Andrew Fayad

Yo, so let me tell you about Andrew Fayad, this guy’s the real deal in the startup and edtech world. He’s got this crazy story that shows he’s all about smashing old-school industries and making them fresh with tech. Basically, he’s the guy who saw that corporate learning was boring as hell and decided to change the game.

Started back in college at Michigan, where he co-founded Olark, that live chat SaaS everyone’s probably used if they’ve dealt with customer support. That early move showed he’s always been into making things easier and more human online. Then, he jumped into the startup scene hard, landing at Y Combinator in S09. That’s a big deal, right? Means he’s been in the trenches, grinding with the best.

Fast forward, he’s now CEO and Managing Partner at ELM Learning (formerly eLearning Mind). The company’s all about creating custom digital learning stuff for massive brands like Google, Tesla, Apple, McKinsey, you name it. What’s cool? They use something called ‘Neurolearning,’ which is basically science-backed design to make learning actually stick, not just bullshit slides. He co-founded ELM in 2013 because he saw corporate training sucked, people weren’t engaged, and companies weren’t getting real value. So he built a company that’s all about making corporate education engaging, user-focused, and works well. That’s big because it’s changing how corporations train their teams.

And he’s not just about startups. Before that, he worked at Axial, which is this online network for private markets, so he’s been in the trenches of tech and finance, building networks and platforms that actually matter. Plus, he’s on the board of the Workforce Professionals Training Institute, working to boost workforce development, which shows he cares about making a real impact on jobs and skills, like, he’s trying to fix the bigger picture, not just make a quick buck.

What drives him? Well, he’s into pushing boundaries. He’s into tech, education, workforce stuff, building tools that make industries better, smarter, more human. He’s also into running marathons, traveling the world, just the kind of guy who’s always pushing himself physically and mentally.

Bottom line? Andrew Fayad is this combo of entrepreneur, innovator, and educator who saw a problem, boring corporate learning, and decided to blow it up with science-backed tech. His process from co-founding Olark in college to leading a company that’s changing how big names train their people? That’s pure hustle, no bullshit. He’s the guy you want to watch if you believe in tech fixing real-world problems and making things better for everyone.