All Experts

<p>Coley Collett Hull founded Coley Home in 2019, which specializes in custom, direct-to-consumer furniture with quick shipping and easy assembly.</p><p>Coley fell in love with furniture at a young age, watching her mom and grandparents run a well-known furniture company based in Conover, North Carolina. Coley went on to follow in her family&#x27;s footsteps and graduated from the N.C. State School of Textiles. After graduation, Coley brought her professional career to New York, developing fabric lines for Fiama Textiles. The idea for Coley Home was born while Coley was furnishing her small New York apartment—all the custom upholstered furniture she liked had long lead times, but ready-to-order furniture lacked the personalization and quality she wanted. Plus, moving and assembling furniture into an apartment was tedious and complicated. Coley realized there was a gap in the market when it came to accessible high-end furniture, and she decided to bring her knowledge of textiles and furniture design to the direct-to-consumer, e-commerce world. </p><p></p><p>Coley has been featured in the Charlotte Business Journal’s 2022 40 Under 40 list, and Coley Home was a Garden &amp; Gun 2020 Made in the South Runner-Up. The company has also been covered by outlets like House Beautiful, Forbes and Furniture Today. Coley lives in Charlotte with her husband, daughter, and her French bulldog, &quot;Biggie&quot;, the Coley Home mascot. </p>

<p>Erin Foy is Founding Partner and Director of Marketing for Hush &amp; Hush, a luxury beauty and wellness brand. Spearheading global integrated communications and marketing strategies, Erin develops and oversees holistic marketing programs to support the company&#x27;s growth through the mission &quot;help the world live younger, longer.&quot;</p><p>Since the launch of Hush &amp; Hush in 2019, Erin has executed effective brand recognition strategies, influenced product innovation, and propelled expansion into new markets, including Saks 5th Avenue, Neiman Marcus, The Four Seasons, The Hut Group, and 25 international countries.</p><p>She is a creative, strategic, and visionary thinker with more than 17 years of marketing and branding experience. Erin previously held the title of Director of Marketing at NewBeauty magazine for ten years, where she led the digital evolution of the renowned beauty, health, and wellness resource—transforming it from a print publication to a dominating digital destination for all things beauty.</p>

<p>Ariana started her career at Bath &amp; Body Works, and then spent the last decade focusing on strategy and marketing for high-growth start-ups like CityMD, Lou &amp; Great and most recently, dntl bar. She has always been passionate about consumer insights and most importantly, fragrance. </p><p>During the middle of the pandemic, Ariana struggled to find scents online. She realized that the industry lacked a personalized and curated approach. She made it her mission to change just that. </p><p>In 2021, she tested a few different concepts in the market to gather real customer feedback and insights, all of which went into building the Scent Lab experience you see today; the first digital platfom that uses AI-tech to curate scents perfect for you. </p><p></p><p></p>

<p>Investment banker turned designer and entrepreneur, Xenia Chen founded Threads in 2018 after identifying a gap in the hosiery and intimates market. Her inspiration was drawn from her own frustrations with hosiery shopping while she was working in finance. Choices were limited between $60 for an expensive pair or $10 for a drugstore pair that was uncomfortable and fell apart easily. Threads was developed as an affordable, thoughtfully designed and high-quality alternative to the long-standing options in the marketplace. Threads&#x27; products are designed with feedback and input from hundreds of real people and crafted in their Italian factory. Xenia&#x27;s mission is to build a brand that improves the shopping experience for an age-old wardrobe staple and makes high-quality and comfortable hosiery affordable for everyone.</p><p>Prior to Threads, Xenia worked in private equity and investment banking in Toronto and New York for 5 years, over which time she has worked on transactions and mandates with a combined value of over $11 billion, in areas ranging from Real Estate to Communications, Media, and Technology. She has a Bachelor of Commerce from Queens University in Canada.</p>

<p>Sarah Falcon is the founder of Falcon Consulting. She has nearly 15 years in marketing, content and e-commerce experience working with independent businesses, startups, and non-profits. A creative pragmatist, she develops agile, economical, and individualized paths for growth. </p><p>Her e-commerce and marketing consulting includes designing and developing website, creating and implementing marketing strategies, and day-to-day marketing execution. By creating brand-specific and impactful user experiences, her marketing is focused on creating deeper brand engagement for sustainable growth. </p><p>Her work has directly generated millions of dollars in offline and e-commerce sales revenue and created hundreds of thousands of leads. As the founder of Falcon Consulting, she works with a team of trusted experts to provide exceptional, custom service. </p>

<p>Dan is the chief operating person at Small Axe Peppers. A graduate from The NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Studies with a degree in Social Entrepreneurship. Dan has been leading the expansion into other markets while continuing to fuel operational efficiencies of our expanding range of products.</p>

<p>John has diverse background holding leadership positions in a series of organizations from larger established Governmental entities to startups. Currently in addition to founding a world class hot sauce firm, John and his partners, spend a fair amount of time creating and preserving affordable housing in the NYC metro area . He is a board member of the NYS Gaming Commission as well as NFP Santa Angel’s. His love of gardening was sparked when his older daughter decided to forgo her chance at becoming the next Jackie Mitchell, gardening become the substitute activity for the weekends. He graduated from both college and grad school in reasonable time frames, an occurrence many of his elementary school friend’s still doubt.</p>

<p></p><p>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&#x27;s team were the first awardees of Empire State Development&#x27;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. </p>

<p>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. </p><p></p><p>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. </p><p></p><p>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. </p><p></p><p>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.</p><p></p><p>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. </p><p></p><p>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.</p>

<p>Elaine has worked in the wellness industry as a Certified Pilates Instructor for the past 16 years. Nine years ago she developed Hashimoto’s and guttate psoriasis which took her on a health journey of finding the answers to put her autoimmune illnesses into remission. Radically changing her diet reversed her symptoms of fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, and dry skin. </p><p>Supplementing with collagen gave her a whole new head of hair and glowing skin. Coming out on the other side of this gave her an unshakable belief in the profound interconnectedness of health and beauty. In 2015 she launched a collagen water with no previous beverage industry experience. In 2019 she relaunched with powdered collagen under the new name, Elaine Wellness. </p><p>In 2022 she launched The Midlife Blueprint, a program to help women in perimenopause and menopause understand the intersection of food, exercise, and mindset and how they can thrive in midlife. Empowering women to understand how they can care for their bodies during this powerful transition is Elaine&#x27;s passion. </p>

<p>Michael Mitzman is a Brooklyn-based designer and art director. Prior to joining Earthfoam as its creative director, Michael worked with Rivian to design the first generation version of their mobile app.</p><p></p><p>Originally from Indianapolis, Michael moved to New York in 2010 and spent much of his early design career working with iris NY creating digital experiences and campaigns for a variety of clients. Moving on from there he started what would turn into a 7-year freelance career working with a wide range of agencies and clients, taking on projects where he can mix creativity and technology to create richer systems and experiences. In his free-time, he enjoys being disappointed by the Indiana Pacers, figuring out new ways to lovingly annoy his wife, and taking long evening strolls with his dog, Pork Chop.</p><p></p>

<p>After graduating with a degree in Science and Information Technology, Sri Lanka native Januka Karunasena worked for IBM Storage Solutions before transitioning into the natural rubber sector where he has managed international business development for over 18 years. Together with Karl Shevick, CEO and Founder of Earthfoam and Sleep On Latex, Januka worked to develop the world’s biggest Organically Certified (GOLS) small holder rubber farming group in Sri Lanka and became the world’s first Fair for Life Certified centrifuge latex and foam rubber manufacturer. With his manufacturing experience of foam rubber, Januka focuses on producing superior quality organic and sustainable latex foam rubber for Earthfoam.</p>

<p>Ezra Shevick is the COO of Earthfoam, a sustainable sleep brand that raises the standards of quality, comfort, durability, and transparency within a misunderstood category. With a background in Business Administration, Ezra has collaborated with his brother Karl on several entrepreneurial ventures. After graduating from Chico State he worked as a Front End Supervisor at Whole Foods for two years. In 2013, he helped Karl launch Sleep On Latex, a foam mattress company that they continue to run together today, where he oversees the warehouse operations and systems. </p>

<p>Karl Shevick is the CEO and Founder of Earthfoam, a sustainable sleep brand that raises the standards of quality, comfort, durability, and transparency within a misunderstood category. An entrepreneur at heart, Karl got his start in the contract sewing industry where he gained manufacturing expertise and was connected with suppliers that first introduced him to latex foam and its merits. In 2013, he officially founded Sleep On Latex, a foam mattress company that he continues to run with his brother, Ezra. After years of building industry connections and a transparent supply chain, Earthfoam combines a pure design and ethically and environmentally-focused production to deliver on its promise of giving customers the sleep dreams are made of. </p>

<h2>South Asian Female Founder</h2><p>Operations and chemical engineering; 4x startup operator; Previously at Quince, GrowSquares, and Exxon Mobil; Chicago Booth MBA</p>

<h2>Hispanic Female Founder</h2><p>12 years in consumer marketing; 4x startup operator; Previously at Red Bull, Curology and 1-800 Contacts; Chicago Booth MBA</p>

<p>Recognized on Forbes 30 Under 30, Eli Zauner co-founded Universal Yums in 2014 with his wife, Monique. Bootstrapped from an initial $8,000 investment, Universal Yums has gone on to ship over 5 million snack boxes, achieving over $100 million in lifetime sales. When he isn&#x27;t selecting products for the next month&#x27;s box or drinking tea, Eli enjoys playing tennis and performing ribbon dances for his 15-month old son. </p>

<p>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 <em>almost</em> like dessert. When she isn&#x27;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. </p>

<p>Recognized on Forbes 30 Under 30 for his first venture, Universal Yums, Eli Zauner becomes a second-time entrepreneur with Almost Tea. In 2014, he and his wife, Monique, 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. When he isn&#x27;t drinking tea, Eli enjoys playing tennis and performing ribbon dances for his 15-month old son. </p>

<p>With Almost Tea, Monique Zauner becomes a second-time entrepreneur in the DTC food space. In 2014, she 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. When she isn&#x27;t drinking tea, Monique enjoys writing and bearing witness to the underappreciated joys of light fixtures with her 15-month old son. </p>

<p>Jon has been part of the management team at Glamorise during both its 75th and 100th anniversaries but has actually been involved with the company for most of his life. As a young teen he interned in Glamorise’s design department cutting patterns and continued to work in the design department while still in high school.</p><p></p><p>Formally educated at Cornell University and Dartmouth College, Jon worked at Procter &amp; Gamble in brand management and at Booz-Allen as a consultant focused on retail growth strategies. Jon joined Glamorise in 1990 as part of the management team and has been CEO for almost two decades. During this time, Glamorise has enjoyed uninterrupted growth and has been established as an important brand among curvy women.</p><p></p>

<p>Passionate marketing and business executive with extensive experience in the personal care and skin care industries. Working to do what I can to make the world a better place by creating brands that help protect and preserve the environment. </p>

<p>Ezra grew up in New York City, born into a family obsessed with health and wellness. Over the years, Ezra developed his own passion for wellness, travel, music, and of course business. Over the last decade, Ezra has founded multiple companies, and also worked as a product management leader in multiple tech companies. Leaving tech behind, Ezra is now working on his greatest passion (and business), Pow. Pow is a functional beverage company with a goal of introducing people to the amazing benefits of matcha, adaptogens, and functional mushrooms, so everyone can wake up feeling their best every day. </p>

<p>Throughout my career to date, my focus has always been on connecting with people and providing a service and product that leaves them happier than before. I have been fortunate enough to receive a strong education at both UMass Amherst and New York University specializing in marketing strategies surrounding campaigns that bring people together.After spending 2 years living in New York, while it was a phenomenal experience, I missed the beauty and relationships I built throughout New England. Whether it’s skiing down the mountains in the winter, or hiking up them in the spring, I love the outdoors. My love for the environment is channeled into how I operate my daily life, by reducing, reusing, and recycling as much I can. Along with enjoying a beer on the mountain, you can find me nerding out to the latest tech advancements, I’m particularly partial to virtual reality, so come find me in the next virtual concert you attend!</p>

<p>Transformation is a common theme in TYME CEO Jacynda Smith’s life. From constantly moving while supporting her husband’s career to motherhood and making the jump to inventor and CEO, the process of transforming has always been prevalent.</p><p>Jacynda’s time spent behind the chair propelled her to stop focusing on her faults and start focusing on her strengths. Which lead her to a deeper purpose to empower women to not only challenge their own beauty standards and hopefully transform them completely. Smith designed a hair care line that puts time back into the hands of women; more time to explore their beauty, more time to find joy, and more time to work toward their purpose, not just get ready for it.</p>

<p>Okan holds a master&#x27;s degree in business and computer science and worked for giant and well renowned corporations such as Toshiba and founded his first business two years later. His dedication and motivation to provide quality work drives him when it comes to creating new methods and introducing new ideas. With seven years of experience in product design, engineering and consumer electronics, he now possesses five design patents in different industries.</p><p>U.S. Patents </p><p>62/314,790</p><p>62/314,793</p><p>29/616,753</p><p>29/633,686</p><p>29/748,642</p>

<p>Jessie is the co-founder and CEO of Vilo Living. She brings with her nearly twenty years of management experience with leading internet and consumer tech companies. After earning an MBA from Duke University, Jessie moved to Seattle and built a successful career in marketing and product management at Amazon, EA, Expedia, and Wyze Labs. In 2020 when the world came to a grinding halt and drove millions of people to work and learn from home, she seized the opportunity and launched Vilo Living to bring a better connectivity solution to millions of homes. </p>

<p>Amie is a co-founder and COO of Vilo Living, where she oversees sales, operations, and customer success. Previously, she was responsible for growing the direct-to-consumer businesses at CPG startup Hydrant and smart home company Wyze Labs. She started her career at Amazon. In her free time, she enjoys trying new restaurants in the Seattle area and going on adventures with her two dogs.</p>

<p>Accomplished and results-driven Business Development Executive with extensive experience and substantial success in directing large - scale sales, marketing, and business development initiatives in the food and beverage manufacturing industry. Expertise includes the transformation of under performing business units and the rapid growth of start-ups. </p><p>Applies clear direction, uses a comprehensive understanding of regional and national markets to translate strategy into the delivery of targets, and builds strong relationships with key partners. Streamlines operations to enhance efficiency, cut costs and boost profits, motivates cross-functional teams to success and cultivates strategic relationships with vendors, suppliers, and key industry stakeholders. Proficient in Microsoft Suite, SharePoint, QuickBooks, and a variety of CRM systems. </p>

<p>After a 30+ year career in foodservice in many leadership positions, in many dynamic markets, in corporate environments and as an entrepreneur, I have seen the Farm to Fork supply chain at every level. The takeaways from that combined experience has crafted me into an individual that not only understands how critical the foodservice supply chain is but also how it is under an incredible amount of stress and has fracture lines. </p><p></p><p>Knowledge of how each piece of the puzzle fits together and then understanding how fragile the pieces are leads to wondering what disruptive technology will completely change it, and when. Just as we have learned from Facebook and LinkedIn (and many others now), self organizing behavior and the power of network business models verses operating in an enterprise hierarchy (which means an inside out behavior), clearly shows networks are winning and winning big. That changes everything and the old 20th century business models just can&#x27;t sustain themselves against the 21st century platform that is hyper-quick, flexible and focused on crafting an amazing consumer experience. This shift creates big opportunities but even bigger fears.</p>

<p><strong>Dr. Brian Harris </strong>is SNOW&#x27;s Lead Medical Advisor, engineering the most advanced formula and technology available in the world. Dr. Harris is currently recognized as one of the nations top cosmetic dentists. If you asked him what he does, he would tell you that cosmetic dentistry is what he does, but building confidence is who he is. People fly to Phoenix, AZ from all over the world to transform their smile because of his personalized approach to cosmetic dentistry and his extremely unique process. He has been featured in USA Today, Newsweek, INC Mag- azine, Oprah Magazine, Yahoo Business, MSNBC, FOX 10 News Arizona and various other publications. </p><p></p><p>“As a cosmetic dentist, I have the privilege of transforming smiles every day and seeing people’s lives completely transform be- cause of it. Often times when we think of a confident smile, we think only about the teeth – but that’s just a small part of it. Healthy gums and fresh breath play a huge role in one’s self confidence as it relates to their smile.” </p>

<p>As seen on the new groundbreaking Entreprenuer.com series, &quot;Going Public”, Josh’s mission is to help others gain global reach with his branding and marketing strategies. He is looked up to as one of the most successful brand builders in the world. As a leader in his industry, Josh is most known for his achievement of bootstrapping his dental care brand, Snow Teeth Whitening, into a $100MM company within 3 years. </p><p></p><p>Josh found his purpose building brands and helping others at the early age of 13. His original plan was to make enough money to help his family buy school supplies, little did he know this would snowball into massive success. Now, with Powerhouse Brands, he mentors his millions of followers around the globe on how to grow and scale their brand. </p>

<p>Douglas is a founder of two companies in different industries: one in sustainable real estate development and the other in human nutrition. In 2015, he stepped into the CEO role of a life sciences company he previously founded three years earlier. He assembled a capable and passionate team, launched the Healthycell brand, and built it from the ground up. With the team&#x27;s help, Douglas successfully raised additional equity capital and debt, managed operations, led marketing, fostered R&amp;D, and grew the company beyond break-even. They continue to grow the company with our innovative MICROGEL™ technology (launched in 2018) as a new platform for dietary micronutrient delivery - a step-change in the way 240 million Americans take nutritional supplements every day, especially for those who are pill-averse.</p>

<p>Julie Napolitano founded Pup Wax in 2019, realizing a lifelong dream of building a business that makes the world a better place for dogs. Pup Wax is the first premium clean skincare brand for dogs and provides healthier, safer, and more effective skincare alternatives with a mission of enriching the lives of dogs by improving their health from the outside in. In February 2022, Pup Wax® rebranded as Puppington™ to support its growth and the expansion of its product offerings. Puppington is an ingredient-first company that uses the purest, safest, and most effective ingredients to deliver your dog’s daily dose of love - backed by science.</p><p>Julie has cross-cultural leadership experience at Fortune 500 companies and a track record of building successful partnerships with international teams to deliver innovation and scalable, consistent results. Prior to founding Pup Wax / Puppington, Julie led multiple international cross-functional teams in a variety of global strategic projects as head of global legal operations for Bunge, where she also served as Chief of Staff to the Chief Legal Officer. Julie has extensive experience in new business development and establishing new business units, commodity derivatives, managing risk, and treasury management. Over more than 10 years, Julie contributed to various areas of Bunge, having also served as Assistant Treasurer, head of Global Financial Services Group Business Development, Commodity Derivatives Trader, and Cross Asset Solutions Strategist. Prior to joining Bunge, Julie focused on financial market analysis and risk management at Lehman Brothers and HypoVereinsbank.</p><p>Julie served on the board of GallopNYC, an organization that provides hippotherapy and therapeutic riding services to children with disabilities from low-income families.</p><p>Julie has an MBA from the Johnson School at Cornell University and a BS in Computer Science from Columbia University, School of Engineering and Applied Science.</p><p>A recent dog mom to two adopted puppies, Julie lives in Chappaqua, NY. Each foster that joins the family has a permanent place in her heart.</p>