Udacity Brings On LendingTree Veteran As New CEO

Udacity has named Gabriel Dalporto its new Chief Executive Officer.

Before joining Udacity, Dalporto was at LendingTree, where he served in several leadership roles throughout his seven-year tenure, including chief marketing officer and chief financial officer. During that time, he helped drive the company’s transition from a microcap, mortgage-focused marketplace to a multi-billion dollar, fully diversified financial services marketplace.

“What drew me to Udacity is the ability to help millions of people advance and thrive in their careers on a worldwide scale,” Dalporto said in a press release. “Technological advancements are creating enormous efficiency gains while fundamentally changing the skills required for workers to succeed and flourish in their careers — and that’s where Udacity has a window to change the world for the better and at meaningful scale.”

Udacity is a global, online learning platform offering programs that provide credentials earned through a series of online courses and projects. The Mountain View, California company currently has operations in China, Egypt, Germany, India and the United Arab Emirates. Its investors include Bertelsmann, Andreessen Horowitz, Charles River Ventures and Drive Capital.

Dalporto’s appointment comes as Udacity experienced more than 150 percent growth in revenue in the first six months of 2019, while its consumer business has grown by more than 60 percent since the company launched its subscription model and global technical mentoring program last May. Udacity has also been cashflow positive since June.

“Our future is bright and we are excited about the next chapter,” said Sebastian Thrun, founder, president, and executive chairman of Udacity. “With Gabe’s dynamic leadership style and outcome-driven approach, I know he is the right person to lead Udacity into our next phase of growth. And I will continue to support Gabe and the company as executive chairman of Udacity.”