Cappex + Leon Heller + Mike Moyer + Jace Mouse
Cappex has set out to improve the college admissions process by helping universities and students connect. High school students fill out a profile on Cappex and receive invitations to apply to universities they may have never heard about otherwise. Meanwhile, Cappex works one-on-one with colleges to help them target appropriate students. The service is free students and most colleges, it will be advertiser supported.
The founder of Cappex, Leon Heller, was previously chairman and CEO of FastWeb until it was sold to Monster in in 2001. Also on the core team are Mike Moyer and Jace Mouse. Mike has held sales and marketing roles with a variety of companies including RealNetworks and Bissell. Jace has held technology roles at Orbitz, Cars.com, iExplore, and State Farm Insurance.
Dimensions: <50 people x ~1 year (2006) x $NDA
Funding: Private investors
Customers: Students trying to choose a college, pay for college, or choose a career
Location: Chicago [Highland Park] + www.cappex.com
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