El Segundo-based education technology startup Liminex Inc., doing business as GoGuardian, hired veteran Microsoft Corp. executive Mike Jonas to serve as its chief financial officer effective April 8.
GoGuardian develops and markets artificial intelligence technology to monitor students’ internet traffic and alert faculty if student’s online activity indicates they are in need of mental or academic help.
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Jonas served in multiple roles at Microsoft over 14 years, most recently as senior director of finance and business operations. Following his tenure at Microsoft, Jonas was chief financial officer of online used bookseller Thriftbooks, based in Seattle.
“We are thrilled to welcome Mike to GoGuardian,” GoGuardian Chief Executive Advait Shinde said in a statement. “He has an incredible track record in guiding and scaling (software) businesses. Mike’s unique instincts for identifying and managing high-performing and smart growth opportunities will be extremely valuable for GoGuardian as we continue to expand our product and customer portfolio, offering solutions that put student academic success and well-being at the center of everything we do.”
Jonas’ responsibilities in his new post include “ensuring the finance organization effectively supports the company” as it expands its educational technology offerings for kindergarten through high school senior students, the company stated.
GoGuardian was founded in 2014 and ranked sixth on the Business Journal’s 2018 list of fastest growing private companies, reporting 476 percent revenue growth from 2015 to 2017.
“Having worked at Microsoft I know how technology can positively impact lives, and as a father of three children I am excited to be a part of GoGuardian’s mission to transform the internet into the next generation learning platform,” Jonas said in a statement.
Tech reporter Samson Amore can be reached at [email protected] or (323) 556-8335. Follow him on Twitter @samsonamore.
