Best Startup
At Best Startup US we track over 1,000,000 US startups and over 3 million people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United States based Founder operating in the Fashion 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.
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.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Goop
Gwyneth Paltrow is one of today’s most prolific and celebrated actors in both television and film. Additionally, Paltrow continues to develop her lifestle brand: Goop; wellness advice, clean beauty, fashion & home. A testament to her undeniable acting talent is Paltrow’s role in Shakespeare in Love that catapulted her into awards stardom with Best Actress honors at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and Academy Awards. In 2011. Gwyneth Paltrow was also honored with an Emmy Award for Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as substitute teacher Holly Holiday on Fox’s smash-hit musical series Glee. In 2013, Paltrow published her second cookbook, It’s All Good, which joined her first-ever cookbook, My Father’s Daughter (published April 2011), on the New York Times Best Sellers list. She first established her credibility in the culinary field when she cowrote Spain, A Culinary Road Trip with acclaimed chef Mario Batali.
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About Goop: Goop is a lifestyle brand providing digital content and commerce.
Katrina Lake
Founder and CEO of Stitch Fix
Katrina is passionate about helping women achieve everyday confidence. She founded Stitch Fix to help women everywhere discover and explore their style through a truly client-focused shopping experience. Prior to founding Stitch Fix, Katrina developed extensive experience at the intersection of fashion, retail, and technology. She managed the blogger platform at venture-backed social commerce company Polyvore and consulted with a variety of e-commerce and traditional retailers during her time at The Parthenon Group. Additionally, she has invested in and worked with dozens of entrepreneurs and start-ups at Leader Ventures. Katrina holds a B.S. in Economics from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
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About Grubhub, Stitch Fix: Stitch Fix is a personal styling platform that delivers curated and personalized apparel and accessory items for women.
Shawn Carter
Founder of Marcy Venture Partners
Jay-Z is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer and entrepreneur. He has sold approximately 50 million albums worldwide, earned 14 Grammy Awards, leading him to become one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America with a net worth of approximately $450 million as of 2011. Since 1996, 10-time Grammy award winner, Carter has dominated the rap industry and set trends for a generation. Founder and chairman of Rocawear, he is also co-owner of the NJ Nets, 40/40 sportsclubs, Translation Advertising and Carol’s Daughter skin line, as well involved in a partnership with Iconix Brand Group. After three successful years as President and CEO of Def Jam Recordings, where he fostered the careers of international stars Rihanna, Ne-Yo and Kanye West, he entered into a partnership with Live Nation to form Roc Nation. Through Roc Nation, he released the Blueprint 3, his 11th #1 album, putting him ahead of Elvis for most #1 albums by any solo artist. In 2010, he added author to his resume and claimed a spot on the New York Times bestseller’s list with his critically acclaimed debut book, “DECODED.” He continues his philanthropic work through his Water For Life initiative and the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation.
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About Marcy Venture Partners, Project Panther, Roc Nation, Shawn Carter: Marcy Venture Partners is a venture capital firm investing on consumer, culture, and mass-market brands.
Jay Brown
Co-Founder & Managing Director of Marcy Venture Partners
Jay Brown has served as a member of our Board since January 2014. Jay Brown, a 20-year music industry executive veteran, fostered the careers and discovered countless superstars including Rihanna and Ne-Yo and worked with artists such as NAS. Jay Brown is the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Roc Nation, a full-service entertainment company started in 2008. Mr. Brown currently overseas the careers of a diverse Roc Nation roster comprised of Grammy award winning and critically acclaimed recording artists, writers and producers including Rihanna, Shakira, Timbaland, Kylie Minogue and Santigold. Prior to Roc Nation, Mr. Brown served as Executive Vice President for Def Jam Recordings from 2005 to 2008 and as Senior Vice President of Elektra Records from 1999 to 2004. Our Board has concluded that Mr. Brown should serve on the Board based upon his experience as an entrepreneur and senior executive and his broad knowledge of the music and entertainment industries.
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About Marcy Venture Partners, Roc Nation: Marcy Venture Partners is a venture capital firm investing on consumer, culture, and mass-market brands.
Larry Marcus
Co-Founder & Managing Director of Marcy Venture Partners
Actively making new investments in consumer and culture with Marcy Venture Partners, a VC firm co-founded with JAY-Z and Jay Brown. Managing Director at Walden Venture Capital Investments include: Savage X Fenty, Pela, Hungry, Wheels, Hipcamp, Partake Foods, Pandora (founding investor – IPO, exit to Sirius XM) , SoundHound, Aarki, goTenna, Hatch Baby, TouchBistro (exit), Robust Wealth (acquired by Principal Financial Group), Terayon (acquired by Motorola). Angel investments: include Netflix (IPO), BandPage (acquired by Google), Maestro, Jukely, LyricFind. Prior to Walden, Larry was a digital media sell-side Equity Research Analyst at Deutsche Bank Alex. Brown. Led IPOs of Terayon, CBS MarketWatch, Netflix (initial S-1 IPO filing), Maxis (acquired by Electronic Arts), Edmark (acquired by IBM) and among other equity and debt financings (Broderbund, Sierra On-line, Excite@Home, Spectrum Holobyte, CBS Sportsline). Prior experience includes Robertson Stephens & Company, Education: Larry received a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Business Administration from the University of California at Berkeley. See the music he loves at www.pandora.com/people/larry. He was named to the Billboard Power 100 in music and the Twitter 140 to follow.
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About Marcy Venture Partners, Scientific Revenue, TouchBistro, Walden Venture Capital: Marcy Venture Partners is a venture capital firm investing on consumer, culture, and mass-market brands.
Joseph Zwillinger
Co-Founder and CEO of Allbirds
Joseph Zwillinger is a CEO and Co-Founder of Allbirds. He has long been passionate about making things from renewable resources, which led him to start Allbirds and begin tackling sustainability issues in the footwear industry. Prior to co-founding Allbirds, he spent six years at biotech firm Terravia (formerly Solazyme, Inc.) leading its renewable chemical business, developing and selling high performance algae-based chemicals into various industries such as CPG, personal care, and industrials. Previously, Joey worked in advisory and investment roles at Industry Ventures, Deloitte Consulting and Goldman Sachs. He sits on the Board of education nonprofit Stiles Hall, as well as the Advisory Board of Wharton’s Baker Retail Center. He earned an MBA from Wharton with honors, and a BS in industrial engineering from UC Berkeley
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About Allbirds: Allbirds is an apparel and fashion company that specializes in manufacturing eco-friendly wool shoes.
Tim Brown
Co-Founder of Allbirds
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About Allbirds: Allbirds is an apparel and fashion company that specializes in manufacturing eco-friendly wool shoes.
Scott Galloway
Founder & Chairman of L2
Scott Galloway founded L2 after developing an algorithm to assess the digital competence of brands. Scott is a Clinical Professor at the NYU Stern School of Business where he teaches brand strategy and digital marketing. In 2012, Professor Galloway was named “One of the World’s 50 Best Business School Professors” by Poets & Quants. He is also the founder of Red Envelope and Prophet Brand Strategy. Scott was elected to the World Economic Forum’s Global Leaders of Tomorrow and has served on the boards of directors of Eddie Bauer (Nasdaq: EBHI), The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT), Gateway Computer, and UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. He received a B.A. from UCLA and an M.B.A. from UC Berkeley.
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About L2: L2 is a digital innovation company providing research, curated events and targeted consulting engagements for brands.
Brian Bloom
Co-Founder, CFO & COO of Monica+Andy
Brian Bloom is a Co-Founder, CFO & COO at Monica & Andy.
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About Monica+Andy: Monica+Andy is an operator of an online baby clothing shopping platform.
Monica Royer
Founder & CEO of Monica+Andy
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About Chief, Monica+Andy: Monica+Andy is an operator of an online baby clothing shopping platform.
John Legend
Co-Founder of Bungalow Clothing
John Legend is a nine-time Grammy Award winning recording artist, critically-acclaimed concert performer, philanthropist/social activist, and was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people. Legend’s debut album, Get Lifted (2004) sold more than three million copies worldwide and earned an astounding eight Grammy nominations with three wins for Best New Artist, Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B album. Legend’s follow-up album, Once Again (2006) earned RIAA platinum certification and a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. High off the success of his third consecutive Top 10 album, Evolver (2008), Legend embarked on an extensive world tour with an 11 piece band – his largest traveling show to date. Inspired by the monumental 2008 Presidential election, Legend teamed up with The Roots to release the socially conscious album, Wake Up! (2010.) The album was nominated for five Grammy Awards and won Best R&B Album, Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B song (for “Shine”- an original composition also featured in Academy Award-winning director Davis Guggenheim’s documentary film Waiting for Superman) along with two NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Album and Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration. In 2007, Legend launched the Show Me Campaign, a nonprofit organization fighting poverty around the world. John also sits on the Boards of The Education Equality Project, Teach for America, and the Harlem Village Academies. Legend has been honored several times for his activism, including the 2010 BET Humanitarian of the Year award, the 2009 CARE Humanitarian Award for Global Change, and the 2009 Africare’s Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award. In early 2012, Legend released one of the hottest songs of his career, the RIAA gold-certified hit “Tonight (Best You’ve Ever Had),” which sat atop the Urban AC radio chart for six consecutive weeks. Legend recently released his fifth studio album Love in the Future, with executive producers Kanye West and Dave Tozer, and will embark on a North American tour this autumn.
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About Bungalow Clothing: Bungalow Clothing is an online retailer that offers a range of clothing items to its clients.
Tory Burch
Founder, Designer & Executive Chairman, Tory Burch of Tory Burch
Tory Burch is CEO and designer of Tory Burch, an American lifestyle brand. The collection, known for color, print and eclectic details, includes ready-to-wear, shoes, handbags, accessories and beauty. Raised in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, Tory graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in art history, then moved to New York to pursue a career in the fashion industry. She worked in public relations and marketing for some of the most influential American designers, including Ralph Lauren, Vera Wang and Narciso Rodriguez at Loewe. She launched Tory Burch in 2004 with a small boutique on Elizabeth Street in Manhattan, and since then the brand has grown into a global business with more than 120 freestanding stores, toryburch.com and a presence in more than 3,000 department and specialty stores. Tory Burch has been recognized with numerous awards, including the CFDA for Accessory Designer of the Year, Glamour’s Women of the Year, Forbes’s Most Powerful Women in the World and Vanity Fair’s International Best-Dressed List. A dedicated philanthropist, Tory launched the Tory Burch Foundation in 2009 to support the economic empowerment of women entrepreneurs and their families in the U.S. Through loans, mentorship and entrepreneurial education, the foundation invests in the success and sustainability of women-owned small businesses. In addition, Tory serves on the boards of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, the Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the Startup America Partnership and the Barnes Foundation. She is also an inaugural member of the Presidential Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship. Tory lives in New York City with her three sons.
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About Tory Burch, Tory Burch Foundation: Tory Burch is an American lifestyle brand that embodies the personal style and sensibility of its CEO and designer, Tory Burch.
Andy Ruben
Founder & CEO of Trove
Andy Ruben is the CEO and Founder of Trove. The world’s most innovative brands trust Trove to run their resale platforms. Andy left his executive role at Walmart to pursue his dream of building the next generation of retail. Andy was hired by Walmart to work with the Board of Directors and build a strategy department for Walmart. He led a number of transformational efforts over his tenure, including launching Walmart’s heralded sustainability effort, re-imagining Walmart’s $20 Billion private brands business, and integrating online and stores.
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About Trove: Trove builds white-label technology and end-to-end operations that power circular shopping for premium and luxury brands.
Ryan Babenzien
Founder / CEO / Investor of Greats
Babenzien began his career managing clients at ICM Partners. Towards the end of the 1990s, he began consulting with fashion companies, including Eckō Unltd. and Mecca. He later worked for Puma, eventually landing with K-Swiss. Babenzien served as the director of lifestyle and entertainment marketing for that company, and then the Global Director of Entertainment Marketing. Babenzien became the CEO of Boast in 2010, re-establishing the retail brand that had been founded in 1973. Babenzien worked with Andy Spade to revive the company, and began showing collections for both men and women in advance of the company’s 40th anniversary. In 2013 Babenzien founded the online footwear company Greats Brand with Jon Buscemi. He knew that he wanted to create a high quality footwear brand that was sold direct to the consumer rather than through 3rd party retailers.
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About Greats, Greats: Greats Brands is a men’s footwear brand that offers a wide range of classically-inspired sneakers.
Jon Buscemi
Co-Founder and Executive Creative Director of Greats
Founder/ Creative Director at Greats.
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About Greats, Lotto Sport Italia Spa, Lusso Cloud, Oliver Peoples: Greats Brands is a men’s footwear brand that offers a wide range of classically-inspired sneakers.
Michael Duda
Founder & Managing Partner of Bullish
Mike is one of two Managing Partners responsible for the overall health of Bullish. A relentless business leader, he has a well-rounded and diverse career that includes experience in brand management, business/corporate development, interactive and B2C investing. Over the course of his 20+ years in business, Mike has worked on a wide-range of brands including Birchbox, Casper, Citibank, DirecTV, Google, TripAdvisor, Under Armour and vineyard vines. He has spoken at numerous industry events, named one of Crain New York’s “Top 40 Under 40,” Business Insider’s “Top Investors” and ADWEEK’s “Best Advertising Voices on Twitter.” Prior to founding Bullish and its predecessor firm (Consigliere Brand Capital) in 2010, Mike spent 13 years at Deutsch Inc., where he became the youngest Partner in the company’s 35-year history overseeing business development, marketing and corporate strategy. He has held other industry roles including CEO of WPP-backed Johannes Leonardo.
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About Bullish: Bullish is an early-stage consumer investment firm and strategy-led brand agency.
Jake Kassan
CEO/Co-Founder of MVMT
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About MVMT: MVMT (pronounced movement) is a watchmaker company, founded on the belief that style shouldn’t break the bank.
Jake Kassan
CEO/Co-Founder of MVMT
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About MVMT: MVMT (pronounced movement) is a watchmaker company, founded on the belief that style shouldn’t break the bank.
Kramer LaPlante
Co Founder & COO & Co Owner of MVMT
Kramer LaPlante is Co Founder | COO at MVMT Watches.
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About MVMT: MVMT (pronounced movement) is a watchmaker company, founded on the belief that style shouldn’t break the bank.
Kramer LaPlante
Co Founder & COO & Co Owner of MVMT
Kramer LaPlante is Co Founder | COO at MVMT Watches.
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About MVMT: MVMT (pronounced movement) is a watchmaker company, founded on the belief that style shouldn’t break the bank.
Sara Blakely
Founder of Spanx
Sara Blakely is an American billionaire businesswoman, and founder of Spanx, an American intimate apparel company with pants and leggings, founded in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2012, Blakely was named in Time magazine’s “Time 100” annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. As of 2014, she is listed as the 93rd most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.
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About Spanx: Spanx is an apparel brand that designs and manufactures women’s undergarments and underwire accessories.
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.
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.
Luisana Mendoza de Roccia
COO, Co-Founder & President of Maisonette
Luisana Mendoza de Roccia is the co-founder and COO at Maisonette.
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About Maisonette: Maisonette is a children’s clothing and lifestyle e-commerce site.
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.
Renata Mutis Black
Co-Founder of EBY
Renata M. Black is the founder of EBY. She founded Seven Bar Foundation in 2009 after having studied microfinance under Noble Peace Prize winner – Muhammad Yunus in 2006 and launching a microfinance program in India for over 800 women in 2007. Black then came back to the states to develop the brand for the Empowerment of Women – a “ladder” icon symbolizing extending ladders to women out of poverty and into business. To reach a critical mass with the “ladder” icon she created and trademarked couture and luxury lingerie shows in the 15 top cities. Thus far Lingerie Miami, Lingerie New York and Lingerie London have redirected the power of the luxury lingerie industry to empowerment of women with over 4 billion media impressions. The shows developed cause-marketing campaigns with Asscher Diamonds, Fusion Beauty, Kraft Foods and Diageo to note a few yielding nearly half a million in proceeds to the Foundation impacting 2,500 women locally and globally. On October 24, 2012 at Lingerie London alongside Agent Provocateur and Atsuko Kudo, Black launched the for-profit Empowered By You brand with the ethos – Whatever Empowers You, Empowers Women Everywhere. 20% of every sale goes to the empowerment of women via Seven Bar Foundation. The product found in over 40 stores is a lifestyle brand now expanding into designer collaborations. Black is currently the vice chair of the CSR Network, a member of 85 Broads, and a member of Women on Wall Street and Advertising Women of New York. She earned her degree at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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About EBY, Seven Bar Foundation: EBY is a membership-based company driving profits with purpose.
Kevin Lavelle
Founder & Chairman of the Board of Mizzen+Main
Kevin Lavelle is the founder and CEO of Mizzen+Main, an innovative company transforming the landscape of the apparel industry by introducing advanced performance fabrics to traditional menswear. Mizzen+Main has changed the way men approach this staple of their wardrobe, creating a shirt that is moisture wicking and wrinkle-free, has four-way stretch, and requires no ironing or dry cleaning. Lavelle launched the company in July 2012 to create the next great American brand. The shirt has quickly become a favorite among a variety of customers with a strong adoption among professional athletes. Mizzen+Main is carried in 300 retail locations in addition to its rapidly expanding e-commerce presence. Prior to founding Mizzen+Main, Lavelle worked at the venture-capital group of the Hunt Consolidated focusing on emerging energy technologies. Prior to that, Lavelle worked for international consulting firm Oliver Wyman in the Middle East and the U.S. Lavelle graduated summa cum laude from Southern Methodist University with a BS in engineering. In 2016, Lavelle was named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and Southern Methodist University’s Distinguished Alumni Emerging Leader recipient. Lavelle lives in Dallas with his wife and business partner, Jen, Mizzen+Main’s CMO, and their son, Jack.
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About Mizzen+Main: Mizzen+Main creates a next great American brand and bring innovation to classic menswear.
John Reed
Co-Founder and Chairman of Arhaus
John Reed co-founded Arhaus, LLC and served as its Chief Executive Officer. He also serves as Chairman of Arhaus, LLC.
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About Arhaus: Arhaus is a premiere retail chain that designs, manufactures, and sells home furnishings both at retail locations and online.
Tal Pink
Founder of Looksy
Tal Pink is an established entrepreneur with over 10 years experience in the internet and startups. One of the early employees of Israeli company ICQ (acquired by AOL), Tal went on to launch Tar Networks (a startup incubator), as well as [Fonogenic](http://www.fonogenic.com) (DRM free music store for independent artists). His latest project, [Dopetracks.com](http://www.dopetracks.com), brings his love of musical collaboration to the web in a fresh new way by connecting producers and emcees in an interactive environment. Tal is an accomplished musician and a world-traveler who has lived in Israel, London, and California.
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About Adly, Dopetracks, Looksy, Sparitual: Fashion and Beauty Social Media
Ryan Harwood
Founder & Chief Executive Officer of PureWow
Ryan Harwood is the CEO at Gallery Media Group.
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About Gallery Media Group, PureWow: PureWow is a digital media company that specializes in women’s lifestyle content, covering fashion, beauty, tech, recipes, health & more.
Joni Evans
Co-Founder of PureWow
Joni Evans is the Co-Founder at PureWow.
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About PureWow: PureWow is a digital media company that specializes in women’s lifestyle content, covering fashion, beauty, tech, recipes, health & more.
Daniel Broukhim
Co-Founder & Co-Chief Executive Officer of FabFitFun
Daniel Broukhim is CEO and Co-founder of Charlie and FabFitFun.
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About FabFitFun: FabFitFun offers subscription services that allow its members to discover brands and products.
Michael Broukhim
Co-Founder and Co-CEO of FabFitFun
Michael Broukhim has directed new media strategy for leading entertainment, corporate, non-profit, and political clients. Before Charlie, Michael co-founded and led product initiatives at TotSpot, which earned top honors at Twiistup, Los Angeles’ premiere startup showcase. Michael graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College where he was awarded the Thomas T. Hoopes Prize for outstanding research. At Harvard, Michael served as the Editorial Chair for the Crimson and earned a National Pacemaker Award for his writing. In addition to his work at Charlie, Michael is earning his JD/MBA at Stanford and invests in early stage startups.
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About Charlie, FabFitFun: FabFitFun offers subscription services that allow its members to discover brands and products.
Katie Echevarria Rosen Kitchens
Editor in Chief and Co-Founder of FabFitFun
Katie Echevarria Rosen Kitchens is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of FabFitFun. She is a former VP of events and marketing at Out of the Box Events and LA Editor at Shecky’s Media, Inc.
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About FabFitFun: FabFitFun offers subscription services that allow its members to discover brands and products.
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.
Angela Lee
Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer of Angela Roi
Angela Lee is a young female entrepreneur whose passion for fashion and philanthropy led her to co-found and become Creative Director of Angela&Roi in 2012. Angela&Roi sells vegan leather bags with classic, yet minimalistic designs, and donates $5 of every sale to one of its charity partners. Each handbag features a colored ribbon to increase awareness about a particular cause, known as the Donate by Color mission. Through Angela&Roi, Angela supports a number of non-profit organizations: • Keep a Child Alive • American Childhood Cancer Organization • Living Beyond Breast Cancer, • Lung Cancer Alliance • Colon Cancer Alliance • Joslin Diabetes Center • Melanoma Research Foundation • National Kidney Foundation • Alzheimer’s Foundation of America • Prevent Cancer Foundation • Anxiety and Depression Association of America
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About Angela Roi: Ethical luxury handbag brand, using premium animal-friendly materials and working closely with artisans to craft our handbags
Roth Martin
Co-Founder and President of Rothy’s
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About Rothy’s: Rothy’s is a global lifestyle brand transforming sustainable materials into timeless shoes, handbags and accessories.
Stephen Hawthornthwaite
Co-Founder | Chief Executive Officer of Rothy’s
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About Rothy’s, Rothy’s: Rothy’s is a global lifestyle brand transforming sustainable materials into timeless shoes, handbags and accessories.
James Berdigans
CEO & Founder of Printify
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About Printify: Printify is a marketplace connecting online merchants to major print on demand and dropshipping manufacturers worldwide.
Michael Preysman
Founder and CEO of Everlane
Michael Preysman is the founder and CEO of Everlane. Prior to starting Everlane, he was an investor at Elevation Partners for both their New York and Menlo Park offices investing in media and entertainment companies. Michael enjoys sitting at the intersection of design and technology. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon with degrees in Computer Engineering and Economics.
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About Everlane: Everlane designs, manufactures, and sells clothing items for men and women via online e-commerce website.
Jonathan Tang
Founder of Vastrm
Tang is the founder of Vastrm.com, an apparel company solving the problem of fit. Vastrm was part of the Y-Combinator Summer 2012 batch. Prior to founding Vastrm. Tang was Managing Director of RedRooster Ventures, an seed investment and consulting firm that specialized in China based business opportunities. As Founder, President and CEO, Jonathan Tang helped build Salesnet to represent one of the top global enterprise software providers that was one of the three founding companies in the on-demand CRM market. At Salesnet Tang was responsible for helping to shape web CRM strategies for clients such as Microsoft, Staples, American Express, First Data, Sovereign Bank, Tellabs and many other enterprise companies. Salesnet was recognized on two occasions as one of the top 50 companies to work for in Massachusetts. Recently, Salesnet was acquired by RightNow Technologies, Inc. (RNOW). Balancing a successful business career with supporting the community, Tang is actively involved with charitable activities throughout the Boston area. He has offered his time and support to the Boston Living Center, Barbara McGinnis House, St. Mary’s Women and Childrens Center and Rosie’s Place. Tang currently sits on the board of directors for the Art of Living Foundation, one of the largest volunteer-based humanitarian NGO’s in the world that is active in over 150 countries. Tang’s influence on the industry and local business, as well as his contributions to the civic health of Greater Boston, was recently recognized by the Boston Business Journal (BBJ). The publication named Tang a 40 under 40 honoree, acknowledging 40 Greater Boston executives under 40 years of age. Tang earned his B.A. in International Relations and East Asian Studies from Tufts University and studied musical theory and practice at Berklee College of Music.
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About Pioneer Fund, Vastrm: Vastrm specializes in the fields of fashion, men’s, and wearables.
Jessie Zeng
Founder & CEO of Choosy
Jessie Zeng is the founder of Choosy.
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About Choosy: Choosy is an on-demand social shopping platform where users influence every collection to match their favorite style inspirations.
Mo Zhou
Co-Founder, President & COO of Choosy
Mo Zhou is a co-founder at Choosy.
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About Choosy: Choosy is an on-demand social shopping platform where users influence every collection to match their favorite style inspirations.
Aman Advani
Co-Founder & CEO of Ministry of Supply
Aman Advani is Co-founder and CEO of Ministry of Supply, a clothing brand inventing a new category: Scientifically Better clothes. The company was founded out of MIT in 2012 with the mission to incorporate fundamental engineering and performance principles into dress clothing staples, ultimately building a wardrobe that both looks good, and feels comfortable (think Nike meets Brooks Brothers). Prior to co-founding Ministry of Supply, Advani spent 4 years in management and non-profit consulting with Deloitte and TechnoServe. He holds a BSIE from Georgia Tech, and half an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management, was a member of Forbes 30 under 30 list an BBJ’s 40 Under 40 list, and has been featured as the cover of both ASB and Boston Magazine.
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About Ministry of Supply: Ministry of Supply is creating a new category of clothing, performance professional performance clothes for the workday.
Gihan Amarasiriwardena
Co-Founder & President of Ministry of Supply
Gihan Amarasiriwardena is adorable. No seriously- he says the highlight of his day is seeing his office rabbit Thumper *insert cute noise here.* Besides being a kind soul, Amarasiriwardena is the founder of Ministry of Supply, a menswear brand that makes cool things like a dress shirt that helps regulate body temperature and shirts that fight.
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About Ministry of Supply, Ministry of Supply: Ministry of Supply is creating a new category of clothing, performance professional performance clothes for the workday.
Jonathan Shokrian
Founder & CEO of MeUndies
Jonathan Shokrian was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA.
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About MeUndies: MeUndies brings together sustainable fabric and innovative design to make soft underwear and loungewear for its customers.
Katherine Power
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Clique
Katherine Power is the Co-Founder and CEO of Clique Media Group (CMG), the parent media company of WhoWhatWear (fashion), MyDomaine (lifestyle) Byrdie (beauty) and Obsessee (new omni-channel platform, specifically targeted at Gen-Z). In 2006, Katherine left her editorial role at ELLE to launch Who What Wear with her co-founder, Hillary Kerr. The goal was to disrupt the DNA of the magazine industry with a simple idea: do it digitally. By bringing print magazine sensibilities to the online space, CMG was born to offer readers elevated and curated access to their core passions: fashion, beauty, home and shopping. At CMG, Katherine drives all business operations, advertising and brand partnerships, along with the development of branded technology products. Just within the last year, Katherine has led the charge on exciting new initiatives for CMG, which include announcing the brand’s first foray into product with the launch of the Who What Wear collection at Target, a Series B round of funding that Amazon participated in, international expansion to the UK and Australia, and the acquisition of Wantering, a Canadian startup and social shopping search engine. Additionally, a third co-authored book, The Career Code, which serves as the modern girl’s guide for creating your own professional success, came out in the spring of 2016. As a leader that constantly innovates about what readers and consumers might want next, Katherine and her CMG team are continuing to enhance their offerings and user experience for the new generation of consumers.
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About AVALINE, Clique, MERIT Beauty, Sonoma Brands, Versed, Who What Wear: Clique is a media and commerce company
Hannes Wiese
Co-Founder & Co-CEO of ABOUT YOU
Hannes Wiese is the Co-Founder & Co-CEO at ABOUT YOU GmbH.
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About ABOUT YOU: ABOUT YOU is an eCommerce platform for clothing, shoes and accessories.
Jaclyn Fu
Co-Founder and CEO of Pepper
Jaclyn is now a proud member of IBTC, but has stuffed her bra once or twice in high school. Before Pepper Jaclyn led product marketing at community focused technology companies like Etsy, Grouper Social Club and Mozilla. She lives in Denver, Colorado, teaches yoga and loves a good pun.
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About Pepper: Pepper makes bras in AA to B cups with band sizes starting at 30 and going to 38 for small-chested women.
Mark Thomas Lynn
Co-Founder & Co-CEO of DSTLD
Mark T. Lynn co-founder @winc @dstld. Founder and CEO of @AMASS.botanics
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About AMASS Botanics, Digital Brands Group (DBG), DSTLD: DSTLD is a direct-to-consumer premium denim brand.
Paul Hedrick
Founder & CEO of Tecovas
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About Tecovas: Tecovas is a direct-to-consumer western-wear company that sells cowboy boots.
Bradley Deyo
Co-Founder, Co-Chairman & COO of Mars Reel
Bradley Deyo is a Co-founder and COO at Mars Reel.
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About Mars Reel: Mars Reel is a content and consumer products company focused on high school sports and youth culture.
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
Indré Vengris Rockefeller
Co-Founder of Paravel
Indré Vengris Rockefeller is the Co-Founder at Paravel.
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About Paravel: Paravel is a designer and manufacturer of luggage bags and travel accessories.
Andy Krantz
CEO and Co-Founder of Paravel
CEO and Co-Founder at Paravel.
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About Paravel: Paravel is a designer and manufacturer of luggage bags and travel accessories.
Susan Feldman
Founder of In The Groove
Susan Feldman is the founder of In The Groove(www.getinthegroove.com), a new life-style destination for age-defying women. In The Groove is a community that celebrates and engages these women as the evolving and relevant women they are. Founded with a sense of humor, community, and self-awareness, In The Groove is on a mission to free women from rules, age limits, and expectations. Prior to In The Groove, Susan was the co-founder and visionary behind One Kings Lane, the go-to destination for home decor. One Kings Lane launched in March 2009 and an industry was disrupted. Today One Kings Lane is a daily source of shopping and design inspiration for millions of people both online and offline One Kings Lane was sold to Bed, Bath & Beyond (Nasdaq: BBBY) in June 2016. Susan remains a strategic advisor to the company. Susan has been featured in national publications including Elle Décor, House Beautiful, INStyle, New York Magazine, BusinessWeek, and The New York Times. She has appeared on Bravo’s Million Dollar Decorators and NBC’s The Today Show. Susan was named to Vanity Fair’s “New Establishment” list twice in the past six years. Prior to co-founding One Kings Lane, Susan held executive positions in the apparel industry—at Ralph Lauren Swimwear, Polo Jeans, Warnaco/Authentic Fitness Corp., and Liz Claiborne. Susan has an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and a BA from Stanford University. Since 2013 Susan has served on the Parson Board of Govenors.
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About Authentic Fitness Corp., In The Groove, Liz Claiborne, One Kings Lane, Ralph Lauren Corporation: content/ commerce
Jonathan Ellman
Co-Founder & President / CBO of Flip Fit
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About Flip Fit: Flip is a social shopping app that connects customers to beauty products through video reviews.
Nathan Kondamuri
Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Pair Eyewear
Nathan Kondamuri currently works as the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Pair Eyewear.
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About Pair Eyewear: Pair Eyewear is an eyewear brand designed and made specifically for children.
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.
Brian Berger
Founder & CEO of Mack Weldon
Brian Berger is founder & CEO of Mack Weldon
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About BDB Ventures, Mack Weldon: Mack Weldon is an e-commerce company that sells men’s underwear, t-shirts, and socks.
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.
Lauren Caris Cohan
Co-Founder and Creative Advisor of CUUP
Lauren Caris Cohan is the Co-Founder and Creative Advisor at CUUP.
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About CUUP: CUUP is a direct to consumer startup focused on providing the essential bra for women.
Daria Shapovalova
Co-Founder of DRESSX
Daria Shapovalova is a DressX co-founder with 15+ years of experience in fashion. Called ‘Kiev Fashion’s Queen Bee’ by Vogue UK, Daria is famous for putting Ukraine on the world’s fashion map, establishing Mercedes-Benz Kiev Fashion Days and Paris-based showroom More Dash. Shapovalova merged her work with education and technology industries by founding Kiev Fashion Institute and international tech-conference Fashion Tech Summit, spearheading discussions on bridging fashion with technology. As the next career spin, Daria moved to San Francisco, got an MBA, and undertook her internship at Walmart. Daria is featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe and BOF 500 Most Influential People lists.
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About DRESSX: DRESSX is a fashion startup that offers digital-only collections from brands and 3D designers.
Natalia Modenova
Co-Founder of DRESSX
Natalia Modenova is a DressX co-founder with 10+ years of experience in the fashion industry. Natalia’s main activities include founding the international tech-conference Fashion Tech Summit and Paris-based showroom More Dash alongside Daria Shapovalova, initiating and curating showcases for promotion and sales of the designers’ collections internationally. In 2019 More Dash expanded to the US with Fashion Experience Pop-Up Stores in Los Angeles, which led Natalia and Daria to founding their first tech company DressX in 2020. Natalia dedicates a lot of her time to educational work, previously curating a Fashion Business course at Kiev Fashion Institute, and later becoming a speaker at Google Women Digital Academy.
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About DRESSX: DRESSX is a fashion startup that offers digital-only collections from brands and 3D designers.
Charlie Chanaratsopon
Founder and CEO of Charming Charlie
Charlie Chanaratsopon is the Founder and CEO of Charming Charlie.
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About Boosted Commerce, Charming Charlie: Charming Charlie is an operator of a chain of jewelry and accessories retail stores.
Purva Gupta
Co-Founder & CEO of Lily AI
Purva Gupta currently serves as Co-founder and CEO at Lily AI.
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About Lily AI, Tory Burch Foundation: Lily AI is the customer intent platform built to power the present and future of ecommerce.
Sowmiya Chocka Narayanan
Co Founder and CTO of Lily AI
Sowmiya Chocka Narayanan currently serves Lily AI as co-founder and CTO. Prior to joining Lily AI, Narayanan was a software engineer designer for Texas Instruments, Informatica, and Yahoo!, and mobile apps Pocket Games and Gem Box.
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About Lily AI: Lily AI is the customer intent platform built to power the present and future of ecommerce.
Seph Skerritt
Founder of Proper Cloth
Founder of Proper Cloth.
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About Proper Cloth: A direct-to-consumer menswear brand and ecommerce company specializing in men’s custom dress shirts.
Rebecca Minkoff
Co-Founder, Designer & Owner of Rebecca Minkoff
An industry leader in accessible luxury handbags, accessories, footwear and apparel, Rebecca Minkoff’s playful and subtly edgy designs can be spotted around the world on young women and celebrities alike. After developing an affinity for design while in the costume department in high school, Rebecca Minkoff moved to New York City at only 18 years old to pursue her dream of becoming a fashion designer. In 2001, Rebecca designed a version of the “I Love New York” t-shirt as part of a five-piece capsule collection, which appeared on The Tonight Show and became an overnight sensation. In 2005, Rebecca designed her first handbag, which she soon dubbed the “Morning After Bag,” a.k.a. the “M.A.B.” This iconic bag ignited Rebecca’s career as a handbag designer and inspired her “downtown romantic”-themed designs in the years to come. Rebecca’s success was further enhanced by the support of her brother and the company’s CEO and co-founder, Uri Minkoff, who helped usher in and pioneer the company’s industry-leading social media efforts. After four years of designing statement-making handbags and accessories with her trademark leathers, studs and edgy hardware, Rebecca returned to her roots of apparel design and introduced her first ready-to-wear collection in 2009. Today, Rebecca Minkoff has developed into a global lifestyle brand with a wide range of accessories, footwear, apparel, handbags and jewelry as well as men’s leather goods under the label Ben Minkoff. The brand is distributed in over 900 stores worldwide, and on March 1, 2012, Rebecca opened her first free-standing boutique in Tokyo. In 2011, she won industry recognition when she was awarded the Breakthrough Designer Award from the Accessories Council. Rebecca is an active member of the CFDA and supports multiple philanthropies including Jessica Seinfeld’s non-profit, Baby Buggy. Rebecca is married to actor and director Gavin Bellour and they reside in New York City with their son, Luca, and daughter, Bowie.
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About Female Founder Collective, Rebecca Minkoff, Rebecca Minkoff: Rebecca Minkoff is an online store that offers luxury handbags, accessories, footwear, and apparel.
Uri Minkoff
Co-Founder and CEO of Rebecca Minkoff
Uri Minkoff, a serial entrepreneur, is the chief executive officer and cofounder of Rebecca Minkoff, one of the fastest-growing brands in the fashion industry and the largest global fashion label led by a female millennial designer. Minkoff is well known as the most forward-thinking CEO in fashion, especially when it comes to the innovative use of new technologies and the omnichannel customer experience. Minkoff is the driving force behind what Morgan Stanley describes as the “stores of the future.” Minkoff founded the company in 2005 with his sister Rebecca and also serves as the creative director for the brand’s men’s line. As of today, Rebecca Minkoff is a full lifestyle brand distributing accessories and apparel in 900 wholesale doors, with retail locations in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and international retail stores in Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong. In 2015, the brand is on target for substantial YOY growth and expansion in international markets around the world.
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About Rebecca Minkoff, Rebecca Minkoff: Rebecca Minkoff is an online store that offers luxury handbags, accessories, footwear, and apparel.
Gabrielle Chou
CEO & Co-Founder of Allure Systems
Gabrielle Chou is founder & CEO at Allure Systems.
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About Allure Systems, New York University Shanghai: Allure Systems uses AI to produce apparel images for eCommerce.
Madison Wickham
Founder, CEO of Grandex
Madison is a Co-Founder and CEO of the Austin-based media and commerce company Grandex Inc. Madison was born, raised, and currently lives in Austin, Texas.
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About Grandex: Commerce powered by original media
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.
Jerry Hum
CEO & Co-Founder of Touch of Modern
Jerry Hum is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Touch of Modern, the curated, online shopping destination for men to discover unexpected products, fashion brands and accessories to elevate their lifestyle.Jerry and his three co-founders started the company in 2012 as a place to showcase one-of-a-kind, in-season products from well-known brands and up-and-coming designers that men can’t easily find in mainstream retailers or at better prices. Today, the site is one of the most popular men’s lifestyle destinations, with more than seven million registered customers and $100 million in annual run rate. Jerry plays a key role in determining which products, brands and designers are featured on Touch of Modern. Trained in architecture and with a strong background in design, Jerry applies a systematic approach to curation, evaluating each proposed item against a strict set of criteria to meet customer demand and brand standards. Jerry is also a self-taught coder and when Touch of Modern launched, he handled all the front-end design and development. Prior to starting Touch of Modern, Jerry was an architect with Swanke Hayden Connell Architecture. He received his architectural degree at Cornell University, where he focused on how the use of technology influences space and experience. A native of New York, Jerry now resides in San Francisco, where Touch of Modern is headquartered.
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About Touch of Modern, Touch of Modern: Touch of Modern is a curated, online shopping destination for men to discover unexpected products to elevate their lifestyle.
Steven Ou
Founder & CTO of Touch of Modern
Steven Ou is the co-founder and chief technology officer of Touch of Modern,the curated, online shopping destination for men to discover unexpected products, fashion brands and accessories to elevate their lifestyle. Steven leads the strategic vision and development of the company’s technology, including the website, mobile applications and backend infrastructure. Steven, a self-taught coder and computer scientist, started his first company in high school after moving between Argentina, Guatemala, Taiwan and Spain throughout his childhood. After graduating college, Steven moved to San Francisco to join his three cofounders, and lead the technical development of three ventures, Skyara, Ravn and finally Touch of Modern. For Touch of Modern, Steven streamlined all internal processes and automated almost all business functions by building the necessary software and technology in-house. All of the company’s technology is vertically integrated including the website, mobile apps, CRM, inventory system, calendaring system, payments system and fulfillment system.
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About Touch of Modern: Touch of Modern is a curated, online shopping destination for men to discover unexpected products to elevate their lifestyle.
Derek Schloss
CEO and Co-Founder of Cowbucker
As an 8th grade ballboy for the Los Angeles Clippers, Derek famously wept after tripping an NBA player with a mop during a televised game. Derek went on to win two LBA basketball championships while attending the University of Oregon as a graduate student. He’s also a legendary Fantasy Football/Basketball player, with over $43 in career earnings. Derek’s got a BA in Creative Writing (University of Arizona ‘08), his Masters in Business Administration (University of Oregon ‘14), and his Juris Doctor (University of Oregon ‘14). As Co-Founder and CEO, Derek heads company strategy, sales, licensing, and in house-legal.
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About Cowbucker: Cowbucker designs a full range of Kick-Ass HatsTM for all adventures, delivering killer functionality from the lake to the summit.
Whitney Alexander
Co-Founder, CMO of Cowbucker
From the moment Whitney was awarded the title of 1992 Champion Junior Gardener at the Clackamas County Fair, at least 3 people other than her parents knew she was special. Born and raised in Oregon, Whitney enjoys taking full advantage of everything the state has to offer: the high deserts, rivers, beaches, and everywhere in between. Whitney figured out the affect group singing and beer can have on teamwork as a college rugby player, and thankfully found a company that values those things just as much. As Co-Founder and CMO at Cowbucker, Whitney connects Cowbucker to life’s uber-fans and shows the world how stoked we are on our hats!
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About Cowbucker: Cowbucker designs a full range of Kick-Ass HatsTM for all adventures, delivering killer functionality from the lake to the summit.
Chris Watkins
Co-Founder, COO of Cowbucker
As the runner up in the district 2nd-grade spelling bee, Chris always knew that he was destined for greatness. He just didn’t know how to spell “BREAKFAST.” With that flaw now fixed, Chris prides himself on his ability to find creative solutions to problems people never knew they had. Rarely does a minute at work pass by without him thinking of spending time with his family, being out in the beautiful Oregon landscape, losing at fantasy football, or celebrating his losing team with fantastic Oregon beer. As Co-Founder and COO, Chris heads product development, keeps the lights on, and makes all of your wildest dreams come true.
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About Cowbucker: Cowbucker designs a full range of Kick-Ass HatsTM for all adventures, delivering killer functionality from the lake to the summit.
Chris Watkins
Co-Founder, COO of Cowbucker
As the runner up in the district 2nd-grade spelling bee, Chris always knew that he was destined for greatness. He just didn’t know how to spell “BREAKFAST.” With that flaw now fixed, Chris prides himself on his ability to find creative solutions to problems people never knew they had. Rarely does a minute at work pass by without him thinking of spending time with his family, being out in the beautiful Oregon landscape, losing at fantasy football, or celebrating his losing team with fantastic Oregon beer. As Co-Founder and COO, Chris heads product development, keeps the lights on, and makes all of your wildest dreams come true.
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About Cowbucker: Cowbucker designs a full range of Kick-Ass HatsTM for all adventures, delivering killer functionality from the lake to the summit.
Mark Lovas
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Trumaker
Mark Lovas serves as Executive Director, Co-Founder, and Chief Executive Officer at Trumaker, Inc.
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About Trumaker: Trumaker is a new kind of men’s apparel brand where every guy gets a client
Preston Rutherford
Founder of Chubbies Shorts
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About Blend, Chubbies Shorts: Chubbies Shorts is an e-commerce company offering radical shorts for men.
Kyle Hency
Co-Founder of Chubbies Shorts
Kyle Hency is the co-founder of Chubbies Shorts. Prior to that, he served as a senior associate at Chubbies ShortsMainsail Partners.
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About Chubbies Shorts: Chubbies Shorts is an e-commerce company offering radical shorts for men.
Rainer Castillo
Founder of Chubbies Shorts
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About Chubbies Shorts: Chubbies Shorts is an e-commerce company offering radical shorts for men.
Julie Anne Quay
Founder and CEO of VFILES
Julie Anne Quay is VFILES Founder and CEO and has over 20 years of experience in the fashion and media industries. Quay was Executive Editor for V Magazine before founding VFILES, and has worked for VH1, Vogue Japan and Australia, style.com, Steven Meisel, Richard Avedon, and more leading industry figures.
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About VFILES: VFILES—connect, discover, collaborate, and be a part of what’s next.
Brendan Synnott
CEO and Co-Founder of Pact
Brendan Synnott is the Co-Founder and CEO Pact.
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About Pact, Revelry Brands, Wilde Brands: Pact offers a sustainable and ethical fashion that uses organic fabrics and fair trade factories to design stylish essential clothing.
Emily Weiss
Founder and CEO of Glossier
Emily Weiss is the founder and CEO of Glossier, a direct-to-consumer beauty company that leverages content and community to power a superior shopping experience. Emily is heavily involved in product development, creative and brand marketing, ensuring that all products and content are created with the signature Glossier voice. Founded in 2014, Glossier has 150 employees and over $86M in venture capital funding. The company has won Women Wear Daily Beauty Inc.’s 2015 Digital Innovator of the Year award and is one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2017. Emily has been included in Forbes’ 30 Under 30, Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business 2015 and AdWeek Top 20 Content Creators 2016. Emily lives in New York City.
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About Glossier, Into The Gloss: Glossier is a direct-to-consumer beauty company that leverages content and community to power a superior shopping experience.
Jeffrey Raider
Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Harry’s
As co-founder of both Harry’s and Warby Parker, Jeff Raider aims to build companies and brands that people like more. Harry’s ambition is to create exceptional shaving and personal care products that better meet the needs of modern men. Prior to Harry’s, Raider co-founded Warby Parker, the transformative lifestyle brand that offers designer eyewear at a revolutionary price while leading the way for socially conscious businesses. In May 2019, Harry’s Inc. announced a combination with Edgewell Personal Care to create a next-generation consumer products platform. Raider will serve as co-president of US operations at Edgewell upon the transaction closing.
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About Harry’s, Warby Parker: Harry is a developer of an online platform used to sell shaving equipment and accessories for men.
Andy Katz-Mayfield
Founder & Co-CEO of Harry’s
Andy Katz-Mayfield is co-founder and co-CEO of Harry’s. Prior to co-founding Harry’s, Andy worked at Brighter.com for business development and strategy position. He holds an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business and a BA degree in public policy from Duke University.
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About Harry’s: Harry is a developer of an online platform used to sell shaving equipment and accessories for men.
Shiekh Ellahi
Founder & Owner of Sheikh Shoes
Shiekh Ellahi is the Founder and Owner of Sheikh Shoes since 1991.
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About Sheikh Shoes: Shiekh Shoes began its vision of expansion in 1991.
Kaustubh Varma
Founder of Mandala Scrubs
Founder at Vardama
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About Mandala Scrubs, Vardama: Lotus Scrubs is a scientific and nursing organization that specializes in basic essential designed scrub.
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.
Joshua Sakhai
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.
