James Monsees is an American businessman, and the co-founder (with

Adam Bowen Adam Bowen (born 1974/1975) is an American businessman, and the co-founder (with James Monsees) and currently advisor at Juul Labs, an electronic cigarette company. Bowen earned a BA in physics from Pomona College, followed by an MS in product d ...

) and former chief product officer of Juul Labs, an

electronic cigarette An electronic cigarette is an electronic device that simulates tobacco smoking. It consists of an atomizer, a power source such as a battery, and a container such as a cartridge or tank. Instead of smoke, the user inhales vapor. As such ...

company. Monsees is an alumnus of

Whitfield School Whitfield School, founded in 1952, is a private, non-sectarian preparatory school with more than 400 students in grades 6–12. The campus is in Creve Coeur, Missouri, United States, a suburb of Saint Louis. History In 1952 John Barnes and Al ...

in St. Louis, Missouri. Monsees earned a BA in Physics and Studio Art from

Kenyon College Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio. It was founded in 1824 by Philander Chase. Kenyon College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Kenyon has 1,708 undergraduates enrolled. Its 1,000-acre campus is se ...

, followed by an MS in Product Design from

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

. In December 2018, following

Altria Altria Group, Inc. (previously known as Philip Morris Companies, Inc.) is an American corporation and one of the world's largest producers and marketers of tobacco, cigarettes and related products. It operates worldwide and is headquartered in ...

taking a 35% stake in Juul, Monsees's net worth increased from an estimated $730 million to more than $1.1 billion. After subsequent write-downs of the value of Juul, Forbes no longer considers Monsees a billionaire. In March 2020, Monsees announced to his employees that he is stepping down as adviser and board member of Juul.

References

Living people American company founders Former billionaires Kenyon College alumni Stanford University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) {{US-business-bio-stub