Connor Diemand-Yauman
Connor Diemand-Yauman
About
Detail
Cofounder and Co-CEO
California, United States
I’m the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Merit America, which the NYT described as "the hybrid future of training programs for the disadvantaged," and serve on the faculty of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, where I teach about the intersection of leadership, levity, and organizational culture.
Prior to Merit America, I co-founded and led Philanthropy University (which merged with OneValley in 2020), and launched Coursera’s B2B line with my work-wife Rebecca, now a $100M ARR business. And before that, I co-created “Speak Smart News,” an educational program distributed to millions of East Asian learners (which may or may not have involved me dressing in drag: http://bit.ly/2v0IOB7), and taught primary school in South Africa, South Korea, and Kenya (which involved me dressing exclusively in business casual).
My academic research has been cited in over 250 academic articles and covered by The Economist, BBC International, and the NY Times (http://bit.ly/2FIRBid). I’ve also been described by my partner Spencer as “a middling cuddler.” Earlier in my career, I received the Pyne Prize, Princeton University’s highest distinction (http://bit.ly/1doTrOO), and was named to Forbes’ 30 under 30 (though I admit I haven’t been on any “under 30” lists for a few years now). I received my yoga teaching certification from Yoga Vidya Gurukul in Nashik, India.
As a kid, I loved reality TV, but losing on two reality TV competitions cured me of that ailment.
In my spare time, I enjoy boxing, cycling, teaching inmates at San Francisco’s County Jail #1, and writing long, self-referential bios without sounding obnoxious or stuffy.
Prior to Merit America, I co-founded and led Philanthropy University (which merged with OneValley in 2020), and launched Coursera’s B2B line with my work-wife Rebecca, now a $100M ARR business. And before that, I co-created “Speak Smart News,” an educational program distributed to millions of East Asian learners (which may or may not have involved me dressing in drag: http://bit.ly/2v0IOB7), and taught primary school in South Africa, South Korea, and Kenya (which involved me dressing exclusively in business casual).
My academic research has been cited in over 250 academic articles and covered by The Economist, BBC International, and the NY Times (http://bit.ly/2FIRBid). I’ve also been described by my partner Spencer as “a middling cuddler.” Earlier in my career, I received the Pyne Prize, Princeton University’s highest distinction (http://bit.ly/1doTrOO), and was named to Forbes’ 30 under 30 (though I admit I haven’t been on any “under 30” lists for a few years now). I received my yoga teaching certification from Yoga Vidya Gurukul in Nashik, India.
As a kid, I loved reality TV, but losing on two reality TV competitions cured me of that ailment.
In my spare time, I enjoy boxing, cycling, teaching inmates at San Francisco’s County Jail #1, and writing long, self-referential bios without sounding obnoxious or stuffy.
