Best Startup
At Best Startup US we track over 1,000,000 US startups and over 3 million people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United States based CEO’ operating in the Hospitality space. If you think a CEO’ is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.us.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Fatima Dicko
Founder & CEO of Sugar
Prior to founding Jetpack at Stanford University, Fatima worked as the youngest senior engineer on a product innovation team at Procter & Gamble focusing on products 3-10 years away from market. Having been awarded several corporate innovation awards such as ‘Most Transformative Product Design’ and the ‘P&G Global Innovation Seed Fund’, her key competencies include designing simple solutions to complex problems. Fatima holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University, where she received a Gold King’s Crown Leadership Award and an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
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About Sugar: Sugar builds community and transforms the residential experience by integrating with technology stacks that power modern buildings.
Rick Blatstein
Founder & CEO of OTG
Rick Blatstein, founder and CEO of OTG Management, found his calling putting gourmet cuisine, swanky design and high-tech integrations into the drab world of airport terminals. OTG’s innovative approach to creating an “experience” is delighting travelers and catching the attention of airlines and airport operators.
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About OTG: OTG Management is a operator of airport food and beverage concessions
Ryan Simonetti
CEO & Co-Founder of Convene
Ryan is the Co-Founder and CEO of Convene, commercial real estate’s first workplace-as-a-service platform. His unique expertise in real estate acquisitions, development, and structured finance has helped catapult Convene to become a pioneer in the industry.
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About Convene: Convene designs and services premium places to work, meet, and host events.
Kirk Tanner
CEO PepsiCo Beverages North America of PepsiCo
Kirk Tanner is president and chief operating officer of North America Beverages (NAB). He assumed his current role in March, 2016. A 24-year veteran of PepsiCo with strong leadership experience across beverages, snacks and foodservice, Kirk leads all aspects of PepsiCo’s beverage business in North America. Prior to this role, Kirk was chief operating officer of NAB and president of Global Foodservice. Under his leadership, the division introduced on-trend, transformative innovation including the Pepsi Spire fountain portfolio, STUBBORN Soda, Doritos Loaded and Hello Goodness Vending. In his role as chief operating officer of NAB, he was responsible for expanding partnerships and driving growth across PepsiCo’s foodservice and retail customer base in North America and foodservice operations globally. In his PepsiCo career, Kirk has lived and worked in 11 domestic and international locations and has had numerous positions, including senior vice president, Frito-Lay West Division and vice president of sales of PepsiCo in the UK and Ireland. His vast experience across sales, operations, customer marketing, distribution and channel development has given him a deep understanding of PepsiCo’s go-to-market systems, both in foods and beverages, as well as the varying needs of customers and consumers all over the world. Kirk has led several successful multi-cultural initiatives that resulted in multiple product introductions across the food and beverage portfolio.
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About PepsiCo: PepsiCo operates as a food and beverage company worldwide.
Ramon Laguarta
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo
Ramon Laguarta is Chief Executive Officer, Europe Sub-Saharan Africa, with responsibility for leading our food and beverages businesses across Europe and our food business in Sub-Saharan Africa. This role was effective in January 2015. Prior to this role, from November 2008, Ramon was President, PepsiCo Eastern Europe Region. Before that, from 2006 to 2008, he served as Commercial Vice President of Europe. From 2002 to 2006, he was General Manager for Iberia Snacks and Juices, and from 1999 to 2001 a General Manager for Greece Snacks and Marketing Vice President for Spain Snacks. Ramon joined PepsiCo in January 1996. Previous to PepsiCo, he worked for Chupa Chups, S.A., a Spanish leading confectionery company, where he held a number of international roles in Europe and the U.S. Ramon holds an MBA from ESADE Business School in Spain and a Master’s in International Management (M&M) from Thunderbird School of Global Management in the U.S.
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About PepsiCo: PepsiCo operates as a food and beverage company worldwide.
Albert Carey
Chief Executive Officer, North America of PepsiCo
Having served in a number of senior executive positions at PepsiCo, Inc., a consumer products company, Mr. Carey enhances our Board’s experience in and oversight of retail, supply chain and marketing matters, as well as contributing to the general management and strategic business development skills of our Board. In 2011, Mr. Carey was named Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo North America Beverages, assuming responsibilities for all aspects of PepsiCo’s beverages business in the Americas. From 2006 to 2011, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Frito-Lay North America, a snack food company and the largest North American business division of PepsiCo. He also served as President of PepsiCo Sales, the sales division of PepsiCo, from 2003 to 2006, in charge of PepsiCo’s sales and customer management for its retail, food service and fountain businesses. Other positions that Mr. Carey has held at PepsiCo, Inc. include Chief Operating Officer of PepsiCo Beverages & Foods North America, Senior Vice President of Sales for Pepsi-Cola North America and Chief Operating Officer of Frito-Lay North America. Prior to his career at PepsiCo, Mr. Carey spent seven years at Procter & Gamble.
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About PepsiCo: PepsiCo operates as a food and beverage company worldwide.
Laxman Narasimhan
Chief Executive Officer, Latin America of PepsiCo
Laxman Narasimhan is the chief executive officer of PepsiCo Latin America. PepsiCo is a global food and beverage leader with net revenues of more than $63 billion and a product portfolio that includes 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales. PepsiCo’s main businesses – Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola – make hundreds of enjoyable foods and beverages that are loved throughout the world. Laxman assumed the position in September 2014. He leads PepsiCo’s food and beverage business across Latin America and reports to PepsiCo Chairman and CEO, Indra Nooyi. The business covers PepsiCo’s food and beverage businesses in Mexico, Brazil, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. He previously served as the senior vice president and CFO of PepsiCo Americas Foods based in Purchase, New York, which covered the important businesses of Frito-Lay, Quaker and PepsiCo’s Latin America Foods. Prior to PepsiCo, Laxman was a director and location manager of McKinsey’s New Delhi Office. He worked with McKinsey for 19 years around the world, including rotations in Cleveland, Tokyo, Toronto, San Francisco and New Delhi. He had responsibility for consumer-facing industries in India, co-led the Global Consumer and Shopper Insights Practice and led McKinsey’s research on the emerging market consumer. He has worked across multiple industries, including consumer, retail, energy, manufacturing, technology and healthcare. Previously, Laxman co-led the Global Retail Knowledge Council of McKinsey’s Retail Practice.
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About PepsiCo: PepsiCo operates as a food and beverage company worldwide.
Susan Ho
Founder & CEO of Journy
Susan has helped build some of the fastest growing companies in NYC, including Fab.com, DigitalOcean, Blue Apron, and LearnVest. Susan graduated from Wharton and was a consultant at BCG before startups. She met Leiti nearly a decade ago while dancing on speakers in Shanghai.
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About Journy: Journy is a personalized travel planning service that pairs travelers 1-on-1 with their own personal trip designer.
Chris Kempczinski
President and CEO of McDonald’s
With an eye toward delivering a modern, progressive customer experience, Chris Kempczinski oversees strategy, planning and new concept innovation for McDonald’s. His role is to serve the business units and franchisees by identifying new ideas and best practices to accelerate their growth and grow the overall value of the system. Kempczinski has significant experience in strategy and operations with some of the world’s leading consumer companies, including Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo and most recently, Kraft Heinz. He has a proven track record of driving transformative change, which is invaluable as McDonald’s evolves its restaurant experience and business model to consistently deliver top-tier shareholder returns. Most recently, Kempczinski was Executive Vice President of Growth Initiatives and President of Kraft International, where he oversaw Kraft’s global corporate growth agenda and was responsible for driving the business in 80 countries outside of the United States, making up roughly $3 billion in net revenue. Kempczinski has an MBA from Harvard Business School and an undergraduate degree in public policy and economics from Duke University.
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About McDonald’s: McDonald’s is a global foodservice retailer generating revenue through company-owned restaurants, franchise royalties, and licensing pacts.
Marc D. Grodman
CEO of Bio-Reference Laboratories
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About Bio-Reference Laboratories: BioReference is the third largest full service clinical diagnostic laboratory in the U.S. providing testing .
Dot Bustelo
CEO/Founder of Loupe
Dot Bustelo, CEO/Founder of Apple TV visual art streaming platform Loupe, recognized as a Creative Technologies/Entertainment Software Strategist. She developed Loupe in 2016 as a visual complement to streaming music platforms, featured by Apple and reaching #1 Lifestyle app around the world. An internationally-recognized Apple Logic Pro consultant, music producer, Emmy Award-winning sound designer, author and stage demonstrator of Apple software, Dot formerly worked on Apple’s Worldwide Product Team introducing Apple product software techniques to A-list artists, engineers and their producers such as Maroon 5, The Killers, John Legend, One Republic, T. Pain and M.I.A. After Apple, she went on to author #1 Amazon best-selling books on Apple software and online courses for Lynda.com and consulted to iOS and Mac audio app companies. An electronic music producer herself with licenses to Sony PlayStation, NBC, VH1, CBS, and MTV, she serves on the Recording Academy’s National Advisory Council of the Producers & Engineering Wing. In her spare time, Dot writes science fiction.
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About Loupe: Pioneering service transforming how art is experienced; #1 Lifestyle app in 64 countries on AppleTV/Fire TV/Android/PlutoTV/Samsung/Comcast
Jamie Hodari
CEO & Co-Founder of Industrious
Jamie Hodari is the Co-Founder and CEO of Industrious. Prior to Industrious, Jamie was the CEO and Co-Founder of Kepler, a rapidly growing experimental university that Scientific American called a “daring global experiment” to bring “top-tier instruction to the neediest parts of the planet.”Jamie previously ran the education non-profit Generation Rwanda, analyzed investments at the hedge fund Birch Run Capital and was a project finance lawyer at the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell. He started his career as a journalist at the Times of India. Jamie holds a J.D. from Yale Law School, an M.P.P. from Harvard University, and a B.A. from Columbia University.
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About Industrious: Industrious is a premium flexible workspace provider that redefines the workplace experience.
Corey Ashton Walters
Founder & CEO of Here
Corey Ashton Walters is the Founder & CEO of Here, a revolutionary online marketplace that enables anyone anywhere to invest in vacation rentals online and earn passive income—without ever lifting a finger. Prior to founding Here, Corey, a seasoned entrepreneur, brand builder, and college dropout, has founded multiple successful companies over the last 15 years. Most recently in 2017, Corey co-founded Homeworthy, a venture-backed first-of-its-kind fully remote home selling experience available to homeowners located in more than 900 cities across the Pacific Northwest.
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About Here: Here makes investing in vacation rentals as easy as buying stocks.
Pankaj Srivastava
CEO of MentorCloud
Pankaj is a change catalyst and believes in building products that help overcome genuine human problems. A proven marketing and operations leader, Pankaj excels at building global technology brands through product, marketing and go-to-market strategy development and execution. He turns visionary instinct into reality in his dual role as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Marketing Officer at FigLeaf, a privacy-first company built on the premise that when privacy is a choice, humanity is free. With a contagious passion, Pankaj balances strategy, technology, analytics and customer experience to deliver highly innovative products and services at global scale. Prior to FigLeaf, Pankaj led the turnaround of an online consumer security company, and led global consumer marketing for McAfee, where he helped launch one of the world’s first SaaS businesses, built a team from five to 130 people, managed 600+ partners, and grew revenues from less than $100M to more than $500M. Pankaj serves as a board member of ZEO Alliance and ROI Mantra Inc., and is an active startup mentor, where his experience pairs with new founders’ creative energy to translate vision into practical, bottom-line results.
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About MentorCloud, PracticalSpeak: MentorCloud is a cloud-based mentoring platform for enterprises to accelerate digital transformation, employee engagement and retention.
Amrou Manaseer
Co-Founder and CEO of The Madera Group
Amrou Manaseer drives the overall vision and strategy for Tocaya Organica. He plays an active role in leading the senior executive team, and is responsible for the company’s business planning and development, including organizational design, legal framework and project management for the group’s continuous improvement and constraint optimization activities. Prior to Tocaya Organica, Manaseer served as a partner at Jump Trading, one of the world’s largest and most successful proprietary trading firms.
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About The Madera Group: The Madera Group is a hospitality company
Tosh Berman
Chief Executive Officer of The Madera Group
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About EDL Management Group, The Madera Group, The Madera Group, Tocaya Organica: The Madera Group is a hospitality company
Scott Kubly
Founder & CEO of Cabana
Scott Kubly is director of the Seattle Department of Transportation. Appointed by Mayor Ed Murray in July 2014, Scott oversees transportation policy, capital project delivery, transportation and maintenance operations, transit and mobility improvements, and management of the City’s right of way. He led the creation of the award winning Move Seattle Plan, which outlines Mayor Murray’s 10-year vision for transportation in Seattle, and delivers a comprehensive strategy for connecting and enhancing the city’s many ways to travel. Scott was also a lead architect of the voter-approved Levy to Move Seattle, which provides $930 million to improve safety, maintain streets and bridges, and invest in reliable, affordable travel options for a growing city. Scott additionally serves as the vice president of the National Association of City Transportation Officials.
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About Cabana: Cabana is a travel startup that turns vans into bookable mobile hotels.
Adam Harris
CEO and Co-Founder of Cloudbeds
Adam Harris is the Co-founder and CEO of Cloudbeds. Together with Co-founder Richard Castle, Adam has led Cloudbeds from a small startup to an award-winning company that powers over 20,000 properties in 135 countries worldwide.I have a diversified finance, transmedia marketing, and web technologies background ranging from being a technology investment banker, a technology consultant to emerging business, and the founder of numerous technology start-ups.
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About Cloudbeds: Cloudbeds is a vertical SaaS business that creates cloud-based hospitality management software.
Alejandro Reynal Ample
President, CEO of Apple Leisure Group
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About Apple Leisure Group: Apple Leisure Group is a vacation services company providing all inclusive vacation packages.
Christopher Nassetta
President & Chief Executive Officer of Hilton Worldwide
Christopher J. Nassetta is The President and CEO At Hilton.
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About Hilton Worldwide, World Travel & Tourism Council: Hilton Worldwide is a hospitality company, owns luxury and full-service hotels and resorts, and focused-service hotels.
Reggie Aggarwal (CEO and Founder)
Founder & CEO of Cvent
Reggie Aggarwal is the CEO and Founder of Cvent, the leader in meetings, events and hospitality software. A lawyer by trade, Reggie founded Cvent in 1999 as a two-person startup, with the goal of making meeting planning easier for his peers in the business community. Reggie was named the #1 SaaS CEO by The SaaS Report in their 2019 Top 50 SaaS CEO list and Entrepreneur of the Year for the Washington, DC area by Ernst & Young. He was also named the most admired CEO in the Washington, DC area by the Washington Business Journal, one of the 100 most Intriguing Entrepreneurs by Goldman Sachs, and a rising star by Forbes Magazine. He has been featured in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes and Business Week. He has also been interviewed on CNN, MSNBC, the BBC and several other popular news shows.
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About Cvent: Cvent delivers the most comprehensive event marketing & management platform, maximizing the impact of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events.
Sam Nazarian
CEO of SBE Entertainment
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About SBE Entertainment: SBE Entertainment provides hospitality, real estate development and lifestyle company.
Geoff McFarlane
Co-Founder and CEO of Winc
Geoff McFarlane is the Co-Founder and CEO of Winc. He is an entrepreneur incorporating over seven years experience in project management and finance. Proven track record in building highly customized projects and successful businesses. Has successfully acquired unsuccessful businesses and made them profitable, while creating an effective business model. His specialties: Skills include budgeting, financial analysis, and management of construction process.
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About Winc: Winc is a winery company with a direct connection to the consumer, building a portfolio of brands for the next generation of wine drinkers.
Alex Broeker
CEO & Founder of UNION
Alex Broeker is the CEO & Founder at UNION POS.
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About Samplr Technologies, TabbedOut, TabbedOut, UNION: UNION, a hospitality engagement platform that leverages data to deliver exceptional experiences for consumers, venues, and brands they enjoy
Andrew Kitchell
CEO & Co-Founder of Lyric
Andrew Kitchell is a Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Lyric and Wheelhouse. He is a former CEO & Founder at Beyond Pricing and Founder, Product Design at 30 Words. Mr. Kitchell studied at Duke University.
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About Lyric, Wheelhouse: Lyric is a tech and data-powered real estate and lifestyle hospitality company for the modern business traveler.
Pete Ginsberg
Founder & CEO of Onaroll
Peter Ginsberg is the Founder and the Chief Executive Officer at Onaroll.
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About Onaroll: Onaroll is an employee rewards app that incentivizes productivity and longevity.
Carey Cooper
Co-Founder & CEO of L3 Hospitality Group
Carey is our CEO Extraordinaire. His early success as president of Redi Cut Foods, the largest regional processor of vegetables, made him a supply chain expert. His entrepreneurial spirit has only grown since then and nothing has brought him as much professional joy as becoming a restaurateur. We refer to him as Mr. Positive. He’s the go-to guy in his community and at work… not to mention he can tell you the origin of an avocado by the way it spins on the table.
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About L3 Hospitality Group: L3 Hospitality Group is a restaurant operating company.
Jess Levin Conroy
Founder & CEO of Carats & Cake
Jess Conroy is the Founder and CEO of Carats & Cake, the leading provider of digital solutions for sales and marketing in the events industry. Prior to founding Carats & Cake Jess worked as an Associate at Burch Creative Capital where she helped manage investments and brand development for the firm’s portfolio. Jess is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with degrees in Economics and Spanish and earned her MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business.
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About Carats & Cake: Carats & Cake is the first integrated marketing and sales solution for venues and property groups
Kirk Posmantur
Founder & CEO of Axcess Worldwide
Kirk Posmantur is the Chairman & Founder of Axcess Worldwide, a partnership development company that creates inspired ideas and connects extraordinary brands and people. With over 20 years of experience generating hundreds of millions of dollars in contracted revenue for many of the world’s top brands in the luxury and lifestyle, consumer mass, and hospitality and travel sectors, Kirk is widely recognized as the pioneer and innovator of partnership development. Axcess currently represents over 50 of the world’s leading brands. Kirk is greatly involved in multiple charities and has served as the Chairman of the Board for the Atlanta chapter of After School All-Stars since 2000, raising over $20 million for his charity’s chapter. Kirk earned his undergraduate degree at the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Management at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
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About 25Madison, Axcess Worldwide: Axcess Worldwide are Axcess Worldwide, and Axcess Worldwide are the world’s first partnership development company.
Brian Carrico
Co Founder, CEO of The Guild
Brian Carrico is the Co-Founder of Chief Executive Officer of The Guild and a Partner at Alexa Management.
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About Alexa Management, The Guild: The Guild is a hospitality company that offers full-building managements and turns upscale apartments into tech-enabled hotel suites.
Kevin Johnson
President & CEO of Starbucks Corporation
As president of the Platforms & Services Division of Microsoft, Kevin Johnson leads an organization of over 14,000 employees responsible for product development, marketing and strategy for the Windows and Online Services businesses. With Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer and seven other senior executives, Johnson also serves on the Senior Leadership Team that sets overall strategy and direction for Microsoft. Since assuming his role in September 2005, Johnson successfully launched Windows Vista to consumers and commercial customers, resulting in record-breaking Windows revenue of nearly US$15 billion in fiscal year 2007. In addition to leading the Windows business, Johnson is driving the company’s evolution towards software + services and building on the company’s position as a leader in the online advertising market. Under Johnson’s leadership, Microsoft has completed over 30 acquisitions in support of its software + services strategy. In August 2007, Johnson closed the company’s largest acquisition, of aQuantive, Inc., to form Microsoft Advertiser & Publisher Solutions, and complement Microsoft’s development of an industry-leading online advertising platform. Microsoft Advertiser & Publisher Solutions provides an online advertising platform for an ecosystem of industry partners, including advertisers, publishers and digital marketing agencies. Today the platform has offerings across digital media types and devices, including the PC, Web, mobile phones, gaming consoles, IPTV and Video-on-demand. Johnson also leads development and marketing of Microsoft’s consumer online services, including Live Search, MSN.com and Windows Live, which collectively drove nearly $2.5 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2007. These compelling experiences attract hundreds of millions of consumers per month, and provide online advertising opportunities to businesses worldwide. Previously, Johnson held a number of leadership positions in sales and marketing at Microsoft, where he worked globally with consumer, small/medium business and enterprise customers. Prior to his current role, Johnson served as group vice president of Microsoft’s worldwide sales, marketing and services, leading an organization of 30,000 employees, including field sales and marketing professionals who delivered $40 billion in revenue during fiscal 2005. Johnson also oversaw corporate operations and IT functions that support the work of Microsoft employees around the world. In his tenure as head of sales, marketing and services, Johnson led a transformation in the field. He organized subsidiary leadership teams in more than 80 countries and regions and orchestrated their efforts to better align with product development and company priorities. His re-engineering of the field operating approach and the sales compensation system contributed to an $11 billion increase in sales from 2002-2005. Johnson also led a cross-company initiative focused on emerging markets, positioning the company as a trusted partner for future growth. Johnson joined Microsoft in 1992, serving in a variety of roles across sales, marketing and services during his career at the company. Before joining Microsoft, Johnson worked in IBM’s systems integration and consulting business unit from 1986 to 1992. He started his career in 1981 as a software developer in the petroleum and financial services industries. Johnson grew up in New Mexico and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from New Mexico State University. He is a founding member of the board of directors of NPower, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help other nonprofits use technology to expand the reach and impact of their work. He is also a member of the Western Region Board of Advisors of Catalyst, a non-profit organization dedicated to women’s career advancement.
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About Starbucks Corporation: Starbucks is an international chain of restaurants that retails handcrafted coffee, tea, and fresh food items.
D. G. Macpherson
Chief Executive Officer of W.W. Grainger
D.G. Macpherson was named Chief Operating Officer for Grainger in August 2015. In this role, he is responsible for all operating units of the company globally, as well as Enterprise Systems. Most recently, Mr. Macpherson was Senior Vice President and Group President, Global Supply Chain and International, where he led the development of corporate strategy and continuous improvement, the global supply chain organization, the company’s single channel online business model and international operations in Asia and Europe. Prior to that, Mr. Macpherson was Senior Vice President and President, Global Supply Chain and Corporate Strategy. Mr. Macpherson joined Grainger in 2008 from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where, from 2002-2008, he was Partner and Managing Director. In that capacity, he served as a consultant to Grainger on a number of strategic and operational efforts including availability improvement, pricing strategy, product line expansion and sales force effectiveness. At BCG, Mr. Macpherson was a member of the Industrial Goods Leadership Team with strong experience in production systems and continuous improvement methodologies. Early in his career, he was an operations manager for Rain Bird Sprinkler Manufacturing Company and a test engineer with the U.S. Air Force. Mr. Macpherson holds a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management. W.W. Grainger, Inc., with 2015 sales of $10 billion, is North America’s leading broad line supplier of maintenance, repair and operating products, with operations also in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
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About W.W. Grainger: W.W. Grainger (NYSE: GWW), with 2008 sales of $6.9 billion, is the leading broad-line supplier of facilities maintenance products serving
James J. Murren
Chief Executive Officer of MGM Resorts International
Jim Murren is an American businessman, crisis response specialist, and active member of the Nevada community. Jim currently leads Nevada’s COVID-19 Response, Relief, and Recovery Task Force as its gubernatorial-appointed chairman. At the outset of the pandemic, Jim recognized that Nevada lacked the essential equipment necessary to protect frontline workers and citizens alike. He worked closely with the state’s local government leaders and the private sector to secure personal protective equipment (PPE) stockpile of over 4 million pieces. Just as critically, Jim also led the development of a robust statewide testing system that has helped increase Nevada’s testing capabilities tenfold. Prior to his government service during the pandemic, Jim employed thousands of workers and drove tourism to Nevada as the Chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International.
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About MGM Resorts International: MGM Resorts International is a hospitality firm that operates casinos, restaurants, and recreational resorts.
Marcela Sapone
CEO & Co-Founder of Hello Alfred
In 2014, the founders of Hello Alfred won the TechCrunch Disrupt SF pitch competition–becoming the first all-female founder team to do so–after wowing judges with its vision of an on-demand concierge service that connects customers with a professionally trained home manager to complete workaday household errands like cleaning, laundry, and pet care.
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About Hello Alfred: Alfred is the largest and most advanced residential management platform.
Karl Finegan
Chief Executive Officer of NeueHouse
Advisor at UNION Point of Sale .
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About Aeterna Capital, NeueHouse: NeueHouse is a private workspace and cultural home for creators, innovators, and thought-leaders.
John S. Shriber
Co- Founder & CEO of Roomster
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About Roomster: The leading multi platform roommate matching & shared housing application. IOS, Android & fully responsive design
Aaron Sherman
Co-Founder & CEO of SevenFifty
Aaron Sherman is a co-founder and the Chief Executive Officer of SevenFifty. With over a decade in the industry and extensive experience as a sommelier, beverage manager and industry consultant, Sherman brings a breadth of knowledge and passion to his position. As CEO of SevenFifty, Sherman plays the executive lead and oversees overall company vision and growth. Prior to co-founding SevenFifty, Sherman worked as a sommelier and beverage manager for New York restaurants WD-50 and L’Artusi. He was also the beverage director at the SLS Hotel in Los Angeles, where he was responsible for running the beverage programs of their multi-outlet venue, including Jose Andres’ restaurant The Bazaar. Sherman holds a Diploma of Wine and Spirits from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust and is a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers.
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About SevenFifty: SevenFifty helps importers, producers, distributors, and retail buyers connect with each other and do business in a modern world.
Ali Sabeti
CEO of ZeroCater
As Chief Executive Officer, Ali is responsible for scaling and expanding ZeroCater nationally to achieve the company’s vision of becoming the #1 food company serving the workforce. He is focused on building and enabling a world class executive team to lead the company to the next stage of growth and profitability. ZeroCater has a unique opportunity to disrupt a $202B+ industry, and Ali is excited to lead the company’s operational and financial health in capitalizing on that opportunity. Over his career Ali has held a variety of roles and led functions across operations, sales, marketing, product, and finance. He has built and led global teams across companies of all stages from startups to the Fortune 500. Ali is a California native and graduated from the University of California Irvine with a degree in Economics and Accounting.
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About ZeroCater: ZeroCater is a provider of office meals and snacks, bringing employees together to build culture and foster community.
Jon Staff
Founder & CEO of Getaway
Founder at Getaway
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About Favecast, Getaway: Getaway is a wellness hospitality company that offers cabin rentals in natural landscapes.
Elia Wallen
Founder & CEO of Hotel Engine
Elia Wallen is the founder & CEO of Hotel Engine.
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About Hotel Engine: Hotel Engine connects companies, travelers, and hotel partners to an exclusive membership platform.
Gaetano Crupi
Co-founder, CEO, and Board Member of Cabin
Gaetano Crupi is the Co-Founder and Board Member of Cabin Technologies.
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About Cabin, Prime Movers Lab: Cabin is the first hospitality transportation company on a mission to make the most of every waking and sleeping moment.
David Rosenberg
Co-Founder & CEO of AeroFarms
David, a serial entrepreneur, co-founded and leads AeroFarms, a clean-technology company that builds and operates advanced vertical farms in urban environments. AeroFarms has been recognized as a Circular Economy 100 company, won the World Technology Award for most impactful Environmental Company, was voted Most Innovative Company at the Future of Agriculture conference, the Best Growth Company to invest in at the Wall Street Journal’s ECO:nomics conference, and was a finalist for The Circular Awards of The World Economic Forum. David is also the founder of Hycrete, Inc., a nanotechnology cleantech company.
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About AeroFarms: AeroFarms is an urban cleantech company that provides aeroponic growing systems to produce plants without sun or soil.
Jugoslav Petkovic
Co-founder and CEO of Flaviar
Jugoslav Petkovic is founder at Flaviar.
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About Flaviar: Flaviar, a spirits tasting club, offers a subscription service that helps members discover new liquor products through sample tasting packs.
Amanda Szabo
Founder & CEO of ResortPass
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About ResortPass: ResortPass is an online booking platform for access to resorts and hotels for the pool, spa, fitness, and amenities.
Abhishek Begerhotta
CEO of Hotelsoft
Abhishek is the founder and CEO of 314e, a successful Healthcare IT consulting company based in Northern California. Abhishek has worked in Healthcare IT since 1996 when he was a programmer for IBM. He still pretends to write code, though his colleagues are quick to point out that they haven’t seen a line of it. Abhishek has an MBA from the Wharton School of Business. He is interested in energy efficient cars, ping pong and is a mathematician by training.
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About 314e Corporation, Hotelsoft: Software solutions and services to independent and chain scale hotels.
Sumer Johal
Founder & CEO of Agralogics
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About Agralogics: Agralogics offers SaaS-based applications and services that provide geo-referenced big data analytics for the hospitality industry.
Ale Resnik
Co-founder and CEO of Belong
Alejandro “Ale” Resnik (born April 18, 1982) is an Argentine-born American serial entrepreneur. Ale is the Founder and CEO of Belong, a US plattform for long term home renting. Resnik’s third company was Beepi, a peer-to-peer marketplace for buying and selling automobiles. In 2017, Ale joined venutre capital firm Andreessen Horowitz as Founder in Residence. In 2014, Resnik was named a Top Innovator Under 35 by the MIT Technology Review. Early life and education Resnik was raised in Argentina and at the age of 18, he founded his first start up, a domain registrar named LatinDominios.com.] In 2000, he received an undergraduate degree in Information Technology from ORT in Argentina and in 2006, a MSc in industrial engineering from the Buenos Aires Institute of Technology (Instituto Tecnologico de Buenos Aires).In 2011, Resnik entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and in 2013, graduated with an MBA from the Sloan School of Management in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Track. Global Vitamins In 2005, Resnik founded Global Vitamins, LTD, and became its CEO. The subscription-based e-commerce company, which sold vitamins and nutritional supplements directly to consumers, marketed to clients in Latin America and Europe. Resnik sold the 75-person company in 2011 to attend MIT. Beepi He co-founded Beepi, a “peer-to-peer” online used-car marketplace that failed to raise additional funding to operate and was sold off in January 2017. After exiting Beepi, Ale joined Venture Capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, based in Menlo Park, as Founder in Residence. Awards Top Innovator Under 35 by the MIT Technology Review in 2014. A jury member for the MIT Technology Review prize said the Resnik had created “an innovative model and disruptor for the American market” and added that the Beepi project has contributed “innovation in the field of electronic commerce.” In 2015, Resnik was named by Pulse to the LinkedIn “New Wave List” of the top 10 professionals under 35 influencing “what and how we drive.” Ale was awarded an academic merit scholarship at the Buenos Aires Institute of Technology and the MIT Legatum Fellowship for Development and Entrepreneurship;
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About Andreessen Horowitz, Belong: Belong is a residential network that vertically integrates all aspects of the home rental and home improvement process.
Leslie Hale
President and Chief Executive Officer of RLJ Lodging Trust
Leslie Hale has served as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Real Estate & Finance for RLJ Lodging Trust since 2007. Leslie Hale is responsible for all financial matters across RLJ. As CFO, she is intricately involved in the company’s investment decision-making, daily operations and long-term strategic planning. In addition to her CFO responsibilities, Hale oversees the execution of all asset and corporate level transactions.
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About RLJ Lodging Trust: RLJ Lodging Trust is a self-advised, publicly traded real estate investment trust focused on acquiring premium-branded.
Jim Amorosia
President & CEO of G6 Hospitality
Jim Amorosia is President, Chief Executive Officer of G6 Hospitality LLC, the parent company of the iconic brands Motel 6, Studio 6, Hotel 6, and Estudio 6, and oversees all strategic direction of these brands for the organization. Amorosia has more than 30 years of hotel operations experience and is recognized as one of the key leaders in the economy segment. He joined Motel 6 in 1985 and has held management positions in various disciplines within the company. Amorosia assumed the role of President and Chief Operations Officer for Motel 6 and Studio 6 in 2007, which he held until his promotion in 2011 to President, Chief Executive Officer of Motel 6 and Studio 6. He has been featured in major industry publications for his segment expertise and industry perspective. Under his leadership, the Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands continue to grow and expand across North America and Latin America. In 2015, Amorosia joined the AH&LA Board of Directors. A two-term commissioner with the California Board of Travel and Tourism, and a past director of the Bay Area Urban League, Amorosia holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Crane School of Music and a Master of Business Administration degree from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.
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About G6 Hospitality: On mission is to build on the iconic heritage of their brands
Charlie Mills
Chief Executive Officer of Medline Industries
Charlie joined Medline in 1986 where he started as a sales representative. Since then he has held various positions within the company including sales management, vice president of marketing and vice president of manufacturing. In 1997, he was named CEO. Prior to joining Medline, Charlie was a sales rep with IBM. He received his B.S. degree in Engineering and his MBA from Cornell University.
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About Medline Industries: Medline Industries, Inc., based in Mundelein, Illinois,
Jim Lucchese
CEO of Sofar Sounds
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About Sofar Sounds: Sofar Sounds is a global community hosting curated, secret performances in more than 400 cities around the world.
Benoit Lam
Founder & Co-CEO of UPPERKEY
Entrepreneur for 10 Years | Investing in Talent | Life Enthusiast Passionate about human connections, real estate and hospitality. Key Highlights of UpperKey: 1. A fast-growing PropTech iRenting company disrupting the traditional hospitality industry one rental at a time. 2. Established business run by the founding owners, supported by a multi-disciplinary international management team, 3. A highly scalable platform requiring only minimal incremental investment to expand in new cities around the globe.
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About UPPERKEY: Hospitality Tech Company
President/CEO of Stonebridge Companies
Navin Dimond is the founder of Stonebridge Companies. He serves as President and Chief Executive Officer, overseeing the company’s development, operations and investment functions. Stonebridge Companies has experienced substantial, positive growth. Mr. Dimond is the recipient of the Award of Excellence from the American Asian Hotel Owners Association, the Hotelier of the Year Award from the Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association and the prestigious Hilton Hotels Multi-brand Developer of the Year Award. In 2013 Stonebridge Companies received the coveted Marriott Partnership Circle Award, granted to Franchisees for their excellence and commitment to growth as well as dedication to their associates and guests. As a result of his expertise and proven track record, Mr. Dimond serves in an advisory role for a wide variety of organizations. Currently, Navin serves on the Franchise Advisory Council for Hampton Inn Hotels by Hilton and Marriott’s Residence Inn Advisory Board (TRIA Board). Navin has been involved with the Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association (CH&LA) for many years, serving as Chairman in 2003. In 2008 Navin was inducted into the CH&LA Hall of Fame. Mr. Dimond serves on the Washington State University College of Engineering and Architecture Executive Leadership Board, Cornell University’s Dean’s Advisory Board for the School of Hotel Administration and the Daniels College of Business Executive Advisory Board at the University of Denver. Involvement in the local community is important to Mr. Dimond. Currently he serves on the Board of Trustees for the University of Denver, the Denver Kent School and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. In addition, Navin serves on the Foundation Board of the Metropolitan State College of Denver and is a Board Member of the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau (VISIT DENVER). Mr. Dimond is a graduate of Washington State University where he earned his B.A. in Business Administration and his B.S. in Construction Management. He earned his MBA in Real Estate and Construction Management from the University of Denver.
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About Stonebridge Companies: Stonebridge Companies has grown to be recognized as one of the nation’s leading development and hospitality management companies.
Sascha Mornell
Co-Founder & CEO of GetMyBoat
Sascha Mornell is a serial entrepreneur. He is the Co-Founder of GetMyBoat, ZigAir, and Phacil. Previously, he worked for register.com, where he served as SVP of Sales & Marketing. Mr. Mornell also worked at the National Basketball Association and Dreyer’s, Japan in Tokyo. Mr. Mornell has served as an advisor/investor to several small businesses, including Osmio (acquired by Aramark), Markmonitor, AW Media and others. Mr. Mornell graduated cum laude from UC Berkeley and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
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About GetMyBoat, SaraGEO, ZigAir: GetMyBoat is the marketplace for boat rentals, yacht charters, and on-the-water experiences.
Ware Sykes
CEO of Seasoned.co
CEO at Seasoned.
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About Seasoned.co: Community, Marketplace, Restaurants
Nelson Nigel
Founder and CEO of Kidmoto Technologies LLC
Nelson Nigel is a serial immigrant entrepreneur. His family emigrated from Guyana to Corona, Queens NYC when he was young. In 2016 He founded Kidmoto Technologies, The Kidmoto app connects parents to a network of professionally trained drivers who provide secured child car seats for safe airport transportation.
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About Kidmoto Technologies LLC: Mobile app connecting families with young children seeking car seat taxi transportation with drivers providing installed child seats.
Jonathan Murray
Co-Founder & CEO of MyVR
Co-Founder/CEO of MyVR. Co-Founder/CEO of Lift Media (acquired). Former GE manager and Six Sigma guru. Stanford MBA.
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About MyVR: MyVR, a Guesty company, is a cloud-based, multi-channel management platform for vacation rental businesses.
Diana Thai
CEO & Co-founder of Voyajoy
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About Voyajoy: AI Powered Platform for Short Term Rentals
Justin Effron
Co-Founder & CEO of ALICE
Justin Effron is the Co-Founder and of ALICE.
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About ALICE: ALICE connects every department of a hotel with one platform for all staff communication and guest requests.
Harrison Gordon
Co-Founder and CEO of Blueberry Pediatrics
Harrison Gordon graduated from Northwestern University and worked for Microsoft as a program manager and Google as a product manager. With a family full of doctors and both parents practicing physicians based in Florida, Harrison wanted to use his background and expertise to create a company that uses online services to create a better life for everyone. In his spare time, Harrison enjoys cooking, hiking, and playing with his 1-year-old rescue dog Riley.
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About Blueberry Pediatrics: Blueberry Pediatrics provides parents with live access to top pediatricians for a flat monthly rate.
Myra Norton
President & CEO of Arena Analytics
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About Arena Analytics: Arena Analytics applies predictive analytics and machine learning to talent acquisition challenges.
Sean Breuner
Founder & CEO of AvantStay
Serial entrepreneur, advisor and angel investor. Casper, Latch, Blast, AwayCo, Neighborly, Hippo Insurance, OpenToken, OTG Organics, Text IQ, Starcity, BarBend, Wandering Bear, Abstract VC, Mesh, Raden, OneLog
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About AvantStay: AvantStay is a technology-first hospitality brand for experiential group travel.
Robert Vitale
President & CEO of Post Holdings
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About Post Holdings: Post Holdings, Inc. is a consumer goods company currently operating in the center-of-the-store, active nutrition and private label food
Jonathan Kaplan
Founder & CEO of THE MELT
Jonathan Kaplan, also known as Jon, is the Founder of THE MELT and serves as its Chairman of the Board. Mr. Kaplan serves as a Director of Euclid Analytics, Inc.
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About THE MELT: THE MELT is an American restaurant serving made-to-order grilled cheese sandwiches.
Travis Grillo
Co-Founder and CEO of Grillo’s Pickles
Travis Grillo is the CEO and founder of Grillo’s Pickles, an all-natural pickle company based in Cambridge, MA. He started Grillo’s in 2008 by taking the 100 year old family pickle recipe and packing jars to sell out of the trunk of his car. In just five short years, Travis has grown the business from a pickle cart in Boston Common to a fully distributed pickled food company that is stocked in over 50 whole foods stores and its own specialty retail space in Cambridge, MA.
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About Grillo’s Pickles: Grillo’s Pickles is a pickle store.
Rakesh Chauhan
Chief Executive Officer of Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts
Rakesh Chauhan is the Chief Executive Officer at Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts.
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About Banyan Investment Group, Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts: Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts is an international hospitality brand that manages and develops resorts, hotels and spas.
Stefania Mallett
Co-Founder & CEO of ezCater
Stefania has spent over 25 years building and growing technology-enabled companies that solve real business problems. Stefania co-founded and successfully sold InSite Marketing Technology (now NASDAQ: KANA). Her tenure at National Logistics Management (a broker for $225M in transportation services) brought NLM to profitability for the first time in 4 years. At IntraNet (now NASDAQ:TSAI), Stefania revamped the firm and vaulted it to #1 in its market, a position it has maintained for 15+ years. At a dozen companies, she has held general management, marketing, sales, product management, support, and technical positions. Stefania also operates as a Director and advisor to many for-profit and non-profit firms. She has a BS and an MS from MIT.
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About ezCater: EzCater is an online catering marketplace that allows individuals to order food from local caterers.
Frits Van Paasschen
Chief Executive Officer, President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Mr. van Paasschen has been Chief Executive Officer and President of the Company since September 2007. From March 2005 until September 2007, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Molson Coors Brewing Company’s largest division, Coors Brewing Company, a brewing company, prior to its merger with Miller Brewing Company and the formation of MillerCoors LLC. Prior to joining Coors, from April 2004 until March 2005, Mr. van Paasschen worked independently through FPaasschen Consulting, a consulting company, and Mercator Investments, a private equity firm, evaluating, proposing, and negotiating private equity transactions. Prior thereto, Mr. van Paasschen spent seven years at Nike, Inc., a designer, developer and marketer of footwear, apparel and accessory products, most recently as Corporate Vice President/General Manager, Europe, Middle East and Africa from 2000 to 2004. From 1995 to 1997, Mr. van Paasschen served as Vice President, Finance and Planning at Disney Consumer Products, a business segment of The Walt Disney Company that extends the Disney brand to a range of merchandise, and earlier in his career was a management consultant for eight years at the global management consulting firm of McKinsey & Company and the Boston Consulting Group. As the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and President for the past five years, Mr. van Paasschen has valuable insight into, and a unique understanding of, the Company’s operations, management and culture and provides an essential link between management and the Board on management’s business perspectives. His specific experience with the Company, combined with his extensive managerial experience and knowledge of the hotel and leisure industry generally, make him essential to developing the strategic plan for the Company.
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About Starwood Hotels & Resorts: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is the most global high-end hotel company in the world.
Roman Pedan
Founder and CEO of Kasa Living
Roman Pedan is the Founder & CEO of Kasa Living.
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About Kasa Living: Kasa Living is a hospitality company that offers flexible accommodations for business and leisure travelers.
Adam Segal
Co-founder & CEO of Cove
Adam is the founder and CEO of Cove, a DC-based startup on a mission to empower individuals to pursue and achieve when, where, and how they choose through its network of convenient locations. Adam’s vision for Cove is to enable a lifestyle that fits work into your way of life, and not the other way around. He is focused on expanding Cove to new markets with an incredible team of nearly 100 full- and part-time teammates. Adam holds a BA from Amherst College, an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, and an MPA from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. In this interview, Adam shares insightful thoughts about entrepreneurship and running a non-traditional coworking space that promotes flexibility, convenience, and productivity. He also shares about his experience as a business owner and how he handles business mistakes.
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About Cove: We are on a mission to build software and create in-person experiences that transform the way people engage with their physical environment.
Joel Montaniel
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of SevenRooms
Joel Montaniel is the CEO and Co-Founder of SevenRooms, a Front-of-House (FOH) and Client Relationship Management (CRM) platform for the hospitality, dining and nightlife industry. Founded in 2011 in New York, SevenRooms provides operators with intelligent FOH capabilities, multi-channel inventory distribution, an open API platform and powerful CRM to track and capture F&B data. Prior to founding SevenRooms, Montaniel served as Chief of Staff at LivePerson (NASDAQ: LPSN), reporting directly to the CEO and leading strategic, operational and cultural initiatives for the company. Montaniel started his career at Credit Suisse working on the financing and securitization of commercial mortgages totaling over $15bn for the Real Estate Finance and Securitization Group. He received his B.A. (Hons) from Georgetown University.
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About SevenRooms: SevenRooms is a guest experience and retention platform for the hospitality industry.
Ippei Takahashi
President & CEO – Founder of RideGuru
Ippei has worked in web development and sales roles for over 15 years in the high-tech industry. Since founding Unleashed, LLC in 2007, he has designed products, developed strategy for the company, and led various initiatives as a project manager. As a passionate entrepreneur, he continues to build the vision for Unleashed, LLC and its future products.
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About RideGuru: RideGuru is the trusted resource, tool, and community for everyone engaged in ridehails, rideshares, limos, and taxis.
Poorvi Patodia
Founder & CEO of Biena Snacks
Poorvi Patodia is the Founder & CEO at Biena Snacks.
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About Biena Snacks: Biena Snacks is a snack food company that specializes in deliciously crunchy and healthy plant-based snacks.
Paul Scialla
Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Delos
Paul Scialla After 18 years on Wall Street, including 10 at Goldman Sachs as a Partner, Paul Scialla’s interest in sustainability and altruistic capitalism led him to found Delos, which is merging the world’s largest asset class – real estate – with the world’s fastest growing industry – wellness. Since the company’s inception, Paul has become a leading voice in the sustainability movement, serving as a keynote speaker at prominent green building, real estate, and technology forums and conferences around the world. Paul is also the Founder of the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), which administers the WELL Building Standard® globally to improve human health and wellbeing through the built environment, a member of the Board of Directors for the Chopra Foundation, and a founding board member of the JUST Capital Foundation. Paul graduated from New York University with a degree in finance, and he currently resides in New York City.
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About Delos: Delos is a real estate company that focuses on tech, health, design and science to improve human health in the built environment.
Vinay Shukla
CEO of ConverseNow
Vinay Shukla is a Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at ConverseNow.
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About ConverseNow: Shaping the future of artificial intelligence with best-in-class voice AI, serving the world’s leading restaurant brands
Brett Schulman
CEO of Cava Group
Brett Schulman is the founder and CEO of Rockville, Maryland-based Cava, a Mediterranean restaurant chain.
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About Cava Group: Cava Group is a Mediterranean culinary brand that offers chef-crafted dips and spreads.
Ali Moloo
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of myDigitalOffice
Ali Moloo is the co-founder and the Chief Executive Officer of myDigitalOffice.
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About myDigitalOffice: myDigitalOffice is an easy-to-use hoteliers data visualization, process automation, and performance management software.
Kathleen Wilson
CEO of The Minte
CEO, Founder at Sofie.
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About Sofie Tech, The Minte: The Minte offers hotel-style housekeeping services.
Ooshma Garg
Founder & CEO of Gobble
Ooshma Garg already has started two successful businesses – one that she recently sold and another that has attracted over one million dollars in venture capital. In 2008, she created Anapata, an online site that matches students looking for jobs with potential employers, mostly in the legal field. After three years of sleepless nights, bootstrapping (keeping the business self-sustained without raising any outside money) and developing Anapata, Garg sold it to the legal company LawWerx. Garg says she feels she’s finally found her niche and true passion with Gobble, a dinner delivery service that creates 10-minute 1-pan fresh dinner kits for busy professionals looking for a healthy and quick alternative to takeout. The idea came from Garg’s own struggles to eat well while running Anapata. With a demanding schedule that often left her eating in her car, Garg says she was looking for a way to get home-cooked meals at a reasonable price. She started by delivering prepared meals from local chefs and eventually progressed to hiring cooks and chefs in her own Gobble commercial kitchen. With the hiring of Executive Chef Thomas Ricci, Garg invented Gobble’s now flagship product, the 10-minute 1-pan dinner kit, providing her customers with both the speed of takeout and the satisfaction of cooking at home. The strategy paid off with Garg scoring some top investors in Silicon Valley – including LinkedIn Co-founder Reid Hoffman – raising over $1.2 million in seed capital for her business.
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About Gobble, XFactor Ventures: Gobble is a weekly dinner kit delivery service that helps busy people cook dinner in just 15 minutes thanks to already prepped ingredients.
Christopher Webb
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of ChowNow
Chris Webb, Co-Founder & CEO of ChowNow, an online ordering system and marketing platform for restaurants.
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About ChowNow, HuffPost: ChowNow helps branded online ordering systems for independent restaurants through the restaurants’ own websites.
Marilyn Nelson
Co-Chief Executive Officer of Carlson
Marilyn Carlson Nelson has served as a member of our board of directors and as its Chair since November 2016. Since 1999, Ms. Nelson has served as Co-Chair of the board of directors and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Carlson Holdings, Inc., an international holdings company. Ms. Nelson previously served as a member of the board of directors of Carlson, Inc., a hospitality and travel company, from 1989 to 2015, and as its Chief Executive Officer from 1998 to 2008. Ms. Nelson also served on the board of directors of ExxonMobil from 1991 to 2012. Ms. Nelson holds a B.A. in international economics from Smith College and honorary doctorates from Smith College, the University of Minnesota, Johnson & Wales University, Gustavus Adolphus College and the College of St. Catherine. We believe Ms. Nelson’s extensive public and private board experience and her knowledge of the Company as one of our early investors enable her to make valuable contributions to our board of directors.
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About Carlson, Mayo Clinic: Carlson is a family-owned, global hospitality and travel company, operating brands, including Quorvus Collection, Radisson Blu, and more.
Junaid Shams
CEO, Co-Founder of Rooam
Junaid is a serial entrepreneur and physician. Currently, Junaid is the CEO and co-founder of Rooam, a mobile payment platform that lets guests open, view, and pay their bar tab or restaurant bill directly from their phone. Junaid has received numerous national recognitions, including Bloomberg Businessweek’s “Top 25 entrepreneurs under 25” and Under30CEO’s “Top 30 Most Influential Entrepreneurs under 30.” His start-ups have also been featured by Forbes, Bloomberg Businessweek, and Entrepreneur magazine.
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About Rooam: A contactless payment solution for the hospitality, sports, and entertainment industry
Kim Ballis
Chief Executive Officer of Travelpro Group
Kim Ballis serves as Chief Executive Officer of Travelpro International, Inc.
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About Travelpro Group: Travelpro is leading marketer and supplier of high-quality luggage, assorted bags, and travel accessories.
Paul Katsch
Chief Executive Officer & Chairman,owner of Guest Innovations, Inc
Paul J. Katsch serves as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Guest Innovations, Inc. Katsch’s passion and vision for Guest Innovations is to build the restaurant industry’s leading technology solutions, which will maximize guest service and profitability. Paul is a technology innovator who loves problem solving. Katsch’s entrepreneurial career started at 16, when he sold Apple II computer peripherals to universities. At that time, he fell in love with building something from nothing and addressing customer demand. Katsch has launched and managed dozens of businesses throughout his career. Notably, as CEO, Katsch built Maxcomm Technologies, Inc., a telecom software company, from startup to $18 million annual revenue in less than two years without any outside funding. Maxcomm Technologies’ software maximized switch capabilities by interfacing with Intel’s Dialogic Telephony boards and allowing telco DS3 trunks to be controlled by computer systems. In 2010, when profitable land developments were rare, Katsch developed land in Davis, California and built the state’s most energy conscious subdivision. Katsch’s profitable sustainable development community focused on building beautiful homes with minimum carbon footprint and maximum natural resource efficiency, without compromising livability. That year, Katsch also opened his first restaurant in Virginia. The 275-seat restaurant focused on farm-to-fork cuisine and served locally sourced produce, grass-fed beef and hand crafted pastas. Paul found relationship building essential to his success, whether breaking bread at a fine dining establishment or a humble hot dog cart. Katsch received his Bachelor of Science degree in Genetics from the University of California, Davis. Katsch is a lifelong student, currently learning Russian, a licensed VFR pilot and sports lover.
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About Guest Innovations, Inc, Rezku POS Point of Sale for Restaurants: Innovative software solutions for the hospitality industry
Philip Seifi
Co-Founder & CEO of Pona
Philip draws on his interdisciplinary background to align design, technology and business objectives. He also lends his time to Harvard Alumni for Global Development and has mentored entrepreneurs at UNDP, Techstars and startup events around the world.
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About Colabra, Pona: We connect families through food.
Yannis Moati
Founder & CEO of Hotels By Day
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About Hotels By Day: Create protocols to enable hotels to smoothly transition towards our ‘on-demand everything’ society.
Kyle Kinnett
CEO of Bullseye Event Group
Kyle Kinnett is the CEO of Bullseye Event Group.
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About Bullseye Event Group: Bullseye Event Group operates in the secondary ticket and sports travel industry.
Robert Thompson
Chief Executive Officer of Angevin & Co.
Robert Thompson, Founder and CEO of Punch Bowl Social, was raised in Mississippi and Colorado, surrounded by the southern hospitality that now permeates his award-winning “eatertainment” concept where elevated, scratch-made diner eats and crafted cocktails combine with old school games and Dirty-Modern décor to create an unusually dynamic, social, authentic experience. In 1997 at age 25, Thompson began his career as a restaurateur in Nashville where he blended his passions for restaurants, real estate and design. Seeing an opportunity, Robert signed an ambitious 22,000 Sft. lease on prime real estate next to the honky-tonks and new commercial realities of downtown Nashville. Thompson wrote a business plan, opened a highly successful business and was forever hooked as a restaurateur. Before developing his “crown jewel,” Punch Bowl Social, Robert opened eight other restaurant concepts, earned dozens of awards – including four Best New Restaurant honors in Denver and Nashville. Each of those experiences helped him perfect his vision of combining high-integrity food with social bar experiences in a way that had not been seen before Punch Bowl Social. Thompson opened the first Punch Bowl Social on South Broadway in Denver in 2012. From its beginnings as a single restaurant and bar, the innovative Punch Bowl Social concept immediately established a profound connection with guests who embraced the upscale diner-inspired menu, vintage games and fun, fresh bar offerings. Interior design creativity is cornerstone of the Punch Bowl Social brand and is evident through the Victorian furnishings, Colorado mountain lodge warmth, industrial spaces, modern appointments and dozens of other eye-catching design elements that make Punch Bowl Social so special. The concept was so popular that developers in other states took notice and began courting Thompson to open Punch Bowl Social locations outside of Colorado. Since 2012, Thompson has opened Punch Bowl Social locations in Austin, TX, Portland, OR and Detroit, MI, will put locations in Cleveland, OH and Chicago, IL in 2015, and in Denver’s Stapleton community in early 2016. Given the freedom to dream up the best in innovative eats, drinks, service, ambiance and architecture, Robert Thompson has found great success in developing restaurants that guests wholeheartedly embrace. When Robert is not working, Thompson loves distance running the Colorado high-country and spends every spare moment in the company of his wife and young son.
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About Angevin & Co.: Angevin & Co. provides consultation solutions to improve business from the hotel and restaurants industry.
BOIAN SPASSOV
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Locbit
Boian Spassov is the Founder and CEO of Locbit.
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About Locbit: Locbit is a company that helps companies and people connect their devices inside their buildings.
Daniel Estrada
Co-Founder and CEO of 86 Repairs
Daniel Estrada is the co-founder and CEO of 86 Repairs, the repair and maintenance management platform built for the restaurant industry. He has over 20 years of experience in technical and leadership roles, including as a software engineer, project manager, consultant to startups and Fortune 500 companies, and as the practice head in a global digital consultancy. Daniel is a first generation American, multi-citizen, and speaks 3 languages.
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About 86 Repairs: 86 Repairs is a subscription service that optimizes and manages end-to-end equipment repair and maintenance for restaurant groups.
Daniel Detoni
CEO of Propzie
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About Propzie: TENNTS is a PropTech company concentrating on rentals and hospitality.
Carlo Cisco
Founder & CEO of SELECT
Carlo Cisco is the Founder and CEO of SELECT. Carlo is a serial entrepreneur and active investor who founded his first successful venture at 18.
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About Forbes Finance Council, SELECT, Tech.Co, YEC: SELECT is the first lifestyle-improving financial company & concierge.
Nitesh Gandhi
CEO & Founder of Locale
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About Locale: Locale is a hospitality company that designs and operates high-quality accommodations for the intentional traveler.
Raphael Rosen
CEO of Carbon Lighthouse
Raphael Rosen is CEO & Co-founder of Carbon Lighthouse, where he is responsible for corporate finance and capital raising, long-term planning, and the company’s operations strategy. Raphael has led Carbon Lighthouse’s scale and growth over the past decade to deliver true environmental and operational impact and more than $250 million in savings for clients including Goldman Sachs, Hawaiian Airlines, L&B, The Carlyle Group, The Moinian Group, Madison International Realty, and AEW. Previously, Raphael served as VP of Corporate Development at Safari Energy where he grew Safari’s operational capacity to more than 25 solar projects worth $24 million.
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About Carbon Lighthouse: Delivering easy building decarbonization for commercial real estate owners
Margot Schmorak
Co-Founder and CEO of Hostfully, Inc.
Margot Schmorak A proud graduate of the Blue Startups accelerator program, Margot is CEO and Co-Founder of Hostfully, a venture-funded startup in the vacation rental space. Hostfully helps companies save valuable time and make more money from their properties with best in class business tools. Founded in 2015, Hostfully’s customers have created content 40,000 times on the platform, and span across 80 countries. Prior to Hostfully, Margot was Head of Marketing and Strategy for the $200M business unit at ServiceSource (NASAQ: SREV). Before that, she launched the iPhone Developer Launch at Apple in 2008. She was also on the founding team of Coveroo, a venture-funded startup acquired by Zazzle in 2012. Margot graduated from Vassar College and holds an MBA with Distinction from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. She is originally from Minnesota, and now lives in San Francisco with her two kids and husband Ari.
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About Hostfully, Inc.: Making vacation rentals easier to book and more fun to stay in.
Wyman T. Roberts
CEO & President of Brinker International
Mr. Wyman T. Roberts is the President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Brinker International Inc. and President – Chili’s Grill & Bar of Brinker International Inc., effective January 1, 2013. Wyman T. Roberts, 54, is Chief Executive Officer, President of Brinker International, Inc. and President of Chili’s Grill & Bar, having been appointed to this position in January 2013, having previously served as President of Chili’s Grill & Bar since November 2009, as Senior Vice President, Maggiano’s Little Italy President, and Chief Marketing Officer since March 2009, and Senior Vice President and Maggiano’s Little Italy President since August 2005. Mr. Roberts previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for NBC’s Universal Parks & Resorts from December 2000 until August 2005. Mr. Roberts was previously employed by Darden Restaurants, Inc. for 16 years where he most recently served as Executive Vice President, Marketing. Mr. Roberts has served on the Board of Directors since February 2013. Mr. Roberts brings over twenty-nine years of hands-on experience in the casual dining and entertainment industries serving in various senior leadership roles in both industries. He provides knowledge and understanding of the industry as well as the leadership ability to continue executing on the Company’s strategic vision and drive continued success.
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About Brinker International: Brinker International is dining restaurant companies.
Alex Backer
Founder & Chief Executive Officer of QLess
A National Champion of Informatics, Alex holds a degree in Biology and Economics from MIT, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Computation and Neural Systems and Biology from the California Institute of Technology, where he was awarded the Dean’s award for ‘great contributions and outstanding qualities of Leadership and Responsibility’. He has held positions at McKinsey & Co., the Center for Computation, Computers, Information and Mathematics of Sandia National Labs, and Caltech. Alex conceived QLess while standing in line. Prior to starting QLess, Alex was also the founder of a pioneer of search engine marketing technology that has boosted the reach of search engine marketing campaigns by up to 580% while simultaneously reducing their cost per action by up to 78%, the invention factory, a semantic people search engine with machine vision which beat Google and every other search engine tested 3 to 1 or more in results relevance in a blind people search comparison, and the first resume- or file-based search engine. Alex was appointed by the President to serve in the California Institute of Technology’s Information Sciences and Technology Board of Advisors. In 2013, Alex was named the Gold Stevie Winner of IT Executive of the Year and Silver Stevie Winner of Innovator of the Year by the International Business Awards. In 2011, Alex was honored as the keynote speaker at LA County’s Tech Week, an honor that was previously accorded a Nobel Prize winner, the CEO of Cisco, the CEO of Adobe, the Chairman of Deloitte, and an astronaut. In 2010, Alex was honored as one of “40 under 40″ for the inaugural 40 Under 40 M&A Advisor Recognition Awards. Alex’s research on neural coding and artificial intelligence has been published in the world’s leading publications such as Nature and Neural Computation.
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About abInventio, Confidential (In stealth mode), Office of Science and Technology Austria, QLess: QLess is a platform that provides mobile, remote and interactive queueing; analytics; real-time CRM; and marketing.
Anthony Leonardo
Founder & CEO of Hostie
A bootstrapping entrepreneur, Anthony started his first company 9 years ago after being fired and rehired twice by his former employer as a General Manager. Learning from his successes and failures Anthony has continued to develop his companies using his personal funds. In late 2014 Anthony saw an opportunity in home sharing and he started an Airbnb business with only 4 properties. After testing the market, he later founded airpads.com a vacation rental management company that takes the work out of vacation rentals for Airbnb hosts and homeowners. In late 2017 Anthony has been working on developing hostie.com, Hostie focuses on supporting other vacation rental management companies. Anthony has been acknowledged by his peers for his ability to create groundbreaking efforts in driving large-scale cultural change that builds organizational effectiveness and propels revenue and growth. Anthony’s colleagues consider him to be a true visionary in expansions, critical thinker and problem solver, scalability and fast growth due to his out-of-the-box forward thinking. During his free time, Anthony has worked with Protohack helping younger entrepreneurs reach and achieve their goals by hackathon events and offering problem-solving and scalability options. Anthony also enjoys working with high school students. Anthony is open to offers his time speaking and motivating others in Los Angeles and other Southern California areas.
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About Hostie: Hostie takes the work out of hosting your airbnb by providing a professional network of cohosts and software tools to manage your property.
Joseph Moinian
CEO & Founder of The Moinian Group
Joseph Moinian is known for his superb investment, development and management strategies, forging new neighborhoods and spearheading the transformation and enhancement of property values and environments. The New York City-based developer, investor and long-term owner of prime real estate nationwide is recognized for pioneering the development of emerging neighborhoods in major metropolitan cities across the United States. Founded by Mr. Moinian in 1982, The Moinian Group today boasts a portfolio of more than 20 million square feet of property – and is among one of the only national real estate entities to develop, own and operate properties across every asset category, including office, hotel, retail, condos and rental apartments. Joseph Moinian is a member of the Board of Governors of the Real Estate Board of New York and sits on the boards of the Skyline Museum. Mr. Moinian is also a noted philanthropist who supports the arts, civic organizations and healthcare issues. He resides with his wife Nazee and their five children in Manhattan.
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About The Moinian Group: The Moinian Group is a real estate company that develops, owns, and operates commercial, residential, and hotel properties in US.
Robbie Bhathal
Co-Founder, Founding CEO, Boardmember of Suiteness
Robbie Bhathal is the CEO and Co-Founder of Suiteness. Robbie has a background in venture finance, online innovation, scaling start-up enterprises, and over a decade of management experience. He’s also held positions at Capital One Innovation Labs, Pubmatic, Lakewood Capital and Indian Creek Capital.
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About Brightflow AI, Suiteness: Suiteness is a free-to-join hotel booking website connecting hotel rooms and suites.
Gillian Morris
Co-Founder and CEO of Hitlist
Gillian Morris is the co-founder and CEO of Hitlist.
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About Hitlist, South Park Commons, TripCommon: Hitlist is a travel app platform that serves up bargain-priced flights and travels deals.
