Welcome back to Exit Stories! Karl Rectanus, the co-founder and former CEO of Raleigh-based LearnPlatform—later acquired by Instructure, the company behind Canvas—joins host Kevin Mosley to kick off Season Four.
Founded in 2015, LearnPlatform is an edtech platform dedicated to gathering, building and sharing learning tools to expand equitable access for all students. From humble beginnings as a teaching fellow to being acquired by one of the largest e-learning providers, Rectanus shares his journey and valuable insights that led him to the company’s successful exit.
Here are three key takeaways from this week’s episode:
- Raise what you need, not what you can, and retain ownership and control of your destiny. Karl shares his advice on how to raise “smart money” by working with the funds and people that are most suitable for your current stage. (10:57)
- Lean into your growth with the partners that make the most sense. If and when your company is in the space to land investments or get acquired, Karl emphasizes the importance of trusting the people you work with and the people who understand your market and mission. (43:50)
- You get to choose where you’re going. This isn’t happening to you, you are happening to the world. Karl encourages giving yourself the optionality as you move toward impressing upon the world what you’re doing, as opposed to feeling like you are doing something by someone else’s standards. (54:52)
Special thanks to our sponsor for this season, Robinson Bradshaw! You can listen to the full interview below, and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.
