Experts

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.

​Kelly Pigeon is the Vice President of E-commerce Platforms at Go TRG and the founder of Epiphany, a company specializing in innovative solutions for the circular economy. With a background in e-commerce and sustainability, Kelly has been instrumental in developing platforms that address retail challenges, particularly in managing returns and promoting re-commerce strategies. Her leadership at Epiphany reflects her commitment to reducing waste and enhancing profitability within the retail sector. ​In addition to her entrepreneurial ventures, Kelly contributes thought leadership to industry discussions, focusing on integrating circular practices into traditional retail models. Her insights emphasize the importance of re-commerce and the potential for rental and resale avenues to mitigate waste and drive business growth.

A 25-years-in serial entrepreneur, I’ve built, launched, and scaled nearly 70 brands in the last 5ish years as the Chief Builder at JC+CO growth accelerants. Most recently, I acquired the Canadian ethically sustainable kids’ DTC brand, mini mioche, and formalized its position as the best kids clothes on - and for - the planet. We have done this through building partnerships with 1% for the Planet and Climate Neutral Certified, launching our resale marketplace, and producing with true sustainability - not greenwashed sustainability - at the forefront of everything we do.With a methodical approach to hunting for market gaps, I’m delighted by everything from detailed data digging to precise pixel placement, and have a pretty crazy capacity for work. I am all about the pace, and dig the extraordinary magic of making something from nothing. I started my first business at nineteen and sold my second at twenty. I’ve run ventures in consumer products, entertainment, consulting, publishing and advertising, and have always been digitally driven. My award history is heavy with marketing fumes, but I’m most exhilarated by actually doing the work of scaling exceptional, innovative consumer product brands, with the heart of a bootstrappy entrepreneur.I’ve been a business and innovation contributor to numerous publications, and a keynote speaker and panelist at events throughout North America. I’m religious about the Oxford comma, always up for a dark comedy, and still wondering when fetch is going to happen.

Charlotte Dales (She/Hers) is the Co-Founder and CEO of Inclusively, the workforce inclusion platform empowering employers with accommodation insights, access, training and the support they need to attract and retain previously hidden talent. Charlotte’s cousin Cameron became the first licensed aesthetician in the state of Florida with Down syndrome and after witnessing Cameron’s career fulfillment, she became passionate about replicating her employment success story for disabled talent and started Inclusively. Before launching Inclusively, Charlotte started her career in finance with Deutsche Bank in London working with trading desks around the world. After five years, she left her bank job and co-founded her first company, CAKE Technologies, a mobile payment and reservation application for restaurants and bars which scaled to over 200 restaurants in London and was acquired by American Express. Charlotte’s experience in technology and startups has allowed Inclusively to provide a new technology solution to drive authentic diversity and inclusion in the workplace–helping employers acquire and retain top talent based on job seekers' needed accommodations to build sustainable livelihoods and careers. Under Charlotte’s leadership, Inclusively is proud to be modernizing recruitment by creating structure and transparency around accommodations, benefitting all job seekers. Charlotte graduated from University of Colorado, Boulder and lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband, daughter, and son.

Andrew W Fox is an aspiring scholar and entrepreneur originally from Gastonia, North Carolina. He has pursued higher education at various prestigious institutions, including the University of Georgia, New York University, Columbia University, and Harvard University, with the goal of obtaining a degree. Andrew's entrepreneurial spirit began at a young age when he started his first business at just 13 years old, buying and selling plastic combs through the mail. While attending university, Andrew took on a new business venture, selling Karat Gold Chains to jewelry stores throughout the southeast. However, his entrepreneurial journey took an unexpected turn in 1992 when his grandparents asked him to help them for a single Christmas season in their wholesale/retail jewelry business. Despite the unexpected detour, Andrew stayed in the business for four years from 1992 until 1996, during which time he grew the business from a single showroom in Charlotte to a thriving wholesale business servicing retailers all over the eastern United States.In 1996, in a family disagreement, Andrew left and came to New York City in partnership with a global Indian diamond company, starting an importing and jewelry manufacturing business. In just 1.5 years, the business grew from zero sales to $5 million, opening relationships with numerous national and regional jewelry retailers. However, due to a massive and growing ulcer, Andrew sold his part of the company to his partner in an attempt to alleviate his stress and gain his freedom.In June of 1998, Andrew started Hansa Diamonds, a wholesale jewelry importer. Operating as a continuous start-up, Andrew kept an open mind, always adjusting the business to market forces. He moved from wholesale to 3rd party support to first party B2C, rolling with the punches and taking the best opportunity in the current market. Andrew is a known jewelry technology and ecommerce expert, having grown SuperJeweler.com from a new B2C in 1999 to a large and successful retail site with 8-figure revenue. His expertise in jewelry technology and ecommerce has been recognized by his peers in the industry, and he has been sought after as a speaker at various conferences and events.Today, Andrew is available to consult and speak on various topics, including 2023 ecommerce, end-to-end logistics, bootstrap financing, independent business growth, any jewelry topic, and the effects of Lab-Grown Diamonds on the market as a whole. He has the ability to briefly review any business entity and make simple, valuable suggestions for repair and growth. Andrew's vast experience in entrepreneurship, business management, and marketing make him a valuable resource for any business owner looking to take their venture to the next level.