Create Opportunity

The seventh inductee to the UofL College of Business Entrepreneurship Circle of Fame Ken Gardener understands the impact opportunity can have on a career. When First National Bank offered him a position as a computer programmer trainee in the early Seventies, Ken discovered a passion and a vocation. With over 35 years in the software industry, Ken Gardner has been an innovator, building businesses including SOASTA, Sagent, and ReportSmith. His latest venture is conDati, a marketing and analytics company which utilizes AI and machine learning for data-driven decision making in marketing. Through all the growth and development, Ken has been an alum personally invested in providing opportunities to students at the College of Business.

When conDati was seeking interns, Ken and conDati co-founder (and wife) Marielena looked beyond the traditional geographical bounds of Silicon Valley. The Gardners knew they could find the talent they were searching for in the College’s new MSBA program. conDati provided a trio of graduate students (CJ Skinner, Molly Mooney, and Nigel Dick) a chance to work for the West Coast company from Louisville. Over the tenure of their internship, the students worked on projects alongside other conDati staff.

After their internships, all three students were offered positions at conDati.

“We consider our interns our employees. We don’t treat them any differently. They get the same projects. They touch our product just like a full-time employee does…”

Marielena Gardner VP Finance & Administration

Learn more about conDati and the College’s remote internship program: