🏆 Issue #124: The Claremont Colleges Top The Charts
CMC and HMC took the top spots in recent college rankings from The Wall Street Journal and CBS News.
💬 Welcome to issue #124 of StoryHouse Review
Good morning & happy Thursday. At the end of the day, rankings only mean so much, but it’s always great to see The Claremont Colleges leading the way and getting some of their overdue recognition among the top universities in the U.S.
This week, we’re highlighting some recent wins for the 7Cs as CMC secured a spot in the top five of the 2025 Best Colleges in the U.S., and HMC was recognized as the best college for financial outcomes. It’s a Claremont world out there. 👇
~ Josh, Miles, Matthew, Pat
📣 Claremont Announcements: Startup Salon at The Hive with Miles and Sunil
Students curious about startups? Interested in how founders channel their creativity, talents, and grit to tackle problems that matter?
Join us for an evening of candid conversation with successful venture capital investor Miles Bird and StoryHouse-backed serial entrepreneur and CEO Sunil Rajaraman!
Hear their story, ask your questions, and connect with aspiring change-makers across The Claremont Colleges.
Who: Claremont students, faculty, alumni, and friends
What: Mixer followed by a fireside chat between Sunil and Miles
When: Monday, September 30, 7pm - 8:30pm PDT
Where: The Rick and Susan Sontag Center for Collaborative Creativity (The Hive at The Claremont Colleges)
Join us starting at 6pm for a special reception to celebrate the launch of our Startup Series. Meet the panelist and make a new friend over your shared love of entrepreneurship and free pizza! Panel set to begin promptly at 7pm.
👤 Community Spotlight: The Claremont Colleges Top The Charts
WSJ’s 2025 Best Colleges in the U.S. (CMC #5)
The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse ranking introduced 25 new colleges in the top 50 this year, assessing how effectively each institution prepares graduates for financial success. The rankings consider factors like graduation rates, future earnings, and student feedback on campus life. Claremont McKenna College proudly placed in the top five, followed closely by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in sixth place and Harvard University in seventh, with Harvey Mudd College rounding out the Top 20. WSJ highlighted how strong the alumni networks are at CMC and the other top 5 colleges…we agree!
The colleges in this ranking have found many ways to set their students up to succeed. To name just a few: Some schools have extensive, highly engaged alumni networks that ease graduates’ career paths; some work extensively with area businesses to put students in real-world environments before graduation; and some have developed in-classroom curricula that can adapt to the changing array of skills most desirable in the labor market.
Check out the full ranking and methodology from The Wall Street Journal. 👇
Top Schools for the Best Financial Outcomes (HMC #1)
CBS News recently published an article on how colleges can boost income by 37%, and Harvey Mudd came out on top in their rankings of schools for the best financial outcomes. CBS analyzed the value of a college degree by examining its return on investment (ROI), or the comparison between a grad's 20-year salary earnings minus the total cost of attendance for that college and the earnings of high school graduates.
In 2024, college grads' median pay stands at about 37% higher than median pay for those without a bachelor's degree, according to the analysis from compensation firm PayScale. In dollar terms, people with a college education earn about $78,400 annually in median pay, compared with $49,400 for people with a high school degree, the study found….
Not surprisingly, some of the top schools for the best ROI are STEM-focused universities and colleges, ranging from Harvey Mudd to the California Institute of Technology, or CalTech.
Check out the full list of top colleges for ROI from CBS. 👇
💼 Who’s Hiring?: Cabernet, Fastbreak.ai, The Sontag Enterprises, and Terra AI
StoryHouse portfolio company Cabernet.ai is revolutionizing the way investment banks and private equity firms find and execute deals. They help these firms gain insights faster and act more decisively using cutting-edge AI-powered applications. The company is backed by top firms, including Village Global (Ben Casnocha, Reid Hoffman), 10VC, and StoryHouse. Claremont alum Alex Berman (CMC ‘12) is the co-founder and CPO of Cabernet.ai, and he’s looking for an experienced Senior Data Infrastructure Engineer to join their team. Check out the opening below.
Claremont alum Rick Sontag (HMC ‘64) is the founder and President of The Sontag Foundation, Brain Tumor Network, and The Spring Bay Companies. He is looking for a Chief Financial Officer to oversee and manage all financial aspects of the three entities headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach. The ideal candidate should be a strong leader with demonstrated business acumen and possess accounting, financial management, and investment expertise, including knowledge of venture capital investing. For more details, reach out to us directly.
StoryHouse portfolio company Fastbreak.ai is revolutionizing how sports leagues and youth sports organizations create and manage their schedules through advanced artificial intelligence solutions. Some of the most prestigious sports leagues use their cutting-edge SaaS scheduling platform, including the NBA, NHL, MLB, the SEC, and more. Claremont alum Timothy Carnes (HMC ‘05), John Stewart, and Chris Groer are the co-founders of the company, and they are looking for a dynamic and experienced Director of Product Marketing to lead the go-to-market strategy for Fastbreak.ai’s SaaS platform. If you know someone who would be perfect for the role, reach out to us directly.
StoryHouse portfolio company Terra AI is on a mission to provide the premier AI platform for the development of critical natural resources. They're leveraging AI modeling, reasoning, and optimization to enhance the performance, predictability, and safety of reservoir, wind, and mineral development projects. Claremont grad Anthony Corso (HMC '14) and John Mern (who previously worked for KoBold Metals, founded by CMC grad Kurt House) are the co-founders of Terra, and they are looking for a talented Senior AI/ML Engineer to lead the development of key deployment infrastructure. If you're interested in learning more, shoot us a message.
Check out the other ~2,000 open jobs at 280+ Claremont-affiliated companies here on our Storyboard. Plus, create a profile and enter your preferences to get alerted to new job postings relevant to you, be they the 300+ remote jobs, 100+ internships, or 500+ part-time positions available. We’ve published research that shows that Claremont-founded companies that disproportionately hire Claremont talent outperform — so pay attention, Claremonsters!
If any of these roles catch your eye 👀 , apply and mention StoryHouse Review. Or, if you are an employer looking to hire tip-top Claremont talent, fill out this form to have your jobs featured.
🗣️ Conversations on the Interwebz:
This week’s must-watch 📺
Claremont entrepreneur Todd Thomas (CMC) was on the Revenue Reinvention show, sharing his insights on driving revenue growth and establishing a robust revenue operations framework as companies expand. Todd is the founder and CEO of Woodchuck.ai, a climate impact startup transforming waste to energy with the power of AI. They recently launched out of stealth and announced their first-of-its-kind AI innovation environment and biomass processing facility in Grand Rapids, MI.
This week’s Claremont financing 💸
StoryHouse portfolio company Fastbreak.ai recently announced its acquisition of Optimal Planning Solutions, a leader in optimization-based scheduling for the sports industry. This strategic move will enhance Fastbreak.ai’s platform and strengthen its position as the world leader and premier provider of advanced scheduling technology to sports leagues. Claremont alum Timothy Carnes (HMC ‘05) is the co-founder and CTO of the company.
This week’s top listen 🎧
Claremont alum Marco Lobba (PO ‘13) was on the Scientist to CEO podcast, sharing his journey from Nobel Laureate Jennifer Doudna’s (PO) lab to founding his own biotech company and how to get your first customers as a startup. Marco is the co-founder and CEO of CatenaBio – a platform that allows for the rapid coupling of proteins to create novel therapeutics in oncology, autoimmune disorders, and vaccine development.
Claremont founder Kurt House (CMC ‘01) spoke with Jacob Goldstein on his show “What’s your Problem?” about the future of artificial intelligence in energy and technology. Kurt is the co-founder and CEO of unicorn KoBold Metals, a mining company that uses artificial intelligence to mine rare earth elements. In this episode, Kurt talked about how KoBold uses machine learning and data science to find metals we’ll need for the energy transition.
Claremont entrepreneur Justin Fenchel (PO '06) was recently on the Business of Drinks podcast, where he talked about the challenges his team faced after securing a $1M investment from Mark Cuban on Shark Tank—one of the largest investments in the show's history. He shared how they continuously adapted their product and processes to find the winning approach that led to the company’s significant growth. Justin is the co-founder and CEO of BeatBox Beverages, the fastest-selling ready-to-drink cocktail and wine brand in the U.S., with over 10M BeatBoxes sold.
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🍽️ BTL Snacks:
👴 Transforming Geriatric Products into Stylish Essentials….. A new company started by architects is rethinking geriatric products, moving away from the usual sterile plastic materials. Claremont grad Spencer Fried (CMC) is the co-founder of Remsen, a design firm focused on turning everyday geriatric items into stylish home goods. Fast Company recently featured how Remsen is bringing a fresh, high-design touch to products typically found in chain drugstores and nursing homes, offering chic in-home accessories, stability devices, and self-care furniture.
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