Matt Strauss

As the CEO and Founder of RiseKit, a software company that connects untapped job seekers to career opportunities and supportive services, Matt has over 5 years of experience in social entrepreneurship and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

Matt's passion for focusing on social problems stems from his volunteer work as a mentor for young people from under-resourced communities in Chicago. He realized the need for a system change that would break down the barriers and silos in workforce development and empower job candidates to access the resources and networks they need to thrive. That's why he created RiseKit, a software platform that helps nonprofits, employers, government systems, and community foundations save time in finding, training, and supporting job candidates, while also collecting powerful data on how to best organize communities and cities. Matt and his team work tirelessly around the belief that the zip code in which someone is born shouldn't determine one's life trajectory.

Matt is also a Forbes Human Resources Council Influencer and Contributor for The Sociable, where he shares his insights on topics such as talent acquisition, diversity equity and inclusion, social entrepreneurship, culture, community engagement, and mental health.

For fun, you should ask Matt about his love for soccer, family, poke bowls, or social entrepreneurship.