Cole Morell was born on December 5, 2006 in Carmichael, California. Growing up in the Sacramento area, he developed an early fascination with technology, design, and how digital systems worked. Before he ever built products professionally, he was already taking apart ideas in his head — studying apps, interfaces, and devices to understand why they worked and how they could be improved. That instinct to analyze and rebuild would later shape his approach to software, design, and business.

By middle school and early high school, Cole was experimenting with creative and technical projects — cameras, editing software, small websites, and early app concepts. What began as curiosity gradually turned into disciplined self-education. He wasn’t just creating for fun; he was learning how systems functioned and how thoughtful design could influence behavior.

Cole’s early hands-on experience came through work at Bayside Church, where he gained real production exposure and developed technical discipline. Working in live environments taught him how to operate under pressure, think structurally, and execute consistently. He became comfortable with complex equipment, tight timelines, and collaborative teams — skills that later translated directly into product development and leadership.

He expanded that experience at Illuminate Production Services, contributing to large-scale live events and technical builds. These environments reinforced precision, systems thinking, and operational awareness — qualities that would later define his entrepreneurial path.

As his interests evolved, Cole shifted from pure content creation toward building scalable digital systems. He became increasingly focused on how technology could solve operational problems for businesses. This transition led to the founding of Layout.

Originally launched as a creative agency, Layout evolved under Cole’s direction into a product-focused technology company. Today, Layout Mobile operates as a Square-native mobile app platform that enables coffee shops and multi-location businesses to launch branded ordering apps without changing their existing POS, KDS, or loyalty systems.

Rather than functioning as a traditional service provider, Cole repositioned Layout as infrastructure — building software that integrates directly with Square’s ecosystem, syncing catalog data, payments, and rewards through secure cloud architecture. His focus shifted from client-by-client work to scalable product development.

Cole studies Business Administration at Chapman University while actively building and scaling Layout. His work centers on vertical SaaS, applied mobile engineering, and practical systems that bridge clean design with operational reliability.

What began as curiosity about how things work has grown into a focus on building durable technology platforms. His approach remains consistent: understand the system deeply, simplify it, and build something that performs under real-world pressure.