Eric Ashman

Eric Ashman is an American strategic advisor, mentor, and executive coach based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is best known as an advisor to startups. He currently serves as the mentor and strategic advisor to startups and early stage companies and an Advisory Board Member and advisor for EforAll Roxbury. He formerly served as President of Group Nine Media, President and Chief Financial Officer of Thrillist and JackThreads, Chief Financial Officer of the Huffington Post, and Advisor to Lerer Hippeau.
Throughout his career, Ashman has partnered with CEOs and founders of start-up companies and assisted them in achieving their goals by constructing high-growth early-stage enterprises. Strategic planning, board & investor relations, strategy (equity & debt), runway optimization, margin expansion, organizational design, and pay strategy are among Ashman's core areas of competence and expertise.
==Education==
Ashman obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1993. He later completed the coursework required to become a Certified Public Accountant.
==Career==
Ashman began his professional career in 1990 as a tax and audit manager at Canby, Maloney & Company before moving to Kenneth Leventhal & Company in the same position.
In 1996, Ashman created Information Technology Systems, a Boston-based company that designs intranet and extranet solutions. The company eventually ceased operations after its first year.
Ashman joined Text100 Public Relations, a global technology public relations firm, in November 1997 as the CFO and COO. He was responsible for reigniting growth and profitability by increasing operating margins, driving worldwide expansion, and harmonizing global compensation incentives.
In June 2006, Ashman started working at TheStreet.com as the company’s Chief Financial Officer. 
In 2009, Ashman became the Chief Financial Officer of The Huffington Post. Ashman led the process of selling the company to AOL for $315 million after guiding the company to significant growth during his tenure.
Ashman served as an adjunct lecturer at the New York University School of Professional Studies from August 2010 to June 2011.
Ashman became the chief financial officer of Thrillist Media Group in 2011 and remained there for five years. Ashman was promoted to chief operating officer in 2013 and then to company president in 2015. Ashman led the company through its Series A and Series B rounds, raising a combined $67 million. He also played a key role in spinning out the JackThreads commerce business ahead of creating Group Nine Media, securing an investment of $100 million from organizations like Discovery Communications. 
During 2016 and 2017, Ashman served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Group Nine Media.
In 2018, incorporating his vast experience and expertise, Ashman launched a management consulting firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The company is focused on helping venture-backed founders navigate the challenges of growth, scaling, and building value. 
In 2019, Ashman joined M.M.LaFleur as the Interim Chief Financial Officer and later as Interim President of the company. He guided the company’s successful strategy shift in response to the impact of COVID-19 on its retail sales business.
In addition to his consulting work, Ashman serves as a mentor and member of the Advisory Board at EforAll Roxbury. EforAll (entrepreneurship for all) is a startup accelerator focused on underrepresented communities. EforAll’s mission is to boost he economic and social impact of communities across the nation through inclusive entrepreneurship. The program offers one-year free business training, mentorship, and professional networking. 
In 2019, Ashman introduced the Pivot to Profitability concept to participants in one-hour workshops originally hosted at Venture Cafe in Cambridge, Massachusetts and later expanded the program for clients. Ashman publishes a newsletter called "The Pivot to Profitability Newsletter," where interested readers can subscribe by visiting his official website.
==References==
==External links==
* Official Website
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Category:American investment advisors
Category:American executive coach
Category:American technology executives
Category:Isenberg School of Management alumni