There Is No Alternative: Lessons in Entrepreneurial Leadership with Tina Henry Bou-Saba

In this episode of There Is No Alternative, Tina Bou-Saba, founder of CXT Investments, sits down with Griffin Spolansky, co-founder and CEO of Mezcla, to talk about building a protein treat brand from a UVA lacrosse locker room into a fast-growing presence in over 10,000 doors nationwide. Griffin started Mezcla in college after a chance hallway conversation with a guest speaker turned into a year...

In this episode of There Is No Alternative, Tina Bou-Saba, founder of CXT Investments, talks to Sergio Tache, founder and CEO of Dossier Perfume, about building one of the fastest-growing and most innovative brands in beauty: a fragrance house that has made luxury-quality perfume accessible to everyone. Sergio attended business school and trained as an investment banker. He founded two previous en...

In this episode of There Is No Alternative, Tina Bou-Saba, founder of CXT Investments, speaks with Maharukh Dalal, founder and head coach of The Career Accelerator for Women, a coaching company that helps ambitious mid-to-senior level women rise to the next level of their careers with measurable outcomes. Maharukh spent two decades building a corporate career across four industries and four countr...

In this episode of There Is No Alternative , Tina Bou-Saba, founder of CXT Investments, speaks with Dr. Brent Ridge, co-founder of Beekman 1802, bestselling author of Goat Wisdom, and champion of kindness and community, to talk about building one of the most distinctive and purpose-driven brands in beauty over the past 18 years. Brent and his partner Josh did not set out to build a beauty company....

In this episode of There Is No Alternative, Tina Bou-Saba, founder of CXT Investments, sits down with Sali Christeson, founder and CEO of Argent, to talk about building the workwear brand that is redefining what professional women wear, and what they deserve. Sali spent a decade in banking, grad school, and tech before leaving her job cold turkey in 2015 to build the brand she could never find. Te...

In this episode of There Is No Alternative, Tina Bou-Saba, founder of CXT Investments, sits down with Manica Blain, investor and advisor at Top Knot Ventures, to talk about early stage consumer investing, working side by side with founders, and what it takes to build and back great brands. Manica's career spans investment banking, private equity, and venture capital — including co-founding Cam...

In this episode of There Is No Alternative, Tina Bou-Saba, founder of CXT Investments, sits down with Emine ErSelcuk, a 21-year veteran of the beauty industry and co-founder of Scale Up Beauty, to discuss building a brand that lasts. Emine has seen it all. From her early days running the Sephora business at Bare Essentials when the retailer was still finding its footing, to building out Kendo'...

In this episode of There Is No Alternative, Tina Bou-Saba, founder of CXT Investments, speaks with April Gargiulo, founder of Vintner's Daughter, to learn how she is building a hundred-year beauty brand. April shares how her winemaking background has informed every decision at Vintner's Daughter — from the three-to-five-week production process for a single bottle, to an uncompromising appr...

In this episode of There Is No Alternative , Tina Bou-Saba, founder of CXT Investments, hosts Rachel Hirsch, founder of Wellness Growth Ventures, to unpack how to invest in the rapidly evolving world of wellness. Rachel shares her journey from Wall Street to launching her own specialist seed fund, and the “delusional” optimism it takes to build from scratch. They discuss the explosion of GLP-1s, w...

In this episode of There Is No Alternative , Tina Bou-Saba, founder of CXT Investments, sits down with Troy Alexander, founder of T363 Skin, to talk about his journey from prison to purpose-driven entrepreneurship. Troy opens up about the life-altering experience that became his personal business school and the inspiration behind T363: a men’s skincare brand rooted in transformation, resilience, a...

In this episode of There Is No Alternative, Tina Bou-Saba, founder of CXT Investments, sits down with Liz Whitman, founder and CEO of Exponent Beauty, to talk about her journey as a three time entrepreneur. Liz shares how her experience as a corporate beauty leader and consumer sparked the idea to launch Exponent Beauty, a clinical skincare brand solving for ingredient potency and product performa...

In this episode of There Is No Alternative , Tina Bou-Saba, founder of CXT Investments, sits down with Anna Vale, a veteran beauty executive and trusted advisor to some of the most exciting emerging brands. They explore Anna’s journey from Estée Lauder to Space NK to launching her own marketing consultancy, and how she helps indie founders cut through the noise to find traction. Anna breaks down t...

In this episode of There Is No Alternative , Tina Bou-Saba, founder of CXT Investments, sits down with Asha Coco, founder and CEO of Glow Up Partners, to trace her path from classically trained ballerina and Rockette to beauty executive to trailblazer at the intersection of creator talent and brand building. Asha shares how her early experiences in performance shaped her fluency in beauty, and how...

What happens when an investor becomes a founder, and decides to rebuild e-commerce from the ground up? In this episode of There Is No Alternative, Tina Bou-Saba, founder of CXT Investments, sits down with Ben Davis, Founder & CEO of TryNow, to unpack his entrepreneurial journey and the lessons learned building a company that helps shoppers “try before they buy.” Ben shares how his background i...

What prompts someone to leave a successful investing career to start a beauty brand from scratch? In this episode of There Is No Alternative, Tina Bou-Saba, founder of CXT Investments, sits down with Patricia Santos, founder & CEO of Volition Beauty, to talk about the moment she realized that she could be an entrepreneur, what it means to lead with conviction, and how Volition is changing the...

What happens when you trade the corporate playbook to build something from the ground up? In this episode of There Is No Alternative, Tina Bou-Saba, founder of CXT Investments, sits down with Matt Mullenax, Co-Founder and CEO of Huron, to talk about the mindset, grit, and optimism it takes to turn a founder’s own problem into a brand that’s rethinking men’s personal care. Matt shares how his years...

In this episode of There Is No Alternative , Tina Bou-Saba, founder of CXT Investments, interviews Sarah Foley, Managing Partner at InviNext Growth Partners, to explore her unique journey from private equity to early-stage consumer investing. Sarah shares the pivotal moments that shaped her career, the lessons she’s learned from both the boardroom and the trenches, and why she believes building br...

In this episode of There Is No Alternative , Tina Bou-Saba, founder of CXT Investments, sits down with Sarah Moret, Founder & CEO of Curie, to unpack how she went from bootstrapping her deodorant business from her apartment to getting major deals with QVC, Shark Tank, andWalmart. They dig into the gritty truths behind finding and building on early product-market fit, developing a highly engage...

What happens when an investor becomes a founder, and decides to rebuild e-commerce from the ground up? In this episode of There Is No Alternative , Tina Bou-Saba, founder of CXT Investments, sits down with Ben Davis, Founder & CEO of TryNow, to unpack his entrepreneurial journey and the lessons learned building a company that helps shoppers “try before they buy.” Ben shares how his background...

What prompts someone to leave a successful investing career to start a beauty brand from scratch? In this episode of There Is No Alternative , Tina Bou-Saba, founder of CXT Investments, sits down with Patricia Santos, founder & CEO of Volition Beauty, to talk about the moment she realized that she could be an entrepreneur, what it means to lead with conviction, and how Volition is changing the...

What happens when you trade the corporate playbook to build something from the ground up? In this episode of There Is No Alternative , Tina Bou-Saba, founder of CXT Investments, sits down with Matt Mullenax, Co-Founder and CEO of Huron, to talk about the mindset, grit, and optimism it takes to turn a founder’s own problem into a brand that’s rethinking men’s personal care. Matt shares how his year...