John Kannapell brings 25 years of experience in vertical SaaS solutions, specializing in the development, operation, and scaling of businesses towards profitable growth
PLANO, Texas, April 2, 2024: - CYPHER Learning provider of the leading modern learning platform for business and academic settings, today announced John Kannapell as President and COO. John will report to Graham Glass, chief executive officer (CEO) and chief technology officer (CTO) of CYPHER Learning. John brings more than two decades of executive leadership and experience in vertical SaaS solutions and is adept at cultivating and expanding technology-driven partnerships and in scaling technology-driven educational services towards profitable growth.John will oversee CYPHER Learning’s day-to-day operations and is charged with helping the company expand and fulfill its mission to unleash human potential by helping teachers, trainers and learning and development (L&D) professionals create and deliver compelling, personalized content at scale.
Appointing John as president enables CYPHER Learning to explore strategic avenues, such as market expansion and technological innovation, while ensuring efficient management of its daily operations. This will also allow CEO and CTO Graham Glass more time to devote to fulfilling CYPHER Learning’s vision and exploring new technologies as the company continues to deliver innovative and AI-powered learning solutions to business and academic organizations.
“Over the past two years, we have built up our executive team with key hires in sales and marketing – bringing John on board reflects our continued momentum and is the critical next step in our growth journey,” said Graham Glass, CEO and CTO of CYPHER Learning. “John is the ideal addition to our executive management team. He has extensive knowledge of the education market and business SaaS experience, which is an ideal fit for our customer focus. In addition, John’s ability to identify new market opportunities, develop creative solutions to adaptive challenges, build market entry strategies, recruit, and motivate talented teams, and launch and scale multi-million-dollar product portfolios is a perfect fit for CYPHER Learning’s global strategy.”
John is a seasoned executive with 25 years of experience in vertical SaaS solutions, specializing in the development, operation, and scaling of businesses from $10 million to $700 million. As General Manager at EverCommerce, he oversaw a global portfolio of software and payment solutions serving over 100,000 SMBs. He led the integration of 1 acquisitions, contributing $100 million in revenue, double-digit annual growth, EBITDA improvements, a successful IPO, and strategic divestitures. His tenure at Blackboard as VP of Strategic Partnerships was marked by the creation and launch of new solutions, growing annual revenue from $0 to $25 million. He launched new sales intelligence tools and go to market strategies and led sales teams to close enterprise partnerships with leading educational institutions. His track record showcases his ability to build high-performing teams, foster product innovation, and drive market expansion.He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Washington & Lee University and a Master of Business Administration from the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College, graduating Magna Cum Laude.
“Over the past year, CYPHER Learning has expanded its business and launched its market-leading AI-powered AI 360 with CYPHER Copilot, and is viewed as a leader from leading analysts, including Talented Learning and Fosway Group,” said John. “I look forward to working with Graham and the executive team to further accelerate the company’s growth and expand our leadership position as a modern learning platform in the global academia and business markets.”
Over the past two years, CYPHER Learning has expanded its executive team, hiring Jennifer Geisler and Matt Kane in late 2022 to oversee marketing and sales operations respectively, and raised a $40 million growth equity round from Invictus Growth Partners ("Invictus").
“CYPHER Learning continues its strong growth trajectory and mission to help enterprises and educational institutions transform learning and development,” said John DeLoche, Invictus co-founder and managing partner and member of CYPHER Learning’s Board of Directors. “With Graham at its helm and the leadership of John and the executive team, CYPHER Learning is poised to make a further impact with its world-class modern learning platform that helps academic institutions and enterprises scale their learning and development programs.”
