Colton Kaplan

Host of Change with Colton🎙 Podcast | Operations | Strategy | Lean Six Sigma | Supply Chain | Eliminating loneliness on the founder journey | Growing Founder Social Club Community

I am the founder of Founder Social Club, a community built to eliminate loneliness for founders by bringing them together with mentors, investors, and peers through intentional events, content, and conversation.

Over the past year, I have hosted 60 plus events and grown the community to over 26k founders, investors, and operators.

Founder Social Club is focused on signal over noise, real relationships, and creating environments where trust and long term thinking can compound.

I also host the Founder Social Club Podcast, where I sit down with founders and operators to talk candidly about product, growth, hiring, fundraising, failure, and what it actually takes to build.

My background spans operations, supply chain, and scaling teams at high velocity. I previously helped launch next generation automated fulfillment centers at Walmart eCommerce and have worked closely with cross functional teams to drive execution at scale.

Today, my focus is on building Founder Social Club into a multi city ecosystem across events, media, and membership while partnering with aligned sponsors and investors who care about founders and long term impact.

Always open to thoughtful conversations and partnerships.

In my free time, I enjoy reading, listening to podcasts, spending time with my wife, and playing with my Shih Tzu Mila.

Founder and Product Manager

• Developed UI/UX interface and integrated software automating and optimizing efficiency for the customer
• Created process flow and built product roadmap launching 5 products in six months increasing revenue by 50%
• Identified pain points of target market, conducted market research and launched MVP going from 0 to 1
• Implemented agile and scrum methodologies executing sprints resulting in 30% response rate for outreach
• Prioritizing tasks of managing CRM, sales cycle, product marketing, and product and business development
• Executed data-driven analysis of competitor landscape resulting in iterating pricing models and monetization strategies

Founder Social Club is landing in NYC this week!! 

Excited to co-host CTRL Room, a private evening bringing together founders, investors, and creators on Jan.30.

Really grateful to be building this with Leave Normal Behind (Rob Fajardo & Raquel Fajardo), Cliqk (ilias anwar, Rohan Gurram, & team), The AI Collective (AJ Green & Catherine McMillan), and the Lawrence Food Group. 

Could not ask for a better group of people to bring this to life.

NYC see you soon.  👀

#FSC #CTRLROOM

Podcast Host 🎙️| Founder Social Club | Eliminating loneliness for founders | VC Scout @ Headline

I’m excited to invite you to the AI NeoRenaissance Festival - a unique day-to-night experience during JP Morgan Week.

This is a festival, not a conference, built around something we care deeply about at Founder Social Club: putting the right people in the same room.

Founders, investors, and operators building AI for humanity will gather for an immersive experience centered on real conversation, thoughtful curation, and long-term collaboration.

✨ No panels. No pitches.
 🤝 Built for participation, not spectatorship
 🌍 World-class voices across AGI, future medicine, regenerative planet, HumanTech, and new venture models
 🤖 Iconic humanoid robots, including a 3-foot-tall child learning robot
 🌙 A night festival where music, movement, and technology blur the line between human and machine

If you’re curious about where AI, human values, and capital are actually converging - not on stage, but in the room - this is a space worth being part of.

Excited to support the AI NeoRenaissance Festival as a community ally of Light Dao (lRuby Yeh) and help bring founders, investors, and long-term thinkers together.

Get 10% off with the RSVP links in the comments.

#AI #LightDao #JPMorganWeek #Robots #TheFuture

Don't tell investors what they want to hear.⁣
⁣
Ben Horowitz was right - it's a bad idea.⁣
⁣
Be honest, transparent, have open dialogue.⁣
⁣
Your interests are aligned. They're on your team.⁣
⁣
If it works out, everyone wins.⁣

Artin Bogdanov, CEO @ SUN
⁣
#fundraising #startups #fsc #podcast

If you are a founder, you have to check out Metal. 

Use the link below. 👇 

#startup #founders #fundraising

👉 Accessing top-tier VCs without ever emailing VCs -- 

While raising $120m for my first startup, I realised that warm introductions from people I knew was the best way to get introduced to investors. As a first-time founder, I had a limited network, and had to jump through many hoops to figure out who could make intros to specific investors.

With Metal, we have solved this entirely -- users can connect their connections data and immediately see who they know that raised from a given investor. 🚀

Building and hiring in SF?

We are hosting a Tech Hiring Showcase on Feb 19.

Limited company spots. DM me or comment “HIRING”.

#SF #techcareershowcase #startups #hiring

If you're a new grad or job seeker looking for your next opportunity I'm inviting you to my next hiring event!

A key element to landing your next job is being at the right place at the right time.

Sure there are other factors like your resume, interview skills and even the job market. 

But how can you stand a chance if you don't even know where to look and there seems to be a shortage of jobs?

That's why I'm creating more physical spaces that focus on helping talent discover the possibilities.

I'm teaming up with Founder Social Club, Colton Kaplan and Mentra Steph Minaya to create more new spaces in San Francisco for job seekers to discover what's next at our Tech Hiring Showcases (previously startup job fairs).

Companies pitch what they're working on and what they're hiring for, followed by open conversations. Simple.

📢 Startups: If you're hiring and want to meet the best talent in SF shoot me a DM.

Funny plug that back in 2016 I was a job seeker at hiring events just like this I always enjoyed the open conversations. It made the whole process more human. 

Now I get to host my own to help job seekers. Full circle.

When: February 19th
Time: 3pm - 7:30pm
Where: Secret Location
Who: New grads, job seekers (engineers, designers, GTM, product, 

🔗 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬?
✅ Like + share this post (spread the word!)
✅ Check the comments for the RSVP link (early bird spots are limited!)

Companies dropping soon!

Tag a job seeker who should come through! Let’s make hiring—and getting hired—human again.

Tesla

Global Supply Manager

Banjo Liquid Handling Products

• Developing rapport with 17 suppliers, negotiating lead times, implementing safety stocks, reducing backlog by 4 million dollars
• Communicating with cross-functional stakeholders developing analytical data-driven tools for supply chain visibility, shortages, and purchasing insights resulting in 15k in yearly savings
• Identifying excess inventory and conducting Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) on suppliers displacing 100,274 parts providing 28k in savings
• Utilized Oracle JDE ERP and SIOP systems forecasting demand, managing 60% of total supply chain, and 80% of revenue-generating components 
• Implementing transition of Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) to consignment, reducing stockouts, establishing contracts with vendors, and outlining payment terms
• Collaborating with engineering team eliminating obsolete inventory and procuring new components creating an innovative industry-leading product
• Optimizing inventory ordering methods reducing air freight shipments and saving 50k in logistics cost

Senior Buyer

Purdue University Krannert School of Management

•     Facilitate Krannert Executive Forum discussions between high-profile speakers and students
•     Grade students assignments, communicate with students, enforce policies, and maintain class record
•     Provide office hours to address students’ concern

Graduate Assistant

Gerson 

• Led product development evaluating pain points, partnering with executive leadership and key stakeholders
• Prepared detailed framework, technical design documents, and process flow diagram to raise capital 
• Strategically sourced talent and provided expertise maximizing output and creating project KPIs

MBA Consultant- Experiential Learning 

STEM Education Works

• Implemented new inventory system establishing reorder quantities, inventory shortages, and improved process resulting in 50% efficiency increase
• Utilized 5s strategies minimizing waste, fulfilling kanban levels, and improving production process by 20%
• Initiated bidding process for 85 high school districts reaching 90,000 individuals expanding revenue streams

Manufacturing Production Assistant Intern

•	Assist in the management of Krannert affiliated social media channels, publish attractive content and establish connections with target audience
•	Perform data coding and entry for information to be organized and updated in the different platforms used

White Lodging Services

• Supervised rooms operations within the housekeeping department; translated for new hires when necessary and walked them through the on boarding process
• MLR (main line receptionist); in charge of answering incoming calls and radio to smooth the communication between room attendants, housemen, and inspectors
• Inspected rooms and gave points of improvement 
• Operated HOTSOS, PMS, GXI frequently to keep the order of rooms operations and ease the relationship between the front desk and housekeeping department 
• Monitored inventory
•One on one interaction with guests to provide excellent service to the White Lodging standard

Supervisor 

LYFE Kitchen

• Completed inventory for all beverages in the establishment
•Collaborated with kitchen team to aid in food preparation, manage efficient deliveries and minimize customer service issues by verifying meals.
•Improved operational efficiency by using slow periods to restock employee and customer supplies, including ice, condiments, utensils, napkins, trays and delivery bags.

Intern 

HOTEL HEX

• Managed housekeepers to deliver an unforgettable experience for guests
• Assisted in running the daily operations required in front desk area using the OPERA system 
• Completed the inventory from the major hotel operations 
• Promoted the amenities the hotel has to offer to prospective clients

Recent graduate from Purdue University with my STEM MBA with a concentration in Supply Chain Management.

A highly adaptable, people-oriented, and analytical professional with demonstrated experience in implementation, project coordination, and performance management. Leverages forward thinking strategies and strong problem solving skills to create an impact in operations, procurement, and profitability. An intellectual dependable leader who enables an organization to improve their workforce and processes.

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The Battle

Colton Kaplan

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The Battle

Colton Kaplan

Daniella Cobos, MBA

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Colton Kaplan's LinkedIn Performance

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