Loading organizations...
§ Private Profile · Aliso Viejo, CA, USA
Sounding Board, Inc is a technology company.
Sounding Board, Inc. delivers a comprehensive leadership development platform that integrates technology with human coaching and mentoring. The company offers a suite of products, including Expand™, Guide™, and Transform™, providing scalable solutions for organizations to manage, track, and measure coaching programs. Its proprietary software facilitates efficient program delivery, automated coach matching, and data-driven insights, enabling both internal development support and access to a global network of certified coaching experts.
Sounding Board was founded in 2016 by Christine Tao and Lori Mazan. The company's inception was inspired by Christine Tao's personal experience transitioning into an executive leadership role, where she observed the profound impact of effective coaching. This insight motivated the co-founders to build a platform designed to democratize access to high-quality leadership development, making it easier for companies to scale and quantify the effects of coaching across their organizations.
The company serves a diverse array of clients, spanning industries from technology to healthcare, assisting them in addressing critical leadership gaps at all organizational levels, from new managers to executives. Sounding Board's mission focuses on cultivating dynamic leaders throughout organizations, equipping them with the necessary skills and mindset to drive business impact. It aims to bridge the leadership gap by making sophisticated leadership development both accessible and measurable for enterprises worldwide.
Sounding Board, Inc has raised $44.9M across 4 funding rounds.
Sounding Board, Inc has raised $44.9M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Sounding Board, Inc has raised $44.9M across 4 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $30.0M Series B in November 2021.
Sounding Board, Inc. is a technology company that provides a Leader Development Platform offering coaching and mentoring solutions, including one-on-one coaching, group coaching, and mentoring to enhance leadership capabilities across organizations.[1][2][3][5] It serves sectors like technology, professional services, government, education, healthcare, financial services, and retail, solving the challenge of scaling high-quality, personalized leadership development beyond traditional high-cost, executive-only models.[1][2][3] Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, the company raised $46.82M before its acquisition by BTS in March 2025, with reported revenue around $14.8M and about 70 employees.[1][2][4]
The platform combines a scientifically designed Coaching Management Platform with a curated network of leadership coaches, enabling enterprises to democratize access to behavioral science-backed development for leaders at all levels.[2][3] This has driven growth through innovations like the Dynamic Leader Development Suite, positioning Sounding Board as a key player in enterprise learning and development amid rising demands for agile leadership.[2]
Sounding Board was co-founded in 2016 by Christine Tao (CEO) and Lori Mazan (Chief Coaching Officer), both bringing deep expertise in leadership and technology.[3] The idea emerged from Christine's experience as a high-potential sales executive at Tapjoy, where despite her Berkeley business degree and Wharton MBA, she lacked scalable training for leading rapid company growth—highlighting a broader gap in accessible leadership development.[3]
Christine and Lori envisioned disrupting the coaching industry by shifting to a cloud-based, virtual platform to make personalized coaching affordable and scalable across enterprises, rather than limiting it to top executives.[3] Early traction came from technical innovation in coach management and platform capabilities, setting industry standards, with backing from prominent investors like Canaan Partners, JAZZ Venture Partners, and executives from Degreed, Udemy, and Medtronic.[3] This foundation led to significant funding ($46.82M total) and culminated in the March 2025 acquisition by BTS, expanding its global reach.[1]
Sounding Board rides the trend of digital transformation in leadership development, fueled by volatile business environments demanding agile, resilient leaders amid AI-driven changes and hybrid work.[3][5] Its timing aligns with post-pandemic shifts where organizations prioritize scalable L&D (learning and development) over fragmented training, with market forces like talent shortages and DEI initiatives favoring platforms that deliver measurable ROI on soft skills.[1][2]
By pioneering enterprise-wide coaching at scale, it influences the ecosystem by setting standards for tech-enabled human development, competing with AI-heavy players like BetterUp while emphasizing human connection.[1] The BTS acquisition amplifies this, integrating into larger talent ecosystems and accelerating adoption in tech, healthcare, and finance, where leadership gaps hinder innovation.[1][3]
Post-acquisition by BTS in March 2025, Sounding Board is poised to expand globally as a core pillar of end-to-end leadership solutions, blending its platform with BTS's scale to serve more Fortune 500 clients.[1][3] Trends like AI-augmented coaching, rising frontline leader development, and measurement of leadership ROI will shape its path, potentially driving further revenue growth beyond $14.8M.[2][5]
Its influence may evolve from innovator to market leader, influencing how enterprises redefine leadership in an AI-accelerated world—echoing its origins in making elite development accessible, now supercharged for broader impact.[3]
Sounding Board, Inc has raised $44.9M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Sounding Board, Inc's investors include Jazz Venture Partners, 1776, Acrew Capital, Canaan Partners, Cava Capital, cofounder, Fifth Wall, FitLab VC, Greycroft, Moonshots Capital, Scribble Ventures, SoftBank Investment Advisers.