Innovation is Turning Colleges Into Tech Companies — and Why That’s a Good Thing

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About the Episode

On this week’s episode of The Enrollify Podcast, we feature a recent conversation between Eric Stoller and Cliff Holekamp that was originally published on the In Your Element podcast — a sister show to The Enrollify Podcast.

This fast-paced dialogue drops listeners into a compelling conversation about higher education. In Your Element asks innovative leaders about the challenges, wins, and future of everything from meeting enrollment numbers to equity in education.

Cliff Holekamp is the Cofounder & Managing Director of Cultivation Capital. On this episode, Eric and Cliff discuss:

The ethical and financial ramifications of a needs-blind admissions model
Why university programs like entrepreneurship are becoming more and more popular
How recruiting and retention go hand in hand
The rise of technological innovation across universities and why colleges are really tech companies

If you are not already subscribed to In Your Element, you can do so here.

People in this episode

Host

Eric Stoller

Eric Stoller is the former Vice President of Product Strategy at Element451—an advanced student engagement CRM available, providing higher ed institutions with a competitive admissions advantage from recruitment to enrollment. You may know Eric from his articles on Inside Higher Ed, speaking engagements, or consulting work around digital engagement. He’s always loved doing marketing and public relations but never wanted to work for an agency. However, Eric’s experiences in student development services at the University of Illinois Chicago and enrollment management + academic advising at Oregon State University cemented his interest in the intersection of technology, student success, and digital engagement. Eric has an associate degree from Indian Hills Community College, a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Northern Iowa, a master’s degree in higher education administration from Oregon State University, and an honorary doctorate in coffee drinking.

Interviewee

Cliff Holekamp

Cliff Holekamp is the Cofounder & Managing Director of Cultivation Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm. Cliff was the Founder and President of Foot Healers (sold to private equity in 2007). He was also the Professor of Practice and Academic Director for Entrepreneurship at Washington University in St. Louis where he was named one of the Top 100 Entrepreneurship Professors in the World and where he led the entrepreneurship program from its infancy to being ranked #1 in the world (Inc. Magazine, 2019 & 2020).

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