The Renaissance Network

What The Renaissance Network does

The Renaissance Network (TRN) is a boutique executive search firm founded in 1996 by Lisa Sacchetti and headquartered in Newton, Massachusetts. TRN specializes exclusively in the education and EdTech sectors, providing retained executive search and consulting services to venture-backed EdTech startups, established education companies, and Fortune 500 technology companies launching education-focused divisions. Over 30+ years, the firm has completed thousands of executive placements spanning C-suite roles (CEO, COO, CFO, CTO, CMO), sales and marketing leadership, and full team builds for clients including BrainPOP, Imagine Learning, LEGO Education, Britannica Education, CDW, Bright Horizons, Twinkl, Exploros, and Agile Mind. The firm operates globally with active delivery across North America, Europe, the Nordics, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East.

TRN's service offering combines human search expertise with proprietary data-driven assessment tools. Core search methodology follows a five-step process: defining hiring goals, engaging top talent, understanding the individual, data-supported decision making, and completing the mission. Proprietary tools include a Custom Candidate Assessment measuring personality, behavior, internal drive, and cognitive ability, plus a 360-degree Blind Reference Checking process that the firm reports yields a 35% increase in identifying unqualified candidates. Supporting services include Market Intelligence & Competitive Analysis, Organizational Assessment (succession planning, organizational design), Board Advisory Services, Flexible Talent Solutions (interim leadership), and Team Build-Out Services. The firm reports a 96% placement rate and an NPS of 76.

TRN operates on a retained search model with fees structured as a percentage of the placed executive's first-year total base salary, paid in installments (engagement fee, shortlist fee, final balance upon placement). Flexible engagement models are offered for different client types. The firm is privately held, founder-controlled, and bootstrapped without external institutional investors or PE backing. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales supported by content marketing (monthly newsletter, blog authored by CEO Lisa Sacchetti and CCO Colin Homer Gillespie), social (LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Facebook), and industry events (ASU+GSV, ISTE, Educause, AIxEd Leadership Summit). Forbes has recognized TRN as one of America's Best Recruiting Firms for six consecutive years (2019-2024), with retained status as #1 search firm in the Education and Technology sectors in 2024.

Name

The Renaissance Network

Legal name

The Renaissance Network, Inc.

Website

https://ren-network.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Renaissance Network is a boutique executive search firm founded in 1996 that exclusively serves the education and EdTech sectors, providing retained executive search, team builds, and consulting services to venture-backed startups, established education companies, and Fortune 500 firms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Sector, Education & Nonprofit Leadership Search (BPACAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops) (BPACAAAB), Technology & Product Leadership Search (CIO/CTO/CDO/CPO) (BPACAAAC)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• EdTech recruitment consulting
• Leadership talent placement
• Education technology hiring
• Executive recruitment firm

Headquarters

HQ city

Newton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retained Executive Search: TRN operates on a retained search model with a fee structure based on a percentage of the placed executive's first-year total base salary. Standard engagement includes engagement fee, shortlist fee, and final balance due upon placement. This structure ensures alignment with finding the right candidate rather than quick placements. They also offer flexible engagement models for different client types including startups versus established enterprises.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Renaissance Network (TRN) is a boutique executive search firm that places C-suite executives, senior leaders, and commercial-team members into education and EdTech organizations on a retained basis. Core engagements cover leadership/executive search, sales and business development talent search, marketing and growth talent search, permanent placements, and flexible/interim talent solutions. Each engagement is reinforced by proprietary custom candidate assessments and a blind 360-degree reference checking process.

Product overview

The Renaissance Network operates as a specialized executive search firm offering a unified suite of talent acquisition and consulting services exclusively for the education and EdTech sectors. The core offering centers on retained executive search services for C-suite and senior leadership roles, complemented by specialized talent searches for sales, marketing, and business development functions. The company provides permanent placement services and flexible talent solutions including interim leadership placements. Supporting the core search services, TRN offers proprietary assessment tools including Custom Candidate Assessment and Blind Reference Checking, which are integrated into their search methodology. Additional consulting services include Organizational Assessment, Market Intelligence & Competitive Analysis, and Board Advisory Services. The company also offers team build-out services to construct complete functional teams beyond individual executive placements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search Services Retained executive search for C-suite and senior executives in education and EdTech organizations, covering placements such as CEO, COO, CFO, CTO, CMO, and Chief Academic Officers; targeted at venture-backed EdTech startups, established education companies, and Fortune 500 firms with education-focused divisions.
• Sales & Business Development Talent Search Specialized retained search for sales and business development leaders who understand the unique dynamics of selling to educational institutions, including VPs of Sales, Chief Revenue Officers, and Regional Sales Directors.
• Marketing & Growth Talent Search Specialized retained search for marketing and growth leaders who understand how to reach and engage educational audiences, including Chief Marketing Officers, VPs of Marketing, and Growth Leaders.
• Permanent Placements Long-term executive placement services focused on identifying leaders and high-performance individual contributors who drive strategic growth and organizational development for education and EdTech organizations.
• Flexible Talent Solutions Interim leadership placement services providing senior leadership or specialist skill sets on a temporary basis during transitions, including interim-to-permanent arrangements for education and EdTech organizations.
• Team Build-Out Services Comprehensive team build-out services that help education and EdTech organizations build functional teams beyond individual executive placement, including go-to-market teams and commercial team construction across sales, marketing, and business development functions.
• Organizational Assessment Services Consulting service evaluating current leadership teams of education and EdTech organizations, identifying gaps and development opportunities, and planning for future leadership needs including succession planning and organizational design consulting.
• Market Intelligence & Competitive Analysis Market intelligence services providing talent trends, compensation benchmarking, and competitive dynamics analysis to support strategic planning and talent acquisition strategy development for education and EdTech clients.
• Board Advisory Services Services helping education and EdTech clients identify and recruit independent directors and advisory board members who can provide strategic guidance and industry expertise.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% of searches result in an external hire
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• MITminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic alliance partner with LEGO Education during Colin Gillespie's tenure as President of LEGO Education North America. TRN has placed executives with organizations that have partnerships with MIT.
• Tufts UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic alliance partner with LEGO Education during Colin Gillespie's tenure. TRN has connections with organizations having educational partnerships.
• FIRST RoboticsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic alliance partner with LEGO Education. TRN has executive placement relationships with organizations involved in STEM education initiatives.
• GoogleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic alliance partner with LEGO Education during Colin Gillespie's tenure. TRN places executives with organizations having technology partnerships.
• StartEd NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLisa Sacchetti serves as a mentor for StartEd Network, helping education innovators improve education and workforce learning by guiding them in securing finance and expanding their customer base.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• WittKieffer: Executive search firm exclusively focused on education, healthcare, and life sciences leadership. Closely comparable to TRN given its sector-specialist model, retained-search approach, and education-practice depth across K-12 and higher education.
• Greenwood/Asher & Associates: Boutique executive search firm specializing in higher education and education-related industries. Comparable to TRN in serving mission-driven education organizations with senior leadership placements and retained engagements.
• AGB Search: Executive search practice focused exclusively on higher education leadership. Comparable to TRN's education-sector specialty, with a similar retained model and deep relationships within institutional clients.
• Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates: Specialist executive search firm dedicated to education sector leadership placements, including K-12, higher education, and education nonprofits. Directly comparable to TRN's domain-specialist positioning and retained executive search approach.
• Park Square Executive Search: Boutique search firm with strong education, nonprofit, and social-impact practices. Comparable to TRN for its specialized retained engagements serving education and mission-driven clients.

Broad incumbents

• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm with a dedicated Education, Nonprofit, and Social Enterprise practice. Larger generalist competitor to TRN that overlaps on education-sector CEO and senior leadership searches.
• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with an active Education, Nonprofit, and Social Impact practice. Overlaps with TRN on EdTech and education C-suite placements as part of a broader portfolio.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with a dedicated Education and Nonprofit practice. Comparable to TRN for senior education-sector engagements, but operates at much larger scale with broader industry coverage.
• Korn Ferry: Largest global organizational consulting firm with significant executive search operations across education, technology, and consumer markets. Overlaps with TRN's EdTech and education sector search mandates through its broad portfolio.
• Diversified Search: Executive search firm with a dedicated Education, Nonprofit, and Cultural Arts practice. Comparable to TRN for retained education-sector leadership searches, with broader industry reach across life sciences and consumer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RenNetwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-renaissance-network-inc.
• Facebookfacebook.com/The-Renaissance-Network-Inc-114022221996657

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Renaissance Network