In an age dominated by Venmo, Apple Pay, PayPal, and other payment platforms, millenials are fleeing from cash and moving to their phones instead. Every organization, both secular and Catholic, is facing the similar question of how to best respond to this cultural shift in the payment process. Alumnus Matthew Marcolini (’15), CEO of Cathio, is launching an easy-to-use payment platform that responds to the needs of the Catholic community, with Christendom to be an early adopter of the platform.
Marcolini, a history major, has skyrocketed in the business world since graduating. Working primarily in the DC Metro area, Marcolini served as a technical recruiter, a resource manager, and even founded his own company — GreenSpring Strategies — within two years of graduating. After bringing his skillset and knowledge to Christendom for a time as director of career development, Marcolini joined Corsica Partners as its executive director. Now, as CEO of Cathio, he is using his business knowledge and liberal arts background to directly impact the Catholic world for the better.
“As a CEO, I have a million different data points coming at me every day. My liberal arts education taught me how to take that information in, analyze it, and make decisions from a philosophical, Catholic perspective,” says Marcolini. “My time at Christendom taught me not only how to do well but also to do good, and how to serve the Church in an effective manner. The leadership at Christendom, especially from Dr. O’Donnell, further gave me the inspiration necessary for how to lead people. I’m thrilled to be able to bring this background now to Cathio.”
Cathio will provide Catholic organizations with a payment platform that aligns with Catholic values, along with the tools necessary to increase donations and connect both local and global Catholic communities. From parishes to schools to non-profits, people will be able to effortlessly perform payments and donations on a mobile app or on the web, making it easier than ever to support Catholic organizations across the globe.
“Cathio’s platform is designed to enable all sectors of the Catholic economy to benefit from lower costs and transparent payments,” says Marcolini.
In his role, Marcolini is helping Christendom adopt this new platform upon its launch. After beta-testing is complete, the native app will be available for iOS and Android users later this year, making it easier than ever for alumni, family, friends, and benefactors to support the college and to pay for programs and services online.
Joining Marcolini at Cathio is a board of distinguished Catholic leaders, including Senator Rick Santorum, Ambassador James Nicholson, Matt Schlapp, Chairman of the American Conservative Union, Ryan Thomas, former director of news operations for EWTN, and others.
Marcolini is following in the footsteps of other Christendom alumni who have gone on to great success in business after earning their liberal arts degree, each using their skills to “restore all things in Christ.” Sean Kay (’97) is a partner for PricewaterhouseCoopers, Michele Velasco (’91) is the vice president of finance for Sirius XM Radio, and Tim Halisky (’01) is the president of RLA Mid-Atlantic — just to name a few. Marcolini now joins their ranks as a CEO, all within a very few short years after graduation.
In today’s increasingly technologically-oriented world, there has to be a way for younger generations to engage with the Catholic Church. Marcolini and his team are providing a solution, impacting the Catholic economy and the world at large for the better as a result.
For more information on Cathio, visit here.