# Jack Gardner

> Jack Gardner is the founder and CEO of Kickoff, a New York wellness platform that pairs everyday people with certified personal trainers over text, video and an app for a fraction of in-person prices. An NASM-certified trainer himself, he built the first version while coaching his own mom, then turned that into a marketplace of 20,000+ coaches that has paid out millions to trainers and helped tens of thousands of clients. Before Kickoff he was a Bain consultant and a BuildZoom SVP; today he runs the company on a Notion-and-Metabase stack with a mission to make elite coaching something that doesn't require an elite bank account.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Kickoff
- **Organizations:** Kickoff, BuildZoom, Bain & Company, Monitor Group, Expa
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BA, Economics and American History, Columbia University, MBA, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College
- **Known for:** Founded and scaled Kickoff to 20,000+ certified coaches and tens of thousands of clients, Raised $11M total, including a $7M seed round led by 645 Ventures, Tripled year-over-year revenue for three consecutive years

## Career timeline

- **2006** — Interned at NYC Economic Development Corporation and Monitor Group
- **2013** — Consultant at Bain & Company after earning his MBA from Tuck
- **2015** — Joined BuildZoom, rising to Senior Vice President and managing a team of 65
- **2019** — Founded Kickoff, building the first version while coaching his own mother
- **2022** — Raised $7M seed round led by 645 Ventures, with FJ Labs and Expa
- **2023** — Kickoff reached roughly $15M revenue with a ~300-person team and 20,000+ coaches

## Achievements

- Founded and scaled Kickoff to 20,000+ certified coaches and tens of thousands of clients
- Raised $11M total, including a $7M seed round led by 645 Ventures
- Tripled year-over-year revenue for three consecutive years
- Paid out millions of dollars to coaches, turning side gigs into six-figure incomes
- Built and runs a ~300-person company largely on Notion, Slack and Metabase
- NASM-certified personal trainer who still trains clients

## Latest updates

- **2025-07** — Joined the NYC Founders Club and shared Kickoff's lean operating tech stack in a founder spotlight.
- **2023-01** — Kickoff reported roughly $15M revenue with a ~300-person team.

## Links

- Website: https://www.trainwithkickoff.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnlawrencegardner/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jack-gardner
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-24