Elevate Your Brand

With an M&A legal background, Alice Chen is a well-recognized founder who has grown a business from 0 to 7 or 8 figures six times across industries. Her pedigree includes Top 40 Under 40, CitiBank’s Global Family Office Leadership Program, and an exit to PWC. Inspired by her own consumer desire to easily access clean, gluten-free, low-sugar, low-calorie and portable canned drinks, Alice and he...

Warren Brown is an entrepreneur with a spirited passion for life. He left his career as a lawyer to become a baker in 2000. Armed with a credit card and a sense that people wanted something better than what was currently on the market, he founded CakeLove, a bakery. Then, in 2005, he became the beloved host of Food Networks’ Sugar Rush . Ten years later, Warren developed his first prototype of Spa...

Believing everyone should be able to enjoy luxury, health-conscious products regardless of their shade or undertone, Samara Walker founded Àuda. B, a luxury vegan nail lacquer brand with colors that compliment every skin tone. Through the combination of creativity, technology, and beauty, Samara is redefining the expectations of what a beauty experience should offer with Àuda. B. Laurel Mintz, fou...

The idea behind Bon AppéSweet was founded in the broken heart of a deployed mother. Thereasa Black was away from her daughter for 13 months, just before her second birthday, and spent her entire deployment thinking of a way to never have to leave her again. Also while she was deployed, her daughter fell in love with dessert. When Thereasa came home, she decided that instead of taking away the food...

Founded by sisters Shaz Rajashekar and Kiku Chaudhuri, Shaz & Kiks is a holistic haircare brand that draws inspiration from the sisters’ experience with traditional Indian Ayurvedic practices that are as effective as they are culturally meaningful. Shaz & Kiks is a community as much as it is a beauty company and aims to pass down a tradition of collective care through wholesome self-care p...

As CEO of Aster Farms, Julia brings expertise in entrepreneurship, supply chain management and business development to her team. Julia’s personal interest in cannabis is rooted in her battle with chronic migraines, incorporating the plant with her prescribed routine to mitigate symptoms, balance equilibrium and chart a healthy course. Prior to Aster Farms, Julia was co-founder and CEO of NMRKT, an...

Jeremy Novy’s unique brand of street art is ripe with thoughtful social examinations. Novy has combated a homophobic lack of representation with a celebration of gay iconography, bringing joviality and warmth to disused urban spaces. Laurel Mintz, founder and CEO of award-winning marketing agency Elevate My Brand, explores some of the most exciting new and growing brands in Los Angeles and the US...

Nicole Centeno is a French Culinary Institute-trained chef, cookbook author, mother and the founder and CEO of Splendid Spoon, a meal-delivery platform that offers 50+ ready-to-eat, plant- based meals. A Condé Nast alum, Nicole has always been passionate about food; well before founding Splendid Spoon, Nicole immersed herself in the culinary world where she worked at pop-ups, catered and taught co...

Denise Lambertson pioneered the pairing of celebrities with venture backed consumer startups by implementing sweat equity compensation for marketing services and capital investment. Applauded by Forbes as “changing the influencer marketing  platform between celebrities and startups”,  Denise is the Chairwoman at LMS Agency and the Managing Partner at Constellation Capital.   Laurel Mintz, founder...

Cynthia Plotch co-founded Stix in 2019, a company on a mission to transform your health experience, starting with pregnancy, ovulation, UTI, and yeast infection products. Before starting Stix, Cynthia was on the founding team of Hungry Harvest where she led their national expansion. Cynthia received her BA from the University of Pennsylvania and is a Venture for America alumna. Laurel Mintz, found...

Dylan Martinez is an American sculptor best known for his hyper-realistic glass sculptures that challenge the viewers perceptions. His artwork is exhibited and collected internationally. He lives and works in the Columbia River Gorge in Washington state. Laurel Mintz, founder and CEO of award-winning marketing agency Elevate My Brand, explores some of the most exciting new and growing brands in Lo...

Alessandra T. Shirley is a the founder and CEO at HereNow CBD.  HereNow CBD's mission is to provide the highest-quality organic CBD products to help all those in need, and to destigmatize THE NEED FOR HELP. They are focused to understand what every individual is experiencing with and what is the best product they can use.  Trust, Quality, Transparency and Focus on customers are their values....

Founder and CEO Lauren Schulte Wang launched The Flex Co. in 2016 with the dream of transforming the lives of people with periods. After suffering from chronic yeast infections for 15 years related to tampon use, it dawned on her that it was time to change the status quo — not just for herself, but for menstruators everywhere. She set out to create period products that were more innovative, sustai...

Elizabeth  James migrated to the world of fashion through channels that have often inspired its creators: fine art, music, and photography.  Producing and executive producing video content for Concord Music Group, James’ tenure led her to cross paths with legends including James Taylor and Carole King.  James also produced documentary films, concert films, and music supervised films that saw major...

From Mexico to Texas, Anahi Rivera has  had 15+ Years in experience with an extensive network in the Wine and Spirits Industry as Supplier Development and Brand Builder of 1921 Tequila at more than 20 markets. Anahi graduated from ITESM Campus Monterrey with a Bachelor of Business in Marketing. She is an Agave aficionada and married happily with two kids on earth and one in heaven.  Laurel Mintz,...

Katie Dos Santos, founder of Petalled and marketing professional in New York City, often marveled at the artistically crafted centerpieces she’d order for the events she planned. Still, it was never more than a passing appreciation and a resignation to buy bouquets, not make them. As she prioritized her health and worked to get better, Katie realized that bits of beauty felt essential to her welln...

Kat Dey is the Co-Founder and President of ettitude. Kat is a serial entrepreneur and executive, named one of “35 People to Watch in New York Tech” and “EY Entrepreneurial Winning Woman” in 2016. Having fallen in love with ettitude's products and mission, Kat joined Ettitude in early 2018 to help expand the company globally. Prior to ettitude, Dey had a decade of experience scaling mission-dr...

Ron is veteran cosmetic chemist with over 20 years experience in creating innovative, big-selling beauty products for leading beauty brands (Revlon, Avon, L’Oreal, Estee Lauder, Clinique). Ron recently started his own beauty brand, BeautyStat Cosmetics.  His brand, already an award-winner, was called out as one of the most Google searched beauty brands due in part to its best-selling vitamin C ser...

Sol Broady is the CEO and Founder of Leilo, the world's first all-natural, dedicated relaxation product. After an inspirational trip to Fiji in 2018 where he was introduced to kava-culture, Sol began his journey by making prototypes out of his college dorm room as a freshman at Columbia University. A political science major and ancient history minor, Sol enters his senior year in college thre...

Bisco Smith is an American contemporary artist, based in New York, recognized for his graffiti-deconstructive approach to abstract expressionism. Utilizing his understanding of space and songwriting from his early years as a graffiti writer, music maker, and graphic designer, Bisco strips his compositions to their fundamental essence of motion and rhythm while channeling the energy of a moment thr...

Tim Rickards is the Marketing Director of Activation and Engagement at Charles Schwab - a unique investment service firm that strives to disrupt the status quo of the traditional Wall Street approach. He has a deep understanding of client relationships and proven experience building campaigns that drive revenue. At Charles Schwab, Tim provides a unique blend of creative and strategic expertise tha...

With a relentless dedication to improving the lives of others, Nichol Whiteman serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the award-winning Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF). Under Nichol’s leadership, LADF tackles the most pressing problems facing Los Angeles with a mission to improve education, health care, homelessness and social justice for all Angelenos. During Nichol’s tenure, LADF launche...

Haley Pavone (Founder & CEO at Pashion Footwear) is an entrepreneur whose ambition & passion for innovation led her to create the largest disruptive advancement women’s footwear has ever seen – the world’s first fully convertible heel. She has invented, developed, and brought to production what was once thought to be an “impossible” shoe…and she’s done it all by 25, and with no background...

Matt Kamin has been working and volunteering in the nonprofit world for over sixteen years and holds a MBA in nonprofit management. Matt has served as Executive Director of Palisades Emergency Residence Corporation in New York, Children’s Nature Institute in Los Angeles, and Los Angeles Youth Network in Hollywood. Matt has also served as a consultant to organizations serving populations ranging fr...

One day, Krishna Motukuri was sent out to buy organic milk for his toddler. Finding an excruciatingly long line at the store, he decided to buy cheap milk at the local corner store instead. When his decision wasn't received too well at home, he realized that there had to be a better way. His solution was Zippin, the next generation of checkout-free technology enabling retailers to quickly dep...