A Note from Brain Parade’s Founder
I’m Jim McClafferty Founder and President of Brain Parade. I have over 20 years of technology and management experience in large and small companies across many industries. I received my Bachelors of Science in Computer Science from Manhattan College, and spent a few years writing software code before moving into management roles of increasing responsibility. I’ve worked at Accenture (Andersen Consulting), MCI, GE Capital, EC Cubed, The Hanover Insurance Group, Marsh & McLennan, and I was President and CEO of Financial Profiles, Inc. I’ve also run my own technology-consulting firm, JEM Executive Advisors.
The common thread in all of my roles is the innovative use of technology to drive business benefits. All my life I’ve been fascinated with technology innovation. Throughout my career I’ve been responsible for evaluating technology developments and identifying the opportunities that these developments created. I’ve built a successful career helping companies make strategic decisions to take advantage of technology developments.
In the spring of 2010, Apple released the iPad. Having been an iPhone user for a few years, I was one of the first in line to buy an iPad. My expectations for the iPad were high and I wasn’t disappointed. It was immediately apparent to me that the iPad would be a truly transformative device, one that would have a major impact on millions of people and many industries. Many unsuccessful attempts had been made in the past to build tablet computers. This time, Apple had a success on its hands.
I set out to identify where this transformative device could have the biggest impact. One area that was not getting enough attention was the education space, particularly education for those with autism or other special needs. It became immediately clear to me that the iPad was an almost perfect device for teaching, communicating, and rewarding/reinforcing children and adults with special needs.
I’ve spent my professional career helping companies build better products, improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase sales. I founded Brain Parade with the goal of using that experience to build applications that help people with special needs. It is my sincere hope that our apps will have a profound, positive impact on the lives of these individuals, their teachers, their families and their caregivers.
- Jim McClafferty