About us
Built by a parent, for every family
School Journey started with one dad at a Blackbaud school who couldn’t find the week’s schedule on his phone. Today it’s the only family app in the Blackbaud Marketplace.
How it started
One dad’s fix that keeps growing
When the pandemic moved school online, Ruben Perez was a software engineer with two kids at a Blackbaud school in Los Angeles. Like a lot of parents, he kept hunting for the same things: his kids’ schedule, the week’s events, and the note from school that actually mattered. They were all in there somewhere, buried in a desktop portal and a pile of emails.
So he did what engineers do and started building a fix. He worked with Blackbaud to connect it properly, so families saw exactly what their school already had, just on their phones.
Then he noticed it wasn’t just his school. Families everywhere were digging for the same things, and schools everywhere were working hard to get their news read. That’s where School Journey came from.
“I really want to support my children. I don’t know which emails are important. Where do I go?”
Ruben Perez, on the problem that started School Journey
Our journey
From one family to schools across the country
2020
One parent, one problem
With school online, Ruben couldn’t find his kids’ schedule and school notes on his phone, so he started building a fix.
Jan 2024
Joined Blackbaud’s startup program
School Journey joins Blackbaud’s Social Good Startup Program.
Apr 2024
In the App Store
The School Journey app goes live for iPhone, with Android following that summer.
Summer 2024
Early access opens
A small group of Blackbaud schools try it with their families, and what they ask for shapes the app.
Fall 2024
The first schools sign on
The first schools move from early access to School Journey for their whole community.
Nov 2024
The first branded app
A school launches its own app, with its own name and icon, in the App Store.
Today
Schools across the country
Blackbaud schools from coast to coast, with a 30-day trial on your own data.
What we’re building
The best mobile experience for Blackbaud schools
One app where families find what they need without hunting, and where schools know their news is actually being read. Built only for Blackbaud schools, so it fits the way you already work.
- For families: everything in one tap
- For schools: see what got read
- For IT: Blackbaud stays the source of truth
The team
Small team, close to every school
Ruben Perez
Founder and CEO
A software engineer and Blackbaud parent who built the app he wanted for his own family, then for every Blackbaud school.
Jamie Giblett
Chief Growth Officer
More than 10 years in independent school technology, including building the first Blackbaud-integrated school app.
Our engineering team
Product and engineering
The people who keep the Blackbaud connection fast and reliable, and ship what schools ask for.
Contact us
We’d love to hear from you
See it with your data
A personal walkthrough built around your school.
We never sell family data or use it for advertising.