# Colton Calandrella

> Colton Calandrella is the co-founder and CEO of Barti, an AI-focused software company that unifies electronic records, scheduling, billing, communications, and other workflows for independent eye-care practices. His path runs from a college queue-management startup and two years teaching high-school math and special education to internal software ventures at Bain & Company. Since co-founding Barti in 2021, he has led the company through a $12 million Series A, industry recognition, and a product strategy built around reducing the number of tools and clicks required to run a practice.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and CEO at Barti
- **Organizations:** Barti, Bain & Company, Teach For America, Intrinsic Schools, CheckTheQ, Washington University in St. Louis
- **Education:** BSBA, majors in Entrepreneurship and Economics & Strategy; minor in Latin American Studies; magna cum laude, Washington University in St. Louis, Olin Business School, Master of Teaching
- **Known for:** Co-founded Barti and led the company through a $12 million Series A led by Five Elms Capital in 2025., Helped Barti become the first company to receive a direct investment from AOAExcel, the for-profit subsidiary of the American Optometric Association., Named to Vision Monday's 2025 30 Under 30 list.

## Career timeline

- **2016** — Founded CheckTheQ while an undergraduate; the queue-management startup worked with venues including St. Louis Lambert International Airport.
- **2017** — Graduated magna cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis with majors in Entrepreneurship and Economics & Strategy and a minor in Latin American Studies.
- **2017-2019** — Served as a Teach For America corps member and taught high-school math and special education at Intrinsic Schools in Chicago while earning a Master of Teaching.
- **2019-2021** — Worked at Bain & Company as a management consultant and intrapreneur, developing software for Fortune 500 transformations and launching an AI venture in the Baincubator.
- **2021** — Co-founded Barti and became its CEO.
- **2023** — Barti launched a dedicated myopia-management template, expanded patient communications, and added built-in claims-management tools.
- **2024** — AOAExcel, the for-profit subsidiary of the American Optometric Association, made its first direct investment in an eye-care EHR company through Barti.
- **2025** — Named to Vision Monday's 30 Under 30 and led Barti's $12 million Series A, announced in August and led by Five Elms Capital.
- **2026** — Received Washington University Olin Business School's Emerging Leader Award and published articles on practical AI use in eye-care operations.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Barti and led the company through a $12 million Series A led by Five Elms Capital in 2025.
- Helped Barti become the first company to receive a direct investment from AOAExcel, the for-profit subsidiary of the American Optometric Association.
- Named to Vision Monday's 2025 30 Under 30 list.
- Received Washington University Olin Business School's 2026 Emerging Leader Award.
- Founded CheckTheQ as an undergraduate; its queue-management software was used by venues including St. Louis Lambert International Airport.
- Graduated magna cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis.

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Received Washington University Olin Business School's Emerging Leader Award as part of the school's 2026 Distinguished Alumni Awards.
- **2026-04** — Published 'The AI-Powered Eye Care Clinic: A Blueprint for Efficiency and Enhanced Patient Care' for AI in Eye Care.
- **2026-03** — Appeared on Eye.Talk.Tech. to discuss unified eye-care operating systems and practical AI workflows.
- **2026-01** — Appeared on the Nerdy Optometrist podcast to discuss Barti's origin, software friction, and AI adoption in eye-care practices.
- **2025-08** — Barti announced a $12 million Series A led by Five Elms Capital to expand AI capabilities, workflow automation, and ophthalmology support.

## Links

- Website: https://barti.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coltoncalandrella
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bartisoftware
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/bartisoftware/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/colton-calandrella
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-18