More than $600,000 in Commitments Have Been Secured to Launch First-Ever Customer Success Associate Program, Expanding Opportunity for Candidates Underrepresented in One of the Most In-Demand Careers
[San Francisco, CA – August 28, 2020] – Gainsight, the Customer Success (CS) company, and SV Academy, the employer-driven online vocational school that provides access to high-growth careers, publicly launched the CS YOU Program today. The program offers training and placement in entry-level Customer Success Associate roles. Gainsight, SV Academy, Insight Partners, and the Charter Partners are united in the mission to expand wages and create an inclusive Customer Success industry representing people of all backgrounds.
The role of the Customer Success Manager (CSM) has become one of the hottest careers in Technology as the 6th-most promising job in the world. Currently, 72% of CSM professionals work in the Software and IT industry and, by Gainsight’s estimate, only about eight percent of CSMs are Black or LatinX – significantly below the US population. The launch of the CS YOU program will fuel the top of the funnel with an inclusive pool of outstanding CS talent.
Gainsight is partnering with SV Academy to design a tailored early career path for Customer Success Associates—an entry-level position that serves as a stepping stone into a promising career in Customer Success. The 15-month program includes four weeks of training, an eight-week paid internship, and up to 12 months of coaching for associates and their managers after full-time placement. The program provides access to the CS network, professional education, mentorship, development of social capital, and, ultimately, expansion of wages.
Companies Sponsoring the Program
Gainsight has secured funding from over 25 Charter Partners who are blazing the trail as the first companies committed to CS YOU and investing in a more inclusive Customer Success industry. ScaleUp investor Insight Partners helped drive the strategy and sponsorship of the program alongside Gainsight executives, already resulting in more than $600,000 in commitments that will sponsor the tuition and placement for the first 25 Customer Success Associates.
CS YOU is thrilled to announce the Program Charter Partners: Insight Partners, Box, Boomi, Genesys, Flatiron Health, Talend, Hootsuite, Refinitiv, Nuance Communications, Udemy, 6sense, Contentstack, Instructure, Tricentis, LeanIX, OwnBackup, Quantum Metric, Showpad, Checkout.com, UserTesting, TeleSign, Campaign Monitor, Diligent, PayIt, Covera Health, Payfactors, and Gainsight’s Board of Directors.
Charter Partners have each funded the SV Academy tuition for at least one Associate and most Charter Partners will realize immediate benefit from the contributions of the graduating cohort through paid internships and the opportunity for full-time placement of well-qualified candidates in Customer Success roles within their companies.
“At Gainsight, our mission is to be living proof that you can win in business while being human first. Amidst the most monumental civil rights movement in recent history, we know the momentum around inclusion has never been more powerful,” said Robin Garcia-Amaya, Vice President, Chief of Staff and Head of Philanthropy at Gainsight. “As the Customer Success category creators, it’s our responsibility to build an industry that offers everyone a future. Successful organizations, successful companies, and successful categories are, by definition, inclusive. We’re honored to announce our partnership with SV Academy to identify, recruit, and train exceptional candidates. We know that these Associates bring experiences that will strengthen innovation within the Customer Success industry. With over half a million dollars already raised, we’re humbled by the outpouring of support from Insight Partners and our Charter Partners who are committed to transforming the success of the category through inclusion.”
“We started SV Academy to help high potential under-represented candidates launch future-proof careers in the tech industry, no matter what school they attended or background they came from,“ said Rahim Fazal, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at SV Academy, who is a person of color raised in government housing. “The biggest issues facing under-represented candidates are accessing practical work experience, mentorship and employer connections. Together with Gainsight and CS YOU’s 25 Charter Partners, SV Academy is excited to support a new career pathing option for candidates pursuing Customer Success, one of the fastest growing roles in the future of work.”
“Customer success plays a crucial role for companies looking to maintain long-term viability, and diversity is simply a must-have,” said Jeff Lieberman, Managing Director at Insight Partners. “Insight supports more than 3,000 CS professionals across our portfolio, and our participation in this program, led by Vice President Nalanie Nath, reflects our commitment to bringing more diverse talent to this growing profession. We are thrilled to help our portfolio of the world’s leading ScaleUps access CS YOU, and bring greater change to the world of software at large.”
If you would like to get involved in CS YOU, please reach out to philanthropy@gainsight.com. If you are interested in applying to the program, check out https://sv.academy/customer-success-fellowship.
About Gainsight: Gainsight’s innovative technology helps companies prevent churn by identifying at-risk customers, creating systematic processes to mitigate concerns, and efficiently ramping up engagement efforts. The company’s Customer Cloud offers a powerful set of solutions focused on customer success, product experience, revenue optimization, and customer data, that together enable businesses to put the customer at the center of everything they do. Learn how leading companies like Okta, SAP Concur, and Box use Gainsight at www.gainsight.com.
About SV Academy: Named this year’s #2 Most Innovative Education Program by Fast Company, SV Academy is the non-coding way to make it in America. Through a rigorous online fellowship program, SV Academy offers hardworking individuals from under-resourced, underrepresented communities access to sales careers at more than 200+ partner SaaS companies across the US. The community provides skill-building, mentorship, job placement assistance, and post-hire support, such as alumni networking events and coaching, with 70% of its graduates promoted in the first year. SV Academy is backed by leading venture capitalists including Owl Ventures, Uprising, Bloomberg Beta, Kapor Capital, ReThink Education, and Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary’s Sound Ventures. To learn more, https://sv.academy/customer-success-fellowship.
About Insight Partners: Insight Partners is a leading global venture capital and private equity firm investing in high-growth technology and software ScaleUp companies that are driving transformative change in their industries. Founded in 1995, Insight Partners has cumulatively invested in more than 400 companies worldwide through a series of funds representing more than $30 Billion in capital commitments. Insight’s mission is to find, fund, and work successfully with visionary executives, providing them with practical, hands-on software expertise to foster long-term success. Across its people and its portfolio, Insight encourages a culture around a belief that ScaleUp companies and growth create opportunity for all. For more information on Insight and all its investments, visit www.insightpartners.com or follow us on Twitter @insightpartners.
