Our Story
We believe social networks can make smart companies smarter.
We're Leverage Software, and we're passionate about helping companies unlock the power of online communities. We've helped 15 of the Fortune 100 discover new communication paths, ideas, and knowledge -- knowledge they already have inside of their talented employees. Our entire team works together closely, 100% focused on helping you bring your people together. We want to help you connect your experts, leverage the knowledge that you already have within your organization, and spark communication throughout your company. Our goal is to eliminate communication barriers so that everyone in your company can be as knowledgeable as your best. We go beyond content and knowledge sharing -- we want to help foster connections and build relationships that make your organization thrive.
We do one thing, and we do it well.
Since 2003, we've focused on solving real business problems for real business people. We believed then -- and still do today -- that the best thing software can do is to help people become smarter, more effective, and more efficient by connecting them together.
It's hard to believe now, but when we first started we barely even knew the term "social networking." LinkedIn, Facebook, and MySpace were all in early stages (though growing rapidly!), and we weren't sure where they would go.
Regardless, our focus was on building a platform where people created the business value, not the system. This way, the more the platform was used, the more valuable it became. By doing this, we reasoned, we'd have happy customers, regardless of what we were called.
Six years and almost a million end-users later, we've become the #1 enterprise social networking software, powering over 250 online communities. Every day, we discuss what more we can do to help organizations unlock all the amazing potential that exists within their business.
100% On-Demand.
Back in 2003, we guessed that our customers would want to focus on their business without having to worry about their technology. That's why we created a 100% multi-tenant software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that would allow organizations to cut their internal IT people a break. Today, this model is alternatively called on-demand, SaaS, or cloud computing — but again, we never worry about what the industry calls us. We just figure that if we can help our customers connect in new and innovative ways, without requiring any involvement from their IT staff, then our customers will respond.
Meaningful Results.
Over the years we've been amazed by two things: the incredible creativity and resourcefulness of our terrific employees, and the vision and innovation of our valued customers. 
Every day we are impressed at how our customers take features from our product — whether it be the visual people map, the geo-social networking features, or the social newsfeed — and use it to do new and novel things. We're always thrilled when our customers realize how much new channels for communication and collaboration can transform their business. It's in these moments that our hard work really matters.
Our People
John Stanton, CEO
As the founder and former CEO of Lender's Credit, John brings valuable experience managing high growth companies to Leverage Software. Due in part to the development of proprietary software, Lender's Credit grew to become one of the largest mortgage credit reporting companies in the country. He engineered its merger into INFO1 and served as Co-Chairman of that entity until its successful acquisition. John is a graduate of California State University Long Beach and received his Masters in Business Administration from Pepperdine University.
Joe Kleinschmidt, CTO Founder
Joe drives product development for Leverage Software. His broad background includes experience in the financial, biotech, energy, internet, and multimedia industries, and he has worked with a variety of firms from small software start-ups to larger organizations such as Lucent and Macromedia. Joe holds a degree from Northwestern University.
Kate Swanson, Director of Sales
Kate is responsible for developing successful relationships. She has extensive experience partnering with large enterprises to design social networking solutions that deliver real value. Kate is frequently tapped for her expertise and has spoken at several conferences. Kate holds a bachelor's degree from St. Mary's College.
Tom Paolucci, Director of Client Services
Tom steers clients through the development, launch and nurture of their online communities. His client-focused career includes start-ups and some of the most recognized brands in the world, including HP and Paramount Pictures.
Amber Rae Lambke, Director of Marketing
Amber drives marketing strategy for the Leverage brand. She has extensive experience leading social media marketing programs, most recently at Omnicom Group and Apple Computer. Amber holds a bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communication and Interactive Media from Miami University (Ohio).
