Craig Powell began getting involved in education reform and access at an early age. He founded edtech company ConnectEDU in 2002 at 22 years old, and landed the company on Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Hot List” in 2005. He led ConnectEDU to more than $20M in revenue and secured more than $50M in growth financing, including a $500,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He also served as Strategic Advisor to New Markets Venture Partners, an education-focused investment company, assisting with the acquisition of ConnectEDU’s assets in 2014. In 2013, Powell joined Boston, Massachusetts company Motus as President and COO, bringing senior management and tech teams from ConnectEDU with him. This team transformed the company through investments in automation, a technical approach and a mobile enterprise platform. They also rebranded the company as Motus, the workforce management company that today offers a cloud-based mobile enterprise platform. In July 2014, Powell became President and CEO of Motus as part of the company’s new direction. Motus helps employers calculate mileage reimbursement for employees who operate a motor vehicle not owned by the employer for the employer’s business purposes. In 2018, Powell led Motus to an acquisition by private equity and growth capital firm Thoma Bravo, LLC and merger with Runzheimer, creating the leading provider of mileage reimbursement technologies serving the nation's most complex transportation companies. Under Powell’s leadership, Motus has been named among the best places to work in Boston and Milwaukee, company of the year, and one of the largest mobile technology companies in Massachusetts. Powell was also been named Executive of the Year by the American Business Awards. Powell has served as a source on leadership and company growth for publications including Entrepreneur, Forbes, Inc., and InformationWeek.
Advisory Roles
Powell is the chairman for Your Grateful Nation, an organization focused on helping U.S. military Special Operations personnel and veterans to succeed in corporate America. He is a founding member and currently sits on the board of directors for the Beat the Streets Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps urban youth succeed in school and life through co-educational wrestling. He also serves as a board member for JVS, a nonprofit that helps individuals from diverse communities to find employment and build careers, while partnering with employers to hire, develop, and retain workforces. Powell also served as a board member for the I Have a Dream Foundation, an education reform organization that works with students in under-resourced public schools or housing projects.
Early life and education
Powell grew up in Maryville, Missouri. In high school, he was an All American wrestler, recording 63 wins and 0 losses in 1994–95 and won the state championship both years. Powell was offered wrestling scholarships by seven Midwest wrestling programs, but he attended Blair Academy on an Army scholarship. A senior yearshoulder injury prevented him from attending the U.S. Military Academy, so he continued his education at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he served as Captain of the Brown Wrestling team twice and was awarded the Cliff Stevenson Outstanding Leadership Award for his contributions off the mat.
