Lindsay Kaplan
Lindsay Kaplan | |
|---|---|
| Occupations | Entrepreneur, investor |
Lindsay Kaplan is an American entrepreneur, investor and the co-founder of Chief, a network for senior executive women. Under Kaplan's leadership, Chief became one of the fastest women-founded startups to achieve unicorn status after reaching a valuation exceeding $1 billion in 2022.
Career
As Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer at Chief, Kaplan has been recognized with several honors, including being named an AdAge Leading Woman,[1] included in Crain's 40 Under 40,[2] and recognized as one of Inc. Magazine's Most Dynamic Female Founders.[3]
Kaplan began her career in publishing with roles at Oxford University Press, Time Out New York, and ELLE. She later joined Casper as its first full-time employee, serving as Vice President of Communications and Brand Marketing.[4] Kaplan was recognized as one of the Most Innovative CMOs by Business Insider during her tenure at Casper.[5]
In 2022, Kaplan and her co-founder Carolyn Childers raised $100 million, increasing Chief's total funding to $140 million and reaching a $1 billion valuation, making it one of the fastest women-founded companies to achieve unicorn status.[6]
Kaplan has spoken about the state of women business, entrepreneurship, and marketing at global conferences including Web Summit,[7] TechCrunch Disrupt,[8] and the Fast Company Innovation Festival.[9] She is an Executive Member of The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences and serves as an executive judge for the Webby Awards.[10]
Investments
Kaplan is an angel investor and startup advisor. In 2024, she joined the venture capital fund Next Wave NYC[11] as an investing partner focusing on early-stage AI startups. In 2026, Kaplan joined VC firm Bullish as a venture partner, investing in early-stage consumer companies.[12]
References
- ↑ Yan, Jade (2022-05-16). "Chief's Lindsay Kaplan is 'reframing' the environment and the future for female leaders". adage.com. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ↑ Messina, Judy. "Lindsay Kaplan, 38, Chief brand officer, Chief". www.crainsnewyork.com. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ↑ "Lindsay Kaplan". www.inc.com. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ↑ Johnson, Khari (2016-09-23). "Why mattress startup Casper built a chatbot for night owls". venturebeat.com. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ↑ Dua, Tanya. "The 50 most innovative CMOs in the world in 2017". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ↑ Stych, Anne (March 31, 2022). "Chief women's executive network tops $1B valuation with $100M Series B round". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ↑ "Lindsay Kaplan". Web Summit. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ↑ Simonds, Lauren (2022-09-21). "Chief's Childers and Kaplan speak at Disrupt about how community built their unicorn". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ↑ "Speaker Details: Fast Company Innovation Festival 2021". events.fastcompany.com. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ↑ "IADAS Lindsay Kaplan". www.iadas.net. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ↑ "A New Chapter for New York's Startups: Introducing Next Wave NYC — Flybridge". Flybridge Early-Stage Venture Capital For Ambitious AI Founders. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ↑ Bradley, Sydney (January 21, 2026). "A prominent marketing exec is becoming a partner at a VC firm. Here's her advice for startups that want to 'break through the noise.'". Business Insider. Retrieved August 17, 2026.