Our founders David Flack and Tom Ferrara were leaders of the industry’s shift in focus from lead quantity to lead quality- as they advocated schools’ rights to a more transparent marketing processes. As they founded CUnet in 2003, they paved the way for schools to recover control of their online marketing efforts by instituting a lead management system based on the principles of accountability, compliance, and performance. This endeavor was since embraced by the industry- as more transparency and an emphasis on performance became widespread.

Since leaving CUnet in 2008, Tom and David felt that more can be done to advance the movement they helped promote. And now that there has been an unprecedented emphasis on compliance and the responsibility of schools’ marketing and admissions departments, FF Ventures was created to deliver new services & solutions to schools, help the industry evolve and improve its performance and outcomes.  With backgrounds and continued success in Education, Advertising & Marketing, Ad-Tech, Ed-Tech and Career sectors we focus primarily on those areas.  However, we are open to innovative ideas in other areas.

Tom Ferrara – Managing Partner & Co-Founder

Tom Ferrara

Tom Ferrara is a pioneering entrepreneur and visionary leader with over two decades of success in launching, scaling, and exiting high-growth ventures. As the Managing Partner and Co-Founder of FF Ventures—a dynamic investor and incubator specializing in early-stage SaaS and technology companies—Tom leverages his extensive experience and innovative mindset to accelerate revenue growth, lead technology innovation, forge strategic partnerships, and build cross-functional teams that drive lasting impact.

Widely recognized as a trailblazer in the education, career, and advertising/lead generation industries, Tom’s career is marked by groundbreaking achievements. As co-founder and CEO of CUnet, he architected revolutionary products such as the Vendor Lead Management System, transforming CUnet into one of the premier full-service agencies in higher education. Under his leadership, CUnet partnered with over 400 colleges and universities, delivering cutting-edge lead management and recruitment services and establishing influential media partnerships nationwide scaling the bootstrapped organization from $0 to over $120,000,000 in 3 years.
Tom further demonstrated his ability to drive exponential growth as Co-Founder & CEO of Edufficient, where he scaled annual revenues from under $1M to over $50M in just two and a half years through aggressive go-to-market strategies, strategic alliances, and comprehensive P&L management culminating in a successful exit, underscoring his prowess in building and transitioning high-value ventures.

Prior to his success at CUnet and Edufficient, Tom led CareerEngine as CEO, growing the company from a start-up to a successful publicly held enterprise. His tenure in the industry also includes transformative roles at Career Education Corporation—where he drove record enrollment growth—and advisory positions on numerous boards within the education, job search, marketing, and human capital sectors.

An accomplished strategist with deep expertise in SaaS, digital advertising, and emerging technologies, Tom’s proficiency spans growth strategy, fundraising, M&A, and go-to-market execution. His work has been featured on major television networks including NBC, MSNBC, and CBS, and in prominent publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Institutional Investors. A graduate of Bucknell University with a BA in Political Science, Tom is equally passionate about innovation and the art of collecting—having even created an online portal for coin enthusiasts.

David Flack – Co-founder of FF Ventures

David Flack