Micah Chase has been a founder and CEO for over 25 years successfully growing several startups into multi-million dollar companies. Experience in all phases of an enterprise, B2B, B2C, managing P&L, setting strategic direction, change management, product development, multichannel marketing, business development, contract negotiation, regulatory compliance, and M&A.

• Checkerboard Ltd (1992-2017) is a leader in the design and manufacturing of fine social stationery. As CEO, Chase selected the strategic direction to navigate a mature industry resulting in consistent double-digit year over year growth. He has a proven ability to execute on strategy and drive cultural change through an organization including Agile Development, Lean Manufacturing, Design Thinking/Human Centered Design. Chase grew the company from startup to one of the top two brands in the U.S. Checkerboard is an11-time winner of the coveted Louie design award (The Greeting Card industry’s Oscars). Checkerboard was sold to Stationery Works in 2017.

• He founded eInvite LLC in 1997, a company that allows users to customize, preview and order personalized social stationery online. eInvite was an extremely early entrant into e-commerce and personalization. eInvite operated as a category manager for several national retailers including Costco, Toys’R’Us, Babies’R’Us and WeddingChannel.com. eInvite ran their ecommerce stationery websites including merchandising, product design, fulfillment, and call center. EInvite LLC was sold to Hart in Print in 2019.

• He is the founder and CEO of CheckMate Technologies (1997-2017), a research and development technology company. Developments include patented online product configuration technology that allows users to view products online and see a proof prior to placing an order, event entertainment products, and event management systems.

• Chase founded and runs Checker Real Estate (2000 - Present), a commercial real estate holding and management company.

Micah is currently at Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s School of Business.

• Adjunct professor currently teaching “Supply Chain Management Consulting” and “Engineering, Innovation and Entrepreneurship”

• Entrepreneur in Residence

Chase is an active member of the Boynton Angel’s angel investing group.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Chase was in charge of business development for Telepresence Research, a Silicon Valley startup company founded by a past director of NASA’s Virtual Reality Lab. He also served as a Management Consultant for Andersen Consulting in San Francisco, California.

Education

Chase holds a Bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Science from the University of Rochester and a Masters of Business Administration in Finance and Accounting from the William E. Simon School of Business. Executive Education at Harvard Business School and Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Board and Advisory

Micah currently serves on the board of YPO Gold New England as well as on the Bancroft School board of trustees. He is a past president of the Worcester Jewish Community Center. He is a past president of the Invitation and Stationery Alliance and board member of the Greeting Card Association.

Chase currently serves as an advisor to BonBillo, an early stage social impact incubator; An advisor at WPI’s TAN Tech Advisors Network, and was on the AIM (Associated Industries of Massachusetts) CEO council.

Awards and Honors

First recipient of the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous Humanitarian Award

Named as one of Worcester Magazine’s 40 under 40

Twice listed in Inc. Magazine’s fastest-growing private companies in America

Twice presented with the Better Business Bureau’s Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics