TOP 100 MAGAZINE

Christa Hill and Renee Matsalla

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Tech has long been a playground dominated by a singular narrative, but Christa Hill and Renee Matsalla are rewriting the script. As the visionary CEOs and co-founders of Tacit Edge Product Leadership, they’re on a mission to make the industry more inclusive—one product, one leader, and one opportunity at a time. With a combined 30+ years in technology, these two powerhouses are proving that women in tech aren’t just thriving—they’re leading the charge to change the system from within.

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The duo first crossed paths at Benevity, the social impact platform that skyrocketed to a $1.1 billion valuation. Together, they helped scale a platform that revolutionized giving, empowering millions of nonprofits worldwide and funneling billions into global philanthropy. But their ambitions stretched far beyond corporate success. They saw firsthand the glaring gap in access to product management education—especially for women and underrepresented groups. That realization set the stage for Tacit Edge, founded in 2021, a company built to provide equitable access to standardized product management and AI education for all.

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A Legacy of Innovation

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Christa’s career has been a masterclass in high-impact tech leadership. She was at the forefront of online banking and digital payments, helping shape the financial systems we now take for granted. Her journey led her to Getty Images, where she honed her expertise in product ownership before transitioning to Benevity, where she played a key role in scaling the platform’s reach to more than two million nonprofits. At Morgan Stanley, she shattered ceilings, creating the firm’s first public-facing API and scaling private market transactions from millions to billions in just a year.

Renee has a resume that reads like a roadmap for tech evolution. Before co-founding Tacit Edge, she led product teams at Benevity, developing solutions used by Nike, PayPal, Apple, and Google. Her work with ActiveConversion cemented the company’s status as the go-to sales and marketing platform for industrial firms. And while living in Berlin, she spearheaded mobile monetization strategies for the likes of Facebook and Google, an experience that deepened her commitment to diversity and belonging in the tech space.

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Tacit Edge: The Future of Product Management and AI Education

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Christa and Renee didn’t just build Tacit Edge to educate—they built it to disrupt. Their programs offer the kind of hands-on, transformative learning that traditional institutions can’t match. Dubbed "The MBA for under $10K," their curriculum is built on applied learning, breaking down complex technical concepts into digestible, real-world applications. And the results? Unprecedented.

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Tacit Edge has worked with organizations ranging from the New York Federal Reserve Bank to hundreds of companies across North America. Thousands of professionals from Big Tech and Fortune 500 firms have passed through their programs, emerging with a product-led mindset that prioritizes people over frameworks. Their graduates aren’t just learning—they’re securing jobs, leading teams, and reshaping the industry from within.

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Opening Doors, Breaking Records

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“At Tacit Edge, we are incredibly proud to have launched a groundbreaking curriculum that has transformed the tech industry by opening doors to individuals who were traditionally excluded from these opportunities,” says Christa. “For the first time, we’ve enabled women and underrepresented groups to not only access tech roles but thrive in them.” And, the numbers back it up: Tacit Edge boasts a 72% hire rate—the highest in the world. Over half of those hires? Women. This is more than education; it’s an industry shift. In a field where only 15% of AI leadership roles are held by women, Tacit Edge is actively reshaping the landscape. Christa and Renee are proving that when we invest in diverse leadership, the entire industry wins.

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In this Q&A, Christa and Renee share their mission, the impact of their programs, and why empowering women in tech is critical to shaping the future of AI.

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Your curriculum has transformed the tech industry, creating new opportunities for individuals with and without tech backgrounds. What inspired you to launch Tacit Edge, and how is it driving change in AI and product management?

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Renee: We wanted to help more people land incredible jobs in tech—just like we did—and build the products of the future. We constantly hear from graduates who’ve started businesses, earned promotions, or transitioned into entirely new careers. But access to tech education isn’t equitable—it’s expensive, inconsistent, and often out of reach. Our mission is to break down these barriers and create a true meritocracy, making high-paying tech roles accessible to anyone, regardless of race, gender, or background.

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Christa: The tech industry has long been exclusionary. We’re changing that by making these roles more approachable and understandable. You don’t need a computer science degree for many of them—just transferable skills and experience. As AI and technology become more integral to every business, it’s critical to recruit diverse talent from other industries.

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Women remain underrepresented in tech and AI leadership, yet their voices are critical in shaping the future of an AI-driven world. Why is this mission so important to you, and how are you empowering more women to lead in these fields?

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Renee: AI and tech are still heavily male-dominated, and women are leaving these fields due to systemic barriers. If we’re not at the table, we’re not shaping the future. That’s why we launched a specialized program to recruit women leaders and equip them with in-demand technical skills, ensuring they not only stay in the industry, but rise to leadership and bring more women into AI.

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Christa: Accessibility is key, so we keep our programs under $10K—often under $5K. We also help newcomers transition from survival jobs, like driving Uber, into six-figure tech careers. Our goal is to ensure women aren’t displaced by AI but are leading its innovation.

 

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Christa Hill and Renee Matsalla
CEOs and Co-Founders
Tacit Edge Product Leadership
Website: www.tacit-edge.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rmatsalla  
www.linkedin.com/in/christajhill   
www.linkedin.com/company/tacitedge

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TacitEdge

Instagram: www.instagram.com/tacit.edge