Ryan Allis
Ryan Allis is the Founder and CEO of Pulse and SaasRise, a mastermind community built for software CEOs and SaaS founders focused on scaling high-growth businesses. He is also the Founder of Hive Ventures, an investment firm that supports socially responsible, high-growth companies across the United States, Africa, and Latin America. A serial technology entrepreneur, author, and CEO coach, Allis has worked closely with numerous fast-growing B2B SaaS companies, helping founders navigate scaling, leadership, and long-term growth. He is best known as the Co-Founder and former CEO of iContact, an email marketing and survey software company that he grew to 70,000 customers, 1 million users, 300 employees, and approximately $50 million in annual revenue before leading its $169 million acquisition by Vocus. Allis is the author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller Zero to One Million and the publisher of Coinstack, a widely read weekly cryptocurrency newsletter focused on institutional investors. He is also an active member of several global founder and leadership communities, including Hive, Summit Series, Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), Endeavor, and Mindvalley.
Ryan Allis Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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Founder and CEO
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Managing Partner
Academic History
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Master of Business Administration
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EO/MIT Entrepreneurial Master's Program
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B.A., Economics
CURRENT AFFILIATIONS
Founder and CEO, SaasRise
Founder and CEO, Pulse
Founder and CEO, Rise Worldwide
Founder and Publisher, Coinstack Partners
Founder and Chairman, Hive Global
Chairman and Owner, Hive Digital
Board Member and CEO Advisor, Tatango
EARLY CAREER
Ryan Allis is the Co-Founder and former CEO of iContact, an email marketing and survey software company that grew into one of the fastest-growing companies in the United States under his leadership.
As CEO, he helped scale the business rapidly before its successful exit, establishing his reputation as a builder of high-growth software companies.
Following his experience at iContact, Allis became a trusted CEO coach to numerous fast-scaling B2B SaaS companies. His coaching portfolio includes Instantly, Tatango, Seamless.ai, Pipeline, Green Packet, Revenue Accelerator, RXNT, Clearstream, YouCanBookMe, Retreaver, and EventMobi.
He has also been an early investor in several notable companies, including SpaceX, Robinhood, LendingClub, Matterport, Zola, Catalant, and Kuli Kuli.
Allis is a three-time Inc. 500 CEO, an Emeritus Member of the United Nations Foundation Global Entrepreneur Council, and previously served as National Co-Chairperson of Technology for President Obama.
After exiting iContact, he shifted his focus toward CEO coaching, founder community building, and SaaS growth strategy, ultimately launching SaasRise to support software founders navigating the challenges of scale.
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Ryan Allis is an active thought leader within the SaaS ecosystem, regularly sharing insights on SaaS growth strategies, unit economics, leadership development, and exit planning.
He frequently participates as a featured panelist in industry webinars and events, including discussions on SaaS valuation trends alongside other sector experts.
Throughout his career, Allis has received numerous recognitions for his entrepreneurial impact, including being named a Top 10 Tech Power Player Under 30 in 2011, one of Inc. Magazine’s Top 30 Entrepreneurs Under 30 in 2010, Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year for the Carolinas in 2008, and one of BusinessWeek’s 25 Entrepreneurs Under 25 in 2006.