Cris Mercado

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Cris Mercado

Founder & CEO — KeyJargon 

Cris has helped +200 NYC students ascend to college, earn $1.5 million in scholarships and grants, and secure top career opportunities most recently through GrantAnswers—a college and career readiness consulting firm. In 2016, Cris earned a social entrepreneurship award for KeyJargon, a free career web app that connects young professionals with free/low-cost memberships to industry networks and access to top career events and opportunities.
Cris has given keynote speeches and presentations for organizations like Teach For America and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on topics that include immigration, career readiness, and entrepreneurship. Cris also serves as Innovation Council Member of FWD.us, an advocacy organization founded by tech leaders such as Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and more. He was a Junior Board Member and Mentor/Coach for the career mentorship non-profit, America Needs You and a founding Board Member of The Knowledge House, a technology education non-profit in the South Bronx. His entrepreneurship and advocacy work has been featured in major outlets like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, NBC News, and Time.