He helped put broadband into ordinary homes. After Broadcom, Henry T. Nicholas III turned his attention to families outside the courtroom and students trying to reach college.

After nearly 28 years at Flexera, Jim Ryan has handed over the CEO role. His career connects two stubborn problems: companies that cannot see what they spend, and students who cannot see how to pay for college.

A teaching job in Taiwan became a career in global education. Now Verto Education's co-founder is trying to turn a semester abroad from an elective into the opening chapter of college.