# Clay Whitehead

> Clay Whitehead is the co-founder and former co-CEO of Presence, originally PresenceLearning. He led the company from 2009 through 2018, founded Pomegranate Ventures in 2019, and has advised technology-company CEOs. His later roles include founder, CEO, and director of Papaya Growth Opportunity Corp. I, a title confirmed in a June 2026 filing.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer and Director at Papaya Growth Opportunity Corp. I
- **Organizations:** Presence (formerly PresenceLearning), Pomegranate Ventures, Papaya Growth Opportunity Corp. I, Plum Acquisition Corp. I, Venrock, Playcrafter, Kauffman Fellows, YPO, 10XCEO
- **Education:** A.B., public and international affairs; Shultz scholar, Princeton University, M.B.A., Stanford Graduate School of Business
- **Known for:** Co-founded PresenceLearning with Jack Lynch in 2009., Led PresenceLearning during its No. 146 ranking on the 2014 Inc. 5000., PresenceLearning placed eighth in the SMB category of Glassdoor’s 2016 Best Places to Work awards.

## Career timeline

- **2007** — Described beginning his venture-capital career at Venrock around 2007.
- **2008** — Began considering post-graduation business ideas with Stanford classmate Jack Lynch.
- **2009–2018** — Co-founded and led PresenceLearning, now Presence.
- **2014** — PresenceLearning ranked No. 146 on the Inc. 5000.
- **2016–2018** — Advised CEOs of Databricks, Catchpoint, and Auth0.
- **2019** — Founded Pomegranate Ventures.
- **2021** — Served as CEO of Plum Acquisition Corp. I from March to November; founded Papaya Growth Opportunity Corp. I.
- **2026** — Signed a June 18 certification as Papaya Growth Opportunity Corp. I CEO.

## Achievements

- Co-founded PresenceLearning with Jack Lynch in 2009.
- Led PresenceLearning during its No. 146 ranking on the 2014 Inc. 5000.
- PresenceLearning placed eighth in the SMB category of Glassdoor’s 2016 Best Places to Work awards.
- Advised CEOs at Databricks, Catchpoint, and Auth0.
- Kauffman Fellow, Class 25.
- Founded Pomegranate Ventures in 2019.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — Signed a June 18, 2026 certification as CEO of Papaya Growth Opportunity Corp. I for a quarterly report covering the period ended June 30, 2025.
- **2025-09** — Papaya’s business-combination agreement was amended following Questerre’s acquisition of PX Energy’s parent company.
- **2025-04** — Papaya announced a business-combination agreement involving PX Energy and a committed $10 million investment.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claywhitehead/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/clay-whitehead
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23