Pioneering Data Science Startup Names David L. Steward as Board Chair

SEATTLE (December 6, 2022) -- AstrumU, a data services firm that is pioneering the use of machine learning to forecast the value of educational experiences in the labor market, today announced the appointment of David L. Steward as chairman of its board of directors. Steward is the founder and chairman of Kingdom Capital, a private investment firm based in St. Louis that has AstrumU as one of its holdings.

“Talent is evenly distributed; opportunity is not. Employers rely on imperfect tools and outdated methods for identifying, recruiting and hiring talent in ways that can obscure a person’s true career potential. This has profound implications for our ability to build a more equitable and inclusive workforce where every qualified person can apply what they have learned, build a career, and achieve their full potential,” said Steward.

“The AstrumU team has a powerful vision and has built a platform that makes it possible to understand the real-world impact of education, its value in the workforce, and the need to make it accessible for all,” Steward added.

“Mr. Steward’s abiding compassion for those around him reflects a deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are humbled to welcome him to AstrumU’s board of directors as chairman, said Adam Wray, founder and CEO of AstrumU.

The appointment of Steward as chairman of the AstrumU Board of Directors comes at a time of growth for the company as it scales its offerings through its unique AI platform that serves educators, workforce development professionals and public sector agencies.

AstrumU accomplishes this by creating personalized recommendations focused on allocating educational pathways and in-demand market roles. This process helps to inform educational enrollment and advising, and workforce development and upskilling efforts, with an understanding of how taking courses, majors, certificates, or other educational content decisions affect a person's return on educational investments tied to career outcomes.

Additionally, employers have the opportunity to use the platform to understand the academic backgrounds of top performing employees, hard skills and soft skills, to identify high potential candidates regardless of where they went to school.

Originally incubated at the University of Kansas and University of Washington, AstrumU’s suite of products is available for learners, educational providers, and employers across the country, including T‑Mobile, the University of Louisville, Florida A&M University and the University of Central Missouri.

David Steward is founder and chairman of Kingdom Capital. He also is founder and chairman of World Wide Technology, a global technology solutions provider with $14.5 billion in annual revenue and 7,000 employees. Both World Wide Technology, the largest Black-owned company in the United States, and Kingdom Capital are headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.

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About AstrumU®: AstrumU translates educational experiences into economic opportunity. We are on a mission to quantify the return on education investment for learners, education providers, and employers. We help institutions measure the value created for incoming and returning students, while assisting them in securing industry partnerships that lead students seamlessly into high-demand career pathways. Institutions partner with AstrumU to drive enrollment and increase alumni and corporate engagement, while extending economic mobility opportunities inclusively to all learners.

About Kingdom Capital: Kingdom Capital is a values-driven private investment firm focused on early-stage technology and healthcare investments. Kingdom Capital serves investors who prefer that their capital is managed in accordance with its SHIELD values (Service, Humility, Integrity, Excellence, Love, and Diversity) and is invested in companies whose cultures and leadership endeavor to reflect these values. Kingdom Capital and its investors believe that these principles drive meaningful quantitative and qualitative value creation, generating financial returns (IRR) while making a positive life-on-life impact, which Kingdom Capital calls the Eternal Rate of Return (ERR). This Eternal Rate of Return is reflected through the daily interactions of the firm and portfolio companies, as well as in Kingdom Capital’s vision to develop a self-perpetuating philanthropic engine that releases blessings into the world through a virtuous cycle of capital.

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