Dallas-Based Workforce Finance Startup Taps Former Goldman Sachs Student Loans VP as CFO

Jeff Jackson joins Meritize as chief financial officer after a nearly 30-year career in investment banking, credit and education finance

FRISCO, Texas, May 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Meritize, developer of merit-based financing solutions and a technology platform that connects career starters and mid-career professionals with high-impact skills training, today announced the appointment of Jeff Jackson as its new chief financial officer. Jackson brings nearly 30 years of corporate finance and investment banking experience to Meritize as the company works to scale its operations and accelerate its momentum meeting the complex education and training needs of fast-growing industries like information technology and health care.

"Jeff's background spanning the world of corporate, consumer and education finance makes him uniquely qualified within our industry to help guide Meritize's financial strategy during this important chapter of the company's growth and evolution," said Chris Keaveney, founder and chief executive officer at Meritize. "We're thrilled to welcome him to our team and look forward to working with him to help more skill-seekers achieve their career goals."

Prior to joining Meritize, Jackson was most recently the chief executive officer and chief financial officer of Future Finance, a UK-based education finance company that provides financing for education-based expenses to university students. At Future Finance, Jackson helped to guide the company through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and stressed credit markets. An expert in capital markets, credit and risk evaluation, consumer financial products and corporate finance, Jackson has raised over $50 billion of capital for companies across the securitization, debt and equity markets.

He previously worked as the head of capital markets for various companies and has been involved in numerous advisory assignments, equity principal investments, capital restructuring and asset acquisitions. Jackson brings more than 20 years of experience in education credit, lending and risk analysis with previous roles running Goldman Sachs' student loan group and UBS Investment Banking's asset-backed group.

"I've been closely following Meritize's growth in recent years and have been consistently impressed by the team they've built as well as the maturity and impact of the model itself," said Jeff Jackson, chief financial officer at Meritize. "I'm looking forward to joining during an exciting time in the company's growth and expansion."

Unlike traditional approaches to education credit and finance, Meritize's forward-looking model is based on an individual's potential to succeed, rather than credit scores or other narrow measures of economic worth. The company's platform uses an individual's academic or military achievements to enhance credit evaluation and potentially improve financing options. Using borrower data to forecast the likelihood of completion and loan repayment, Meritize can significantly expand funding opportunities for students who are underserved by traditional loans.

Since launching in 2017, the company has helped nearly 20,000 students get access to training, through more than $400 million in financing. Meritize has since grown its workforce to more than 60 employees, and today, more than 900 high-quality training providers across the United States are using Meritize's unique approach to merit-based finance to help professionals access and pay for training for roles in high-growth industries such as aviation, health care, information technology and the skilled trades.

About Meritize: Meritize is a leading provider of funding solutions for skills-based education and workforce development. The company's proprietary merit-based lending program goes beyond traditional underwriting and uses an individual's academic or military achievements to enhance credit evaluation and expand funding opportunities, resulting in increased access to educational funding and improved outcomes. Frisco, Texas-based Meritize is privately held. For more information visit www.meritize.com.

SOURCE Meritize