Jonathan Grau: Alumni Q&A

As a prospective student with interests in engineering, product design and finance, Jonathan Grau (ENG’09) sought out Penn for its interdisciplinary nature. He ultimately earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics in 2009, before going on to work at Goldman Sachs as a trader. After spending a year pursuing his passion for building iPhone apps, Grau returned to Wall Street at Laurion Capital Management. At the hedge fund, he was most recently a partner leading their credit strategies. He will be starting a new role in 2026. In this Q&A, Grau reflects on his time giving tours for prospective students, his AR dreidel app, and why he continues to champion opportunities for students to nurture their curiosity.

Tell us about your time at Penn Engineering as a student.

While I loved math and science, I knew when I moved on from high school that I didn’t want a purely technical education. Many engineering programs I considered felt siloed, but Penn’s commitment to interdisciplinary learning stood out. It was a place where I could be an engineer and still explore my curiosity across all four undergraduate schools: Engineering, Arts & Sciences, Wharton and even Nursing. Penn gave me the freedom to discover who I was, recognizing that a 17-year-old’s life path isn’t set in stone. I’m incredibly grateful I had that opportunity to explore.

What was your most memorable moment at Penn?

In my final year at Penn, as a member of the Hexagon Senior Society, I would often give tours to prospective engineering students. I took the tours very seriously, as Penn is only as strong as the people who are a part of it and I wanted to do my part to attract the best students and share what I loved about Penn.

One day, while engrossed in a video game with a friend, I realized I needed to run to make it to an imminent tour. I mentioned it to my friend, a history major, who, to my surprise, immediately offered to join and provide a School of Arts & Sciences perspective. That small act spoke volumes. It was a perfect example of the strong bonds you form at Penn, and it showed how deeply students care about the entire University, far beyond their own majors or schools. That moment cemented a lifelong friendship and my appreciation for the Penn community.

What is a fun fact about you?

My Penn Engineering degree led me to a career in finance, where the quantitative and problem-solving skills I’d learned proved more valuable than any specific engineering formula. But my desire to build things never went away. A few years into my career, I stepped away from finance for a year to make iPhone apps. When I returned to asset management, Apple had just released ARKit, and augmented reality became the hot new thing. I spent my weekends building an AR dreidel app for Hanukkah, which caught the eye of my fund’s curious founder. Showing him my weekly progress gave me more face time with him than my actual job did. To this day, my app, Dreidel ARena (I started making dad puns early), remains the top-rated augmented reality dreidel app in the App Store.

Which professor had the greatest impact on you and why?

Reflecting my love for interdisciplinary work, my most impactful class was Product Design, co-taught between Wharton and Penn Engineering. Professor Karl Ulrich didn’t just teach theory, he brought the entire life cycle of a product to life. He made it real by sharing the story of Xootr, a high-end scooter he and his brother built out of a barn. His class showed me the tangible path from an idea to a commercial product, and to this day, I get a kick out of seeing Xootrs on the streets of New York.

What inspires you to give to Penn?

I credit Penn with so much of the success I’ve been fortunate to have. While I believe in personal responsibility, I also know that our environment and the people around us are powerful catalysts for growth. Penn was that catalyst for me. My inspiration for giving is simple: I want the brightest and most curious students to have the same opportunity to thrive in that environment, regardless of their financial circumstances. By focusing my giving on scholarships, I hope to help Penn continue to shape not just brilliant minds, but also the great leaders of tomorrow.