Sean Kelly

Founder & Investor. Building companies at the intersection of health, media & founder performance.

Hey there, I’m Sean. I play at the intersection of investing, media and human performance.

I’m a three-time INC 500 founder & entrepreneur with businesses in eCommerce, SaaS, media and B2B services that have collectively generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.

Right now, I serve as a General Partner at The Family Fund and am the CEO of Significant Publications, a B2B digital media holding company.

I'm particularly passionate about our brand FounderIV in support of today's founder-athletes. We help today's top entrepreneurs achieve breakout performance in their personal and professional lives.

I co-founded and led multiple other companies, including SnackNation, a health-centric foodservice and brand discovery platform that served 20,000 businesses across the US. 

Under my leadership, SnackNation was honored as one of the country’s Best Workplaces by Inc. Magazine, recognized for Top Company Culture by Entrepreneur Magazine, and certified as a Great Workplace by Great Place to Work®.

Forbes listed me as one of the top 30 leaders under 30 and one of America’s most promising CEOs under 35. Comparably also ranked me among the country’s top 50 small-to-medium sized business CEOs multiple years in a row. 

Outside of the business world, I’m a two-time national medalist in freestyle snowboarding, hold an advisory role at the growth capital firm, Meaningful Partners, have a degree in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University and am an avid sports fan of all Michigan sports teams (especially the Wolverines).

I currently live in Venice, CA with my wife and college sweetheart, Shannon, and our goldendoodle, Jameson.

Chairman

We built the first Founderland in 10 weeks.

And almost died.

This past year we gave ourselves 6 months and built an external team to do it and it still wasn’t enough time.

So for next year’s event we decided to make the build a year-round affair…

And are focused on making Founderland a brand that lives throughout the year, not just as once-every-October event.

It’s funny to see how random ideas become full-time jobs lol

Took a quick trip to NYC this week to discuss Founderland ‘26 with one of our top partners J.P. Morgan  

The verdict?

It’s going to be big. 

Perhaps not as big as JPM’s new $3B global HQ at 270 Park Ave (most spectacular office I’ve been in w/ a Warhol or Jasper Johns around every corner)…

But still pretty big and lots of fun with a yuge amount of deals commenced (misspelling intentional)

Thanks for the tour Michael Conte you’re a legend and friend.

And glad to see you’re carrying Ancient Crunch Inc. MASA chips in all of your shops!

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Current health travel stack:

Zoomed off to NYC, Philly and Austin this week.

Back to back meetings all day, late dinners and sports games at night, and planes trains and automobiles like we all know.

Seems like 1/2 of the people I’ve met have a cold.

Here’s what I take on the road to feel good while away…

and do my best to arrive home feeling not-dead to the fam. Works most of the time ;)

 - Sinus rinse bottle filled with filtered water, betadine and salt/baking soda (use after every flight, likely illness prevention tactic #1)

- Zinc acetate lozenges if I’m feeling worn down or fatigued

- KetoneIQ every morning when I wake up to get that cognitive boost

- Momentous whey protein, plant protein, and creatine (10g) + Supergut fiber blended 1-2x per day to supplement diet

- Momentous Sleep pack + medical mouth tape + sleep mask every night

- Metal shaker bottle that doesn’t get gross

- Some type of hydration packets 2x/day minimum (right now using Dry Water)

- WIP 100mg energy pouches for a little boost early in the day usually before workout

- Another ~20 or so supplements in my vitamin case that I pre-fill for each day prior to the week

Sure, sleep/nutrition/exercise are essential and the most  important…but it’s near impossible to not sacrifice them a bit while playing the part of road warrior…so at least for me, travel supplementation is key.

Momentous Ketone-IQ DryWater Supergut

Member

HOP WTR

We are disrupting the non-alcoholic beverage market with The Health Alternative to Beer. Check us out at hopwtr.com. Enjoy cracking a cold one with no alcohol, no calories, no sugar while getting that great hops taste!

CEO & Cofounder

The Wonderful Company

Head of eCommerce

Senior Director of eCommerce for The Wonderful Company CPG brands including: FIJI Water, JUSTIN Vineyards, Landmark Vineyards, JNSQ Wines, POM Wonderful, Wonderful Citrus (Wonderful Halos), Wonderful Pistachios

• Act as general manager for eCommerce channel with full P&L responsibility across 7 brands including: FIJI Water, JUSTIN and Landmark Vineyards, JNSQ, POM, Wonderful Pistachios and Halos
• Responsible for marketing, sales, operations, strategy, finance and customer service
• Led strategic initiative to create centralized eCommerce group leading to the first fully centralized sales team across the company 
• Launched new wine brand online including building eCommerce site, packaging, pricing and marketing strategy
• Consistently delivered 50-75% year-over-year growth in eCommerce revenue for a leading brand, up from 9%
• Created 5 year strategic vision including phased approach to achieve short, medium and long term goals

Senior Director, eCommerce

FIJI Water

General manager of the FIJI Water and POM Wonderful eCommerce businesses (FIJI Water and POM Wonderful are business units of The Wonderful Company)

• Led all budgeting, financial reporting, accounting and analysis for the eCommerce channel
• Built sales and marketing infrastructure including cloud based platforms: Profitero, Salesforce, Shopify Plus and Salsify
• Responsible for multi-million dollar marketing budget including strategy, creative, communications, media planning and execution 
• Delivered significant new revenue by building new business requiring cold chain fulfillment network and packaging
• Led brand launch on Amazon with significant month-over-month growth becoming #1 citrus brand online

Director of eCommerce

Manage the FIJI Water eCommerce business (FIJI Water is a business unit of The Wonderful Company)

• Full P&L ownership for direct site and marketplace businesses
• Redesigned FIJI website and overhaul of subscription product offering leading to 3X increase in growth
• Grew to Top 5 grocery brand on Amazon, launched #1 Dash Button in category and expanded app based delivery partners

Sr. Manager, eCommerce

$4 billion international consumer packaged goods company focused on healthy products

• Improved OEE by 50% for large beverage manufacturing line and built inventory planning model 
• Led planning, wire framing and designing of new intranet

Associate Manager of Strategy

SNTech Inc.

Start-up in the energy efficiency/cleantech space focused on designing and manufacturing high efficiency smart electric motors

• Developed website, all marketing campaigns and built 40 person sales team growing revenue to $25MM
• Created, launched and marketed new retail product (Awarded US Patent: Bass, US 20110181216)

Director of Sales and Marketing

SAIL Capital Partners

Top 5 Cleantech Venture Capital investment firm

• Executed strategic planning and analysis for 9 portfolio companies at top 5 cleantech venture capital firm
• Key award: Toshiba Green Innovation Award-Peoples Choice (business plan fast pitch competition)

Senior Associate

Merrill Lynch

Summer Analyst

CEO & Cofounder @ HOP WTR | Disrupting Non-Alcoholic Beverages

As the CEO and Cofounder of HOP WTR, I am leading a mission to disrupt the non-alcoholic beverage market with a health alternative to beer. HOP WTR is a delicious and refreshing drink that combines natural hops, adaptogens, and nootropics to create a functional and fun experience with no alcohol, no calories, and no sugar. Check us out at hopwtr.com or one of our amazing retail partners and enjoy cracking a cold one.

I have over 10 years of experience in advanced technology, manufacturing, sustainability, cleantech, CPG, marketing, sales and ecommerce. Before launching HOP WTR, I was the Head of Ecommerce at The Wonderful Company, where I managed the online sales and marketing of seven CPG brands, including FIJI Water, POM Wonderful, and Wonderful Pistachios. I also led the strategic initiative to create a centralized ecommerce group, resulting in the first fully integrated sales team across the company. I started my career at Merrill Lynch, where I gained investment experience, and then moved to SAIL Capital Partners, a cleantech venture capital firm. There, I focused on one of their portfolio companies, SNTech, an electric motor manufacturer, where I increased sales and developed a strong domestic and international network. I have also won multiple awards for public speaking and innovation, and hold a patent for speed-defined torque control. I have experience working in several countries, including Canada, South Korea, Mexico, and the UK.

Jordan Bass

Building a brand in an emerging beverage category takes more than a great product, it takes clarity, conviction, and deep consumer understanding.

Had the opportunity to sit on a panel at BevNET.com with Kyle Watson of CELSIUS and Michael Brandt of Ketone-IQ, discussing what it really takes to build real brands in categories that stand the test of time.

A few insights that consistently came up:
😎 Lifestyle brands win: consumers don’t just buy a beverage, they buy into an identity, a routine, and a belief system
👩 Knowing your consumer cold is non-negotiable: the problem you solve, when they consume, and why they come back
🧱 Consistency beats hacks: trust is built through repetition and execution

Categories don’t become enduring by accident.
They’re built by teams willing to be early, focused, and patient long enough to earn results. 

Grateful to share the stage with operators who have built brands that last.

Thanks to BevNET and Martín Caballero for hosting the conversation.

HOPWTR Jeff Klineman John Craven Dan Baum Ryan Haggerty

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