We are driven

We’re driven by the mission to give all students the chance to build the career they want, no matter where they’re from or what school they attend. 

Committed to
democratizing
opportunity

While studying at Michigan Tech University, Handshake founders Garrett Lord, Ben Christensen, and Scott Ringwelski discovered the glaring inequality in career opportunities for students across the country. Believing that software had the potential to bridge this opportunity gap, they built the foundations of Handshake. The friends took their idea on a cross-country road trip to better understand the challenges students face when applying to jobs and to persuade college career centers to partner with them.

Handshake was created to ensure that all college students have equal access to meaningful careers. Since our 2014 founding, our network of university and employer partners—and the impact for students— has grown exponentially. Within a few years, Handshake has become the leading early career community in the US.

The Handshake network

12M+

active student users

1,400+

college and university partners

750k+

employers

Building the #1 early career community

Careers at Handshake

Our team is growing! Join a passionate, driven, and empathetic team that’s focused on making an impact, and committed to creating an inclusive culture for all.

Leadership team

 

Bhupesh Bansal

VP, Engineering

Dave Cavino

VP, Growth Marketing

Brett Gilbert

VP, Enterprise Sales

Garrett Lord

Co-Founder and CEO

Dan McLennan

VP, Commercial Sales

Scott Powell

VP, Enablement

Malthe Sigurdsson

Chief Design Officer

Kamal Thakarsey

VP, Employer Marketing

Luke Baxter

Chief Product Officer

Ben Christensen

Co-Founder

Katherine Kelly

VP, Education Marketing

Jonathan Lu

VP & GM, Europe

Christine Nicolas

VP, Revenue Operations

Scott Ringwelski

Co-Founder

Rich Simon

VP, Talent

Paloma Thombley

VP, People

Liz Bourgeois

Chief Communications Officer

Christine Cruzvergara

Chief Education Strategy Officer

Deepak Kumar

VP, Data

Asif Makhani

Chief Technology Officer

Rupa Parameswaran

VP, Security and IT

Chris Rynders

VP, Strategic Sales and Growth

Brett Skale

Chief Revenue Officer

Mallory Wheaton

VP, Employer Customer Experience

Valerie Capers Workman

Chief Legal Officer

Ankit Garg

VP, Enterprise Product

Jerry Lee

VP, Education Partnerships

Rachel Markov

VP, Customer Success

Jordan Pedraza

VP, Global Support

Patty Sheikh

SVP GTM Strategy & Operations

Jonathan Stull

Chief Operating Officer

 
 
 
 

Board of Directors

 

Ben Christensen

Co-Founder

Margo Georgiadis

Partner, General Catalyst

Mamoon Hamid

General Partner, Kleiner Perkins

Michael Lomax

President and CEO, UNCF

 

Garrett Lord

Co-Founder and CEO

Alistair Mitchell

Partner & Co-Head, EQT Ventures

Megan Quinn

COO, Niantic

Toni Schneider

Partner, True Ventures

 

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