Jackalo was founded by mother, maker, and long-time environmentalist Marianna Sachse.Marianna was always happy to receive hand-me-downs for her kids but noticed that they petered out as her son grew bigger. Kids are notoriously rough on their clothes—their pants don’t last a month, let alone an entire school year, without rips in the knees. The waste from these trashed clothes adds up and costs parents unnecessary time and money. Plus, fashion is one of the largest polluting industries in the world.After years of frustration with the lack of durable, ethical, and sustainable clothing options for her kids, Marianna founded Jackalo to bring back old-fashioned quality to kids' clothing.In 2023, Marianna was named a Nasdaq Milestone Maker, a project of the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center highlighting the work of founders that are making an impact on the Sustainable Development Goals. She was also selected to participate in the prestigious Techstars Accelerator (often called the Harvard of accelerators).Marianna brings her craftsmanship, eye for timeless design, to fundamentally redesign how kids clothes are made: to be strong enough for active kids while being gentle on the environment.

Alisha Stephens is the Founder & CEO of umanos, a sustainable personal care brand with a social mission. Alisha spent two years working throughout South America and East Africa, where she saw first-hand the hardship resulting from the lack of basic resources like education and clean water. She has since dedicated herself to using business as force for good in order to champion both healthy and sustainable living and fight global poverty. Alisha combines her deep passion for business and philanthropy to improve the human condition. She currently lives in Seattle, WA with her husband, photographer and director Stanton J Stephens, and their adventurous dog Kai.

The former Head of Knitwear for Oscar de La Renta, Christian Dior, Carolina Herrera and Vera Wang brings 10+ years’ experience and expertise in fiber science, fabric construction and design to the team. Having developed apparel for many VIP clients such as Vice President Kamala Harris, worn on the eve of the 2021 Presidential inauguration, Alexandra has a keen understanding and attention to quality control, with a focus on fabrics and fibers. Alexandra has spearheaded the development of Welles’ proprietary materials and components, as well as implemented key sourcing & sustainability strategies and management systems. At the height of the pandemic, Alexandra mitigated and diverted severe supply chain disruptions of raw materials caused by Covid-19, allowing GOLDATECH to fulfill large volume contracts without delays. Formerly from the UK, Alexandra is a graduate of Central Saint Martin’s University, London.

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.