Building Bridges to Employment with Real World Learning featuring Sara Leoni and Jeff Sample of Ziplines Education

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Sara Leoni is the Founder and CEO of Ziplines Education, a career accelerator that partners with universities to deliver industry-recognized certificate courses that prepare professionals with the in-demand skills, knowledge and confidence for today’s tech-driven world.

Jeff Sample was the Founder and CEO of Clicked, now the VP of Product for Ziplines Education. His background and unique perspectives as a transitioning Management Consultant and Adtech Executive led him to develop experiential learning products via work simulations to help close the work experience gap, and upskill tens of thousands of learners in tech adjacent career paths.
💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. How Ziplines Education and Clicked are addressing the experience gap in career readiness.
2. Why experiential learning and real-world simulations are key to workforce preparation.
3. The importance of industry-recognized credentials and their integration with academic institutions.
4. Insights into the acquisition process and how it aligns two learner-focused companies.
5. The role of confidence and real-world artifacts in empowering learners to succeed in interviews and careers.

✨ Episode Highlights:
[00:07:39] How Ziplines Education partners with universities to integrate industry certifications for learners.
[00:15:08] Jeff on bridging the experience gap.
[00:28:44] The role of real-world tools like Salesforce, Tableau, and Google Analytics in preparing learners for jobs.
[00:37:08] Measuring learner success with confidence metrics and employer feedback.
[00:41:34] Sara and Jeff reflect on the acquisition process and lessons learned about aligning values and strategy.
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🎉 Presenting Sponsor:

This season of Edtech Insiders is brought to you by Starbridge. Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead.

This season of Edtech Insiders is once again brought to you by Tuck Advisors, the M&A firm for EdTech companies. Run by serial entrepreneurs with over 25 years of experience founding, investing in, and selling companies, Tuck believes you deserve M&A advisors who work as hard as you do.

Chapters

1. Building Bridges to Employment with Real World Learning featuring Sara Leoni and Jeff Sample of Ziplines Education (00:00:00)

2. How Ziplines Education partners with universities to integrate industry certifications for learners. (00:08:10)

3. Jeff on bridging the experience gap. (00:15:39)

4. The role of real-world tools like Salesforce, Tableau, and Google Analytics in preparing learners for jobs. (00:29:38)

5. Measuring learner success with confidence metrics and employer feedback. (00:38:02)

6. Sara and Jeff reflect on the acquisition process and lessons learned about aligning values and strategy. (00:42:28)