When Ryan Modjeski joined Empatico as Executive Director, the global EdTech platform was at a critical inflection point. The organization needed to evolve from startup to sustainable enterprise—with robust technology, diversified revenue, and a path to acquisition.
Empatico had established itself as a winner of Fast Company's World Changing Idea award and built a global presence across 180 countries. However, the organization faced significant challenges that threatened its long-term viability and impact potential.
The technology stack was severely degraded after years of minimal maintenance. Every deployment broke the application and had to be rolled back, bringing product development to a standstill. The Byzantine internal systems had crystallized from neglect, making any meaningful enhancement impossible.
Beyond the technical challenges, the team itself was struggling. After 18 months without consistent leadership following an extremely traumatic organizational collapse during COVID, the emotional state of the organization was fragile. The team needed not just technical solutions, but a complete cultural and operational transformation.
As Executive Director, Ryan led a comprehensive organizational advancement initiative focused on elevating Empatico to its next phase of growth:
Hired a leading development firm (now an exclusive Delacorte Group partnership) to rebuild Empatico's digital platform from the ground up. This transformation enabled reliable deployment cycles, accelerated feature development, and created a foundation for sustainable technical growth.
Led strategic workforce restructuring with 80% new team composition, designed specifically to support the organization's evolved mission and growth trajectory.
Created Empatico's first multi-channel revenue model, including securing a major lighthouse customer and establishing sustainable philanthropic partnerships. This transformation moved the organization from reactive fundraising to proactive revenue generation.
Collaborated with an exceptional design partner (now part of The Delacorte Group team) to refresh Empatico's visual identity and communication strategy, creating a cohesive brand that reflected the organization's evolved positioning and market maturity.
Developed a breakthrough framework for measuring empathy education outcomes by decomposing long-term impact into a measurable matrix of 9 core skills. Built science-backed activities and curriculum around each skill, creating the first truly measurable approach to empathy education and establishing a distinct competitive advantage in the market.
Over a two-year period, this strategic evolution dramatically enhanced Empatico's position in the education technology landscape, transforming a struggling post-COVID organization into an acquisition-ready EdTech leader.
— The Transformation Story
Over a two-year period, this strategic evolution dramatically enhanced Empatico's position in the education technology landscape:
Revenue grew by 400% while operating costs decreased by 25%, creating a sustainable foundation for future growth and demonstrating that mission-driven organizations can achieve both impact and financial sustainability.
Doubled engagement metrics despite the challenging educational landscape, proving that the right technology and strategic approach can drive adoption even in difficult market conditions.
Achieved 5x improvement in team productivity while earning an 88% job satisfaction rating—demonstrating that operational transformation and employee wellbeing can advance together.
Successfully positioned the organization for acquisition, with Ryan and his partners continuing as strategic business advisors and technologists to ensure the program's continued impact and growth.