New Leadership Debuts at Galvanize

Alfonso Rosabal to step in as coding school, collaborative workspace CEO

Gigi Sukin //January 4, 2018//

New Leadership Debuts at Galvanize

Alfonso Rosabal to step in as coding school, collaborative workspace CEO

Gigi Sukin //January 4, 2018//

The board of collaborative office space and technology boot camp company, Galvanize Inc., has hired Alfonso Rosabal as CEO after a five-month search. The new CEO brings extensive corporate, startup and public sector experience to the position, aiming to lead the Denver-based business to smart growth.

Rosabal, who met with Galvanize employees at Denver headquarters on Tuesday, anticipates time with existing leadership and travel to eight campuses in Denver, Boulder, Seattle, San Francisco, Austin, New York and Phoenix in the first quarter.

“We’re going to make sure each of those markets is flourishing and structured the right way operationally, [as well as] growing our presence in each of those communities … to achieve the same connections as we’ve enjoyed in Denver,” Rosabal says, adding that ensuring existing campuses are optimized is a priority before expansion.

Galvanize provides flexible workspace for freelancers, startup teams and enterprise businesses, as well as managing a 12-week technical education program. Since opening nearly five years ago in the Golden Triangle at 1062 Delaware St., the company raised about $66 million in venture capital. Though specifics remain unclear, “at a high level, we’re exiting 2017 with record revenues,” Rosabal says of the company, which doubled its footprint and expanded its technology team last year.

“What Jim Deters, Lawrence Mandes and Chris Onan started with Galvanize and what it has grown to become is an essential component of what Denver means to the community and its culture, especially in the tech domain and startup world,” Rosabal says.

Rosabal comes to Galvanize after seven years at Centennial-based National CineMedia, where he served as COO and CTO. Previously, he worked for Denver as the city’s chief technology officer. A New York native, Rosabal graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

“I’ve lived a lot of different places, and this feels like home,” Rosabal says of Colorado. Give his active duty service, he plans to emphasize the role and relationships Galvanize maintains within the veteran community.

Following notable growth in 2016, co-founder and former CEO Deters stepped down in July, though he remains on the board. Last summer, Galvanize also laid off 37 employees, and in October, the company’s investors devoted $7 million in non-equity capital to maintain a secure operational position.

“The market need is massive,” Rosabal says, despite challenges in the software coding school market, including closures, insolvencies and consolidations.

“There’s a lot of activity and competition,” Rosabal says. “For us to stay competitive, we need to be able to provide a way for students and technical people to upgrade their skills; we must deliver with excellence … and focus on hands-on, face-to-face immersive and collaborative instruction.”

Rosabal also shared a desire to attract more enterprise members to the nationwide community.

“I’m excited to get going,” he says. “We have a tremendous team and a great opportunity for success.”