Scot Chisholm
Scot Chisholm (born June 15, 1981) is an American entrepreneur and investor who co-founded Classy, a fundraising software platform for nonprofits, and served as its CEO until 2021. In January 2022, Classy was acquired by GoFundMe, and by 2024 the combined efforts had helped raise over $30 billion for people and causes.
Beyond Classy, he started Highland, a private community and educational platform for startup founders; Haskill Creek, a holistic health and wellness retailer; and Save Farmland, a nonprofit protecting agricultural land. He also co-owns Albion Soccer Club with Noah Gins. Chisholm created the Northstar Operating System, a business operating framework used by early‑ and growth‑stage companies, built around Operating Clarity, Operating Rhythm, and Operating Mindset.
Chisholm was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, and grew up in Hull and Hingham. He graduated from Hingham High School and earned a degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 2004. After college, he worked as a senior consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton in San Diego, helping to develop Lean Six Sigma practices from 2004 to 2007.
In 2006, he started Classy with college friend Pat Walsh. The idea began as a charity pub crawl in San Diego inspired by the movie Anchorman and evolved into a fundraising software company launched in 2011. By 2021, nonprofits using Classy were raising more than $1 billion annually, and the company had raised over $200 million in venture funding from investors including Bullpen Capital, Salesforce Ventures, Mithril Capital, JMI Equity, and Norwest Venture Partners.
Chisholm remains active in the startup and nonprofit worlds. Classy supported campaigns such as Kony 2012, and in 2024 he launched Highland to help founders with curriculum, coaching, and peer support through the Northstar framework.
He has served on various nonprofit and organizational boards and has received multiple honors, including Businessweek’s Top 5 Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs in America (2011); Glassdoor’s Top Rated CEO for small and medium businesses (2017); EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist (2018); recognition as one of the San Diego Business Journal’s 500 Most Influential Business Leaders (2017–2022); and Real Leaders’ Top Executive Coach (2024). He is married to Carolyn Garner Chisholm, and they have two sons.
Website: scotchisholm.com
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 20:46 (CET).