MBA Focus Merges With CSO Research to Build World-Leading Network for Matching Students and Employers


COLUMBUS, OH--(Marketwired - Jul 8, 2015) - MBA Focus, a provider of graduate business school career service software and recruitment technology, has merged with Austin, Texas-based CSO Research, a provider of undergraduate career service software, to create a network of 1,000 schools and career service centers around the world. The two companies can now effectively match more than one million job-seeking students with employers seeking undergraduate and graduate talent via the proven algorithmic approach that has made MBA Focus the world's go-to resource for business leadership talent.

Each year, MBA Focus's software and services connect more than 2,000 top companies with MBA students and alumni at the 75 top-ranked graduate business schools. MBA Focus clients are able to access a comprehensive database of profiles and resumes, input their unique hiring needs, find candidates and recruit them on campus or online through the MBA Focus system.

"MBA Focus gives us an incredibly valuable system for connecting recruiters with our students, and the product is backed by the integrity and reliability of its customer service," said Regina Resnick, associate dean and managing director for the Career Management Center at Columbia Business School.

CSO Research's software gives career services professionals at college campuses and career service centers a way to collect and store information on 1.4 million undergraduate students and provide users with access to job postings, mentors and alumni.

"The MBA Focus-CSO Research merger allows us to reach our shared vision of becoming the world's leading source for all student hiring," said Jack Gainer, chief executive officer of MBA Focus. "The undergraduate market is ten times larger than the MBA student pool. With our combined technology, employers will be able to rapidly expand their relationships with schools, students and alumni."

The ease with which undergraduate students, schools and employers will connect online and in-person via the MBA Focus-CSO Research platform is in contrast with the way student recruiting works today. Employers are forced to post jobs on multiple job boards or visit a limited number of campuses to try to fill their student hiring needs. Often, the wrong candidate meets with the wrong employer because a time-strapped recruiter cannot focus on a candidate and effectively match the employer's needs with a student's skills.

The merger will integrate software and services from CSO Research and MBA Focus, so undergraduate students and career service offices can join an online global student collective. Along with delivering software to connect students and employers, the merged companies collect a wealth of student data that will give universities and business schools a means to track student career outcomes. For example, CSO Research produces The Outcomes Survey®, a first-of-its-kind tool producing comprehensive, nationally standardized data on graduate career outcomes, including where graduates find employment or enroll in graduate school.

"This merger enables CSO Research to put undergraduate students and undergraduate career service professionals in touch with A-list employers that MBA Focus has served for years," said Erik Mulloy, chief executive officer and founder of CSO Research.

Columbus-based Cozzins Road Capital, LLC and C3 Capital Partners, LP provided an infusion of capital to the merged companies.

About CSO Research
CSO Research, Inc. helps launch the careers of the college-educated workforce through innovative technology solutions, research services and online content. For more information, visit www.csoresearch.com.

About MBA Focus
Columbus, Ohio-based MBA Focus is the market leader in business school and diversity conference recruitment technology, connecting leading employers year-round with students and alumni from the world's top-ranked graduate business schools and professional associations. MBA Focus' exclusive partnerships, combined with industry-leading recruiting products, make it the #1 choice of companies seeking vetted business leadership talent. For more information, visit https://www.mbafocus.com.

Contact Information:

Media contact:
Bill Perry
614-975-7538

MBA Focus CEO Jack Gainer CSO Research CEO and Founder Erik Mulloy The combination of MBA Focus and CSO Research will create a network of more than 1,000 career service centers and schools along with more than 1.4 million students.