Experts

Wendy Herman is a dynamic fashion industry and retail executive with 20+ years of experience and deep-rooted expertise in intimate apparel. Her core competency lies in her transformative approach to the fashion sector, particularly in revolutionizing teens & young women's bra drawers through her pioneering intimate brand, BRABAR. In 2017, BRABAR was born from Wendy's firsthand challenges in finding suitable bras with her then 15-year-old daughter, igniting her mission to pivot the focus from body image to self-love and proper fit. Wendy combines her journey as a mother of three and her vast industry experience to redefine comfort and confidence in young women's lives. Her notable contributions include working on launching significant intimate lines for Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, and Yummie. Aspiring to be a changemaker, Wendy’s vision extends beyond mere brand success; she aims to empower the next generation of women, positioning herself as a leading figure in creating impactful, positive change in the intimate apparel landscape.

Tom First launched Culture Pop Soda in June 2020, reinventing what soda should be. Tom co-founded Nantucket Nectars in the 1980s and has spent the last two decades working with emerging beverage brands. He couldn’t ignore the gap in the carbonated soft drink industry any longer and set out to craft a soda that doesn’t skimp on flavor and is just sweet enough. The idea for Culture Pop struck Tom when he tried a sip of his son's mocktail. "I remember the mocktail had sprigs of rosemary with juice, and I'm a beverage guy, so I'm sitting there starring at my son's drink thinking, my gosh, why hasn't anyone done this with a soda?" He knew he was ready to re-enter the ring when he and the founding team unlocked a winning formula by combining organic fruit juices with real, organic herbs & spices to create dynamic, delicious flavors. No need to add the high sugar levels of traditional soda or ultra-sweet substitutes of diet sodas. Culture Pop also contains billions of live probiotics in every can to aid gut health and digestion, which is something Tom is a strong proponent of supporting.

I started my professional journey as a medical student, spent 20 years in e-commerce and marketing, and now proudly serve as CEO of Nolah Technologies. While unconventional, I believe my career path has uniquely positioned me to push the boundaries of the mattress industry as Nolah’s CEO and co-owner. The brand’s name, Nolah Technologies, resonates with my personal mission to improve the way people sleep based on the latest medical research using the latest technology. Leading Nolah’s operations and product development, I’m as involved in marketing and branding as I am in product development. Every day, I have the opportunity to put my medical background, marketing acumen, and technical expertise to work, pursuing solutions to the sleep problems that keep people up at night. Between medical school and partnering with Nolah’s co-founders, I sunk my teeth into the technical side of business. With 12 years of experience as an e-commerce and marketing director, I went on to help over a dozen brands launch or expand their online platforms as an advisor. Along the way, I held on to the fascination with biology and chemistry that had originally inspired me to attend medical school. I researched and developed now-patented gene-based health software and a natural beehive pesticide. I’ve also helped formulate products like sleep supplements and multivitamins.At Nolah, I now tap into these passions and my own medical history while developing new products and improving our existing mattress designs. I believe modern mattress technology must be informed by present-day sleep habits and human anatomy every step of the way. I also believe that one’s work environment is as critical to physical health and mental wellness as a good nights’ rest. As Nolah’s CEO, I have the opportunity to foster a workplace that puts the team’s health and happiness first. With a primarily remote team and many parents among our ranks, my partners and I strive to run the company with family-friendly policies and flexibility.

Simone Kendle, Chief Executive Officer of Wove, the venture-backed revolutionary online custom jewelry company, known for its unique approach in helping couples design their dream engagement rings and fine jewelry pieces.Simone, with her most recent tenure as co-founder and CMO at the beauty-tech start-up Parfait, has seamlessly blended her robust corporate and entrepreneurial leadership skill set throughout her career. During her 8-year tenure at Capital One, she ascended through various pivotal roles, marrying strategic customer experience analysis, team leadership, and operational efficacy across her corporate journey. Simultaneously, her entrepreneurial spirit thrived; she established a compassionate hair company supporting women battling cancer and co-founded an educational platform to support the growth of blossoming social media influencers. Ultimately, her venture into tech materialized with the co-founding of Parfait, a computer-vision and AI-powered wig customization platform.A graduate of The Wharton School with an MBA focused in Marketing, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Simone possesses not just profound knowledge but a capability to intertwine it with practical experiences. This has resulted in a leadership style that harmoniously blends innovative, customer-oriented market strategies and business growth objectives.

Sarah is the CEO and co-founder of Vinat. She has 8+ years of corporate experience. She started her career as a business analyst at a boutique consulting firm in New York City. Then, she spent seven years in Corporate finance roles at Fortune 500 companies spanning pricing strategy, supporting large capital-intensive projects, preparing board and investor relations materials, and spearheading cost reductions during the pandemic. Outside her corporate day job, pre-COVID, Sarah ran a successful travel blog with over 50K Instagram followers and has traveled to 50+ countries. During the pandemic, Sarah started a luxury woman's accessory business, Fofas, with a friend and her sister. Sarah holds an MBA from IESE Business School and a Bachelor's in Finance and Supply Chain Management from Lehigh University. She's also a certified Spanish Wine Scholar from Wine Scholar Guild and is working on her Italian Wine Scholar certification. Sarah lived in Barcelona for two years and splits her time between Austin and Europe. 

Rachel Soper Sanders is the CEO and co-founder of Rootine, a health and wellness brand that helps you understand your body through science-backed insights and provides smarter supplements to unlock your best health. Rootine was recognized in the 2023 Fast Company World Changing Idea Awards and raised a Series A in 2022. In addition, Rachel is the host of the Precision Health Pod, a Venture Partner at 2048 Ventures, angel investor, and has been featured across Forbes, Entrepreneur, Business Insider, and more. She has over 10 years' experience at the intersection of health and technology having started her career in investment banking focused on healthcare with additional experience in digital health product and strategy. Rachel received a BS from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

A fashion industry vet, Rachel has worked in apparel for nearly years, first cutting her teeth at Authentic Brands Group in 2004. From there she worked her way through the industry— eventually becoming Oscar de la Renta’s Head of Product, after years of learning her craft at Ralph Lauren, The Row, and Ralph Rucci. The pandemic sparked a new entrepreneurial chapter for both Rachel and her team— the March 2020 launch of their non-profit ‘Garment District for Gowns,’ aimed to help under- served healthcare workers, led to the eventual formation of their company ‘Goldatech,’ which manufactures uniforms, medical, and surgical apparel for state agencies and the Department of Defense (U.S. Air Force and U.S. Coast Guard). Rachel's team were the first awardees of Empire State Development's Covid Retooling Grant out of 40,000 applicants, and was awarded the 2021 NYS MWBE Innovation Award. Rachel has now launched Welles, an ESG-focused scrubs company on a mission to reset technical performance and environmental accountability standards.

Priscilla Manzo is the Director of Public Relations at Dragon Glassware, a Sacramento-based boutique and luxury glassware company offering a variety of modern and unique barware and drinkware for the home and kitchen. Manzo leads all public relations, social media, and influencer marketing efforts on behalf of Dragon Glassware.For the entirety of her career, Manzo has focused on public exposure and brand advancement through digital marketing and effective public relations strategies. Manzo started her digital marketing career in NYC PR and Marketing firms that specialized in the fashion and beauty industry. From there, she moved on to work at an in-house social media firm for a sunglasses start-up. With a great focus on influencer marketing, Priscilla aided in the brand’s growth from a 5 figure brand to a 7 figure brand. Manzo combined her expertise in the marketing and public relations space to mesh together the ultimate PR and social media formula for Dragon Glassware’s social media success. Manzo joined Dragon Glassware in 2019, and has helped leverage the brand’s social growth ever since.

In 2014, Monique and her husband, Eli, co-founded Universal Yums, the beloved international snack box from a different country every month. Bootstrapped from an initial $8,000 investment, Universal Yums has gone on to ship over 5 million snack boxes with over $100 million in lifetime sales. She recently founded her second DTC subscription box, Almost, with teas that taste almost like dessert. When she isn't eating truffles or drinking tea, Monique enjoys writing and bearing witness to the underappreciated joys of light fixtures with her 15-month old son.

Michael Saba is the visionary Founder and CEO of ALT. Fragrances, a dynamic company redefining the luxury fragrance industry by making high-end scents accessible to all. During his freshman year at Indiana University in 2019, Michael recognized a significant gap in the market: designer fragrance companies were overcharging consumers, placing premium scents out of reach for many—including himself as a student. Driven by a passion for quality fragrances and an entrepreneurial spirit, Michael founded ALT. Fragrances while still in college. He was determined to offer exquisite, high-quality scents at fair prices for consumers, while prioritizing clean, vegan, and cruelty-free ingredients. Under his leadership, the company has experienced remarkable growth, disrupting the fragrance industry with its innovative approach.Michael's commitment to innovation, affordability, and ethical practices has positioned ALT. Fragrances as a transformative force in the industry. Beyond fragrances, he has expanded his entrepreneurial portfolio with ventures like Saba Centers and Wolf Enterprises. Michael's journey from a college student with a dream to the leader of multiple thriving enterprises exemplifies his dedication to challenging the status quo and delivering value to consumers.

Check out our new Corporate Video:https://www.dropbox.com/s/9vzy683jhkuejex/Final%20DelilahHome_Personal_v03.mp4?dl=0Throughout my executive management career, I have a proven leadership in the consumer goods industry. As a tenacious, proactive, strategic sales and marketing leader, I have been successful in building strong operational teams and industry leading companies. With past P&L responsibility of $99 million, I have developed and implemented successful analytical/strategic business plans for newly created and existing business units. In addition, as an ethical and positive executive, I have developed strong internal and external relationships. Through these relationships, coupled with my enthusiastic attitude, strong communication and problem solving skills, and entrepreneurial spirit, I have achieved success. Lastly, my passion is leading consumer product organizations from product development to consumer satisfaction. In the last 10 years, I have built products and companies from the ground up without big budget resources and staff. I find a way to make it happen.I currently serve as the Founder and CEO of Delilah Home, a natural, clean, luxury home textile company focused on quality, the environment, and the community we serve. Delilah Home is named after a golden retriever puppy who survived a life-threatening ordeal in the North Carolina mountains. Delilah weathered extreme cold temperatures and record winds by living off the land for 62 days. An entire community rallied for her return, watching and searching until Delilah’s joyful reunion with her family. With little to no chemicals used in our entire supply chain, Delilah Home aims to protect the environment from harsh chemicals that are commonly used in conventional cotton production. The results? Our pure products are the safest and cleanest textiles on the market. we use only quality 100% organic cotton certified to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and non-toxic hemp products that are better for the environment. Delilah Home textiles do not contain allergenic or toxic chemicals commonly used in conventional cotton textile production. Our products are ideal for people with allergies, skin sensitivities, and respiratory problems. We partner with Fair Trade factories, which are certified to the highest textile standard. Yes, our products may be a little more expensive. We pay ABOVE living wages, while exceeding all local and national laws. At Delilah Home we also believe in being good stewards of our community, so that end, we partner with local and national charities such as Operation Warm and 1% for the Planet.

Matt Rollens is the Founder and CEO of Dragon Glassware, a Sacramento-based boutique and luxury glassware company offering a variety of modern and unique barware and drinkware for the home and kitchen.In 2016, Rollens received a glass tea bottle from Amazon that left him disappointed with its quality, so he decided to make a better one himself. Come 2017, the former exec at a small ad agency embarked on a glass constructing journey and never looked back. Rollens identified a need in the specialty drinkware market, concluding there was a gap in barware embodying bold, modern designs. Inspired by Jeff Bezos, Founder, and CEO of Amazon, Rollens also honed in on the customer experience to understand his consumers and create the best possible products and experiences. Fusing his graphic design expertise and consumer focus, Dragon Glassware, a leader in the barware industry, was born.