In 2015 Peter Benevides ’02, Accounting, and ’03, M.S. Accounting landed a job as the VP of Finance for a New York based start-up called Olo. This was his third role at a start-up company after leaving behind the corporate world in pursuit of a more entrepreneurial-driven business that he could help build from the ground-up.

“In 2012 I decided to leave Sony Music Entertainment and the world of large established corporations and enter the world of start-ups” describes Benevides. “This was a big decision, trading stability and defined career progression for an uncertain, high-risk high-reward environment. What I found most interesting about the opportunity was the possibility of helping build something from scratch, and this proved to be the right decision, as it’s allowed me to broaden my skillset, play to my strengths, and discover what I enjoy most.”

Olo is B2B SaaS company that provides digital ordering and delivery enablement solutions for enterprise restaurants. Since starting at Olo in 2015, Benevides has been promoted twice. First to Senior VP of Finance in 2018 and then to his current role as Chief Financial Officer in 2020. In that same amount of time, the company has grown exponentially – from 30 to over 400 employees. Year-over-year revenue growth has accelerated as well, increasing from 59.4% in 2019 to 94.2% in 2020.

“The growth has been amazing,” says Peter. “In just a short amount of time, I have witnessed first-hand the incredible digital transformation occurring within the restaurant industry, and I’m extremely proud of Olo’s role in helping support and enable this trend.”

Peter earned his B.S. in Accounting from the University of Rhode Island’s College of Business in 2002 and his M.S. in Accounting in 2003. Originally recruited to play soccer for URI’s Division 1 soccer program, which he later captained, Benevides was drawn to all the university had to offer, including the academics, athletics, facilities, campus, proximity to beaches, and more. Also, he was a native Rhode Islander which made attending URI extra special. Post college, he played semi-professional soccer with the RI Stingrays and travelled Europe to pursue a professional soccer career.

Last year, Benevides took on one of the biggest projects of his career, bringing Olo from a private company to public one. Fortunately, his education combined with his years of experience at Sony Music Entertainment, Turntable.fm, and UrbanDaddy prepared him for this moment. Going through the IPO process is no easy feat. It requires time, focus, organization, negotiation, and many late nights.

“While this may sound silly, I think the most challenging part of the process was balancing the IPO process from a remote environment with two children under 4 years old,” said Peter. “I always feared one of the kids would burst into the room while on an important video call, but thankfully that never happened.”

In March 2021, amid a global pandemic, Olo issued an Initial Public Offering for 20.7 million shares enabling the company to raise at approximately $485 million at a valuation of $4.5 billion. It was one of the most memorable moments of his career. Peter recalls “the most rewarding part of the process was watching our CEO ring the opening bell on the day we IPO’d. Thinking back to when I first joined, when were a relatively small company to now ringing the bell at the NYSE was surreal.”

Today Peter lives in Connecticut with his wife and two little girls, Lily (4 years old) and Evelyn (19 months). In his spare time (when not trying to keep up with the girls), he’s usually watching soccer.

To current students and recent graduates, Peter offers this advice: “Early on in your career, focus less on having a plan, and focus more on building skills, relationships, and experiences. Search for opportunities at the intersection of what you enjoy doing, what you’re good at, and at a high-growth company, and opportunities will arise.”