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Austin Martin
Founder & CEO, Rhymes with Reason⼁Forbes 30 Under 30
Professional Background
Austin Martin is a dedicated educator and visionary entrepreneur, serving as the Founder and CEO of Rhymes with Reason (RWR), an innovative educational technology company that uniquely integrates music into the learning process. RWR focuses on literacy development, aiming to help students recognize that academic excellence is well within their reach, leveraging the power of music and popular culture in their educational journeys.
Since its inception in 2017, RWR has made significant strides in boosting student engagement and performance through its patent-pending technology. With a commitment to diversity in education, the company has collaborated with nearly 150 schools and educational programs across the United States, continuously striving to enhance the learning experience for students from various backgrounds. Austin's deep understanding of the transformative power of music in learning stems from his own academic journey, a narrative that beautifully bridges personal passion and professional aspiration.
Education and Achievements
Austin's educational path has played a fundamental role in shaping his expertise and vision. He earned his Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Business Administration and Management from Brown University, where he discovered the profound connection between language, music, and literacy. This college experience was instrumental in cultivating his passion for education, as he realized the important role that music, particularly hip-hop, played in enhancing vocabulary and communication skills.
In his quest to deepen his knowledge, Austin pursued a Master of Education (MEd) specializing in Studies at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. His studies here provided him with invaluable insights into educational theories and practices that inform his current work at RWR. He also completed a Credential in Business Analytics, Economics for Managers, and Financial Accounting through the HBX program at Harvard Business School, showcasing his dedication to melding education with business acumen—a skill set that is vital for leading a tech startup in the education sector.
Additionally, Austin participated in the Summer Venture in Management Program at Harvard Business School, a formative experience that armed him with the necessary tools to navigate the complexities of managing a business while championing a cause he is passionate about: improving literacy among students.
Awards and Recognition
Austin Martin's contributions to education have not gone unnoticed. He has been recognized as one of Forbes' "30 Under 30" for his groundbreaking work with Rhymes with Reason. This accolade not only highlights his commitment to educational reform but also emphasizes the importance of blending cultural influences with effective teaching methods.
Under his leadership, RWR's technology stands as a testament to the innovative approaches needed to engage today's diverse student body. The acknowledgment from Forbes is indicative of the positive impact Austin's work has had on countless students, educators, and institutions seeking to enrich literacy instruction in meaningful ways.
Professional Experience
Austin's journey began with hands-on experience in various marketing roles before he pioneered Rhymes with Reason. He honed his skills as a Marketing/Operations Intern at Neighborhood House Association and later as a Marketing Associate at Environmental Lights. These positions allowed him to understand the importance of strategic communication and community engagement, both critical elements in promoting educational initiatives and fostering partnerships in the educational technology sector.
How Music Shapes Learning
Austin’s innovative focus on music, particularly hip-hop, as a vehicle for enriching vocabulary and literacy skills, stems from his personal experiences. Throughout his education, he found himself captivated by the intricate language, storytelling, and expression found in hip-hop. This passion not only fueled his academic interest but also served as the foundation for RWR, as he recognized the potential of music as a tool for engagement among today's youth.
His research revealed that an impressive 67 of the top 100 words on the SAT frequently appear in hip-hop music, leading him to underscore music’s relevance in an academic context. By incorporating engaging, genre-specific content into literacy initiatives, Austin enables students to discover their capabilities while resonating with their musical preferences.
Supporting a Diverse Generation
Austin's mission with Rhymes with Reason is not just about improving literacy; it's also about fostering an inclusive environment for learners of all backgrounds. He emphasizes the need to recognize the cultural capital that students already possess, encouraging them to leverage their existing knowledge and interests in their educational pursuits.
Through his leadership at RWR, Austin is committed to reshaping the educational landscape, demonstrating that academic engagement can be both relevant and enjoyable. His work emphasizes that when students see themselves reflected in the curriculum, they are more likely to connect deeply with the material and achieve success.
Rhymes with Reason's approach aligns with contemporary educational practices that advocate for culturally responsive teaching, where students' identities and cultures are incorporated into the learning process. By recognizing the importance of music in students' lives, Austin is making strides toward a more equitable educational system.
Future Vision
Looking forward, Austin Martin is focused on expanding the reach of Rhymes with Reason. He envisions a world where music is an integral part of literacy education in schools across the globe. His goal is to continue advocating for the use of popular culture as a legitimate resource for learning, further developing RWR’s technology to make it accessible to even more students.
For those interested in learning more about Rhymes with Reason and exploring how the program can benefit students, Austin welcomes inquiries and collaboration opportunities. He is excited to partner with educators, institutions, and organizations committed to enhancing the educational experience through innovative methods.
Austin Martin's journey in education is a testament to the power of passion and innovation. His work embodies the belief that with the right resources and inspiration, every student can excel academically, regardless of their background. As the founder of Rhymes with Reason, Austin continues to champion the transformative role of music in education, paving the way for aspiring learners everywhere.
Related People
Mesh is a relationship management platform that serves as a personal CRM, helping you organize and deepen both personal and professional relationships. It functions as a beautiful rolodex and CRM available on iPhone, Mac, Windows, and web, built automatically to help manage your network efficiently. Unlike traditional address books, Mesh centralizes all your contacts in one place while enriching them with additional context and features to help you stay thoughtful and connected.
Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Mesh offers several powerful features including:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
- Network Strength: Visualizes the strength of your relationships relative to others in your network
- Timeline: Shows your relationship history with each contact
- Smart Search: Allows you to search using natural language like "People I know at the NYT" or "Designers I've met in London"
- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
- Home Feed: Displays updates about your network including job changes, news mentions, and birthdays
- Groups: Organizes contacts into meaningful categories
- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Mesh is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Mesh as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Mesh offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Mesh takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Mesh encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Mesh work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Mesh is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Mesh is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Mesh is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Mesh offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Mesh offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Mesh for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Mesh accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Mesh offers extensive integration capabilities. Mesh introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Mesh supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Mesh also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
Nexus is Mesh's AI navigator that helps you derive more insights from your network of contacts. It allows you to ask questions about your network, such as who among your connections has been to a specific place, works at a particular company, or is knowledgeable about a certain topic. Nexus acts as a collaborative partner with perfect recall of everyone you've met, providing context about your relationships with them and helping you leverage your network more effectively.
Mesh makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Mesh's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Mesh is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Mesh stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Mesh excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
Mesh isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Mesh instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Mesh is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Mesh can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
Mesh is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Mesh's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Mesh has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Mesh a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Mesh's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Mesh's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Mesh has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Mesh's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Mesh as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Mesh eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.
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