michael chasen, blackboard

Who founded blackboard?

Michael ChasenDaniel CaneMatthew PittinskyStephen GilfusBlackboard/Founders

Who is the CEO of the class?

Michael Chasen is the co-founder and CEO of Class Technologies Inc. Class adds teaching and learning Tools to Zoom. Michael is an entrepreneur who has dedicated his career to improving the way people live and learn.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and also how you started your business?

I’m an entrepreneur at heart. I started my first company when I was 12 and most recently founded SocialRadar after a successful run as the co-founder and CEO of Blackboard, an eLearning software company used by over 20,000 institutions in more than 70 countries, with over 20 million students and faculty users.

What are some of the projects you are working on right now?

We are just a few months from launching the SocialRadar beta. At this time I’m heavily focused on design and development work to ensure a successful launch. We have a talented UI team who is designing the app to reflect the updated look and feel of iOS7 and we’ve rapidly staffed up our development group with some of the best in the business.

Say I was starting my own version of SocialRadar today, what advice would you give me?

Never underestimate the power of hiring great talent. Trust me, I know that’s easier said than done. But throughout my career I made sure that I truly looked for people who were smarter than me. With those people there is honest debate. They also challenge us as a company to reach our company goals.

Can you please share some online marketing tactics you currently use to grow your business?

Our marketing mission is to create an engaging dialogue with our users. We are not building this product and company alone; we are doing it with our users so that we can always deliver an experience people want and need in their daily lives. If our users are happy then they will want to share their experience with the people around them.

How can our community get in touch with you?

I am active on all of the major social networks including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and I encourage anyone to email me at [email protected]. You can sign up for the beta of SocialRadar at www.socialradar.com.

President and CEO

SocialRadar is a start-up thinking BIG about how you connect to the people around you. In the future where you walk into a room you will already know who all the people are and what you have in common.

President and CEO

Blackboard is an eLearning software company that provides technology and services to the Higher Education, K12, International and Corporate/Government marketplaces. Blackboard’s software and services are used by over 20,000 institutions in more than 70 countries.

Consultant

Worked with institutions of higher education to assist with technology implementations.

Managerial Assistant in the Criminal Justic Information Services Division

Helped establish the FBI CJIS Multimedia Lab Computer Center. Responsible for research and compiling reports on new hardware and software technology. Helped with $1.2 million department wide upgrade of office automation; including research, budget and procurement.

How many kids does Chasen have?

Chasen is only a couple years older than I am and has three kids. It's not unreasonable that he might want to slow things down a bit, particularly after a tumultuous year of acquisitions and increasing competition in the enterprise LMS market.

Who is the CEO of Blackboard?

Michael Chasen, CEO and co-founder of Blackboard, surprised more than a few people this week by announcing his departure from the company. According to the Washington Post , Chasen said the decision to depart was reached amicably and that he was ready to pursue new opportunities after 15 years in a high-demand job.