Claire Lew
Founder & CEO of Canopy
I’m an entrepreneur, coach, advisor, writer, and speaker.
As the Founder & CEO of Canopy, I help first-time CEOs turn their vision into reality.
Over the past decade, I’ve coached first-time CEOs at scaling startups, advised leaders at Apple and Uber, and trained more than 50,000 managers from companies like Amazon, Netflix, and Wikipedia. My first client was 37signals (creators of Basecamp), and since then, I’ve been a force-multiplier for CEOs navigating growth, pressure, and change.
I specialize in helping CEOs close the gap between strategy and execution — turning vision into action that’s deeply internalized by teams. I help CEOs set and communicate strategy, build systems of accountability, and motivate their teams to operate with urgency and ownership at every level of the organization.
I’m also a builder at heart. I grew a tool originally developed inside 37signals (creators of Basecamp) into Know Your Team — leadership software that spread to 30,000+ managers across 25+ countries and is now part of Canopy’s platform. I’ve also distilled 50+ years of research into practical frameworks and tools that help leaders lead with greater confidence and efficacy.
My work has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Inc., and Fortune. I've spoken to audiences around the world, and I've taught entrepreneurship as an adjunct professor at Northwestern University.
Outside of Canopy, I paint in oil at my studio in Point Reyes, California, and live in the Bay Area with my husband.
Connect with me on LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and subscribe to my newsletter here I’ve spent the last decade plus sharing my insights on leadership.
