# John Waldmann

> John Waldmann is the founder and CEO of Homebase, the team-management app built for the people who run local businesses - restaurants, salons, retail shops and the hourly teams behind them. Started in 2014 after watching a childhood friend drown in paper schedules and his sister juggle unpredictable bartending shifts, Homebase now serves more than 150,000 businesses and 3.8 million workers, processing hundreds of millions of shifts a year with scheduling, time clocks, payroll, messaging and earned-wage access. A Stanford GSB grad who once sold tuxedos and started his first online business at 13, Waldmann is an unapologetic believer in accountability over consensus, 'operating velocity,' and the idea that AI will create more small business owners, not fewer.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Homebase
- **Organizations:** Homebase, KKR Capstone, Boston Consulting Group, NESsT
- **From:** Seattle, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** MBA, Stanford University Graduate School of Business, BA, Political Science and Sociology, Stanford University, Study abroad / coursework, The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
- **Known for:** Founded and scaled Homebase to 150,000+ businesses and 3.8 million workers, Built a platform processing hundreds of millions of shifts annually, Raised approximately $189M+ in total venture funding across Series A through D

## Career timeline

- **2005** — Entrepreneur-in-Residence at NESsT
- **2006-2008** — Consultant at Boston Consulting Group
- **2008-2011** — Associate at KKR Capstone
- **2014** — Founded Homebase to help local businesses manage hourly teams
- **2021** — Raised Series C (~$71M), valuing Homebase around $500-600M
- **2024** — Closed $60M Series D led by L Catterton Growth and Emerson Collective; total funding ~$189M+
- **2025** — Launched AI tools to reduce admin work for small business teams ('AI to Main Street')

## Achievements

- Founded and scaled Homebase to 150,000+ businesses and 3.8 million workers
- Built a platform processing hundreds of millions of shifts annually
- Raised approximately $189M+ in total venture funding across Series A through D
- Backed by L Catterton, Emerson Collective, Bain Capital Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Cowboy Ventures and Notable Capital (formerly GGV)
- Brought AI-powered tools to small business owners, reportedly saving them 5-10 hours per week

## Latest updates

- **2025-12** — Homebase announced AI tools for Main Street designed to cut admin work and save owners time.
- **2025-02** — Appeared on the Fintech Leaders podcast discussing serving 3.8M SMB workers, AI, and high-velocity decision-making.
- **2024-04** — Closed a $60M Series D to expand Homebase's product ecosystem for local business teams.

## Links

- Website: https://joinhomebase.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnwaldmann/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5ThxE7vSBQ

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/john-waldmann
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-11