When Josh Kline ’99 was a senior at Wabash, he never really imagined himself with a career in sales. He definitely didn’t think he would help start a sales internship program for Wabash students, but that’s exactly what happened.
After coming to Wabash from Seattle as a Lilly Scholar in 1995 and graduating four years later with a degree in history, Kline decided that graduate school wasn’t his path, and he visited the Wabash Career Center in hopes of finding a job. By his own admission, Kline arrived a little late in the job search cycle, and what was left for him were stereotypical sales jobs. He initially assumed that sales could never be an energizing career for him, but hard work and good fortune led him that way anyway.
“I didn’t have an appreciation for how much art and science is involved in sales and go-to-market, but I found my way into sales,” said Kline. “And just through good fortune I found my way into world class sales organizations and companies that would go on to do amazing things.”
Since he broke into the go-to-market (a catchall for sales, marketing and other top-line functions for businesses) industry over 20 years ago, Kline has been involved in a number of companies in their early stages that he then helped take public.
“I got to watch how the sales organization evolved in those organizations from the early stage all the way to post-public market IPO [initial public offering] and post-public market exit,” said Kline.
His expertise is what eventually led him back to Wabash. After years of working alongside and within startup companies, Kline understood what they needed to make it in the fast-paced world of modern business. The hurdles are high, and what often separated the success stories from the ones people forgot about was the talent companies could afford to hire. But since most startups aren’t flush with cash, attracting individuals with the talent to contribute is a serious problem for them. Complicating the matter further is the fact that startups aren’t exactly the first companies on college and universities’ lists to invite to job fairs and career discovery events.
As AI began to proliferate in the mainstream during 2022, another thing began to come into focus for Kline. Students and young professionals would need to be prepared for work in a world where specialization was no longer what was required. In the age of AI, businesses would need generalists capable of solid judgement and good taste built through experience.
“The market is done paying a premium for the person who knows one thing the deepest,” said Kline in a Chapel Talk on September 10. “It now rewards the curious generalists who can see, direct and judge across domains. The new premium skills are judgment, taste, creativity, problem-solving under pressure and resilience in ambiguity.”
Kline saw an opportunity at the intersection of startups’ talent acquisition problem and students’ need for experience. In his typical fashion, he built something to fill the gap. His answer was REVelry GTM, a sales talent accelerator that pairs innovative startups with burgeoning sellers looking to gain experience and make an impact on a business. Students receive training on sales, AI, software skills and resources and a host of workshops and mentorship opportunities. The startups get the tangible growth that they deliver, which can equate to hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales and huge increases in visibility. After the summer ends, the students can continue working with the companies during school, and some eventually pick up full-time offers for after graduation. Since beginning in 2024, more than 30 Wabash men have participated in the program. It’s a big solution from a guy who always prefers to be a “doer” rather than a “talker.”
“When you meet him in person, he’s just a go-getter, but he also always provides great advice too,” said Adam Gaskill ’29, who worked for REVelry partner VanCraft over the summer.
Though he wouldn’t take credit for it, REVelry’s success is due in large part to Kline’s work ethic and devotion to creating an “esprit de corps” among each summer’s cohort.
“His energy is contagious, and it creates an atmosphere where people want to succeed, not because of gimmicks, but because it comes naturally,” said CIBE Program Manager Matthew Brooks ’24.
Beyond the practical experience and connections within the business world that students walk away with, they learn what it means to empower and teach those who come after you.
REVelry puts students in an environment where success and growth is contagious,” said Brooks. “When you put motivated students alongside an energetic leader like Josh and give them the tools and resources to pursue what they want to build, you see real confidence and competence develop, both in the work they do for their client companies and in their careers more broadly.”
Students who have participated echo that sentiment and value the skills and connections they’ve received through their work as “REVelers.”
“He’s super invested in the students and super invested in making an impact on young professionals’ careers,” said Gaskill. “He’s also very connected with [Associate Professor of Economics Eric] Dunaway and other people at Wabash. He looks for different ways to improve our learning as well as providing professional development for Wabash students.”
There’s no one way to give back to Wabash as an alumnus. Kline has been able to spend time with students, sharing his expertise and opening opportunities to him that few students in the country have access to. True to form, Wabash men have seized those chances to impress.
“It’s easy to go hard if you sign up for missions that matter to you,” said Kline. Like I tell Wabash students, ‘Pick your missions carefully, and pick your teams carefully.’”