Dan Kaplan

Chicago, IL

I build winning teams and products.

Technology leader with 13+ years of experience. From founding engineer at PrizePicks (now valued at $2.5B) to CTO leading a successful $4.25M fundraise, to Engineering Manager developing high-performing teams at scale.

Dan Kaplan

13+

Years Experience

$2.5B

Platform Built

$4.25M

Fundraise Led

150%

Velocity Increase

Companies I've Built With

Home Chef
Five to Nine
PrizePicks
G2
Publicis Media
Gamut
Enova

Building things that matter.

I've led engineering organizations through every stage of growth. As a founding engineer, I built the foundations that scaled startups to success. As CTO, I rebuilt entire platforms and drove fundraising. As an Engineering Manager, I develop high-performing teams and accelerate delivery.

I'm recognized for turning around underperforming teams, establishing processes that accelerate delivery, and mentoring engineers into leadership roles.

In my free time, I'm an avid reader, golfer, world traveler, and am obsessed with anything Minions, Chicago Bulls, and Seinfeld.

Ruby on Rails
React
React Native
JavaScript
PostgreSQL
AWS
Heroku
Team Leadership
Agile / Scrum
Technical Strategy

Where I've made an impact.

From first hire to CTO to engineering leadership at scale.

Five to Nine

CTO

April 2020 - March 2022

Built and scaled product team from 2 offshore contractors to 5-person US-based team. Led complete platform rebuild from Rails monolith to Rails API + React. Drove technical strategy for successful $4.25M Series A raise.

$4.25M Raise Platform Rebuild Fortune 50 Client

PrizePicks

Founding Engineer

May 2015 - 2022

First engineering hire at platform now valued at $2.5B. Built production-ready web app from prototype, growing to 10K users. Architected live scoring and automated settlement engine. Built sports data integrations across 7 leagues.

$2.5B Valuation First Hire 7 League Integrations

G2 (formerly G2 Crowd)

Software Engineer

August 2012 - July 2013

First engineering hire at what is now a leading B2B software review platform. Contributed to product foundation, developed key features driving user engagement, and collaborated on SEO strategy achieving #1 rankings.

First Hire #1 SEO Rankings

Publicis Media

Senior Full Stack Engineer

June 2018 - April 2020

Developed secure backend APIs for ad performance systems. Built responsive data visualization components for complex analytics. Mentored junior developers.

APIs Data Visualization

Gamut (A Grainger Company)

Senior Full Stack Engineer

December 2016 - June 2018

Rebuilt daily product pricing sync serving 100K+ products. Built customer service tools and order management systems. Recognized twice with engineering excellence awards.

100K+ Products Excellence Awards

Enova

Software Engineer → Senior

August 2013 - May 2015

Lead developer on CMS with Rails Engine API backend and Ember frontend. Led Compliance team integration. Founded Culture Guild focused on improving R&D culture.

Rails + Ember Culture Guild

What I'm building.

Birdie Social Club

Golf achievement tracking platform enabling golfers to track birdies, eagles, and aces with detailed stats. Available on the App Store.

Rails API React React Native
Birdie Social Club

Roll it Back Productions

Stories of Golf History. Available on YouTube and Spotify

CapCut YouTube
Roll it Back Productions

Thoughts & writing.