DAVID RILEY ’03

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So much of life and work success comes down to who you know. In a world where connections are everything, a new platform, Jopwell, is facilitating thousands of them for Black, Latinx and Native American students and professionals. Trinity-Pawling’s own David Riley ‘03 is on the company’s sales team and to date, he and his colleagues have secured accounts with companies such as Adobe, Goldman Sachs, Facebook, Pfizer, UBS, and the NBA, to name just a few.

“There is tremendous value in fostering diverse workplaces, yet many organizations struggle to attract and retain employees from these underrepresented communities. I was lucky—I used family connections to secure a four-year internship on Wall Street that opened my world to a number of different jobs I wasn’t aware existed. This is simply not the case for so many minorities. Through both automated and person-to-person processes, Jopwell is able to help match students and professionals with just the right job and company for their skillset, background, and interests,” Riley says.

The brainchild of two Goldman Sachs traders, Jopwell was created to fill a void in the employment marketplace. Founders Porter Braswell and Ryan Williams identified the very definite gap between the amount of talented minority candidates and their ability to secure jobs at high profile, desirable businesses. At the same time, these very companies were looking for ways to expand and diversify their workforce. A successful pitch at a Y Combinator “Demo Day,” landed them venture capital funding (from the likes of Magic Johnson Enterprises and seven others!) to start Jopwell, which has grown from an idea on the trading floor to a 40-person company—with plans to expand again soon.

“I love what I do here. There is nothing more satisfying than hearing the collective cheer of our team when another employee is hired by their dream company. Knowing that I played a part in helping make connections for people who may not have them already—it’s gratifying work.”

Riley said his experience at Trinity-Pawling set the stage for his career in so many ways. “At Trinity-Pawling, you learn the structure of how to work and conduct yourself in a professional way. It’s intense but ultimately becomes second nature—you begin to hold yourself to a higher standard.”

Additionally, his experience as a minority at the School, and in his hometown, shaped his view of how to approach life and work. “Selling yourself—who you are, what you’re passionate about, and what you are capable of is one of the most important skills you can learn. People naturally like to relate to others, so by sharing your story, you begin to find those intersections.”

Certainly, Riley’s work at Jopwell is the perfect intersection of his own personal mission, talents, and passion—we can’t wait to see where this road leads!. Learn more about the work that David is doing here.