Hello! 

Thanks for your interest in covering Switchboard. Perhaps you have some initial questions? We are here to answer them!

What is Switchboard? what's its history? 

Founded in 2013, Switchboard is a community-building classifieds platform. On Switchboard, members of close-knit networks ask for what they need and offer what they have to give. There are only two types of posts: asks and offers. No photos, videos, status updates, spammy listservs, groups, pages, likes, events. Just useful information. Needs are met. Connections are made. Problems are solved. Communities are strengthened and thrive.

It has been described as a private, non-creepy Craigslist; an online version of how people actually interact in the real world; a Facebook you would actually want to use; a place to share of ourselves, and not about ourselves. You can see one in action for the Portland Startup scene here.

Switchboard was named by Business Insider as one of the "Top 20 Hottest Startups Founded by Women."  Switchboard is a graduate of Wieden + Kennedy's Portland Incubator Experiment, class of 2013. 

Who are your founders? 

Switchboard was founded by Mara Zepeda and Sean Lerner. They met on Twitter. You can read their crazy and unlikely founding story here. And you can learn more about our amazing team here. 

Who are some of your customers? 

We work with affinity and membership organizations of all types, with a focus on higher education. Our customers include top colleges and universities: Oberlin College, Williams College, Reed College, Kenyon College and University of Portland. You can learn more about our customers and the value Switchboard offers them when it comes to delivering meaningful engagement here. We have been described as "the next generation of networking" in higher education. 

Who are your investors?

Our investors include top women angels (Joanne Wilson of Gotham Gal and Caterina Fake) and Collaborative Fund, which focuses on investing in collaborative marketplaces that make the world a better place. 

Do you have examples of how people use Switchboard? 

Yes! Thank you for asking. You can find a number of success stories here, and we love to connect reporters with our happy users and customers. Please email mara@switchboardhq.com if you would like to interview some of them. 

How about brand assets?  

It's almost like we are going steady. You can find those here.