Kelly Schwedland

Kelly Schwedland has a diverse work experience in various roles and industries. Starting with their current role as the Chief Executive Officer at Torchlite, they oversee the Partner Management PRM Platform, focusing on scaling partner programs and improving partner performance.

Kelly is also a Member of Partnership Leaders, a position they began in 2023. Kelly advises and collaborates with other experts in the field of partnerships.

Prior to that, they served as an Advisor and then as President at OpenINSIGHTS, an early-stage venture-backed company. In this role, they handled operations, built partnerships, managed finances and investor relations, and raised funds.

Before joining OpenINSIGHTS, Kelly worked as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Elevate Ventures, Inc. from 2013 to 2019. Here, they led funding for B2B SaaS technology companies and mentored high-potential startups while also establishing partnerships with other venture capital funds.

In addition, Kelly has held board membership roles in various companies, including ZIOINC, Upper Hand, and Vennli, where they provided strategic guidance and valuable insights.

Furthermore, they gained valuable experience as an Executive Manager in the i-Corp style startup program at Tech Foundry. Backed by Elevate Ventures, the program offered support to early-stage startups and prepared them for funding.

Kelly also co-founded 5Degrees CRM, serving as the Co-Founder and COO for over a year, and co-founded Chicago Street Studios LLC, where they were the Executive Producer and played a crucial role in fundraising and strategic planning for DVD programming targeting preschool children.

Overall, Kelly Schwedland's work experience showcases their expertise in partner management, operations, finance, fund raising, mentorship, and strategic planning across various industries and sectors.

Kelly Schwedland holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in Strategy/ Entrepreneurship from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, which was completed in 2010. Prior to this, Kelly obtained a Bachelor's degree in Business Management from Indiana University - Kelley School of Business in 1999. Moreover, Kelly also has experience in the US Army, where they completed the 93J Army ATC (Air Traffic Control) Radar Controller program. In terms of additional certifications, Kelly obtained the Lean Launchpad for Incubators / Accelerators certification from NCIIA / Steve Blank in September 2013 and earned the Senior E-Myth Consultant certification from The E-Myth Academy in 2000.