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Jordan, TechRoots just crossed $100M in annual revenue. Take us back to the origin story.

I was a teacher in South Side Chicago, watching my students — brilliant kids — fall behind because the technology they were learning on was five years behind the schools across town. I thought: this is fixable. And no one was fixing it. So I quit my job and started building.

You built this without taking outside investment for the first three years. Why?

Because I had watched too many Black founders get diluted out of their own companies before they had proved anything. I wanted to control the narrative. I wanted to own my story. Revenue is the best investor you can have.

What is the hardest part of leading a company at this scale?

Staying connected to the mission when you are consumed by the machine. At 20 people, I knew every student we were serving. At 500 people, I have to be intentional about staying close to what matters. It requires discipline.

What is your message to young Black entrepreneurs?

Build something that matters to you personally. Not what VCs want to fund. Not what is trending. Something that you would build even if no one was watching. That conviction will sustain you through the years when nothing makes sense.