# John Koelliker

> John Koelliker is the co-founder and CEO of Leland, a Lehi, Utah-based marketplace for coaching, courses, events, and professional guidance. After product and growth work at Uber, LinkedIn, and Curated, he began coaching MBA applicants and product-management candidates on the side. Those experiments grew into Leland in 2021. By its November 2024 Series A, the company reported more than 100,000 users across 70 countries, over 1,000 coaches, and 50,000 coaching sessions in the prior year.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Leland
- **Organizations:** Leland, Curated, LinkedIn, Uber, BYU Tech Club, Contrary
- **Education:** BS, Information Systems, Brigham Young University Marriott School of Business, MBA, Stanford Graduate School of Business
- **Known for:** Co-founded Leland and grew it from an MBA-admissions marketplace into a multi-category coaching platform., Named with Leland co-founder Erika Mahterian to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Education list for 2023., Led Leland to a $12 million Series A in November 2024.

## Career timeline

- **2015** — Started Kore Baseball Products while at BYU, gaining an early taste of entrepreneurship.
- **2016** — Earned a BS in Information Systems from BYU and completed a strategy internship at Uber.
- **2017-2020** — Worked at LinkedIn, first in strategy and analytics and later in product management and growth.
- **2020** — Worked as a product manager at the commerce startup Curated.
- **2021** — Co-founded Leland after testing admissions and career coaching through a bootcamp, one-to-one sessions, and premium content.
- **2022** — Completed his Stanford MBA, and Leland raised a $4 million seed round.
- **2023** — Appeared with Leland co-founder Erika Mahterian on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Education list.
- **2024** — Leland raised a $12 million Series A led by Forerunner Ventures after reporting fourfold year-over-year revenue growth and cash-flow-positive operations.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Leland and grew it from an MBA-admissions marketplace into a multi-category coaching platform.
- Named with Leland co-founder Erika Mahterian to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Education list for 2023.
- Led Leland to a $12 million Series A in November 2024.
- By November 2024, Leland reported more than 100,000 users across 70 countries, over 1,000 coaches, and more than 50,000 coaching sessions in the preceding year.
- Co-founded the BYU Tech Club to help students reach technology careers.

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — Discussed Leland's origins, human relationships, and coaching in an AI-shaped workplace in a Forbes interview.
- **2025-05** — Appeared on the Get to B-School podcast to discuss launching Leland while at Stanford GSB and why the MBA journey should extend beyond admission.
- **2024-11** — Leland announced a $12 million Series A led by Forerunner Ventures, with participation from GSV Ventures and other investors.

## Links

- Website: https://www.joinleland.com/john-koelliker/startup-founders
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-koelliker
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/JohnKoelliker

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/john-koelliker
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-27