🔒On the Record: More growth ahead for Orono class-registration software startup CourseStorm

Brian Rahill is a scientist and tech entrepreneur who teamed up with Matt James in 2016 to start CourseStorm, an Orono-based provider of class registration and marketing software for clients nationwide. Rahill, the company’s CEO, and James, COO, lead a team of 23 employees across Maine.

Mainebiz: What prompted your path from science to education and technology?

Brian Rahill: Well, scientists were some of the first people to use the Internet to share information and make discoveries. I was managing a molecular biology research lab at Ohio State and at the same time attending classes at night to get my master’s in education. My learning and the experience of using shared information to make scientific discoveries led me to recognize the real power of education to improve lives. From there, connecting technology and education just felt like a natural fit.

MB: What inspired you to start CourseStorm in 2016?

BR: Matt and I came to realize that people are learning across a lifetime — and, in fact, there are more enrollments in informal education than all of traditional schooling combined. It became clear that to truly help the most students, lifelong learning is where we needed to focus. So, we exited our first company and founded CourseStorm. We’ve never looked back.

MB: Who and where are your customers and users?

BR: We’re working with customers across the U.S., including summer camps and afterschool programs, the arts, workforce training, and adult education organizations — places like the WoodenBoat School, Maine Adult Education, San Diego Junior Theatre and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Students of all ages use CourseStorm to sign up for classes to learn anything from coding to pottery, childbirth education to welding, and everything in between.

MB: How did the pandemic affect your business?

BR: It was a tremendous challenge. Signups for in-person, group classes went to zero in the first few months, but the need for education only increased. Our customers are incredibly resilient so they pivoted to more online learning and our team rallied to support them. Because of this, 2020 was actually a growth year for CourseStorm. It was an incredible turnaround.

MB: What’s one hard lesson you’ve learned from your startup journey?

BR: I love to get in there and do – so it’s been a challenge to realize that I can’t do it all. Now I’m primarily focused on energizing the team. It’s been a healthy transition for me and for CourseStorm.

MB: You mentioned a goal of connecting three million students to education by the end of 2025 – where are you now, and why put that pressure on yourselves?

BR: One of our core values at CourseStorm is growth, so we are also continually seeking to grow our impact. The connections we make to education are our true measure of impact, not a number on our profit and loss statement. We just crossed the one million connections mark this fall. The three million is a challenge for sure, but we’re problem solvers and are motivated by challenges. As we say at CourseStorm: Onward!

MB: What’s next for CourseStorm?

BR: Right now we’re invested in growth so that we can achieve our connections goal. That means we’re scaling our marketing and are hiring for a number of roles. We’ve also got some great partnerships in the U.S. and abroad that are going to help us reach more students.

MB: What’s your advice to today’s aspiring entrepreneurs?

BR: I think there’s an incredible amount of pressure to put up a front that everything’s going well. This isn’t just untrue, it’s dangerous, and it prevents entrepreneurs from getting help when they need it the most. Sometimes you need to sacrifice your face in order to save your butt. Every single business has challenges. It’s how you respond to those challenges and rally your support systems that will create an enduring company.