Marshall Kools is Co-Founder and COO at Arzana, a Y Combinator-backed AI platform automating front-office operations for US manufacturers and distributors. At 24, he is leading operations for a company already serving Fortune 500 clients and the fastest-growing manufacturing firms in the country.

Marshall grew up in Neenah, Wisconsin, earned a Wisconsin state wrestling championship in 2020, and went on to compete as a Division I wrestler at Stanford University, where he earned an MS in Engineering and Policy. He and co-founder William Alexander met at Stanford and were inspired to start Arzana after firsthand experience working in manufacturing offices drowning in repetitive administrative work.

Marshall brings a rare combination of operational discipline forged through elite athletics and technical depth from his Stanford graduate engineering training. His Wisconsin roots and hands-on manufacturing experience give him a ground-level understanding of the industry he is transforming.

Prior to Arzana, Marshall co-founded Brilla, a gourmet meal delivery service launched out of Stanford that brought personal chef-quality food to Silicon Valley businesses. Arzana was accepted into Y Combinator's X26 batch and was featured in The New York Times as part of a new wave of AI companies transforming American industry.

Arzana's platform helps manufacturers process quotes and orders 10x faster, reduce data-entry errors by 70%, and save millions in labor costs annually. The company operates with a forward-deployed model, embedding engineers directly at customer facilities across the United States.