are actively engaged in and passionate about Web 2.0 and all things social media.

Then the inevitable happened. Sparks ignited. Ideas blossomed. New approaches were brought to life, inspired by the desire to help organizations realize the value of social technologies. Further fueled by the priceless experience of an Eisenhower Fellowship, John has had the privilege to travel the world and engage and refine the concept with many of the world's leading academics, business and social entrepreneurs.

Today, SocialSphere fosters a collaborative, creatively charged workspace that unites diverse disciplines and multi-generational talent. From our in-depth research to our custom-built products, we continue to seek out new ways to be the partner our clients need to thrive in today's knowledge-based economy.

Fueled by the experience of John's Eisenhower Fellowship, we've had an opportunity to travel extensively around the world over the last few years. The lessons we've learned about emerging markets, technologies, strategies and Millennials are baked into everything we do, as there is hardly a day that goes by when we are not in contact with a colleague or friend from abroad. The countries we have visited since 2008 are marked with white stars and the countries where we have senior-level colleagues and partners are marked in green.

Cambridge

Millennials

Tribe

John Della Volpe
Founder and Managing Partner

John oversees the day-to-day operations of SocialSphere, while also working closely with clients to develop global Web 2.0 insights and strategy.

John has spent much of the last 18 years at the intersection of politics, business strategy and technology. He officially entered the world of politics during his junior year of college, when he took on a variety of roles in the 1988 presidential campaign. In the years that followed, he traveled the country, collaborating with well-known pollsters, strategists and candidates over the course of three more presidential campaigns. Eventually, John moved back to Massachusetts and created his first company which helped mainstream the use of "dial-testing" technology as a tool for political and corporate communications campaigns. During that time, John's clients included President Clinton, a number of U.S. Senators and the Prime Minister of Greece in the political sphere and Bain & Company, De Beers, GE, Guinness World Records, H-P, Pfizer, United HealthGroup, Princess Cruises and Good Morning America in the commercial sphere.

In 2000, John partnered with undergraduates from Harvard to launch the Biannual Youth Survey of Politics and Public Service at the Institute of Politics. This survey is now considered one of the seminal pieces of research on this emerging generation.

John's work is now focused on working closely with clients to help their organizations maximize the global opportunities presented by Web 2.0 and the emerging Millennial generation. He is a regular contributor and analyst for media outlets in the U.S. and abroad and has keynoted a number of major conferences, including medienwoche@IFA in Berlin, Germany, the MassMEDIC Investor's Conference in Boston, the Web 2.0 Kongress in Munich, the Digital Culture Conference in Taiwan and the Sungard Summit on Higher Education. Many of his insights were included in Grown Up Digital, one of 2008's best business books according to the Economist.

In 2007, John was honored to be named an Eisenhower Fellow, for which he traveled extensively throughout China and Korea (including a day in North Korea) to study the impact that Web 2.0 technology is having on the economies, politics and cultures of Asia.

In addition to his full-time responsibilities at SocialSphere, John also serves as Director of Polling at Harvard University's Institute of Politics and on the Board of Advisors the University of Massachusetts Civic Initiative and his town's youth baseball and softball association. He recently became a mentor at Year Up, and encourages his friends to do the same.

Personal insights:

John lives outside of Boston with his wife and three children. He enjoys coaching youth sports, including baseball and softball. After his son was seriously injured when he was hit in the face by a line-drive off a metal bat (thankfully, he is now fully recovered), he became a national advocate and spokesperson for encouraging youth baseball leagues and associations to switch to safer metal or wooden bats.

SocialSphere, Inc.