Jackson Wootton (Mgmt’25)
Faces of Leeds Snapshot
Name: Jackson Wootton
Hometown: Pacific Palisades, California
Major: Management & Entrepreneurship
Position: CMO & Co-Founder,
The outdoorsy culture, combined with the innovation-driven, entrepreneurial spirit of Boulder is what drove Jackson Wootton to study at Leeds. He praises Leeds‘ interconnected community of professionals and industry experts who genuinely care about supporting students in both their academic and professional lives.
The month of January 2025 obstructed Wootton's path with considerable challenges. Just as his startup—co-founded with Leeds friend Emmett Reiner—was gaining traction, the Palisades Fire in California forced him to evacuate his home, leaving behind all their business assets.
If their products were destroyed, the business would’ve been financially ruined, he said. So, Wootton and Reiner did what any determined entrepreneur would do: They found a way back into the fire zone. Not only were they able to recover their products, but they also prevented their families’ homes from being consumed by the fire.
Those experiences drove home one of the lessons Wootton had already acquired in the startup process: Nothing ever goes as planned. His solution to that uncertainty: applying a lean methodology and staying flexible is what he believes is crucial to keeping things moving fast and efficiently.
“My adaptability and resourcefulness are two essential skills that just can’t be captured in my resume. Running a startup has required me to wear countless hats and quickly learn skills I had no prior experience with.”