Groupon co-founder Brad Keywell is scheduled to speak Sept. 16 at two separate events at the University of Michigan, his alma mater.

Keywell, who earned bachelor's and law degrees from U-M in the early 1990s, co-founded and invested in Groupon, which is expected to go public later this year.

Keywell will speak at 9 a.m. at the U-M Ross School of Business' Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies' annual Entrepalooza symposium. Then, at 12:30 p.m. he'll address the Entrepreneurship Hour, a weekly series sponsored by the College of Engineering's Center for Entrepreneurship.

The public is welcome to attend the Entrepreneurship Hour event without registering, but seats will fill up fast. It will take place at Stamps Auditorium on U-M's North Campus. Entrepalooza is also open to the public, but registration is required.

Groupon, which has been described as the "fastest growing company ever," is a daily deals website that gives consumers the chance to purchase discounts at retailers, restaurants and service providers.

Keywell is expected to become a billionaire on paper when Groupon goes public. According to IPO documents, his stake in the company in June was worth an estimated $1.725 billion based on a $25 billion valuation of the company.

Chicago-based Groupon had 7,107 employees as of March 31, up from 37 on June 30, 2009, the company said in its filing.

Keywell's long-time investment partner, U-M grad and Groupon chairman Eric Lefkofsky, owned a stake worth an estimated $5.4 billion.

Keywell serves on Groupon's board but is not involved in the active management of the company. He is also a co-founder and investor in several other companies, including Echo Global Logistics.

Lightbank, a venture capital group formed by Keywell and Lefkofsky, recently invested in a Michigan-based business news and information company called Benzinga.com, which was expected to launch an Ann Arbor operation at some point.

Contact AnnArbor.com's Nathan Bomey at (734) 623-2587 or nathanbomey@annarbor.com. You can also follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's newsletters.