Team Bios
Management Team | Board of Directors | Investors
Management Team
Kevin Walker, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Kevin has more than 11 years experience in the student lending business. He was an early employee of First Marblehead, the leading
provider of back-office services for private student loans. He led the company’s GATE Student Loan program and worked closely with
financial aid and finance professionals at dozens of colleges and universities. Most recently he was SVP for Marketing. In addition to his
time at First Marblehead, Kevin also served as a Principal at the management consulting firm, The Parthenon Group, where he advised CEOs in
financial services, publishing, and manufacturing on business strategy. Kevin also founded and ran an education company in Russia. Kevin
holds a BA from Amherst and an MBA from Harvard.
Patrick Kandianis, Co-Founder, EVP & Chief Sales Officer
Patrick has worked in different sectors serving the higher education market for the past 21 years, including education finance, systems/software
and travel. Most recently, as VP of Business Development for First Marblehead Corp, Patrick led the company’s sales efforts in the
Midwest and Western regions and helped formulate product strategy and development before and after the company’s IPO. Previously, Patrick
had a role as Director of Business Development for Jenzabar, a startup which became a leading systems provider for colleges and universities.
Earlier on, Pat was one of the original principals of Student Travel Services and Suncoast Vacations, leading student tour companies where,
as VP of Sales and Operations, he led business development, marketing and advertising efforts nationwide. Pat holds a BA from Cornell.
Larry Rausch, VP of Sales
Larry has been working in the Financial Services Industry since 1988. For the past 15 years he was with CUNA Mutual Group, the
leading provider of financial services to credit unions and their members worldwide. In his role as Account Vice President,
Larry worked closely with credit union leaders to drive consumer lending growth and maximize the sales of lending related products.
Larry holds a BA from the University of Massachusetts.
Board of Directors
Jeffrey Bussgang, General Partner, Flybridge Capital Partners
Jeff is a General Partner at Flybridge Capital Partners whose investment interests and entrepreneurial experience are in consumer, Internet commerce, marketing services, software and wireless start-ups.
Jeff currently represents the firm on the boards of BzzAgent, Click Tactics, go2 Media, i4cp, InnerWireless, Mall Networks, SimpleTuition, and Transpera and was previously a director at Brontes Technologies (acquired by 3M) and PanGo Networks (merged with InnerWireless)
Jeff's popular blog on helping demystify the venture business for entrepreneurs, "Seeing Both Sides", can be found at www.bostonvcblog.com. Jeff was named to the Boston Business Journal's "40 under 40" list in 2006.
Prior to joining the firm in January 2003, Jeff co-founded Upromise (acquired by Sallie Mae), a loyalty marketing and financial services firm that currently manages $20 billion in college savings assets, where he served as President, Chief Operating Officer and Board Director. Prior to Upromise, Jeff was an executive at Open Market, an Internet commerce software leader that went public in 1996 and grew to nearly $100 million in revenues. During his five-year tenure, he served as Vice President of Worldwide Marketing and Business Development, Vice President of Worldwide Professional Services and head of Product Management. Prior to Open Market, Jeff was with the strategy consulting firm, The Boston Consulting Group, and served on the executive team of Athena Design, an object-oriented software start-up.
Jeff holds a BA in Computer Science from Harvard University where he graduated magna cum laude and an MBA from Harvard Business School where he was a Baker Scholar and a Ford Scholar.
Jeff Fagnan, Partner, Atlas Venture
Jeff Fagnan is a Partner in the technology sector at Atlas Venture. He focuses on emerging companies in enterprise and
internet infrastructure as well as alternative energy technologies/advanced material science. Jeff also works closely with
MIT, Harvard University, Boston University and other innovation engines, to commercialize technologies developed in technical
labs.
Previously, Jeff was a Partner with Seed Capital Partners. While at Seed Capital, Jeff was the lead and founding investor in DataPower Technologies, Way Systems, and Polychromix. Earlier, Jeff worked for Booz Allen & Hamilton and Nortel Networks. He also started a coffee business in Rochester, New York.
Since joining Atlas Venture, Jeff led the investment in DataPower Technologies which was acquired by IBM in 2005. He was the founding investor, and currently sits on the boards, of Atlas portfolio companies AEB, Bit9, Songbird and Veracode. He also led the firm's investments in Keas and Mascoma.
Jeff received his M.B.A. from the William E. Simon Graduate School of Business at the University of Rochester and a B.S. from the University of Alaska.
Ralph James, Independent Board Member
Ralph James is Executive Director of Executive Education at Harvard Business School. From 1996 to 2005 he served in various
roles at the First Marblehead Corporation (NYSE: FMD), including Vice Chairman, President, COO and EVP. From 1994 to 1996, Ralph
was Associate Dean and Senior Executive Officer of the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. From 1993 to 1994, Ralph
served as Director of Major Gifts for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University. From 1982 to 1993, Ralph served in
various administrative capacities in executive education and fundraising for the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.
Ralph received a B.A. in Religious Studies from the University of California at Santa Barbara and an M.B.A. from the Harvard
Graduate School of Business Administration.
Scott Savitz, Independent Board Member
Scott Savitz is founder and CEO of Shoebuy.com, the largest retailer on the Internet focused on all categories of footwear and related
apparel. Shoebuy.com is now a subsidiary of IAC/Interactive Corp. (Nasdaq: IACI). Prior to founding Shoebuy.com, Scott was a director
at BancBoston Robertson Stephens, and a loan originator with Advantage Mortgage. Prior to that, Scott developed and managed a full
service marketing company specializing in direct mail, telemarketing, and list maintenance.
Kevin Walker, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, SimpleTuition
See above
Investors
Atlas Venture
Atlas Venture is the leading international early-stage venture capital firm, investing in communications, information technology and
life sciences companies. With investing offices in Waltham, MA, London, Munich and Paris, Atlas Venture divides its investments
between the United States and Europe.
Since we started in 1980, our Partners have helped build over 300 companies in more than 15 different countries. Since 1995, 40 of our companies have been acquired and 39 are now public companies with an aggregate market capitalization of over $12 billion. We are currently investing from our seventh fund and manage over $2 billion in capital.
For more information about Atlas Venture, go to www.atlasventure.com.
Flybridge Capital Partners
Flybridge Capital Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm whose mission is to assist entrepreneurs in growing innovative, global companies. With $560
million under management, the firm is focused on investing in consumer, healthcare and information technology markets and is led by a team with domain expertise
and more than half a century of combined experience in venture capital. For more information, visit www.flybridge.com.
North Hill Ventures
Founded in 1999, North Hill Ventures specializes in early-stage financial technology and marketing technology companies.
Through our experience as investors, advisors, and operating managers, we have developed strong networks of industry
contacts, a deep understanding of our target markets, and the skills to help our portfolio companies grow and prosper.
Our operating philosophy is simple. We approach every new investment opportunity in a pragmatic, results-oriented fashion. We communicate clearly and directly with prospective entrepreneurs and co-investors. And once we make the decision to invest, we devote our time, energy, and considerable resources to do whatever it takes to help our portfolio companies succeed.
We also believe that close, productive relationships among the key players are a significant component in the success of any venture. That's why we work hard to establish cooperative working relationships with our entrepreneurs, management teams, and co-investors. At any time, we're ready to share ideas, lend our support, or simply act as a sounding board.
For more information, visit North Hill Ventures.
