29 Sept 2026
Colin Read: Building Culture, Community and Smarter Clubs
ABOUT COLIN
Colin Read is co-founder and CEO of Whoosh, a golf operations software company helping private clubs and golf facilities coordinate staff, connect systems and deliver personalized member experiences. He is also co-founder of Golfery of Marin, an indoor golf lounge and co-working concept in San Rafael, California.
A serial entrepreneur across automotive, hospitality and telecommunications technology, Colin has founded four companies and completed three successful exits, including an IPO. Early in his career, he co-founded ECOtality with his father and helped build the Blink electric vehicle charging network.
He later joined the founding team at Reserve, a fine dining technology company that merged with Resy. That experience reinforced his belief that technology should support staff coordination while remaining invisible to the guest. Golf has been central to his life since childhood. He captained the Claremont McKenna College men’s golf team and earned two Academic All-America honors.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHT
In this conversation, Colin explores the relationship among technology, hospitality, leadership and belonging. He begins with the experience that shaped his entrepreneurial foundation: building ECOtality with his father after college and scaling the company from two employees to more than 200 in 18 months.
Working with his father gave Colin a lifelong mentor in partnerships, financing and deal structure. It also taught him to learn from both an organization’s strengths and its softer spots. As his career evolved, he became increasingly intentional about culture, values and mission.
His work with Reserve and Resy shaped his view of private club hospitality. In a well-run dining room, the guest sees a seamless experience, not the systems behind it. Colin believes club technology should work the same way, helping staff recognize members, anticipate needs and deliver personal service without making technology the center of the interaction.
He also offers a practical view of AI. Connected systems can reduce duplicate work, bring fragmented data together and help staff identify changes in member behavior, anticipate staffing needs and create personalized “magic moments.” The goal is not to replace employees, but to give them better information and more time with members.
The conversation turns to confidence, conviction and culture. After declining an early CEO opportunity because he did not feel ready, Colin pursued additional technical education and an MBA. He learned that leaders must define where the organization is going and create values employees can use every day.
For leaders entering an established club, Colin recommends spending the first 60 to 100 days looking, listening and observing. Leaders should build evidence, align their teams, start with low-effort, high-impact improvements and understand why each change succeeds or fails.
Colin closes by returning to golf as a source of identity, connection and community. He believes clubs should make decisions with future generations in mind while using technology to strengthen, not replace, the relationships that make clubs feel like home.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN FROM THIS CONVERSATION
How building ECOtality with his father shaped Colin’s leadership
Why mentorship, confidence and conviction matter during rapid growth
How technology can work quietly behind the member experience
How connected data can help staff personalize service
Where AI can support operations without replacing hospitality
Why reducing manual work gives employees more time with members
How leaders can intentionally build culture and guide change
Why new leaders should spend their first 60 to 100 days observing
How golf creates connection across generations
Why clubs should make long-term decisions with future members in mind
Colin returns throughout the episode to one idea: technology should give people more time, information and confidence to build stronger relationships.
