Guild’s headquarters are in Republic Plaza in downtown Denver. (Courtesy Guild)
The founder of Guild, one of Denver’s largest startups, has stepped down as CEO after suffering a stroke last August.
Rachel Romer, 35, disclosed the medical episode in a LinkedIn post on Tuesday, saying that she spent three months in the hospital after the stroke and is currently using a wheelchair and relearning how to walk.
She wrote she plans “to make a full recovery.”
“My stroke was technically a traumatic brain injury, as it impacted a portion of the left side of my brain and translated into paralysis on the right side of my body,” Romer wrote. “Luckily, I’m left-handed with what I’ve learned is called a flipped brain, so unlike many stroke survivors, I’m able to speak and understand others as a result.”
Guild co-founder Rachel Romer, seated, with CEO Bijal Shah (Courtesy Katy Tartakoff via LinkedIn)
Romer wrote she currently doesn’t have use of her right hand.
“I’m also struggling with some vision challenges in my right eye, and my voice and jaw were impacted, so I don’t currently have the same melody I had in my voice and I can sound a bit monotone,” she wrote.
Bijal Shah, who joined Guild in 2018 as chief product officer and later became chief experience officer, has been serving as interim CEO, Romer said. Guild said in a news release Tuesday that she had been appointed to the role permanently.
Romer remains on Guild’s board of directors, according to the company.
Romer, granddaughter of former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer, founded what was then known as Guild Education in 2015. The company is paid by employers, including large companies such as PepsiCo and Tyson Foods, to manage the education assistance benefits they offer to employees.
Guild has raised roughly $780 million in the past five years, according to company filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company said it hit a valuation of $1 billion in 2019 and that a $175 million round raised in June 2022 valued it at $4.4 billion.
Forbes estimates Romer is worth $320 million, down from $500 million prior to a divorce.
Guild is headquartered in Republic Plaza. The company has around 1,200 employees, a spokeswoman told BusinessDen Tuesday. The company laid off about 12% of its workforce last spring.
Guild’s headquarters are in Republic Plaza in downtown Denver. (Courtesy Guild)
The founder of Guild, one of Denver’s largest startups, has stepped down as CEO after suffering a stroke last August.
Rachel Romer, 35, disclosed the medical episode in a LinkedIn post on Tuesday, saying that she spent three months in the hospital after the stroke and is currently using a wheelchair and relearning how to walk.
She wrote she plans “to make a full recovery.”
“My stroke was technically a traumatic brain injury, as it impacted a portion of the left side of my brain and translated into paralysis on the right side of my body,” Romer wrote. “Luckily, I’m left-handed with what I’ve learned is called a flipped brain, so unlike many stroke survivors, I’m able to speak and understand others as a result.”
Guild co-founder Rachel Romer, seated, with CEO Bijal Shah (Courtesy Katy Tartakoff via LinkedIn)
Romer wrote she currently doesn’t have use of her right hand.
“I’m also struggling with some vision challenges in my right eye, and my voice and jaw were impacted, so I don’t currently have the same melody I had in my voice and I can sound a bit monotone,” she wrote.
Bijal Shah, who joined Guild in 2018 as chief product officer and later became chief experience officer, has been serving as interim CEO, Romer said. Guild said in a news release Tuesday that she had been appointed to the role permanently.
Romer remains on Guild’s board of directors, according to the company.
Romer, granddaughter of former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer, founded what was then known as Guild Education in 2015. The company is paid by employers, including large companies such as PepsiCo and Tyson Foods, to manage the education assistance benefits they offer to employees.
Guild has raised roughly $780 million in the past five years, according to company filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company said it hit a valuation of $1 billion in 2019 and that a $175 million round raised in June 2022 valued it at $4.4 billion.
Forbes estimates Romer is worth $320 million, down from $500 million prior to a divorce.
Guild is headquartered in Republic Plaza. The company has around 1,200 employees, a spokeswoman told BusinessDen Tuesday. The company laid off about 12% of its workforce last spring.
