John Howerton Utilizes MBA to Launch Stock Valuation Platform

By Lauren Lesmeister

John Howerton (‘22 MBA) is no stranger to the busy schedule of an entrepreneur. When he started his MBA, he had just begun dating his wife while working 80 hours and shouldering up to 30 hours of startup obligations per week. He says he chose WSU’s online MBA program largely for its flexibility.

Today, Howerton’s schedule has evened out a bit as he works 12-hour days to prepare for the launch of Cord Analytics, an investing platform created to simplify stock analysis for the everyday user. The platform uses AI technology to run formulas and complex equations so the user can evaluate stocks using Wall Street-grade models without any coding or advanced financial skills. Compared to working two jobs while earning an MBA, he says this new schedule seems like “a breeze.”

For Howerton, those hectic days were worth it as his MBA helped him significantly in founding his own business. The functional knowledge he gained from WSU was different from his colleagues who participated in other MBA programs. Not only could he apply what he was learning immediately, Howerton says he still refers to his coursework to aid him as a cross-functional leader in his business today.

Putting his MBA to work

Howerton was shocked at how much he used his MBA when starting his own company. His capstone course provided a comprehensive playbook on launching a business, covering subjects like raising capital, cost structure, and other administrative duties. Howerton followed this playbook week by week as he created his own business.

“It made me very successful,” he says. “The administrative side of creating a business was automatic for me. It wasn’t something I had to learn; it was something I knew from that capstone course.”

Howerton credits much of his success in the beginning to the skills and techniques he gained from the MBA program, noting the advice one might find on the internet would not cut it in the real world. Specifically, he says it helped with his preparedness in venture capital meetings.

“I would not have been able to raise the capital that I was able to raise if it weren’t for the MBA program,” Howerton says. “I received feedback that partners were very impressed with the level of detail I was able to provide.”

Solving a problem

Cord Analytics was born out of necessity. Howerton is an avid investor and chose to earn his MBA in finance. For each investment opportunity he considered, he took the time to complete a fundamental analysis before making decisions. Fundamental analysis is a way of evaluating a company’s stock by analyzing their financial statements including their balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement. It involves calculating ratios and using financial equations to inform the decision-making process.

After more than 10 years as an individual investor, he saw a problem—fundamental analysis is extremely difficult.

It is technical, takes significant time, and requires coding skills or purchasing expensive software. Ultimately, Howerton determined it was not accessible to the average user. In true entrepreneurial fashion, Howerton set out to solve this problem with a software product.

“I was lamenting with my cofounder about spending 10 hours building fundamental analysis models because there wasn’t a product that provided the quality and confidence I needed to make an investment decision,” he says. “We said, ‘Let’s see if we can fix that.’”

They started working on a product, and their first issue to solve was automating data acquisition. Then they relied on Howerton’s MBA finance skills to build simplified models. The models use AI and data aggregation to create financial forecasts and values in an efficient way for the user.

“Our easy-to-use platform brings the Wall Street-grade financial models’ complexity down to the level that anyone can understand,” he says.

Impact of WSU

Howerton has always had an entrepreneurial mindset. While participating in the MBA program, he learned how to merge that with strategic thinking, innovation, and identifying and creating profitable opportunities.

As Howerton prepares for the launch of Cord Analytics, he says he often taps into leadership skills gained from the MBA program. His experience at WSU stands out to him as a highlight of his professional career.

“The biggest thing I learned was how to use my unique skills and resources to create something new,” he says. “The program taught me to use my tech and engineering background, and my entrepreneurial spirit. Once I leveraged those skills, I became much more successful.”