DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Guild Education, the leading education benefits company that provides tuition assistance programs to Fortune 1000 employees, today announced that its co-founder and CEO Rachel Carlson will be participating in a Salesforce Dreamforce panel discussion on entrepreneurship outside of Silicon Valley. The panel, titled, “Coast to Coast with Mark Cuban: Tips for Success from Founders Across the US,” will take place today, November 6, from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. PST at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis Hotel in Yerba Buena Salon 9. You can register to watch the live broadcast on the Dreamforce website.
Moderated by Mark Cuban, star of the television series “Shark Tank” and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, the panel will also include Shradha Agarwal, president and co-founder of Outcome Health, and Todd Olson, co-founder and CEO of Pendo.io.
As one of the events included in the Salesforce Ventures track, the panel is part of a larger conversation about how startups across the country are using Salesforce to innovate and move quickly. “Silicon Valley may seem to get all the headlines, but the spirit of entrepreneurship is strong across North America,” the panel description says.
Having left Silicon Valley to establish Guild Education’s headquarters in Denver, Carlson will bring a unique perspective on raising capital and growing a company outside of Silicon Valley. Guild Education is leading the trend of Colorado companies backed by top-tier venture investment firms and was named the 2017 Top Woman-Owned Business of the Year by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. Although nationwide venture capital deals declined in 2017, Colorado companies raised more VC money in Q1 2017 than they did in the first half of 2016. Also, according to Census data, last year Denver was the fastest growing large city in the country.
“Education benefits have a positive, nationwide economic impact on students and employers,” said Rachel Carlson, CEO and co-founder of Guild Education. “We work with companies who, through tuition assistance programs, are unlocking new opportunities for their employees and seeing higher retention and promotion rates. While Silicon Valley is still viewed as the technology epicenter of the U.S., being in Denver allows us to focus on making an impact on a national level.”
Last month Guild Education announced it raised a $21 million Series B round of funding led by Bessemer Ventures with participation from Redpoint Ventures, Harrison Metal, and Cowboy Ventures. Additionally, one of Guild Education’s customers, Chipotle, reported earlier this year that employees who enrolled in Guild’s education programs were nearly twice as likely to retain at the company after nine months, with 89% retention rates. These employees were also more than twice as likely to receive a promotion compared to their peers.
About Guild Education
Guild Education is transforming the way employers offer Education as a Benefit to their employees. Guild Education's technology makes offering education benefits and tuition reimbursement an easy choice for leading companies, with a platform that helps HR leaders turn their education cost centers into a positive ROI. The company’s diverse network of online, nonprofit universities offers a range of programs from GEDs through bachelor's and master's degrees, along with advising and retention coaching to help each student navigate the worlds of work and college. In 2016, Guild Education was one of only a small number of women-led companies to receive a share of total venture capital funding when they raised their Series A round. As of today, Guild Education has raised a total of $31.5 million in funding from Bessemer Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, Harrison Metal, and Cowboy Ventures. To learn more about Guild Education, visit www.GuildEducation.com.
