THE TEAM

Michael O’Dell

Managing Partner

Michael is an Illinois native who has called Tennessee home since 1996. He attended Lipscomb University before going on to work in various tech jobs. Michael also got his MBA in International Management in 2004 from Thunderbird, American Graduate School of International Management in Glendale, Arizona (now part of Arizona State University).

Michael has spent the last 20 years working in recruitment marketing technology. While working at CareerBuilder.com, Michael opened the company's first international office in London, England. After returning to the states, he worked as practice lead for CareerBuilder's federal government practice. Later he ran the partnership and reseller group there that was responsible for almost $30 million in annual revenue.

In 2018, Michael launched Talent.com in the US. He was the first U.S. based employee and built a team of 32. Over his tenure there, Talent.com grew from $7 million in ARR to over $160 million in just four years. The company also raised a $53 million CAD A round in 2020 and $120 million USD B round in 2022 while he was there.

Michael got acquainted with Peter and the Kernel team during the COVID 19 lockdown. He and a partner started a software "side hustle" that was built by Peter's software shop, DevDigital. During this time, Michael and the Kernel team started working together on a handful of small projects. Fast forward to 2022, Michael joined the Kernel Equity team as a partner to help find new deals, work with founders and grow the firm's portfolio businesses.

Michael lives in Brentwood, TN with his wife and three young sons (aged 13, 11, and 8). He enjoys hanging out with his family, cooking for friends, mountain biking, reading and travel. 

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