RallyPoint

Last updated
RallyPoint
Type Private
Industry Professional Networking
Founded2012
Headquarters Boston, Massachusetts
Key people
David Gowel (CEO)
Yinon Weiss (Co-Founder)
Aaron Kletzing (Co-Founder)
Website www.RallyPoint.com

RallyPoint is a privately held American company founded in 2012 by military veterans Yinon Weiss and Aaron Kletzing at Harvard Business School. [1] The company is a professional network serving the US military and its veterans, and has been called "LinkedIn for the military," [2] [3] [4] [5] . The community allows current military members and veterans to connect, explore career opportunities both inside and outside the military, and engage on topics important to the military.

Contents

In April 2012, RallyPoint won $10,000 for placing as runner-up in the Harvard Business School Business Plan Competition [6] and on October 23, 2012, RallyPoint won $100,000 from MassChallenge after competing against over 1,300 other ventures. [7] The company raised private funding after both of these events. [8] [9]

RallyPoint was launched out of the Harvard Innovation Lab at the Harvard Business School, [10] and is currently headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.

History

The company's two co-founders, Yinon Weiss and Aaron Kletzing, first met in Iraq in a remote combat outpost northwest of Baghdad in 2008. [11] Several years later, the two ran into each other again as students this time at Harvard Business School. [3]

Company

Website

RallyPoint is a professional network available to all US military members and veterans, [12] [13] described by Forbes as "LinkedIn on steroids for members of the military." [14]

Information of users and connections is sorted based on the military structure, such as rank, specialty, duty position, and duty location. [15]

According to the Huffington Post, RallyPoint is "solving two problems by creating both an easy-to-use professional network within the military, as well as the most technologically advanced employer-to-servicemember matching network in the country." [16]

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References

  1. McGregor, Jean (12 Nov 2012). "New social network aims to help military members plan their careers". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 7 December 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  2. Empson, Rip (13 Nov 2012). "Iraq Veterans Launch RallyPoint: A LinkedIn For The Military (And Life After)". TechCrunch. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  3. 1 2 Landry, Lauren (16 Aug 2012). "Two Harvard Business School Grads Create RallyPoint: LinkedIn for the Military". StreetwiseMedia. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  4. Cruz, Victor (12 Nov 2012). "Iraq War Vets Have the Right Stuff: LinkedIn for the Military". Wired.com. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  5. Carlyle, Erin (2 Jan 2013). "Forbes Up And Comers: Joe Poulin, Cody Hopkins, Aaron Kletzing". Forbes . Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  6. "Harvard Business School Holds 16th Annual Business Plan Contest". HBS, Inc. 25 April 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  7. "2012 MassChallenge Winners". MassChallenge, Inc. 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  8. Landry, Lauren (18 Dec 2012). "RallyPoint Raises an Additional $1 Million from Angel Investors". StreetwiseMedia. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  9. Wagner, Kurt (1 Aug 2013). "Meet 3 serious LinkedIn imitators". CNN Money. Retrieved 14 Aug 2013.
  10. "Long Term Residents". Harvard Student Agencies. 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  11. Gallagher, Matt (2 October 2012). "Business Lessons from Iraq: Post-War Military Networking". Time Inc. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  12. Karol, Gabrielle (24 May 2013). "RallyPoint Aims to Connect Vets, Service Members with Jobs". Fox Business. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  13. Twomey, Matt (27 May 2013). "Jobs for Vets: RallyPoint, Others Put Sights on Ex-Military". CNBC. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  14. Adams, Susan (31 May 2013). "RallyPoint Wants To Be LinkedIn For The Military". Forbes. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  15. Burke, Adrienne (1 July 2013). "RallyPoint: Building a Social Network to get 2 million veterans back to work". Yahoo Small Business. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  16. "The Harvard Business Plan Competition's Answer To Veteran Unemployment". TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. 1 August 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2013.