Chicago e-textbook startup RedShelf has hired its first chief revenue officer as the company prepares for growth in 2019.
RedShelf announced Thursday the appointment of Scott Smith to the executive role, where he will oversee the company's sales, revenue growth strategy and campus partner strategy.
Smith joins RedShelf from Third Level Advisors, a global growth advisory firm he founded and managed. Prior to that, he was the president of education at Amsterdam-based academic publisher Elsevier, and CEO at eLumen, a tech company based in Minneapolis that makes higher-education curriculum management systems.
"RedShelf has become a critical component of the higher education ecosystem in a short amount of time, and their growth is a function of the unique value they have been providing to all of the stakeholders in the digital education supply chain," Smith said in a statement. "I'm thrilled to be joining the executive team to work alongside them to shape strategies to drive continued, fast-paced growth and help make education more efficient through great software.”
RedShelf, founded in 2012 by Greg Fenton and Timothy Haitaian, makes a platform that allows campus bookstores, professors, universities and students to purchase and distribute digital textbooks and other course materials.
"Scott's background and track record leading high-growth, high-impact educational organizations will be an invaluable asset during the next chapter of development for RedShelf," Fenton said in a statement. "We strive to play a meaningful role in helping the industry evolve, and Scott's perspective and expertise will enable us to continue to advance on that vision."
Last year, RedShelf raised $25 million in a Series C funding round from DNS Capital, Tao Huang, the former COO and CTO of Morningstar, and others, bringing its total amount raised to more than $33 million.
RedShelf was also named the second-fastest growing private education company by Inc. Magazine last year. The company says it grew its staff by 25 percent in 2018 and is poised for even more growth in 2019.
