American Made: Why This CEO Tied the Company’s Profitability Directly to Student Outcomes with Tom Dretler, CEO & Co-Founder at Shorelight

CIBC Innovation Banking Podcast

#MBA #Entrepreneur #Business #Podcasting Education #CIBC Innovation Banking #Michael Hainsworth #Advice #CIBC #Finance #Funding #Growth #Startup

29:27

With AI’s ability to augment in-house creative teams, how does that change the way organizations should approach both their creative strategies and how they evaluate the value of creative as a business function? Today, we’re joined by Jen Rapp, Chief Marketing Officer at Superside. Jen has had key roles at iconic brands like Patagonia, Arc’teryx, DoorDash, Owlet Baby, and Klaviyo. Now, she’s leading Superside’s rebrand with a focus on AI-powered creative services that augment in-house teams. RESOURCES Superside website: https://www.superside.com Wix Studio is the ultimate web platform for creative, fast-paced teams at agencies and enterprises—with smart design tools, flexible dev capabilities, full-stack business solutions, multi-site management, advanced AI and fully managed infrastructure. https://www.wix.com/studio Don't miss Medallia Experience 2025, March 24-26 in Las Vegas: Registration is now available: https://cvent.me/AmO1k0 Use code MEDEXP25 for $200 off registration Don't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.show Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company…

год назад 29:27

MP3•Главная эпизода

In this episode, Michael Hainsworth sits down with Tom Dretler, the co-founder and CEO of Shorelight. Founded nearly a decade ago, the company matches international students with universities in the United States, and helps them succeed socially and academically. During the episode, Tom shares how he had to go back to school—metaphorically speaking—when the pandemic collapsed demand for international education opportunities in 2020. He also explains why the economic downturn that followed has led Shorelight to revisit the way it plans on funding its future.

Tie profitability to your mission

When Tom and the team were first conceptualizing the idea for Shorelight, they knew they wanted their goal to ultimately be helping students successfully graduate and begin their careers. As a result, when they began designing their business model, they decided to walk their talk by tying their profitability directly to student outcomes. That way, they were constantly measuring themselves as a business driven equally by mission and profit.

What you do is important, but who you do it with is more important

Understanding the value of building the right company culture is crucial for any business leader. Tom mentioned that while he was a student at Harvard Business School, the Dean of the school took the time to have a coffee with him and he told him something he’ll never forget: what you do is important, but who you do it with is more important. With a 91% Glassdoor rating, it’s clear that Shorelight lives by this maxim on a daily basis.

CIBC Innovation Banking is a trusted financial partner to entrepreneurs and investors. Get in touch with our team at cibc.com/innovationbanking.

46 эпизодов

CIBC Innovation Banking Podcast

American Made: Why This CEO Tied the Company’s Profitability Directly to Student Outcomes with Tom Dretler, CEO & Co-Founder at Shorelight

CIBC Innovation Banking Podcast

published год назад

MP3•Главная эпизода

Tie profitability to your mission

What you do is important, but who you do it with is more important

CIBC Innovation Banking is a trusted financial partner to entrepreneurs and investors. Get in touch with our team at cibc.com/innovationbanking.

46 эпизодов

#MBA #Entrepreneur #Business #Podcasting Education #CIBC Innovation Banking #Michael Hainsworth #Advice #CIBC #Finance #Funding #Growth #Startup

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1 year назад15:44

15:44

In a conversation with host Michael Hainsworth, Andrew Waitman, CEO of Assent, a data management platform that informs and guides ESG strategy, delves into the evolving landscape of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), and the importance of responsible supply chain management. He underscores the growing scrutiny from stakeholders, investors, and the public, who now prioritize ESG and sustainability in their decision-making processes. Andrew warns that organizations failing to adapt will encounter repercussions both in terms of their reputation and financial standing. Best practice is no incidents When questioned about the significance of investing in ESG, Andrew draws a parallel with cybersecurity. In the realm of cybersecurity, organizations aim to prevent security breaches through investment in programs and systems. Similarly, in the context of ESG, proactive investment is imperative for uncovering and addressing issues early, and averting potential financial and reputational consequences down the road. ESG reporting will be the new financial reporting Andrew highlights the century-long evolution of strictly regulated financial reporting and foresees a similar trajectory for ESG reporting. In the near future, Andrew believes companies are likely to face similar mandates to disclose their sustainability practices. Founders are responsible for setting their values Andrew asserts that it falls upon founders to integrate ESG and sustainability into their organizations and disclose these values to stakeholders, employees, and the broader public. He underscores that this integration has become vital for attracting investment and fostering organizational growth. CIBC Innovation Banking is a trusted financial partner to entrepreneurs and investors. Get in touch with our team at cibc.com/innovationbanking .…

CIBC Innovation Banking Podcast

1
Growing Companies from 5 to 50 Million with John Raeder, Vice Chairman of Bow River Capital 19:27

1 year назад19:27

19:27

Bow River Capital is an employee-owned diversified investment platform that specializes in the lower middle market. John Raeder, the Vice Chairman and Head of Software Investments, launched the Maiden Fund in 2018, a Software Growth equity fund at Bow River, which was oversubscribed by $160 million dollars. John focuses on what he sees as a capital gap in the lower middle market, helping SaaS companies grow from $5 to $50 million by strategically investing to accelerate their growth. Clearly, his strategy is working, as five of Bow River’s seven SaaS companies are growing subscription revenues at 100%, and Bow River is one of the top ten funds in the US. You can't fix bad industries John stresses that while you can fix bad companies, you can't fix bad industries. This perspective drives the efforts of John and the Bow River Capital team in rigorously evaluating and scrutinizing industries before investment. He and his team are attracted to companies in human capital management, fintech and construction tech because these technologies help solve operational efficiencies and improve cost structure monitoring. By exercising caution during periods of prosperity, investors can minimize the effects of inevitable downturns. Founders should lean on the expertise of their investors John says that founders need to trust and rely on the expertise of their investors. The Bow River team has 80 years of operational experience and puts each company they plan to invest in through a rigorous diligence process. Once they’ve decided to invest, Bow River Capital focuses on building strong relationships with its founders. This approach ensures that, in times of adversity, established relationships serve as valuable resources, offering guidance and specialized knowledge. You can’t brand your way to growth John believes that branding alone cannot grow a company from $5 to $50 million. When investing, John and his team don’t invest in TV commercials or print ads. Instead, they allocate roughly 40% of the capital to sales and marketing acceleration and roughly the same to innovation and product-led growth. CIBC Innovation Banking is a trusted financial partner to entrepreneurs and investors. Get in touch with our team at cibc.com/innovationbanking .…

CIBC Innovation Banking Podcast

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Navigating Brexit and Beyond with Malcolm Locke of Egress and CIBC Innovation Banking’s Sean Duffy 18:12

1 year назад18:12