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!

No alternative text description for this image

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

Justin Bateh, PhD, PMP

I write about project management, leadership, and AI | Follow to develop skills for faster, smarter, and more efficient project management and to build winning teams | Boost your career with my actionable insights

Most leaders are measured by one thing: results.

Titles don’t move the needle; execution does.

I help leaders build teams that execute with clarity, deliver under pressure, and use AI to make smarter, faster decisions.

Over the past 20 years, I’ve gone from Project Manager to COO; leading 80+ projects and teaching 25,000+ professionals at companies like Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, and Chevron.

Along the way, I created the Project Execution Framework™, a 7-step system that helps leaders align stakeholders, cut through chaos, and deliver projects that matter.

Today, I teach these methods through live workshops, corporate training, and cohort-based courses, where leaders learn to:

--Build trust and alignment across teams
--Focus on outcomes that truly matter
--Leverage AI to automate, analyze, and accelerate

Because here’s the truth:

--Leadership without execution is just talk.
--Execution without leadership burns people out.
--Ignoring AI makes both slower and less effective.

Let’s Connect
📩 justin@projectsright.com
📰 Join my free newsletter for weekly insights
🎓 Enroll in my top ranked cohort-based course
➕ Follow for daily posts on project execution & leadership

How I Help
🤝 Team Workshops 
🎯 Corporate Training
🚀 Cohort-Based Courses 

Highlights
🏆 8x Award-Winning Educator
🏢 Former COO | 🎓 PhD & PMP 
🛠️ Creator of the Project Execution Framework™
📊 80+ Projects Delivered | 👨‍🏫 LinkedIn Learning Instructor


*Disclaimer: Views expressed on social media, courses, newsletters, or emails are my own and do not represent those of my employer or any affiliated organizations.

Founder

I teach Project & Operations professionals the skills to drive sustainable growth, change, and profitability using data-driven decision making, lean tools, six sigma methodologies, agile projects, and data analytics. I have worked with executives and managers from numerous organizations, including Walmart, Verizon, Amazon, Pearson, UPS, Wiley, Cengage, Medtronic, US Department of Health, CSX, USPS, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Crowley Maritime, US Air Force, US Navy, Novartis, FedEx, McKesson, and many others.

Justin Bateh, PhD

10 Project Management Skills AI Still Can't Replace

(because humans run the room, not algorithms)

1/ Managing Difficult Stakeholders
→ AI briefs you on facts.
→ It can't calm egos or navigate power plays.
→ Human tension decides outcomes.

Your move: Read the person before reading the problem.

2/ Executive Buy-In
→ AI builds perfect presentations.
→ Executives buy trust, not slides.
→ Influence is earned, not automated.

Your move: Lead with outcomes, not features.

3/ Conflict Resolution
→ AI detects tension.
→ It can't broker peace.
→ People kill projects before data does.

Your move: Address issues at 30%, not 90%.

4/ Setting Direction
→ AI offers paths.
→ Humans choose priorities.
→ Vision comes from judgment.

Your move: Ask "What are we really trying to achieve?" before planning.

5/ Navigating Politics
→ AI reads org charts.
→ It misses unspoken power.
→ Smart PMs read between the lines.

Your move:  Track who influences decisions, not who makes them.

6/ Motivating Teams
→ AI finds blockers.
→ It can't spark belief.
→ People follow energy, not reports.

Your move: Celebrate progress publicly, address problems privately.

7/ Facilitating Alignment
→ AI maps dependencies.
→ It can't make humans agree.
→ Alignment is leadership work.

Your move: Get everyone to repeat the goal back in their own words.

8/ Leading Through Chaos
→ AI organizes mess into charts.
→ It can't lead humans through uncertainty.
→ Calm beats smart every time.

Your move: Breathe before reacting when stakes are high.

9/ Reading Subtext
→ AI hears words.
→ PMs hear intentions.
→ Real communication happens beneath the surface.

Your move: Listen for hesitation, not just agreement.

10/ Making Final Calls
→ AI gives perfect data.
→ It doesn't own consequences.
→ Accountability stays human.

Your move: Decide with incomplete information, own the result completely.

AI handles the tasks.

Humans handle the humans.

♻️ Repost and follow Justin Bateh, PhD for more

Expert in AI-Driven Project Management, Strategy, & Operations | Ex-COO Turned Award-Winning Professor, Founder & LinkedIn Instructor | Follow for posts on Project Management, AI Fluency, Leadership, and Career Growth.

taplio

The Battle

Sean Kelly

Justin Bateh, PhD

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreSean Kelly's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreJustin Bateh, PhD's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Sean Kelly

Justin Bateh, PhD

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

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);}Sean Kelly's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreJustin Bateh, PhD's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreSean Kelly's LinkedIn Performance