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 Founder operating in the Retail space. If you think a Founder 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.
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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.
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.
Rob Caucci
Co-Founder, President of Fillogic
Rob Caucci is the Co-Founder and President at Fillogic.
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About Arteria Network, Fillogic, Pijon, SpaceSplitter: Fillogic is a New York-based technology company that provides retail and logistics services.
James McCann
Founder of 1-800-FLOWERS
Jim McCann is a highly successful entrepreneur whose vision and energy have helped grow 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, the company he founded in 1976, into the world’s leading florist and gift company. McCann’s focus on customer relationships and his willingness to embrace new technologies and business channels helped change the way flowers and other gifts are marketed for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and special occasions. McCann recognized early on the enormous potential in providing on-the-go consumers with the ability to express themselves and connect with the important people in their lives through top quality floral gifts combined with exemplary, personal service. McCann has also consistently managed to stay ahead of the curve in multi-channel retailing by embracing new technologies, such as 800 phone numbers and the Internet, often long before other retailers recognized the opportunities that these developments would provide both for business and consumers. In addition to being the first company to have its 800-telephone number as its name – a marketing insight that helped solidify the brand in consumer’s minds – McCann was a pioneer in online retailing – seizing the enormous reach of the Internet as early as 1991. Utilizing thorough knowledge of his customer base and market, McCann focused on expanding brand name awareness and instilling a sense of trust and convenience. McCann’s strategy for growth includes an effective combination of birthing new businesses and making acquisitions of businesses and brands that resonate with customers as great sources for exceptional gifts. One such new business is the BloomNet® wire service which provides retail florists with diverse resources such as website hosting, a comprehensive technology platform for retail store management and the industry’s first and only online digital floral directory. On the acquisition front, McCann has expanded his company’s gift offerings, and become a leading player in the Gourmet Food and Gift Baskets business, by acquiring such iconic brands as: Fannie May®, makers of gourmet chocolate and other confections; Cheryl&Co.®, creators of individually-wrapped fresh baked cookies, brownies and cakes; and The Popcorn Factory®, which offers gourmet popcorn and other snacks in exclusively designed collectible tins. McCann attributes much of his success to the lessons he learned in his first career, in the social services. At St. John’s Home for Boys in Rockaway, New York, McCann recalls, he helped underprivileged youths learn how to overcome the many challenges of their environment. His experiences greatly influenced his management style and prepared him to lead 1-800-FLOWERS.COM toward becoming one of the world’s most successful multi-channel retailers. McCann is a published author and award winning public speaker as well as a frequent guest on radio and television programs nationwide. In addition to serving as Chairman of the Board of Directors for 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, McCann is a member of the Board of Directors of Willis Group Holdings Limited and Gruppo Lottomatica.
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About 1-800-FLOWERS: 1-800-FLOWERS.COM is a floral and gift retailer offering fresh flowers, plants, gift baskets, gourmet foods, balloons and plush toys.
Jack McCollough
Co-Founder and Designer of Proenza Schouler
Jack McCollough is a Co-Founder and Designer at Proenza Schouler.
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About Proenza Schouler: Proenza Schouler is a designer and manufacturer of women’s wear and accessories in the U.S.
Lazaro Hernandez
Co-Founder and Designer of Proenza Schouler
Lazaro Hernandez is a Co-Founder and Designer at Proenza Schouler.
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About Proenza Schouler: Proenza Schouler is a designer and manufacturer of women’s wear and accessories in the U.S.
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.
Jennifer Fleiss
Co-Founder of Rent the Runway
Jennifer Fleiss is the President and co-founder of Rent the Runway, the premier online destination for designer dress and accessory rentals. Jenny and her co-founder, Jennifer Hyman, have built the company to include a revolving roster of over 150 designer brands, 25,000 dresses, 120 employees, and over 2 million members. The company has raised approximately $31 million in venture capital funding from Bain Capital Ventures, Highland Capital, and Kleiner Perkins. In 2007, Jenny began at Harvard Business School where she met Jennifer Hyman. As sectionmates, the two women would meet frequently to discuss entrepreneurial ideas, one of which was Rent the Runway. Designed to solve the common “closet full of clothes but nothing to wear” problem, Jenn and Jenny launched Rent the Runway in November 2009. Prior to Harvard Business School, Jenny worked at Morgan Stanley in the Strategic Planning Group crafting long-term company strategy. She then moved on to Lehman Brothers’ Asset Management Group where she was responsible for analyzing business growth opportunities through acquisitions, international expansion, and new product strategies. Jenny received her Bachelor of Arts from Yale University in 2005 graduating Cum Laude, and her Master’s of Business Administration from Harvard Business School in 2009.
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About Rent the Runway, Volition Capital: 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.
Andy Ellwood
Co-Founder & President of Basket
Andy Ellwood is cofounder and president of Basket, the first ever shopper powered smart shopping list and grocery business intelligence platform. Prior to Basket, Andy ran Business Development for Waze until their acquisition by Google in 2013 and before that, for Gowalla until their acquisition by Facebook in 2011. Andy is also cofounder of Exosphere, a learning and problem solving community headquartered in Catalonia, Spain. Andy is a graduate of Texas A&M University and serves as an officer for the New York Aggies alumni club, most recently as President of the club for the past two years. Andy frequent speaker, contributor, and serves as an advisor to early stage companies around the world. For more of his adventures, follow along on Twitter: @andyellwood.
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About Basket: Basket believes you should never overpay for groceries and is the largest community of Shoppers working together to save time and money.
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
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.
David Rosenzweig
Co-Founder of Rowing Blazers
David Rosenzweig is the Co-Founder 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.
Kearnon O’Molony
Co-Founder of CUUP
Kearnon O’Molony is a Co-Founder at CUUP.
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About CUUP: CUUP is a direct to consumer startup focused on providing the essential bra for women.
Abby Morgan
Co-Founder & CMO of CUUP
Abby Morgan is a Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer at CUUP.
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About CUUP: CUUP is a direct to consumer startup focused on providing the essential bra for women.
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.
Morgan Hirsh
Founder & CEO of Public Goods
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About Public Goods: Making healthy products affordable
Michael Ferchak
Co-Founder & COO 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
Josh Udashkin
Co-Founder of Judy
Josh Udashkin is the Co-Founder of Judy.
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About Judy: Judy offers a collection of ready-kits for natural disasters and home emergencies.
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.
Julian Connor
Co-Founder & CTO of Grailed
Julian Connor is the co-founder and CTO at Grailed. He is a former software engineer at Venmo.
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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.
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.
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.
Erin Fujimoto
Co-Founder of Tommy John
Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Erin Fujimoto studied finance at Arizona State University before beginning her career as a financial adviser at JP Morgan. After listening to her husband’s relentless frustrations with ill-fitting undershirts, Fujimoto and Tom Patterson founded Tommy John in 2008 with the goal of bringing more comfortable and innovative solutions to market. Together they’ve spent the last 10 years reimagining the fabric, fit, and function of men’s underwear and apparel before successfully introducing their debut women’s collection in 2018.
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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.
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.
Brennal Pierre
Co-Founder and CTO of Ephemeral Tattoos
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About Ephemeral Tattoos: Ephemeral Tattoos is a made-to-fade tattoo creating a world of limitless self-expression, where everybody is a canvas.
Vandan Shah
Co-Founder of Ephemeral Tattoos
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About Ephemeral Tattoos: Ephemeral Tattoos is a made-to-fade tattoo creating a world of limitless self-expression, where everybody is a canvas.
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.
Adam Berkowitz
Co-Founder/Chief Operating Officer of Pharmapacks
Adam Berkowitz is a Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Pharmapacks.
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About Pharmapacks: Pharmapacks is an e-commerce company that offers products for daily health and wellness needs.
Connor Wilson
Co-Founder 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.
Daniel Berg
Founder of Berg Bites
At age 10, Berg Bites CEO and founder Dan Berg accompanied his father to the gym every week. This exposure to health and fitness was a formative influence over Dan. It didn’t just inspire him to work out. It inspired him to incubate a business idea from the family living room. Preteen Dan began the research and development of Berg Bites in middle school. He taught himself about food and nutrition and purged the family home of junk food. By high school, he was producing the Berg Bites prototype: nutritious and delicious balls of peanut butter, chocolate, oats, and seeds, served to friends and family as the one and only Berg-approved dessert. These crowd-pleasers became the original Chocolate Chip Madness flavor of Berg Bites. Rolled within each bite is the family legacy that nurtured Dan and his vision. Dan’s entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to health food fused in college, where he and his dormmates couldn’t easily find healthy snacks. Dan’s mother shipped the bites to the hungry students, who gratefully devoured them. It was a moment of truth for Dan, who had been thinking about the business angle since high school. It was time to fulfill the call of destiny and transform Berg Bites into the corporation of Dan’s lifelong dream
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About Berg Bites, DRNX, Future Forward Food: Berg Bites provides nutritious, clean label products that consumers can understand and feel good about eating.
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.
Neal Parikh
CTO, Co-Founder of SevenFifty
Neal Parikh is a co-founder and the Chief Technology Officer of SevenFifty.With experience as a data scientist, seasoned technologist, and cocktail enthusiast, Parikh brings a diverse range of talents to the SevenFifty team. As CTO of SevenFifty, Parikh oversees the company’s engineering team, platform design and product development. When Parikh joined SevenFifty, he led a nimble team of engineers to create a revolutionary digital platform to facilitate the wholesale buying and selling of wines and spirits. Today, SevenFifty’s robust, searchable database stands as the digital backbone of the alcohol industry. Prior to co-founding SevenFifty, Parikh worked as a senior quantitative analyst on Wall Street, and is an expert in machine learning, convex optimization, statistics, big data systems and artificial intelligence.
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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.
Gianfranco Verga
Co-Founder and President of SevenFifty
Gianfranco Verga is a co-founder and the Chief Operating Officer of SevenFifty. With extensive experience in multiple areas of the beverage industry, Verga is widely considered to be a leading expert in the field. As COO of SevenFifty, Verga oversees the company’s day-to-day operations, including the external client management of over 700 distributors and 30,000 buyers, as well as the internal management of SevenFifty’s sales and customer care teams. Prior to co-founding SevenFifty in 2012, Verga managed operations and development at Tippling Bros, a beverage consulting firm that curates spirits portfolios for buyers and distributors. Before joining Tippling Bros, Verga worked as the Beverage Director and General Manager of Louis 649, building one of the most established beverage programs in New York City. Prior to his time at Louis 649, Verga worked as a Marketing Associate at Domaine Select Wine Estates. Verga is B.A.R. Smarts certified by the Beverage Alcohol Resource and has been featured in numerous food and beverage publications.
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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
Osman Khan
Co-Founder of Squared Circles
Osman Khan is the Co-Founder of Squared Circles.
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About Squared Circles: Squared Circles is a venture studio that focuses on operations, branding, capital, and talent.
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.
Ajay Anand
Founder of Rare Carat
Ajay leads business. He was the founder of an enterprise SaaS co-used by the UN in over 50 countries to deliver aid saving 1m lives. He also was the third employee of 21diamonds.in and a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group. He holds a Wharton MBA, Penn MA, and UMich BBA.
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About Millennium Software and Staffing, Rare Carat, Systmapp: Rare Carat is a diamond and ring marketplace where consumers can compare diamonds across trusted diamond retailers to find the best deal.
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.
Amir Zwickel
Co-Founder & CRO of SHOWFIELDS
Amir Zwickel is the Co-Founder & CRO at SHOWFIELDS.
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About Co-NY RED, 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.
Ali Kriegsman
Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer of Bulletin
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About Bulletin: Bulletin operates as a wholesale marketplace and community that connects premium brands and retailers.
Randy Goldberg
Co-Founder of Bombas
Bombas is a sock company that uses advanced technology and style to deliver wonderful socks to customers while also donating a pair to a homeless person for every one sold .The idea of the company was first hatched in 2010 after the founders, Randy Goldberg and David Heath, heard the statistic that socks are the most requested item in homeless shelters. After a few years of R&D research, coordinating product production, and raising 140,000 on Indiegogo, the company launched its first line in 2013.The founders appeared in the television show Shark Tank and secured an investment Daymond John.
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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.
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.
Tapasya Bali
Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer (Board Director) of YOGASMOGA
Tapasya Bali is an Indian American entrepreneur. She is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of YOGASMOGA – a yoga inspired, wellness and technical apparel company. The highlights of the company included an authentic approach to wellness, proprietary development of technically advanced performance fabrics and a domestically scalable – Made in USA supply chain. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for the company. Tapasya is a seasoned executive with experience across a broad range of financial roles from managing trading strategies to company valuations and capital raising. She has a track record in building and operating businesses, leading strategic initiatives that grow revenue and leading operationally focussed teams. Tapasya is significantly influenced by her upbringing in the Himalayan region of India and the culture of yoga. In addition to being the Founder & COO of YOGASMOGA, Tapasya is a Co-Founder of the Namaskar Foundation –– a 501(c)(3) non-profit, that fosters corporate social responsibility. Tapasya holds an MBA from New York University and was previously a director at the Swiss Investment Bank – Credit Suisse. Tapasya is both a naturalized citizen of the United States of America and an Overseas Citizen of India.
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About Namaskar Foundation, YOGASMOGA: YOGASMOGA designs, manufactures and retails athletic apparel and 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.
Lauren Santo Domingo
Co-Founder & Chief Brand Officer of Moda Operandi
Lauren Santo Domingo is the Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer of Moda Operandi, the world’s leading platform for fashion discovery. As a former American Vogue editor, Lauren set out to create a platform that would allow women to shop from complete designer collections – a benefit only offered to editors or stylists at the time. In February 2010, Lauren co-founded Moda Operandi with Aslaug Magnusdottir, revolutionizing the fashion industry and the way women shop. The company now has more than 300 employees across eight offices globally, and has raised nearly $300m in funding from top-tier investors. Lauren sits on the Board of Directors for Moda Operandi, and Save Venice Art Conservation, a non-profit dedicated to conversation of the arts in Venice, Italy. Regarded as one of the most influential women in fashion, Lauren was inducted into Vanity Fair’s ‘International Best Dressed List’ in 2012. Lauren lives in New York City with her husband and their two children.
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About Moda Operandi, Vogue Magnet: Moda Operandi is a platform for emerging fashion designers and retailers.
Dag Liodden
Co-Founder of Crisp
Dag Liodden is Tapad’s Co-Founder and CTO. Dag oversees all technological advancements for the company, including Tapad’s notable breakthroughs in delivering targeted advertising across platforms. Prior to Tapad, he was the co-founder and CTO of Giant Leap Technologies AS, the premier Business Mobility solutions provider in the Nordic region. While there, Dag managed some of the largest wireless enterprise solution rollouts in Europe. He began programming at 6-years-old and has a Master’s Degree in Science, Industrial Economics and Technology Management from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
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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.
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.
Zach Davis
Co-Founder & VP Business Development of Stylitics
Zach Davis is the Co-founder at Stylitics .
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About InOurBuilding, Stylitics: Stylitics is a cloud-based SaaS platform for retailers to automate and distribute visual content at scale.
Suze Dowling
Co-Founder & Chief Business Officer of Pattern
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About Pattern: Pattern is a family of brands that inspire to learn, explore, and lay the foundation for a more present life.
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.
Harm Lyall
Co-Founder and CTO of Pollen
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About Pollen: Pollen helps small online retailers acquire new users more cheaply and easily than Google or Facebook.
Sara Adam Slywka
Co-Founder & CMO of Nestig
Sara Adam Slywka currently works as the Co-Founder and CMO for Nestig. She previously worked at Curology as the Product Manager.
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About Nestig: Nestig provides modern nursery essentials such as cribs and mattresses.
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.
Hadas Saar
Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer of Naadam
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About Naadam: Naadam is an American clothing company specializing in affordable, luxury cashmere products.
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.
Miki Agrawal
Founder of TUSHY
Miki Agrawal is a force of nature. She was named 2017 Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, 2016 Most Impressive Women Entrepreneurs by INC, 2016 Crain’s 40 Under 40, made cover of Entrepreneur Magazine, 2015 Social Entrepreneur of the Year at the World Technology Awards and her Company THINX was named 2017 Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company, Time Magazine’s “25 Best New Inventions of 2015″. Miki Agrawal was also the recipient of the TriBeCa Film Festival’s “Disruptive Innovation Award” and was named one of the “Top 20 Millenials on a Mission” by Forbes. She was the CEO and Co-Founder of THINX, a high-tech, beautiful underwear solution for women to wear during their periods. She teamed up with AFRIpads in Uganda to fund a pack of reusable cloth pads for every underwear sold to get millions of girls back in school. To date, Miki Agrawal and the company helped over 30,000 girls go back to school. Miki Agrawal’s subsequent focus was solving the light bladder leakage problem that moms are facing today and giving women who leak the ability to feel like themselves again. 1 in 3 women pee a little when they laugh, jump, jog, sneeze or cough. So, innovator Miki Agrawal and her team created a bespoke patented underwear called ICON to remind these women that they are powerful women first and mothers second. For every Icon sold, they are funding Fistula Foundation to fight the fistula crisis in Africa and other developing countries. Miki Agrawal’s current focus is in the antiquated bathroom category with her newest product,TUSHY: For People Who Poop (www.hellotushy.com). TUSHY aims to be the #1 solution for “nether region health”, and to upgrade the American bathroom experience, which hasn’t changed since 1890s. Via TUSHY, Miki Agrawal aims to help fight the global sanitation crisis affecting 40% of the world. Miki Agrawal is also the Founder of the acclaimed farm-to-table gluten-free pizza concept WILD (www.eatdrinkwild.com) and 2015 marked the restaurant brand’s 10 year anniversary (a feat in and of itself!). Harper Collins published Miki Agrawal’s book, entitled “DO COOL SH*T” on entrepreneurship and lifestyle design. The book hit #1 on the Amazon Bestsellers list in entrepreneurship. Miki Agrawal’s second tome, “Disrupt-Her: A Manifesto for the Modern Woman” was published in 2018, with a third book anticipated a launch in 2021. Miki Agrawal is an identical twin, half-Japanese, half-Indian French Canadian, former professional soccer player and graduate of Cornell University.
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About Conscious Capitalism, TUSHY: TUSHY is a bidet attachment company that helps ease environmental strife and fight the global sanitation crisis.
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.
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.
David Kleyman
Co-Founder, COO of Wooter
Founder at Wooter
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About Wooter: Sports technology company revolutionizing the sportswear industry and the way leagues + teams are run.
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.
Alex Kagan
Founder of Wooter
Founder at Wooter
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About Wooter: Sports technology company revolutionizing the sportswear industry and the way leagues + teams are run.
Alyssa Weiss
Founder of Travel Beauty
Alyssa Barrie Weiss joined Verier as Co-Founder in 2020.
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About Travel Beauty, Verier: Travel Beauty offers a hyper-curated collection of beauty and grooming products from around the globe.
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.
DJ Kunovac
Co-Founder & CTO 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
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
Sara Klausing
Founder of SEEK
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About SEEK: Seek is the platform connecting entertainment and e-commerce through the lens of creatives.
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.
Andreas Spartalis
Executive Conversion Director & Co-Founder of Wunderkind (formerly BounceX)
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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.
Jerome Bensimon
Founder of Jacqueline & Jerome
Founder at Jacqueline & Jerome
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About Jacqueline & Jerome: Fresh Natural Vinaigrette
Gaurang Shah
Co-Founder and Director of Bulk MRO Industrial Supply
Gaurang Shah is the Co-Founder at Bulk MRO Industrial Supply.
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About Bulk MRO Industrial Supply: Bulk MRO is a full-stack global supply chain finance platform
