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Joel Kaplan

2016 Champions   |   Boulder

I’m the guy who is way too intense and passionate for his own good but will use that to solve the problems in education and one day change the world.

For the past year, I have been working as Director of Business Development at an education startup called Indigo Project. Our mission is to transform schools and empower students through personalized learning. At this point, we’ve worked with over 40 high schools, ran over 150 workshops and reached over 8,000 students. Although the day-to-day is totally unpredictable and ever evolving, on most days I find myself managing our school implementations, training teachers on how to drive personalized learning, and working with students on how they can build a path that aligns with their strengths and passions. Outside of the world of Indigo, I’m also a Venture For America fellow and have founded two companies during my first 23 years on this planet.

Total side note but I also love performing improv comedy (the more people watching, the better), doing a crazy sport called powerlifting, drinking lots of coffee, and sharing my love of life with everyone around me.

The Young Knights Project

What if tomorrow’ leaders teamed up with today’s for the benefit of everyone? Welcome to The Young Knights Project, a student led movement to bring the city of Boulder together with all of its high schools unlike ever before. Our goal is simple: 10 student leaders, 20 partnership, 30 new student opportunities, and 1 final event. Meeting weekly with the 10 students, I’ll mentor them in finding partnerships that create opportunities for students in an effort to bring tomorrow’s best ideas and leaders into situations where they can make a difference.