Kelly Perdew

Kelly Perdew
Born	(1967-01-29) January 29, 1967 Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, business executive
Known for	Winning The Apprentice 2

Kelly Crawford Perdew (born January 29, 1967) is an American entrepreneur recognized for winning The Apprentice 2.

Personal life

Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Perdew spent his formative years in both Florida and Wyoming. Prior to his victory on The Apprentice, he held the position of president at CoreObjects, a software development outsourcing company headquartered in Los Angeles.

He completed his undergraduate education at the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1989, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in national security and public affairs. He graduated ranked first in his specialty and among the top 5% of his class.

During his time at West Point, Perdew underwent both Ranger and Airborne training, interned with the House Armed Services Committee, attended a semester at the Naval Academy, and was a finalist for the Rhodes Scholar award. He served three years as an officer in military intelligence within the United States Army, achieving the rank of First Lieutenant before departing service.

Following his military career, Perdew earned a combined JD/MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles (through the UCLA School of Law and the UCLA Anderson School of Management) in 1995. Although he gained part-time experience at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher during law school, he opted not to pursue a legal career.

The Apprentice

At 37 years old, Perdew was the most senior participant on The Apprentice 2. Donald Trump appointed him to oversee both the construction and marketing efforts for Trump Place located on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Furthermore, he held the role of executive vice-president for Trump's bottled water brand, Trump Ice, as disclosed during the finale of The Apprentice 3.

Career

Perdew is currently Managing Partner at Moonshots Capital, an early-stage angel investment syndicate. He has backed more than 30 technology startups and contributed as a board member or advisor to firms such as LinkedIn and Pandora. He is also the founder and CEO of TargetClose. Prior to TargetClose, he served as CEO of Fastpoint Games, a venture-funded company specializing in real-time data-driven games for Fortune 500 clients; Fastpoint was acquired by WePlay in 2011.

Earlier in his career, Perdew acted as President of ProElite.com, a social networking platform dedicated to mixed martial arts, and as President of eTeamz alongside founder Brian Johnson. eTeamz is now part of Active Network, LLC, supporting over three million amateur sports teams.

In 2006, President George W. Bush appointed him to the Council on Service and Civic Participation. Presently, he serves on the advisory board for the Code of Support Foundation, a nonprofit organization supporting military service members.