Episode 24: Ben Congleton - Founder of Olark

About the Episode

The what's what...

In just a moment, you’ll meet Ben Congleton — Founder of Olark, a live chat software and data tool that serves colleges and universities of all shapes and sizes.

Growing up, Ben wanted to be a professor like his father before him. And while he completed both a bachelors and masters degree from Virginia Tech and started his PhD at the University of Michigan, Ben ultimately realized that he was a bit more interested in business than in higher education.

So he decided to pursue one of the many business ideals he had noodled on for a few years. After starting a webhosting company, Ben realized that there was a dearth of great website chat tools – and he had this vision of making chat software that was as easily to install on a website as Google Analytics.

And it was this idea that granted access to Olark (which was called Habla at the time) to Y Combinator, the most famous and prestigious of startup accelerators.

So, he and his founding team moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and that’s where things really started to take off. Tune in to hear the story of how Ben ended up living in Elon Musk’s house next door to an apartment that Mark Zuckerburg had rented and ultimately bootstrapped the company to success.

Discover more about how Olark can help your school get started with (or get better at) utilizing live chat at https://olark.com/enrollify

Connect with Ben on LinkedIn here.

This episode is brought to you by Goodkind - an easy-to-use video engagement platform designed to make each of your prospects feel special, cared for and seen. Increase applications, increase yield, and decrease melt with the power of Goodkind.

Starter Stories is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

Our podcast network is growing by the month and we’ve got a plethora of marketing, admissions, and higher ed technology shows that are jam packed with stories, ideas, and frameworks all designed to empower you to be a better higher ed professional. Our shows feature a selection of the industry’s best as your hosts. Learn from Mickey Baines, Jeremy Tiers, Jaime Hunt, Corynn Myers, Jaime Gleason and many more.

Learn more about The Enrollify Podcast Network at podcasts.enrollify.org. Our shows help higher ed marketers and admissions professionals find their next big idea — come and find yours!

About the Podcast

Host

Zach Busekrus

Zach is the Founder of Enrollify. He thoroughly enjoys building new brands, developing and executing content marketing strategies, and hosting podcasts. When he's not working on Enrollify, he enjoys discussing life's quandaries over coffee (or a good bourbon) with friends, building Sponstayneous (his travel brand side hustle), trying out new HIIT workouts, and adventuring across the globe with his wife!

Interviewee

Ben Congleton

Ben Congleton is a seasoned tech entrepreneur, innovator, and thought leader in the field of workplace communication and collaboration. As the CEO and co-founder of Olark, a leading live chat and chatbot software company, Ben has played a pivotal role in revolutionizing customer support and improving online user experiences. Under his leadership, Olark has grown exponentially, serving thousands of organizations worldwide and earning a reputation for its user-friendly and accessible interface and exceptional customer service. In his free time Ben enjoys tinkering and biking with his partner and two daughters.

Starter Stories

Starter Stories is a podcast that explores the stories behind the world’s leading education technology companies and education consultancies...and the people who created them. In each episode, you’ll hear about the grit, the strategies, the wins, the failures, and the serendipity that transpired to take a half-baked idea and bring it to life.