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 New York based CEO’ operating in the Retail 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.
Ralf Wenzel
Founder and CEO of JOKR
Ralf Wenzel is the Berlin- and New York-based founder and CEO of JOKR, the global platform for instant grocery and retail delivery at a hyper-local scale. Email Johrenk7@gmail.com Ralf has an almost 20-year track record of building companies up from scratch, bringing their products to consumers globally, and leading diverse teams. Prior to founding JOKR, he built three companies, including foodpanda, one of the world’s most successful food delivery businesses across 40 countries, which he later merged with Delivery Hero and led through an initial public offering. He also built Skrill, the first e-wallet and leading online payments company in Europe, and Tocororo Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm. Ralf previously operated his businesses with a focus on emerging markets, particularly in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. He has also served as Managing Partner at Softbank. Wenzel holds a degree in computer science from Berlin University.
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About JOKR, SoftBank: JOKR is a grocery and delivery platform that provides hyper-local product delivery services.
Neil Blumenthal
Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Warby Parker
Neil Blumenthal is a co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker, a transformative lifestyle brand that offers designer eyewear at a revolutionary price, while leading the way for socially-conscious businesses. Prior to launching Warby Parker in 2010, Neil served as Director of VisionSpring, a non-profit social enterprise that trains low-income women to start their own businesses selling affordable eyeglasses to individuals living on less than $4 per day in developing countries. In 2005, Neil was named a Fellow for Emerging Leaders in Public Service at NYU Robert F. Wagner School for Public Service. In 2012, he was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company. In 2013, he became a member of the United Nations’ Global Entrepreneurs Council and was named one of Crain’s “40 Under Forty”. In 2013, he received an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award. Neil serves on the board of RxArt and on the United Nations Global Entrepreneurs Council. A native of New York City, Neil received his BA from Tufts University and his MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was both a Social Enterprise Fellow and a Leadership Fellow. Neil lives in Greenwich Village with his wife Rachel Leigh, the founder of Cricket’s Circle.
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About Warby Parker: Warby Parker is a lifestyle brand that offers designer eyewear while being a socially conscious business.
David Gilboa
Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Warby Parker
Dave Gilboa is the co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker, a transformative lifestyle brand offering designer eyewear at a revolutionary price while leading the way for socially conscious businesses. In 2015, Fast Company named Warby Parker the most innovative company in the world. Prior to Warby Parker, Dave worked at merchant bank Allen & Company and Bain & Company. Dave has worked extensively with non-profit organizations, and serves as a founding member of the Entrepreneur Board of Venture for America, an organization dedicated to mobilizing graduates as entrepreneurs in low-cost cities. He is a member of the Aspen Institute’s 2014 Henry Crown Fellowship class and the Aspen Global Leadership Network, received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, and was recognized as part of “The Next Establishment” by Vanity Fair. Born in Sweden and raised in San Diego, Dave graduated with a BS in Bioengineering with Honors from UC Berkeley and holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. With the ultimate goal of making safe, routine vision tests more accessible and convenient for the millions of adults who wear prescription glasses, Warby Parker introduced Prescription Check in 2017, a mobile refraction service designed in-house that, if you are eligible, allows an eye doctor to assess your vision and provide an updated prescription within 24 hours.
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About Warby Parker: Warby Parker is a lifestyle brand that offers designer eyewear while being a socially conscious business.
Marc Lore
Founder & CEO of Jet
Marc Lore is the Founder and CEO of Jet. He was previously the Chief Operating Officer of Wizkids, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Topps Company, Inc. (NASD: TOPP) and a leading game manufacturer. Prior to joining Wizkids, Marc was the co-founder and CEO of The Pit, Inc., an Internet market-making collectible company constructed as an alternative to eBay. The Pit, Inc. was successfully sold to the then publicly traded Topps Company in 2001. Prior to ThePit, Marc held various investment banking positions, including as Executive Vice President of Sanwa International Bank in London where he was head of the bank’s Risk Management Division. Before Sanwa, he was Vice President and Global Head of Emerging Markets Risk Department at Credit Suisse First Boston in London. In 2000, he was named by The Sunday Times Magazine of London as one of Britain’s top ten “new high-tech entrepreneurs and whiz kids.” Marc graduated from Bucknell University, where he received a B.A. in Business Management/Economics, cum laude, and is currently on leave from the Wharton University School of Business MBA program. He is also a C.F.A. (Chartered Financial Analyst). Marc has two young daughters, Sierra and Sophia, with his wife, Carolyn.
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About Jet, Walmart: Jet operates an e-commerce platform that allows its member to shop online from various retailers.
Vadim Rogovskiy
CEO, Co-founder of 3DLOOK
3X founder (AdCenter – sold to VertaMedia, Clickky – partially exited, 3DLOOK – raised $11M+), 12X angel investor (1 exit). Forbes contributor, mentor at 500 Startups, LVMH Innovation Award winner. Investing into early-stage B2B startups with AI-based products, targeting global vertical or horizontal markets.
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About 3DLOOK, 500 Startups, Forbes Technology Council, Geek Ventures: 3DLOOK is a mobile body scanning solution that aims to change the way people shop.
Melanie Travis
Co-Founder and CEO of Andie
Melanie Travis is a Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Andie.
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About Andie: Andie is a designer and manufacturer of one-piece women’s swimsuits and sells them to consumers through its e-commerce platform.
William Thayer
Co-Founder, CEO of Fillogic
William Thayer is the Co-Founder and CEO at Fillogic. Bill is a veteran in the worlds of retail, eCommerce, and logistics, with 25+ years at major retailers like Macy’s and Loehmann’s in C-level leadership positions. Bill is an advisor to large companies like Macy’s, Barney’s, Hearst, Century 21, and SDI Systems. He supports startups like University Beyond and Cargomatic, where he is an investor.
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About Arteria Network, Fillogic: Fillogic is a New York-based technology company that provides retail and logistics services.
Tom Shannon
Founder, President & CEO of Bowlmor AMF
CEO Tom Shannon joined Gregg Greenberg of “The Street” to discuss millennials, expansion, and making bowling cool again. “It’s going to be an iconic ad campaign because it’s fresh, unique and legitimate,” said Shannon regarding Bowlmor AMF’s highly-anticipated new ad campaign featuring elite bowler Jason Belmonte.
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About Bowlmor AMF: Bowlmor AMF in bowling and entertainment in North America.
Jennifer Hyman
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Rent the Runway
Jennifer Hyman is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Rent the Runway, a fashion company with a technology soul that is disrupting the way women get dressed. In her role, she sets the strategic priorities of the business and leads the company in growing all areas of the business, including marketing, technology, product, and analytics. She co-founded Rent the Runway in 2009 with Jennifer Fleiss, and has since raised $126 million in venture capital, growing the business to over 6 million members, 950 employees and 400 designer brands. Jennifer has been honored with numerous recognitions including: Forbes’ “Women Entrepreneurs to Watch”, TriBeCa Film Festival’s “Disruptive Innovation Awards”, Fortune Magazine’s “Trailblazers, 11 People Changing Business in 2013,” “Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs,” and “40 Under 40”; Inc. Magazine’s “30 Under 30”; and Fast Company’s “Most Influential Women in Technology.” She has been a featured speaker at Fortune Brainstorm Tech, the Forbes Women’s Summit, Tech Crunch Disrupt, and Marie Claire’s Power Trip, and has appeared as a guest on NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, and CNN Money, among many others. In 2015, Jennifer launched the Rent the Runway Foundation with Jennifer Fleiss to inspire and ignite the next generation of female entrepreneurs. The foundation’s first initiative, in partnership with UBS, is Project Entrepreneur, a venture competition and educational program designed to provide women entrepreneurs nationwide with the tools to build high-growth, high-impact businesses. Prior to Rent the Runway, Jennifer was the Director of Business Development at IMG where she focused on the creation of new media businesses for IMG’s Fashion Division. She also ran an online advertising sales team at WeddingChannel.com and was an in-house entrepreneur at Starwood Hotels, creating Starwood’s first wedding business which was recognized on the Oprah Winfrey Show for its innovation. She received her BA from Harvard University and MBA from Harvard Business School. Jennifer is a Bloomberg Fellow, a TechStars mentor, and a member of both the Entrepreneurship Board at the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Women in Business Board at Harvard University. She is an investor in and advisor to several high-growth startups throughout the U.S.
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About Brit + Co, Rent the Runway, Zalando: Rent the Runway is an online e-commerce website that allows women to rent designer apparel and accessories.
Michael Waxman
Co-Founder & CEO of Sundays for Dogs
Michael was born and raised outside of Cleveland, Ohio, and went to college at Yale. He dropped out after his freshmen year to start a tech company, but returned later and graduated. He now lvies in New York City. Michael has built Grouper (a social club), Biography (“life-graphing”), Qomments (a comments system based on Q&A), Paper Buff (a social news reader), and QNA (a mini Quora for your website).
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About Grouper, Sundays for Dogs: Sundays for Dogs engages in the online retail of dog foods that are made by an air-drying method.
Elias Guerra
Founder & CEO of Popwallet
Elias is the Founder and CEO of Popwallet, a mobile wallet marketing automation platform.
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About Popwallet: Mobile Wallet Marketing Automation and CX
Neha Singh
Founder & CEO of Obsess
Neha Singh is the Founder & CEO of Obsess, a platform for Immersive Mobile Commerce.
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About Obsess: Obsess is a platform for immersive mobile commerce.
David S. Shapira
Founder , Chairman & CEO of Giant Eagle
David Shapira is executive chairman of the board of directors of Giant Eagle, Inc. and is president of the David S. and Karen A. Shapira Foundation. In his role at the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration, he is responsible for enhancing ethics and leadership at the school. He is also responsible for engaging with Katz and CBA students across a spectrum of business areas including entrepreneurship, supply chain management, and organizational behavior. During his thirty-plus years as chairman, chief executive officer and president, David Shapira positioned Giant Eagle, Inc. as an industry leader, and grew the company from a local chain of 50 grocery stores to an organization now employing more than 34,000 with more than 420 locations and $9.5 billion in revenue. A Pittsburgh native with an undergraduate degree from Oberlin College and a Master’s Degree in Economics from Stanford University, Mr. Shapira joined Giant Eagle in 1970, a company founded by his grandfather with four others. Today, the same five families own Giant Eagle, and remain actively involved. Named president and CEO in 1980 and Chairman of the Giant Eagle Board of Directors in 1992, David led the company during its peak years of growth and transformation, which included his application of a world-class customer loyalty program with the development of the Giant Eagle Advantage Card and fuelperks!. Mr. Shapira has implemented numerous industry-leading technologies and marketing concepts, including: gift card development and sales, in-store pharmacy and banking, multi-format retailing, and a truck fleet that is being converted to run on compressed natural gas. Since stepping away from day-to-day operations of Giant Eagle in 2013, David has applied the entrepreneurial approach developed at Giant Eagle to the world of philanthropy. Through the Foundation he leads with his wife Cindy, David has led the development of a number of projects that demonstrate real and meaningful positive impact on civic challenges of our day. These entrepreneurial philanthropic ventures include Onward Israel, which transforms young adults through professional summer internships with Israeli businesses and organizations, and the Comprehensive Excellence initiative at Hillel International. David’s civic involvement reflects his and Giant Eagle’s commitment to advancing and investing in the many communities the company and Foundation serve. David has served on numerous corporate and civic boards, including EQT, Mellon Bank, the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance (Past Chairman). David is the Immediate Past Chairman of Carnegie Mellon University’s Board of Trustees, and the current Chairman of Carnegie Mellon’s Investment Committee, as well as a Trustee at Oberlin College, and a Founding Co-Chairman, along with Cindy, of The Pittsburgh Promise Campaign. David’s philanthropic board service has also included the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh (Past Chairman); Jewish Healthcare Foundation (Past Chairman); United Way of Allegheny County (Past Chairman of the Annual Campaign); Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (Past Chairman); Extra Mile Foundation; and Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. David is currently a member of the Hillel Foundation International Board of Governors.
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About Giant Eagle: Giant Eagle is a national supermarket chain with some of their own brands of products.
Roly Nesi
Founder & CEO of Roar Organic
Roly Nesi is the Founder and CEO of Roar Organic.
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About Roar Organic: Roar Organic is a natural line of vegan, low-calorie, low-sugar, electrolyte-infused beverages
Isaac Dabah
CEO of Delta Galil
2005 – Present Executive Director GMM Capital LLC Company Information: Formed in 2005. Privately owned hedge fund sponsor. Invests in various sectors of the public equity markets of Israel and the United States including textile and apparel. 2002 – 2004 Chief Executive Officer Jones Apparel Group, Denim Division Company Information: ●Joined in 2002 when Jones Apparel Group bought the Gloria Vanderbilt Apparel Group. Continued as CEO of Gloria Vanderbilt until 2003, then became CEO of the Jones Apparel Group Denim Division. ●Major brands: Gloria Vanderbilt, Polo Denims, L.E.I. Accomplishment: ·Had an annual sales volume of $1,200,000,000. 1993 – 2002 Chief Executive Officer Gloria Vanderbilt Apparel Corporation Company Information: ·Dabah family acquired Gloria Vanderbilt Apparel Corporation in 1993 as a turnaround challenge. ·Under his management the transformation was a case study success, resulting in the 2002 sale to Jones Apparel Group. Continued as the CEO of Gloria Vanderbilt Apparel until 2003 when Jones Apparel Group combined all denim operations into one division and appointed Isaac Dabah as the CEO of the newly created expanded group. Education Baruch University Interest American Sephardi Federation, Board Member
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About Delta Galil: Delta Galil is an Israeli textile manufacturing and marketing apparel for men and women.
Andy Aranda
Founder and CEO of Breazy
Andy Aranda is the Founder and CEO of Breazy, Inc.
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About Breazy: Ecommerce, Alternative Wellness
Rich Fulop
Co-Founder & CEO of Brooklinen
Rich is a first-generation American, an avid skier, a huge Arsenal fan, and he just so happens to make the best sheets ever. After graduating from New York University (NYU) in 2003, Rich spent four years working through the ranks in the finance industry until the pesky Recession redirected his path. Rich decided to go back to the drawing board, returning to NYU to hone his entrepreneurial chops within the Stern School of Business — on a full-ride scholarship, no less.
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About Brooklinen, Google: Brooklinen is a manufacturer and supplier of bed and bath linens as well as loungewear.
Amish Tolia
Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Leap Services
Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Brand Innovators Labs & Co-Founder & Principal at Viking Investment Management. Co-Founder & Co-CEO at Leap.
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About Brand Accelerator, Brand Innovators Labs, Leap, Leap Services, Viking Investment Management: Leap develops a retail platform that enables brands to deploy stores and accelerate growth.
Raphi Mahgerefteh
Founder and CEO of Allurez
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About Allurez: Expert online jewelry retailers of diamonds and fine jewelry specializing in customized engagement rings, pendants, & earrings. Allurez.com
Sophia Edelstein
Co-Founder & CEO of Pair Eyewear
Sophia Edelstein is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Pair Eyewear.
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About Pair Eyewear: Pair Eyewear is an eyewear brand designed and made specifically for children.
Jack Carlson
Founder, CEO, and Creative Director of Rowing Blazers
Jack Carlson is the Co-Founder, CEO, and Creative Director at Rowing Blazers.
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About Rowing Blazers: Rowing Blazers is a youthful, irreverent menswear label dedicated to the idea that the classics can be cool.
Max Ritz
Co-Founder, Co-CEO of The Loyalist
Max is an MBA student at Columbia Business School, focusing on investment management and entrepreneurship. He is an InSITE Fellow and was involved in startup and growth-stage companies prior to business school. He has founded and helped lead two successful startups to acquisitions, both with his brother, and worked on the investment team at Innovation Endeavors, a venture capital firm based in Palo Alto and Tel Aviv co-founded by Eric Schmidt. Most recently, Max worked at SoFi, a portfolio company of Innovation Endeavors that blends technology and marketplace lending to intelligently address specific debt and loan sectors. Max holds a BA from The University of Maryland, where he captained the University’s lacrosse team.
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About The Loyalist: End-to-end merchandise platform focused on audience monetization for media companies, entertainers and online-influencers.
Nadia Boujarwah
CEO & Co-founder of Dia&Co
Nadia Boujarwah went to Harvard Business school with the express goal of starting her own company. When she dove into the plus size market for women and saw how underserved this market was, she knew she had discovered her customer. After surveying hundreds of influential bloggers, Nadia co-founded Dia&Co, a company that, based on an online style survey, mails each subscriber a hand-picked box of garments to try on in the comfort of her own home. Today, Dia&Co has over 50 employees and has raised over $6 million. Listen to this week’s episode to find out how Nadia and her team are inspiring radical self-acceptance through style and transforming the shopping experience for plus sized women.
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About Dia&Co, Founder Collective: Dia&Co sells plus size clothing and accessories via a try at home model.
Morgan Hirsh
Founder & CEO of Public Goods
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About Public Goods: Making healthy products affordable
Andrew Deitchman
Co-Founder/CEO of New Stand
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About New Stand: New Stand is a convenience and engagement platform that blends physical touchpoints with digital perks and location-based media
Simon Huck
Co-Founder and CEO of Judy
Simon Huck is the Co-Founder and CEO of Judy.
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About Judy: Judy offers a collection of ready-kits for natural disasters and home emergencies.
Arun Gupta
CEO and Co-Founder of Grailed
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About Grailed: Grailed is a peer-to-peer marketplace company that offers fashion and lifestyle accessories and apparel for men.
Shiza Shahid
CoFounder & Co-CEO of Our Place
Shiza Shahid is an entrepreneur and social activist of Pakistani origin. She is the CEO and co-founder of Our Place. She is now leading Malala Fund in its work to empower girls through education. Shiza was recently named one of TIME magazine’s “30 Under 30 World Changers” and to Forbes “30 Under 30″ list of social entrepreneurs. Around the world, over 600 million adolescent girls are denied a formal education because of social, economic, legal and political factors. And in being denied an education, society loses one of its greatest and most powerful resources. The Malala Fund aims to change that. Education empowers girls to raise their voices, to unlock their potential, and to demand change. The Malala Fund’s solutions are grounded in inspired innovation: they are girl-centric approaches to education that support the Fund’s goal of creating a world where every girl reaches her true potential. Shiza currently lives in New York City.
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About Our Place: Our Place is a Direct-to-consumer kitchenware company.
Raunak Nirmal
CEO of Acquco
Raunak Nirmal is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Acquco. He is also the Founder of Refundlabs.
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About Acquco: Acquco is an e-commerce platform that focuses on acquiring and growing Amazon Marketplace businesses.
Mason Sexton
CEO & Founder of Soozy’s
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About Nomad Interactive, Soozy’s: Soozy’s is a food and beverage company that offers healthy and tasty grain-free baked goods.
Ali Asaria
CEO of Tulip Retail
Ali Asaria was formerly the CEO and founder of Well.ca, Canada’s largest online health, baby and beauty store. Prior to founding Well.ca, Ali worked at Research In Motion (RIM) where he independently developed BrickBreaker, the most popular Blackberry game that is now on more than 15 million devices worldwide. In 2005, Ali was RIM’s youngest patent recipient. Prior to RIM, Ali worked in Microsoft’s Redmond office on the Office 2007 User Interface Team.
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About Tulip Retail: Tulip Retail is a mobile app platform built exclusively for next generation store associates to offer a world-class omnichannel experience.
Spencer Hewett
Founder & CEO of RADAR
Founder & CEO at RADAR (formerly Skip)
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About RADAR: RADAR is an RFID and computer vision platform that automates inventory management, analytics and checkout in physical stores.
Tom Patterson
Founder and CEO of Tommy John
Tom Patterson is the Founder and CEO of Tommy John. As a medical device salesman confined to a suit as he traveled from meeting to meeting, he couldn’t get through the day without his undershirts, underwear and socks bunching, pinching and sagging. Instead of getting his base layers in a bunch, he made it his mission to reinvent men’s underwear. With the support of his wife, Erin, a local tailor and a small team of designers, Tom re-imagined the fit, feel and function of man’s most fundamental layers. He built and patented new features from scratch. The result? Shirts that stay tucked, socks that stay up and underwear that keeps everything in place, whichever way a man moves.
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About Tommy John: Tommy John was born from the desire to fix men’s underwear. Smart design and fabrics mean no more yam-yanking.
Evan Dash
Founder & CEO of StoreBound LLC
Evan Dash is the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Sobro.
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About Sobro, StoreBound LLC: StoreBound is a product innovation company that enables individual inventors, as well as big brands, to bring new and innovative products.
Anna Harman
Co-Founder and CEO of Studs
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About Studs: Studs is a piercing studio meant to appeal to a conscious millennial and Gen-Z customer.
Andrew Vagenas
CEO of Pharmapacks
Andrew Vagenas is a co-founder and CEO at Pharmapacks.
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About Pharmapacks: Pharmapacks is an e-commerce company that offers products for daily health and wellness needs.
Nolan Walsh
CEO & Creative Director of Thursday Boot Company
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About Thursday Boot Company: Thursday Boot Company designs boots with the durability of a work boot and sophistication of a fashion boot.
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.
Louisa Schneider
Founder & CEO of Hey Rowan
Louisa Serene Schneider is the Senior Director for the Heilbrunn Center for Graham & Dodd Investing at Columbia Business School, responsible for all operational aspects of the school’s value investing activities including maintaining and developing new programs and initiatives surrounding the Graham & Dodd tradition at Columbia. Louisa Serene Schneider has taught in Columbia’s Executive Education course on Value Investing since 2010. Prior to her work at Columbia, from 2000 to 2008 Louisa Serene Schneider was employed by Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan in several departments, including Mergers & Acquisitions, Fixed Income Research, and Trading. Louisa Serene Schneider received a B.S. from Dartmouth College in Political Science and French and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.
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About Hey Rowan, Pair Piercing: Hey Rowan is a magical adventure full of milestones
James Fantaci
CEO and Founder of Purple Fete
James Fantaci is a hospitality entrepreneur who has lived and traveled for several years in Tuscany. He has worked in wine retail, as well as in production at Flowers Vineyard and Winery in Sonoma, California, and is the founder of Purple Fete, a company that organically evolved from a consulting business for wine enthusiasts into a boutique Tuscan villa rental agency and concierge service, specially tailored for wine and food lovers, receiving press recognition for its unique approach to Tuscan hospitality. He attended Skidmore College, the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, and graduated with honors from the Graduate Business program at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration. He built Purple Fete while in graduate school, and expanded his vocation to include boutique development, working with partners on a design-driven real estate project in New York.
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About Purple Fete: Purple Fete offers exclusive services and experiences such as boutique luxury Tuscan villa rental and wine consulting.
Charles-Albert Gorra
Founder & CEO of Rebag
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About Rebag, Trendlee: Rebag is an e-commerce platform and retail store that buys, sells, and trades second-hand luxury handbags.
Christine Hunsicker
Founder & CEO of CaaStle
Christine Hunsicker is the Founder and CEO of CaaStle, the revolutionary B2B technology platform empowering retailers and fashion brands to strategically participate in a new sharing economy. As consumers have embraced a shared economy in everything from music to transportation, Hunsicker identified an enthusiastic consumer appetite for a new economy for fashion and apparel. One that is access-oriented rather than just ownership-based. In 2011, she founded Gwynnie Bee, the first everyday fashion rental subscription service enabling women to discover and experience great clothing without limitations. By leveraging technology, Hunsicker pioneered the Clothing as a Service (CaaS) model, blending traditional ownership with a new form of access. As Gwynnie Bee shipped millions of boxes to customers, evidence of this consumer appetite for rental was apparent. It was time to roll out the ultimate vision for the company in 2018 with the launch of the CaaStle platform. CaaStle is a proprietary cloud-based, managed service that empowers retailers to provide CaaS to their customers as a complement to their existing retail business. Many retailers from Ann Taylor to Vince to Express to multiple contemporary brands soon to be announced, have already embraced the CaaStle Platform. In six short years, Hunsicker’s vision of creating a new economy for apparel is in full swing. A 1999 graduate of Princeton, Hunsicker quickly rose to a leadership role as the COO of the startup Right Media. Right Media transformed the ad exchange industry, an accomplishment that led Yahoo! to purchase the company and its technologies for $850M in 2007. Hunsicker maintained her entrepreneurial spirit by joining Drop.io as COO. Soon thereafter, Facebook acquired the company. With an outstanding pedigree of leading successful startups, Hunsicker has been recognized in Inc. Magazine’s Most Impressive Women Entrepreneurs, Crain’s 40 Under 40 annual power list as well as the National Retail Federation’s List of People Shaping Retail’s Future.
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About CaaStle, Gwynnie Bee: CaaStle offers a fully managed service that allows retailers to offer Clothing as a Service.
Britt Bunn
CEO and co-founder of The Inside
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About The Inside: The Inside is a home furnishings brand that unlocks your shortcut to a chic home, for every style and budget.
Rachel Tipograph
Founder & CEO of MikMak
Rachel Tipograph is the Founder & CEO at MikMak .
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About Brave Commerce, Cleo Capital, MikMak: MikMak is a platform that enables traditional brick-and-mortar brands to gain insights & view the activity of major online retailers.
Tal Zvi Nathanel
CEO of SHOWFIELDS
Tal Zvi Nathanel serves as the CEO and Co-founder of SHOWFIELDS.
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About SHOWFIELDS: The most interesting store in the world
Alana Branston
Co-Founder & CEO of Bulletin
Our stores feature products from female-led brands that, until now, have only sold on the internet. Instead of wholesale or consignment, Bulletin rents sections of our store on a month-to-month basis, which has lowered the barrier to entry for physical retail. Now, digital brands can quickly plug into our in-store community. The coolest part? Bulletin gives 10% of all store proceeds to Planned Parenthood of NYC.
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About Bulletin: Bulletin operates as a wholesale marketplace and community that connects premium brands and retailers.
David Heath
CEO & Co-Founder of Bombas
Dave Heath is a Founder at Bombas.
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About Bombas: Bombas is a comfort-focused apparel brand with a mission to help those in need. One Purchased = One Donated.
Benjamin McKean
Founder & CEO of Hungryroot
Ben McKean is a Founder and CEO of Hungryroot. Prior to Hungryroot, Ben was a Vice President and General Manager at Groupon, overseeing their food and beverage business. Ben came to Groupon through the acquisition of Savored, which he founded in 2009. Savored was the nation’s leading provider of yield management technology to the restaurant industry servicing over 2,000 leading restaurants nationwide. Prior to Savored, Ben worked in Merrill Lynch’s technology investment banking group. Ben is graduate of Georgetown University and currently lives in New York City.
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About Groupon, Hungryroot: Hungryroot is a provider of an artificial intelligence-powered personalized grocery service.
Erin Moennich
CEO of Draper James
Erin Moennich is the CEO at Draper James.
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About Draper James: Draper James is an online shopping site selling apparels and home accessories.
Matt Hornbuckle
Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Stantt
Matt Hornbuckle is the Co-Founder and CEO of Stantt. Hornbuckle started by scanning the bodies of more than 1,000 men ranging in age from 25 to 35. Each scan was composed of about 200 body measurements. He narrowed these down to three main measurements that would determine how well a shirt would fit: chest width, waist width and arm length. Using the data collected, Hornbuckle created each new size from digital models of various body builds.
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About Stantt: Stantt is an e-commerce platform that focuses on men’s apparel.
Ganesh Srivats
CEO of Moda Operandi
Ganesh Srivats is the CEO of Moda Operandi, Inc. Prior to joining Moda Operandi, Ganesh served as the vice president at Tesla.
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About Moda Operandi: Moda Operandi is a platform for emerging fashion designers and retailers.
Are Traasdahl
Founder & CEO of Crisp
Are Traasdahl is a technology entrepreneur and investor. He is currently founder and CEO at Crisp, a programmatic commerce company aimed at optimizing the food and beverage supply chain through AI, automation and analytics. Crisp believes we can greatly reduce food waste, improve access to food and cut costs from the supply chain with the smart use of technology. Traasdahl is a contributor on technology topics for outlets such as CNBC and Bloomberg News, and has been featured in Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, Ad Age and other major news outlets. Traasdahl holds several board positions at technology start-ups and heads Spring Capital, an investment holding company. Prior to Crisp and Tapad, he founded Thumbplay, a mobile technology service that he grew to more than $100 MM in less than 3 years before he exited the company (the company, later acquired by Clear Channel, is now called iHeartRadio).
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About Crisp: Crisp leverages the cloud to connect and analyze retail data sources in real-time, providing actionable insights to businesses.
Adarsh Alphons
Founder and CEO of Wardrobe
Adarsh Alphons is the founder and CEO of Wardrobe. Prior to Wardrobe, Adarsh founded ProjectArt—currently the nation’s largest art school, without owning a single building. Adarsh’s expertise in catalyzing underutilized resources into productivity, building asset-light organizations and ability to bring self-interested partners together for a common cause made ProjectArt a leader in its field and a nationally-scaled enterprise. He is a CNN Hero, Columbia University Community Scholar and a 40 Under 40 in Global Art Business.
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About Wardrobe: Wardrobe is a peer-to-peer luxury clothing rental app focused on sustainability.
Rohan Deuskar
Founder & CEO of Stylitics
Founder and CEO of Stylitics, the leading visual merchandising platform that powers hundreds of outfitting, styling, and gifting programs for dozens of the world’s leading retailers. Over 35 million shoppers engage with Stylitics shoppable content and recommendations more than 200 million times per day, across site, apps, email, ads, and stores. * Frequent speaker on the future of technology and analytics in fashion retail, including Databeat, New York Fashion Week, Decoded Fashion, and FIT. Recent features in WSJ, Vogue, Women’s Wear Daily, New York Times, Oprah.com, Inc., Economic Times, Wired Japan cover story, and others.
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About Stylitics: Stylitics is a cloud-based SaaS platform for retailers to automate and distribute visual content at scale.
Simon Kim
CEO of CLO Virtual Fashion
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About CLO Virtual Fashion: CLO Virtual Fashion develops true-to-life, 3D garment simulation technology for fashion and film/gaming industries.
Zack Werner
Co Founder & CEO of Pollen
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About Pollen: Pollen helps small online retailers acquire new users more cheaply and easily than Google or Facebook.
Felipe Diz
Co-Founder & CEO of Zee.Dog
Felipe Diz is a Co-Founder and CEO at Zee.Dog
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About Zee.Dog: Zee.Dog is a lifestyle brand connecting dogs and people by providing premium and design-oriented pet products.
Corey Pierson
Co-Founder & CEO of Custora
Corey Pierson is the co-founder of Custora, a predictive marketing analytics platform for online retailers based in New York City. Prior to Custora, Corey earned an MBA from Wharton and worked as a business designer at IDEO. He’s also a huge Philly sports fan and an amateur Vitamix chef.
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About Custora: Custora is the leader in advanced customer analytics for the retail industry.
Keith Carpentier
Owner CEO of Qbuster
Keith Carpentier is an American Entrepreneur and owner of the Qbuster and Stanchions.com brands. Carpentier’s companies focus on digital transformation within retail, in-store customer experience, and Omni Channel – In Store. Mr. Carpentier has recently joined the board of Cryptocurrency start up, Dynamo Coin www.dynamocoin.org Qbuster and Stanchions.com products can be found in more than 10,000 retail stores across the United States and Canada. The Company headquarters are located in Warwick, New York.
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About Dynamo Coin, Qbuster, Stanchions.com: QBuster is leading digital transformation within retail by brining the power of online to the in store experience.
Philip Krim
Co-Founder, CEO of Casper
As CEO, Philip leads Casper’s comprehensive business strategy, expansion, and vision for the future. Working with the company’s four other co-founders, Philip drives Casper’s goal of becoming the first end-to-end sleep brand. Philip and Casper’s co-founders recognized a paradox in 2014 — a generation of entrepreneurs and working professionals who were placing increasing value on their health and fitness were neglecting sleep. Casper is now reimagining the sleep industry from the ground up. A serial entrepreneur, Philip has founded and served as CEO at two previous startups, where he focused on new and evolving consumer and ecommerce trends. He launched his very first business out of his dorm room at the University of Texas, Austin. Philip’s work has been profiled in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, and he has been featured on CBS This Morning, Mad Money with Jim Cramer, and Fareed Zakaria GPS on CNN. He was named one of Business Insider’s Silicon Alley 100 and received a TechCrunch Crunchie award for Best in ECommerce
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About Casper: Casper is a sleep startup that launches a comfortable mattress sold directly to consumers, eliminating commission-driven inflated prices.
Jason Ojalvo
CEO of TUSHY
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About TUSHY: TUSHY is a bidet attachment company that helps ease environmental strife and fight the global sanitation crisis.
Steven Alan
FOUNDER & CEO of Steven Alan
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About Steven Alan: Steven Alan Holdings, LLC. is an online retail store for fashion products.
Jim Cacioppo
Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO of Jushi Holdings
Jim brings managerial, start-up, operating, financial and investing experience to his role as Founder, Chairman and CEO of Jushi. Prior to founding Jushi, Jim spent over two decades managing the business and allocating capital in senior management positions at several large hedge funds; two of which were early stage success stories.
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About Jushi Holdings: Jushi Holdings is a multi-state cannabis company that develops and operates retail locations and premium brands.
Shimmie Horn
Owner, President & Chief Executive Officer of Triumph Hotels
SHIMMIE HORN, President and CEO of Triumph Hospitality
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About Triumph Hotels: Triumph Hotels operates seven small luxury NYC hotels, owned by Shimmie Horn.
Liat Zakay
CEO and Founder of Donde Search
Liat Zakay is the CEO and founder of Donde Search. Prior to founding Donde Search, Liat was the head of Computer Networks Course at Magshimim. She holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and economics from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
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About Donde Search: Transforming the online shopping experience using AI, Computer Vision and NLP to develop Intuitive Visual Discovery for Retailers
Robert Pines
Chairman, CEO & Founder of kgb
Robert Pines is the Chairman & Founder at kgb. Robert Pines is Chairman of kgb, which he co-founded in 1992. Robert has directed the growth of kgb from five employees at its launch to more than 7,000 employees today, worldwide. He is based in New York City. Before founding kgb, Robert worked at Lehman Brothers in the investment banking department and at the management consulting firm Corporate Decisions, Inc., which is now part of Mercer Consulting. Robert holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics, cum laude, from Harvard College. An MBA with honors from The Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania.
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About kgb: kgb is a privately-held, New York-based company that provides its users with directory assistance and enhanced information services.
Alex Aleksandrovski
Founder, CEO of Wooter
Founder at Wooter
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About Wooter, Wooter Africa: Sports technology company revolutionizing the sportswear industry and the way leagues + teams are run.
Chad Rubin
Co-Founder & CEO of Skubana
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About Skubana: Skubana is a commerce operations platform powering fulfillment, inventory, and business intelligence for multi-channel retailers.
Tomás Froes
Founder and CEO of kencko
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About kencko: kencko is a food-tech company reinventing organic fruit and vegetable products.
Noam Levavi
Co-Founder and CEO of ByondXR
Noam Levavi is a serial entrepreneur with more than 20 years of innovations in user experience technologies, including several patents in the areas of personalized media delivery and user-interfaces. In 2017, Noam founded ByondXR, a retail-tech startup that empowers brands and retailers to improve sales and customer engagement through a new groundbreaking 3D visualization technology. Using ByondXR’s 3D Commerce Platform, brands can transform into the new digital era, creating experiences to enhance Wholesale, Merchandising and eComm that boost sales and improve efficiency. Prior to founding ByondXR, Noam founded and was the CEO of YCD Multimedia, a world leading on-site digital media provider, helping brands deliver personalized content to their customers, reaching more than 100 million people every month within thousands of venues worldwide, including some of the world’s most recognized brands such as Mercedes, Ferrari, Nike, Chanel, Hugo Boss, AT&T, Microsoft and Coca Cola. In 2008 Noam was honored to be featured by Forbes Israel as one of the country’s most influential young professionals. Prior to establishing YCD, Noam founded Netune, which provided network communication services and Intranet web applications for small and medium sized businesses. Before that, he served as a system communication manager in the Israeli Defense Force’s elite Intelligence Unit. He is a graduate of the Israeli Military Computing and Information Systems Institute. Noam loves sharing his experiences and have been the keynote speaker about consumer behavior and the evolution of digital experiences for The Economist, DLD, DSE and Digital Signage Investor, a guest speaker at Washington University, Parsons School of Design and IDC research college, and contributed to USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Frost & Sullivan and Platt Retail Institute. Being a long-time SciFi fan, Noam has been fascinated with advances in virtual reality and human-machine interfaces. He visualizes an emerging reality of digital enhancements to the human body and seamless brain-machine interfaces that extend our mental abilities into a complete and immersive sensory experience, forming new perceptions of reality.
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About ByondXR: ByondXR transforms eCommerce through immersive experiences that increase engagement, conversion and ROI
Amos Peleg
Co-founder & CEO of Upstream Commerce
Amos Peleg co-founded Upstream Commerce following 15 years in the software industry, during which he oversaw software company operations and managed international teams. At Mercado Software—later acquired by Omniture, Inc. (now Adobe)—Amos served as general manager of Mercado Labs, responsible for much of the company’s operational activity. Mercado Software, a provider of advanced merchandising solutions, counted among its customers Macy’s, John Lewis, Williams-Sonoma, Argos, Overstock, Guess, and Sears. Previously, as director of small-business technology platforms at SAP, Amos managed international engineering efforts, and at Check Point Software Technologies, he managed the engineering of two core products and was responsible for the initiation, development, and market delivery of new products. Amos holds an M.Sc. degree in computer science from the Weizmann Institute of Science and a B.Sc. in physics and computer science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
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About Flipkart, Upstream Commerce: Upstream Commerce provides cloud-based, automated competitive pricing and product analytics solutions for online retailers.
Marc D. Miller
CEO of Aeropostale
Mr. Marc D. Miller has been Chief Financial Officer of Aéropostale, Inc. since December 21, 2010 and serves as its Executive Vice President.Mr. Miller served as Senior Vice President of Aeropostale, Inc. Mr. Miller also served as Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning, Business Development and E-Commerce from April 2007, Group Vice President of Strategic Planning, Business Development and E-Commerce from April 2006, and Vice President of Strategic Planning and Business Development from February 2005. Prior to joining Aéropostale, Mr. Miller held executive management positions at Footstar, Inc., and Tradeout, Inc.
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About Aeropostale: Aéropostale, Inc. is a mall-based company.
Thomas P. Johnson
CEO of Aeropostale
Mr. Thomas P. Johnson, also known as Tom has been the Chief Executive Officer of Aéropostale, Inc. since December 1, 2010.Mr. Johnson served as a co-Chief Executive Officer of Aeropostale from February 12, 2010 to December 1, 2010. Mr. Johnson served as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Aeropostale Inc., from March 2004 to February 12, 2010. He served as Senior Vice President and Director of Stores at Aeropostale from January 2001 to April 7, 2004. He served as Senior Vice President, Vice President, Regional Manager and District Manager of Federated Specialty Stores from 1989 to 1996. In the interim, he served as Senior Vice President and Director of Stores of David’s Bridal Inc. since 2000 and also served as Senior Vice President and Director of Stores of Brooks Brothers Inc. from 1997 to 2000. He served as Regional Manager of Banana Republic, District Manager and Store Manager of Gap Inc. from 1981 to 1989. He has been a Director of Aeropostale, Inc. since August 19, 2008. He serves as a Member of the Board of Directors of myESP.com Corp.
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About Aeropostale: Aéropostale, Inc. is a mall-based company.
Mohamed Haouache
CEO of Storefront
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About Storefront: Storefront is an online marketplace for renting short term retail space.
Kristin Savilia
CEO of JOOR
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About JOOR: JOOR is an online global fashion marketplace, connecting brands and retailers.
Jen Rubio
Co-Founder and CEO of Away
Jen Rubio is the Co-Founder and CEO at Away.
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About Away: Away is a modern travel and lifestyle brand designed with thoughtful features that solve real travel problems
Ryan Urban
CEO & Founder of Wunderkind (formerly BounceX)
Ryan Urban is the Co-Founder and CEO of Bounce Exchange, Inc the leader in behavioral automation software and analytics. In 2015 he was named an EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist. In the same year, under his leadership, Bounce Exchange was ranked number one overall for both employee retention and career development by ComputerWorld, named one of the best places to work in NYC by Crain’s New York and honored as one of Fortune’s top three best places to work. Ryan was formerly Director of Acquisition at Bonobos and prior to that, Brickhouse Security. He has served on the advisory boards of both BabyAge.com and Bonobos. He holds an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
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About Wunderkind (formerly BounceX): Wunderkind enables the world’s top brands to better recognize their customers online, providing 1-to-1 marketing at scale.
Marie Chevrier
Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Sampler
Marie Chevrier is a young entrepreneur originally from Montreal, Canada. Marie started her career in advertising at J. Walter Thompson in Toronto. From there, she had the chance to work at a venture capital firm in New York City. After a few years there, Marie came back to Toronto to merge her passion for marketing and technology. Marie started Sampler with a vision to transform the way consumer packaged good companies distribute promotional offers. Sampler is an end-to-end digital sampling SaaS that helps brands, agencies, publishers and retailers create targeted, measurable and social product sampling campaigns. The platform was developed with the goal of helping consumer packaged goods brands create loyal customers through a targeted sampling strategy. Using Sampler, brands can set up digital sampling programs with just a few clicks and gather real-time analytics on how their campaign is performing and who is participating
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About Sampler, TechToronto: The Leader in Direct-To-Consumer Product Sampling
Michelle Bacharach
Founder & CEO of FINDMINE
Michelle Bacharach is CEO and Co-Founder of FINDMINE. As a product and strategy expert, Michelle is experienced in growing startups and large media companies by launching apps and websites to millions of people, putting together joint ventures, and conceiving of new products. Michelle has shared her expertise with thousands of leaders in retail and technology as a speaker at SXSW and NRF Retail’s Big Show. She has an MBA from NYU Stern and a BA from UC Berkeley, where she wrote her honors thesis on managing innovation in multinational organizations.
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About FINDMINE: FINDMINE specializes in using machine learning to automate manual and tedious tasks in the retail industry.
Ariel Maidansky
Co-Founder and CEO of Envizzo
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About Envizzo: Envizzo is a platform for real estate operators to design and furnish properties with ease.
Orlando Zayas
CEO of Katapult
Orlando Zayas is a business executive who specializes in strategic direction that launches company growth. He joined Katapult in 2017 with a vision of creating the best point of sale payment platform in the eCommerce space while most providers were focused on brick & mortar. With Orlando’s vision and leadership, Katapult quickly became a leader in the financial technology space through quick-turn integrations, best in class decisioning engines, and merchant support teams. Prior to Katapult, Orlando held the role of CEO for DRB Capital, was President at TEMPOE, led the Emerging Markets-Auto team for GE Capital, and was President of Safe-Guard Product, International. Throughout his career of increasing leadership responsibility in insurance, operations, marketing, and auto-related product lines, Orlando has been directly responsible for the implementation of new programs and processes that positioned each organization for growth. He has a unique ability to provide strategic direction while encouraging his direct reports to make decisions with autonomy. Under his leadership, his team is continuously developing innovative solutions that provide customer-centric point of sale payment options to retailers in various industries across the US. Orlando has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Houston and an MBA with a focus in Business from Red McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin.
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About Katapult: Katapult is an omnichannel point-of-sale payment platform for retailers and consumers.
Andrew Leary
Co-Founder & CEO of LOOK OPTIC
Andrew Leary is a Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Look Optic.
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About LOOK OPTIC: Look Optic is a retail platform designed to make readers wear comfortable eyewear.
Spencer Richardson
CEO, Co-Founder of DropCar
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About DropCar, RG-Importers: Parking & delivery logistics for consumers and businesses.
James Jebbia
Founder & CEO of Supreme
Founded in a small store located in downtown New York in 1994, James Jebbia’s independent label Supreme has become one of the foremost underground streetwear brands, boasting a cult following eager for it’s coveted range of tees, footwear and branded miscellanea. Produced in limited editions, Jebbia regularly collaborates with mainstream brands such as Comme des Garçons, Levi’s, Vans and Louis Vuitton . Past projects have included collaborations with high-profile artists such as Damien Hirst, Takashi Murakami and Richard Prince, as well as bands such as The Clash and The Misfits. These partnerships have helped propel the brand’s iconic status amongst youth counter-culture. Operating a highly exclusive retail strategy, Jebbia only operates nine Supreme stores, with the first European location launched in London’s Soho. A British native, Jebbia first moved to New York in the early 1980s where he found work in SoHo-based clothing store Parachute. His first retail venture was Union NYC, which opened in 1989 and carried an experimental mix of mostly English brands. Following this, he partnered with pioneering streetwear retailer Shawn Stüssy from 1991 to 1994. Alongside clothing and skating accessories, Jebbia has also released Supreme calendars, shot by renowned photographers including Larry Clark, and in 2000 partnered with Brooklyn Machine Works to launch a range of 24-inch cruiser bikes retailing at $1,800 a piece. The label’s first book, documenting its history, was released by publishers Rizzoli in 2010.
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About Supreme: Supreme is a streetwear brand that produces and manufactures fashionable clothing and accessories.
Jared Kugel
Founder and CEO of Tire Agent
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About Tire Agent: Tire Agent is an online tire retailer that makes the tire shopping experience more personalized, accessible, and affordable.
Jacomo Hakim
CEO & Founder of BookATailor
Jacomo Hakim is the CEO at TailoredClub.
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About BookATailor, TailoredClub: Bookatailor is a custom clothing manufacturer of men and women’s clothing.
CEO & Founder of Say2eat
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About Say2eat: Say2eat makes ordering food as easy as texting a friend or asking Alexa to play a song.
Yoni Benshaul
Chief Executive Officer of CB4
As Chief Executive Officer at CB4, Yoni Benshaul is responsible for the strategic vision and direction of the organization and its overall execution. Before joining CB4, Mr. Benshaul served as VP Sales and Strategy at Panorama Software. In that role, he was responsible for outlining the direction and strategy of Panorama’s BI solutions, overseeing revenue generation and international partner relationships while driving customer success and providing overall management of Panorama’s ROW business unit. Previously Mr. Benshaul led the enterprise division of MIND CTI, a global leader in billing and customer care solutions. Mr. Benshaul holds a BSc in Computer Science and Mathematics from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
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About CB4: CB4 is the easiest, fastest, and most rewarding way for stores to sell more product and satisfy shoppers.
Mariah Chase
CEO of Eloquii
Mariah Chase is President of Sendthetrend.com. Previously, she President of Kara Ross New York; a luxury and fashion jewelry and handbag company.Prior to that she managed Christian Siriano while the SVP of Fashion at Designers Management Agency, where she provided business development services and executed Siriano’s licensing and media relationships, such as those with Payless, Puma, LG Mobile and Grand Central Publishing. While at DMA, Chase also worked with media and lifestyle clients such as Stardoll.com, Elle.com, QVC, Tucker by Gaby Basora, Frette, amongst others. Prior to DMA, Chase worked with myriad accessories companies in senior marketing and branding roles, both from the agency side and internally, including Jimmy Choo, Cole Haan, David Yurman, Roger Vivier, Jacob & Co, John Hardy, Officine Panerai and LeSportsac. She graduated from Harvard with an honors BA in American History.
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About Eloquii: Eloquii offers an online plus size clothing store featuring women’s plus size fashion, clothes, and accessories.
Brad Gartman
Founder and CEO of Flag & Anthem
Brad Gartman is the CEO and Co Founder of Flag and Anthem.
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About Flag & Anthem: Flag & Anthem is a premium quality men’s brand apparels market.
Mayur Bhatnagar
Co-founder & CEO of Arlo Skye
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About Arlo Skye: Arlo Skye is a provider of online platform designed to offer trendy luggage accessories.
Viraj Puri
Co-Founder and CEO of Gotham Greens
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About Gotham Greens: Gotham Greens designs, builds, and operates commercial scale greenhouse facilities for fresh vegetable production.
Yossi Nasser
Founder President & CEO of Gelmart International
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About Gelmart International: Changing the face of intimate apperel.
Heather Marie Udo
Founder & CEO of Shoppable
Heather Marie Udo is the founder and CEO of Shoppable® (formerly known as 72Lux), a patented software technology company enabling a shoppable layer across digital content and a cloud-based platform enabling mass product distribution for merchants and brands to tens of millions of consumers. At Shoppable®, She won the 2013 Women in Digital Award from L’Oreal and was named one of the ten “Most Powerful Millennials in Manhattan” by Gotham Magazine and one of the eleven “Tech Gurus Changing the Luxury Game” by Refinery29. Shoppable® was a 2014 Webby Award Honoree for “Online Shopping” and named one of the “100 Brilliant Companies” by Entrepreneur Magazine. Prior to founding Shoppable®, Heather was on the founding team at Affinity Labs, a digital media company that became the largest collection of online professional communities. While at Affinity Labs she played a critical role in their sales efforts and lead the company display advertising and lead generation sales and business development from the ground up to profitability. In January 2008, Affinity Labs was acquired by Monster Worldwide (NYSE: MWW). While assisting with the Affinity Labs and Monster.com post-acquisition integration, Heather expanded her role within Monster to run national lead generation sales strategy for all five U.S. divisions of Monster Worldwide. Heather has also spent over six years working in retail for women’s clothing retailers such as Ralph Lauren, Express (Limited Inc.), and Abercrombie & Fitch. She launched her first “venture” at age eleven, an arbitrage business on eBay. She received her undergraduate degree in Business Administration the University of San Francisco and the London School of Economics. Heather Marie has been a guest on Fox Business Network’s Risk & Reward program and spoken at many technology and retail conferences including Decoded Fashion Milan, L2 Business Intelligence, FashInvest New York, and Harvard College.
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About Forbes Technology Council, Shoppable: Shoppable specializes in ecommerce enablement technology and distributed commerce solutions for advertisers, publishers, and merchants.
Shirley Chen
Founder & CEO of Narrativ
Shirley Chen is the Founder & CEO of Narrativ.
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About Narrativ: Narrativ is a subscription technology platform for brands to acquire new customers through trusted creators, not sponsored content or ads.
Scott Tannen
Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Boll & Branch
Scott Tannen has been recognized as one of the pioneers in the online marketing and branding space. Beginning his career at Nabisco/Kraft Foods after graduating from Vanderbilt University in 1999, Tannen was the driving force behind some of the most decorated interactive campaigns for brands such as Altoids, Oreo and Planters. In 2005, Tannen was hired by Wrigley to build a globally centralized Digital Marketing and Technology team. During this time, Candystand.com became one of the most heavily trafficked branded entertainment sites on the web, with an audience rivaling and eclipsing many independent gaming properties. Additionally, Tannen’s work was recognized by the advertising and creative industry with awards including Gold and Bronze Clios, Effies, Cannes Lions and many others. In 2008, Tannen co-founded Funtank and took the reigns as the Company’s President as it acquired Candystand.com from Wrigley. Funtank reached profitability in a mere 4-months and developed a significant portfolio of intellectual property in the online casual, mobile games and social games space. In December 2010, Funtank was sold to Publishers Clearing House. In 2012, Tannen left Publishers Clearing House following the successful transition of the Funtank team and business. Under Tannen’s leadership, the PCH Play & Win business, which is inclusive of Funtank and PCH entertainment assets, experienced explosive growth and continues to stand as one of PCH’s most profitable business units. Today, Tannen has built an Angel Investment fund at red5 Capital and sits on the boards and advisory boards of several technology and consumer goods Companies.
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About Boll & Branch, red5 Capital: Boll & Branch offers consumers with luxury bedding and goods.
Jerome Griffith
CEO of Tumi Holdings
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About Tumi Holdings: Tumi understands that its customers require different products that will fit their particular travel styles and meet their specific needs.
Oded Edelman
Co-Founder & CEO of R2Net
Oded Edelman is the Founder and CEO of R2Net, the company behind JamesAllen.com – a leading online diamond and bridal jewelry retailer. R2Net is a one-stop shop that transitions brick-and-mortars into thriving Bricks & Clicks brands. His areas of expertise include diamond manufacturing, entrepreneurship, research and development, internet marketing and branding. For the last three decades, Oded has been intimately involved within the jewelry industry. From a young age, he began learning every aspect of diamond manufacturing, starting as a diamond polisher. During his early years, Oded’s enthusiasm for innovation and technology led him to design diamond manufacturing machines that helped him automate many aspects of the process. Oded soon began to trade diamonds throughout Belgium, Russia, South Africa and Israel, which eventually lead him to become a Rio Tinto Sight Holder. Throughout his adventure, Oded always kept an eye on the big picture: The most efficient way to get diamonds from rough to the consumer. He started a robust trading network in order to sell his diamonds competitively. In 2007, Oded’s passion for diamonds and technology gave rise to JamesAllen.com, which was built on the back of his ever-growing network of diamond manufacturers. Today James Allen is one of the leading online bridal jewelry brands in the world. Oded believes that a couple in love should be able to buy a high quality engagement ring, at an exceptional value, with complete confidence. He is steadfast in his commitment to developing innovative technologies that make buying a diamond online easier, less expensive and more transparent.
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About James Allen, R2Net, Signet Jewelers: R2Net is the product of over 30 years experience within the diamond industry
Melissa Shin Mash
CEO of Dagne Dover
Founder of Dagne Dover.
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About Dagne Dover: Dagne Dover is a performance bag brand for humans getting the most out of life.
Juozas Kaziukėnas
Founder & CEO of Marketplace Pulse
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About Marketplace Pulse: Leading ecommerce analytics and insights startup.
Rie Yano
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Material World
Co-Founder and CEO of Material World, a personalized fashion recommerce service that helps you discover pieces you love, and trade in the ones you don’t. Each month, you receive 5 pre-owned designer items carefully curated by our stylists. We are a full-cycle service, so while you can enjoy high quality designer pieces for the price of fast fashion, you can also sell it right back to us when you’re ready to part ways to prevent fashions from going to landfills. We have been featured in the New York Times Sunday Style, Wall Street Journal, Refinery29, Women’s Wear Daily, Huffington Post, Glamour, TechCrunch, Fox News.
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About Material World: Material World is a personal styling service delivering pre-owned designer items at 90% off retail
