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About us

The new place for careers

Students working at a table

A letter from our CEO:

If you are, or know, a college student, you know Handshake. In 2014, we changed how, where, and why the next generation of talent builds their career—starting with their first day of college. My belief that talent is everywhere and shouldn’t be limited by who you know and where you go to school fixed a broken and selective recruiting system.

Now, Gen Z is taking over the workforce. This is a generation that has grown up with social media and expects a platform that ‘gets’ them—a platform that is authentic, trusted, and actually helpful for starting their career.

So we’ve challenged the status quo again. We’ve built a new social network where opportunity and inspiration meet. We connect our 15 million students from 1,500 universities with nearly 1 million employers who offer jobs and internships that aren’t found anywhere else.

This is the Handshake early career network—the new place for careers.

Garrett LordCEO, Handshake

Company overview

Handshake’s mission is to democratize access to opportunity, and Handshake is the best place to start or accelerate a career—no connections, experience, or luck required.

Handshake is the career platform for Gen Z. With a community of over 17 million students, alumni, employers, and career educators, Handshake’s network is where career advice and discovery turn into first, second, and third jobs. Nearly 1 million companies use Handshake to build their future workforce—from Fortune 500 to federal agencies, school districts to startups, healthcare systems to small businesses. Handshake is built for where you’re going, not where you’ve been.

Students

The best place for jobs, career guidance, and community for 15M+ students.

Find your next job
Employers

The way almost ~1M employers of all sizes find qualified talent fast.

Hire top talent
Career centers

The #1 college to career network for 1,500+ colleges and institutions.

Support student careers

Leadership team

Valerie Capers Workman
Valerie Capers WorkmanChief Talent Engagement Officer
Ben Christensen
Ben ChristensenCo-Founder
Christine Cruzvergara
Christine CruzvergaraChief Education Strategy Officer
Nolan Farris
Nolan FarrisPresident, Field Operations
Matt Greenberg
Matt GreenbergChief Technical Officer
Katherine Kelly
Katherine KellyChief Marketing Officer
May-Li Khoe
May-Li KhoeVP, Design
Jerry Lee
Jerry LeeVP, Education Partnerships
Garrett Lord
Garrett LordCo-Founder & CEO
Jonathan Lu
Jonathan LuVP & General Manager, Europe
Dan McLennan
Dan McLennanVP, Sales
Diane Melchionne
Diane MelchionneVP, Customer Success
Rupa Parameswaran
Rupa ParameswaranVP, Security & IT
Jordan Pedraza
Jordan PedrazaVP, Global Support
Jody Petruzziello
Jody PetruzzielloVP, Revenue Operations
Ben Pitasky
Ben PitaskyVP, Finance
Scott Ringwelski
Scott RingwelskiCo-Founder
Jonathan Stull
Jonathan StullPresident & COO
Mallory Wheaton
Mallory WheatonVP, Enterprise Sales & Account Management
Monne Williams
Monne WilliamsChief Impact Officer

Board of Directors

Ben Christensen
Ben ChristensenCo-Founder
Margo Georgiadis
Margo GeorgiadisCo-Founder & CEO, Montai Therapeutics
Mamoon Hamid
Mamoon HamidPartner, Kleiner Perkins
Michael Lomax
Michael LomaxPresident & CEO, UNCF
Garrett Lord
Garrett LordCo-Founder & CEO
Alistair Mitchell
Alistair MitchellManaging Partner, Odyssey Ventures
Megan Quinn
Megan QuinnInvestor & Board Director
Scott Ringwelski
Scott RingwelskiCo-Founder
Toni Schneider
Toni SchneiderPartner, True Ventures

Office locations

Our centrally located, transit-friendly spaces feature modern amenities, top-tier equipment, meals, snacks, and social activities to foster a strong team culture and ensure our hybrid employees can do their best work.

San Francisco, CA
San Francisco, CAFinancial District
New York, NY
New York, NYFlatiron District
London, UK
London, UKBermondsey
Berlin, Germany
Berlin, GermanyMitte

Our story

2014
2019
2020
Today

Handshake was founded to transform how students launch their careers.

Partnering with colleges, we connected students to employers who wouldn't have otherwise visited their schools.