Daily deals site Groupon announced some changes to its board of directors today, with Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz joining and three of the eight current members stepping down.

Late last year, Groupon turned down a $6 billion offer from Google and subsequently raised a massive $950 million round. The company needs to continue its rapid growth if that move is going to pay off for investors, and the board is probably hoping Schultza4��a4�s experience can help with that, especially as the company faces competition from hordes of similar sites.

Co-founder and chief executive Andrew Mason told VentureWire that Schultz was a4��Athe top choicea4��� when the board starting talking about new members last year, saying, a4��ALeta4��a4�s think really big about this company. If we could have anyone on this board in the world, who would we havea4���

Meanwhile, R. R. Donnelly CEO John Walter, New Enterprise Associates partner Harry Weller, and 37Signals founder Jason Fried are all stepping down. (Or rather, Mason says they stepped down following the latest financing.) So the board now consists of Schultz, the companya4��a4�s three founders, Peter Barris from investor NEA, Kevin Efrusy from investor Accel Partners, and AOL vice chairman emeritus Ted Leonsis. The company says ita4��a4�s leaving the remaining seats open for a4��Afuture additions.a4���

Schultza4��a4�s venture firm Maveron just invested in Groupon as well &8212' not as part of the recent round but by purchasing shares from existing investors and employees. When asked for more details about the deal, Mason reportedly responded, a4��AIta4��a4�s not news. Ita4��a4�s not interesting.a4���

Next Story: Digg&'s redesign fails to address core problems Previous Story: BioWare founders say corporate humility is key to success (video)

Print Email Twitter Facebook Google Buzz LinkedIn Digg StumbleUpon Reddit Delicious Google More&8230'

Companies: Groupon, Maveron

People: Andrew Mason, Howard Schultz

Companies: Groupon, Maveron

People: Andrew Mason, Howard Schultz

Anthony is a senior editor at VentureBeat, as well as its reporter on media, advertising, and social networks. Before joining the site in 2008, Anthony worked at the Hollister Free Lance, where he won awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association for breaking news coverage and writing. He attended Stanford University and now lives in San Francisco. Reach him at anthony@venturebeat.com. (All story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com) You can also follow Anthony on Twitter.

Have news to share Launching a startup Email: tips@venturebeat.com

VentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters. Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.