ETEC 522 – May 2012

Blackboard Inc: Founders and CEO Michael Chasen and Matthew Pittinsky

Blackboard Inc: Founders and CEO Michael Chasen and Matthew Pittinsky

  Co-founders and Co-CEO’s of Blackboard Inc., Michael Chasen, and Matthew Pittinsky, have recognized and delivered on the demand for a high-quality, easy-to-use, and cost-effective online educational software platform. Formed with their combined vision of transforming the Internet into a powerful environment for teaching and learning, Blackboard is the leading provider of e-Learning infrastructure to the academic market. Staying true to your passion—and focusing on the big picture—is essential for Blackboard Inc. founders.

Chasen and Pittinsky started Blackboard upon leaving KPMG Consulting where they both had worked as part of the company’s Higher Education practice.  Michael’s expertise managing fast growth Internet software companies coupled with a passion to enhance education through technology has been critical to Blackboard’s success.  He brought a solid mixture of business development and Internet engineering skills to Blackboard and has extensive experience in educational consulting.  During his tenure, he has provided both strategic and tactical direction for every department in the company.  Chasen was quite instrumental to the development and implementation of Blackboard’s vision and business strategy. 

The dynamic young Co-founder Matthew Pittinsky served as the Chairman of Blackboard Inc. from 1997 to October 4, 2011.  He is the Editor of The Wired Tower, a book published in June 2002 analyzing the Internet’s impact on higher education.  He was Arizona State University sociology professor.  He is a recognized leader in the field of online education and particularly on the Internet’s impact at institutions of higher education.  He is credited with an early vision of the need for an open standard platform powering online learning environments.  He is currently a PH.D candidate at Columbia University Teachers College.

Blackboard Inc. is an enterprise software company with its corporate headquarters in Washington, D.C. and is primarily known as a developer of education software, in particular learning management systems. Blackboard became a public company in 2004 through the two brilliant visionaries. The company provides education, mobile, communication, and commerce software and related services to clients including education providers, corporations and government organizations. Blackboard’s six platforms are: Learn, Transact, Connect, Mobile, Collaborate and Analytics. The company has been a leader in the development of Internet-based education software. As of December 2010, Blackboard software and services are used by over 9,300 institutions in more than 60 countries.

The quality and professionalism of their team seems to have investors gravitating towards this venture over the years.  From the pictures seen throughout investigation, Chasen and Pittinsky seem social able with team members and emit good interpersonal relations with whom they come in contact with.  Ernst & Young named Chasen and Pittinsky “Entrepreneurs of the Year for Emerging Companies in Washington, D.C.”  The Kilby Awards Foundation also honored them as “Young Innovators” for having recognized and delivered on the demand for a high-quality, easy-to-use and cost-effective online educational software platform.  They are both recently named one of DC’s most-admired bosses by Washingston Techway Magazine.

 In reflecting on their launch and the journey in their venture Blackboard Inc, especially at a young age I am encouraged and motivated that ideas I propose can be realized with a good team or partner to take the vision forward.  I now have a great belief that I can still make a dynamic impact on education as a prospective entrepreneur and even so strengthen a particular brand.  I admired that the founders of Blackboard capitalized on an opportunity to provide a LMS that was built for educators, how they took the experience and knowledge they had to harness the potential of the internet as an infrastructure for a dynamic learning platform.  I am really enthused by this success story.

~Shawn