At the age of 18, class of 2016 graduate Jordan Weitz was diagnosed with celiac disease, an untreatable condition that causes irritating internal reactions to gluten and forces people to follow a strict gluten-free diet. As a result, checking labels for wheat, barley, and rye became a necessity. His experiences revealed the extreme outdatedness of the manufacturing industry and led him to become a cofounder of the successful company Keychain.
Weitz was placed on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for his work with Keychain, which has revolutionized the manufacturing industry by using innovative artificial intelligence technology to make the process of finding manufacturing partners easier than ever. The website’s artificial intelligence helps brands identify and connect with manufacturers that are the best fit using information like certification and location.
Ultimately, the website thrives on the desire of business-owners to have a place in Keychain’s growing system. “What drives more manufacturers to engage on Keychain is the fact that we have so many brands and retailers engaged, and they want to be a part of it. So it becomes a virtuous cycle,” cofounder Oisin Hanharan said in an interview with AgFunderNews.
Since the company’s launch in November 2024, Keychain has seen great success: According to Forbes, the company is valued at over $250 million. “We’ve already had over 10,000 brands and retailers engaged with Keychain in less than eight months; they’ve submitted over $200 million of projects just in the last month,” Hanrahan said in an interview with AgFunder News.
Currently, there are over 66,000 brands using Keychain to connect with the 30,000 manufacturers on Keychain. “It is impressive how he managed to grow his company to such a large scale while being so young,” junior Jeremiah Lee said.
Weitz was grateful for his inclusion on the Forbes list and voiced his enthusiasm on social media. “Thrilled (and honored) to share that I’ve been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Food & Drink list for 2025!” Weitz wrote on LinkedIn.
Following his high school graduation, Weitz attended Yale University, where he learned about investment banking and venture capital. He then became one of the youngest hires at the CPG-focused growth equity firm Monogram Capital Partners, before finding his role in Keychain.
Weitz has served as an inspiration for students here who are striving to make a lasting impact and create successful businesses of their own. “It is good to see that Wootton students can really achieve so much and it gives me faith in our community that Wootton students can accomplish big things,” senior Paul Weiner said.
His senior English teacher, Evva Starr, is not surprised by his success. “I will never forget his final project. He made a flow chart that listed over 100 decisions he had made to show that he had worked with intentionality to achieve his goals. His drive was apparent way back then,” Starr said.
Students are impressed by Weitz’s ability to use his own condition as a business opportunity instead of preventing him from achieving his dreams. “It shows how hard he has worked and he didn’t let his diagnosis hold him back,” junior Sofia Sossa said.
