Adam Kanner
Five-Time Founder & Sitting CEO | Startups, AI, Sports
Studied at Harvard Business School
Works at freelance
Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.
Adam's Offerings
Custom hourly · $500/hr
Get help with AI Fundamentals, AI Strategy, and .
Adam’s Executive Coaching Qualifications
Experience level: Executive
I've founded five companies over 25 years, each built on a technology shift before the industry was ready for it, from ecommerce to CRM to dynamic pricing and now AI. Much of that work has been in sports and live entertainment, including the NFL's and MLB's first credit card rewards programs and ScoreBig, an opaque ticket marketplace that worked with about a third of major pro teams. I also spent three years inside the NBA league office building its CRM and analytics function from nothing. Today I'm CEO of Collect'd, building secure data infrastructure for personal AI, starting with the U.S. military. I've raised more than $100 million and seen the full range of outcomes, from acquisitions to rounds that never came together. I coach founders and CEOs on the decisions without obvious answers: what to actually say to your board, whether the round is real, which hire to make and which to unmake, and where AI changes your business versus where it's theater. Harvard for college and business school. I'm direct, I don't flatter, and if I think you're wrong I'll tell you.
Adam can help with:
AI Fundamentals
AI Strategy
Board Relations
Communication Skills
Decision Making
Leadership Development
Strategic Planning
Strategy
Succession Planning
Team Management
Work Experience
STRATEGIC ADVISOR
freelance
2023 - Present
I advise founders, CEOs, and leadership teams on company strategy, fundraising, product strategy, go-to-market execution, enterprise sales, organizational growth, and navigating the opportunities and challenges created by AI. Representative engagement: Advising the CEO of a venture-backed AI company serving the financial services industry on strategy, fundraising, and go-to-market as the company scales. Artificial Intelligence (AI), Sports and +19 skills
Founder & CEO
Collectd
May 2018 - Present
Collect’d is building the secure infrastructure for personal AI, enabling AI to work on behalf of individuals while giving enterprise AI secure, permissioned access to an individual’s complete personal context—including family, financial, health, education, employment, and other personal information—directly from the individual, under their control. This enables organizations to use information their AI can’t access today without requiring them to collect or store it themselves. Our initial focus is the U.S. military, where we’re helping reduce service members’ administrative burden, modernize personnel management, and improve readiness. Collect’d holds three issued U.S. patents and is Phase III eligible. Artificial Intelligence (AI), Fundraising and +12 skills
Co-founder & CEO
ScoreBig
July 2009 - July 2016
Co-founded and led ScoreBig, a live-entertainment marketplace where fans named their price against a real-time dynamic reserve we set in the background, letting teams and venues sell unsold inventory below face value without publicly discounting or eroding their primary market. Worked with about a third of all major pro sports teams and every major primary ticketing company, including Ticketmaster and AEG. Grew the business beyond $100 million in GMV and raised more than $80 million in venture capital. The company was later acquired by TicketNetwork. Sports, Fundraising and +16 skills
Vice President
National Basketball Association
2006 - 2009
Built and led the NBA’s CRM and database marketing capabilities across the NBA, WNBA, and G League, helping transform consumer data into ticket sales, League Pass growth, fan engagement, and direct-to-consumer revenue. Sports, Sports Marketing and +10 skills
President & Founder
GSM Capital Partners/Rabid Films LLC
July 2002 - July 2006
Founded a direct-to-consumer sports media venture, bringing together Warner Bros. (production and retail), MLB Advanced Media (direct sales), and BMG (music) to launch City of Champions. Sports, Fundraising and +14 skills
Education
Harvard Business School
MBA
Harvard University
BA, Government