Denise is the Founder and CEO of Partake Foods, a natural food company that was inspired by her daughter’s experience with food allergies. Launched in 2017, Partake’s first product — delicious, better for you, allergy-friendly cookies — can now be found in more than 8,000 retailers including Target, Trader Joe's, Kroger, Whole Foods Market. In 2021, Partake released a line of Baking Mixes—Brownie Mix, Blondie Mix, and a Pizza Crust Baking Mix—all available on partakefoods.com. In January 2022, Partake introduced Pancake & Waffle Mixes in Classic & Confetti flavors available at select Target stores nationwide. Denise is the first Black woman to raise more than $1 Million publicly for a CPG food startup. The company's investors include HER, Rihanna, CircleUp Growth Partners, FF2032 and Marcy Venture Partners. Prior to launching Partake, Denise spent a decade in consumer packaged goods at various Fortune 100 companies, most recently as the Director of National Sales for Coca-Cola's Venturing & Emerging Brands division. She lives in New York City with her husband, Jeremy, and daughter, Vivienne. She graduated with her BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA from Arizona State University.

A self-proclaimed “recovering MBA student”, Russell was attracted to Vital Farms because the company’s multi-stakeholder business model challenged all his previous notions on capitalism. Under Russell’s leadership, Vital Farms has grown significantly in revenue, with a 35% compound annual growth rate from 2016-2020, as well as in retail distribution, and its relationships with small family farms. In July 2020, he led Vital Farms’ successful transition to the public market. Russell believes his most significant contribution to Vital Farms is scaling a high-performing organization and world-class Board of Directors, while cultivating a strong, values-driven culture. Prior to joining Vital Farms, Russell worked with McKinsey & Company, H-E-B Grocery, and the Central Intelligence Agency.

Holly Adrien is the Natural and Organic Strategy and Innovation Manager for The Kroger Co, the nation’s largest traditional grocer. With a deep background in customer insights, analytics and merchandising, Holly leads development of The Kroger Co’s strategic focus for natural and organic, and is responsible for execution of top activations to meet customer’s needs in natural and organic across the total store. In her role, she has the privilege of collaborating with all Kroger banners and both established and emerging brands to continuously innovate in terms of new items, promotions, and communication to customers. Her passion for natural products started as an opportunity to improve health and performance in athletics, then blossomed when she was responsible for the Baby department for Kroger and recognized the opportunity that existed to provide the best to The Kroger Co. customers!

Loren Castle is the CEO and Founder of Sweet Loren’s, Inc., a better-for-you baked goods company that is redefining what it means to be delicious and convenient. Sweet Loren's offers irresistible clean ingredient cookie dough that is non-GMO, plant-based, gluten free, dairy free, and free from the top 14 allergens. Their cookie dough is safe to eat raw, and convenient place & bake packaging means it’s easy to bake one or all. They also have tubs of creamy edible cookie dough for those that want to grab a spoon and dig in. Castle founded Sweet Loren’s after beating cancer in her early twenties, making it her mission to eliminate processed foods from her diet. When she couldn’t find great tasting cookies made from clean ingredients, she set out to make her own - and it led her to create Sweet Loren's. Since the company launch in 2012, the independent and female-owned brand has grown exponentially, and is now operating with mass distribution available online sweetlorens.com and in more than 15,000 US stores in the refrigerated dough section. One of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the US, Castle has been featured for three straight years on the Inc. 5000 list, and made it to Inc.'s Female Founders 100 list. Castle is a graduate of the Annenberg School of Communication, University of Southern California. She is a certified Hatha Yoga instructor and resides in California with her husband and one year old daughter.

Dan Epley is the Vice President for Whole Foods Market’s Dry Grocery Team, based at the company’s headquarters in Austin, Texas. He leads the merchant teams for Snacks, Candy, Beverages, Bulk, Meals, Breakfast, Baking, and Essentials. He’s also the leader for the Inventory Planning Team for Grocery and Whole Body. Previous to WFM he spent 26 years in Merchandising at Target Stores where he had leadership roles in Grocery, Domestics, Electronics, Home Improvement, and Sporting Goods. He’s known for brand development, innovative merchandising, strategic negotiations, marketing, process improvement, and sourcing. While not at work he enjoys going on adventures around the world, fishing remote Canadian lakes, and spending time with his family.

Nearly 13 years ago John Lowe took the leap from General Electric Company to the then four-shop, $1M ice cream company based on his belief that Jeni Britton was a generational talent making the world’s greatest ice creams. John bet that their talents were a perfect yin and yang, such that they could grow a business that would create outsized benefits for its customers, employees and investors. Today, the company has more than 1,400 team members who carry out the company’s two-part mission of making better ice creams and bringing people together. The company owns and operates 67 scoop shops from LA to Philadelphia, has national distribution of its pints on the freezer shelves of America's finest retailers, and has developed the nation’s largest direct-to-consumer ice cream shipping business. In the months prior to the pandemic, the company was featured on the cover of QSR Magazine and was named by B Lab as of one three “Community - Best for the World” honorees. Internally, John drives a culture of performance, kindness and fun. From creating Team Jeni’s “Force For Good” operating efforts to ensure the company drives anti-racism efforts for years to come, to his creation of the Jeni’s Sabbatical Program - a one month paid vacation for every team member every three years of service. In 2016, John was honored by the Specialty Food Association with its Business Leadership Award. Perhaps most telling about John’s leadership, on John’s 10th anniversary with the company, Jeni and the company surprised him with a rooftop party and revealed a giant wallscape in downtown Columbus thanking him for “Ten awesome years as our CEO” and for “being a leader of integrity and heart.” He is a long-serving outside director of White Castle Company and Watershed Distillery. John has but one hobby: he loves coaching his three sons’ basketball teams. Jack, 17, Alex, 14, and Luke, 11, are of varied athletic giftedness, but are learning the benefits of tenacity, hustle and the daily grind. He is married to their mother, Catherine L. Strauss, a business advisor, trial attorney and Managing Partner of IceMiller’s 80-person Columbus office.

Lezlie Karls is currently the co-Founder and co-CEO of Mid-Day Squares. Her journey started 10 years ago. She's been swinging and missing for over a decade. She always loved taking an idea and making it come to life. She's been judged and misunderstood over and over. She's designed for lady gaga, spent time on construction sites, and attempted to cook with the greats. All of which has led her to this moment now challenging all leaders to lead with vulnerability instead of fear.

My name is Jake Karls and I am a Co-Founder and Chief Rainmaker at Mid-Day Squares... I believe my purpose in life is to make people feel something deeply, to spread good vibes and show the world that you can win by being unapologetically yourself everyday. I am 28 years old. I studied to be an actuary, but couldn't find a job so I decided to try out entrepreneurship. I have launched 3 businesses, 2 have failed. As of right now, Mid-Day Squares is working haha :). I learnt you gotta keep swinging till you hit.

Nick Saltarelli is a co-founder of Mid-Day Squares, a lifelong student of entrepreneurship and someone who doesn't believe in work life balance but rather a fully integrated life of both in beautiful harmony. His life goal is to teach as many people to think for themselves and compete against themselves. His life's mission is to inspire people to be BOLD.

Gabi Lewis is the co-founder of Magic Spoon, a direct-to-consumer company recreating your favorite childhood breakfast cereals with more protein, fewer carbs, and zero sugar. Forbes called Magic Spoon "the future of cereal", TIME Magazine named Magic Spoon in their Top 100 Inventions of 2019, and the company counts celebrities ranging from Questlove to Amy Schumer among its investors. Prior to launching Magic Spoon in 2019, Gabi co-founded Exo, a company pioneering sustainable insect protein that was named in Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies in the World. Gabi was born in Israel and raised in Scotland. He has a dual degree in Philosophy and Economics from Brown University, a state record in powerlifting, and was named to Forbes 30 under 30.

Mr. Durrani is the founder, CEO of Saffron Road Foods, the leading World Cuisines entree brand nationally, sold in Walmart, Kroger, Whole Foods, Publix, HEB, Sprouts, Target, Wegmans, Sam’s, BJ’s, Costco and 20,000 other stores nationally. Mr. Durrani has been a serial social entrepreneur and venture capitalist for almost 30 years. Mr. Durrani founded Vermont Pure in 1991 and through his venture company Condor Ventures was a principal shareholder and Director of Stonyfield Farms, Inc., sold to Groupe Danone in 2001. He was also a principal of Delicious Brands, Inc., which he scaled, with the financial backing of Carl Icahn, to become the 5th largest cookie brand in the U.S. Adnan has been recognized as one of the entrepreneurs who engineered “20 Ideas That Changed The Way The World Does Business”. The select list of these inductees include: Ben Cohen (Ben & Jerry’s), Gary Hirshberg (Stonyfield Farms), Muhammad Yunus (Nobel Peace Prize, Grameen Bank), and Steve Case (AOL). Mr. Durrani is the Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Columbia University’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and is also Co-Chair of Columbia’s Entrepreneurship Advisory Board. He is also serves on the Fast Company Impact Council, an invitation-only collective of innovative leaders, and is on the Board of the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI).

Lu Ann Williams is co-founder and Global Insights Director at Innova Market Insights, a global market research firm headquartered in The Netherlands. An expert on trends driving the food and beverage industry, she is a frequent speaker at industry events. Thirty years of global experience, data analysis and trendspotting give her a unique foundation for insights into what’s coming next in the industry in every region of the world.

Lisa Barnett is the Co-Founder, President & CMO of Little Spoon, the fastest growing direct-to-consumer children’s food and nutrition company reinventing the modern parent’s experience of keeping their child healthy. She has been recognized as one of the ‘Women Changing the Food Industry’ by Well + Good, by Marie Claire as an ‘Power Woman of 2019, and by Forbes as 30 Under 30 in Venture Capital. She also advises and sits on the board of a variety of consumer-facing companies in the ecommerce & consumer health space. Prior to Little Spoon, Lisa spent nearly a decade as an investor in and operator at some of the world’s top consumer brands including Estee Lauder Companies, Calvin Klein, Weight Watchers and a number of other Fortune 500 Companies. At Estee Lauder Companies, she was responsible for building out D2C and ecommerce channels across the organization within existing brands as well as re-launching a digitally native, personalized skincare brand. As an investor, she was focused on investing in brand-driven startups aimed at transforming the everyday life of consumers in the wellness, health and CPG space. Lisa attended the Wharton School for her MBA and the University of Pennsylvania for her undergraduate studies. She holds a Bachelors of Arts with Honors in Communication and Marketing, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa and with the Top Ivy League Scholar-Athlete Accolades as a member of the Varsity Cross Country and Track teams.

Ashley co-leads Bluestein Ventures, driving the firm’s strategy, portfolio company support, and deal pipeline. Ashley has made over 30 investments in the space, and is an observer on three boards, including Base Culture, Grovara, and Rethink. Ashley has deep experience leading growth strategy and establishing scalable infrastructure necessary to build sustainable ventures. Prior to Bluestein, Ashley was Vice President of Strategy & Operations at Hartman Windows & Doors, where she was responsible for growth strategy, leading expansion across the U.S. as well as setting the platform on which to grow. Ashley also worked for Coinstar in Business Development, focusing on launching their new ventures. After college, Ashley was an Analyst at NERA Economic Consulting. Active in the Chicago and food community, Ashley serves on the Board of Naturally Chicago, on Selection Committee of the Good Food Accelerator, and as a mentor at Food Foundry, The Hatchery, and the LeAD Accelerator, in addition to being a judge at Booth’s new venture competitions. She is also on the National Leadership Council of United States Artists. Ashley received an MBA with honors from Harvard Business School and a BA in Political Economy, summa cum laude, from Williams College.

As Director, Business Development Consulting – Merchandising, Alex Trott is responsible for ensuring 84.51°’s CPG clients are getting value and insights out of its data by enabling the Cloud and other capabilities. Alex was appointed to her current role after serving 10 years with the company in a variety of roles. In her longest tenured role as Senior Client Lead, Kroger Merchandising, she created and led the multi-disciplinary, customer-focused strategy for the Natural Foods Department at Kroger. Under her guidance, she helped Kroger become a leader in the natural and organic space and spoke on the retailer’s behalf at Expo West, The Wellness Your Way Festival, The Nexty Awards, BevNet and NoshLive. She also spearheaded the creation of the Natural Foods Summit, which was an innovation platform that promoted discussion about natural food trends and allowed emerging brands to showcase their products directly to Kroger. Alex began her career at 84.51°, previously dunnhumby, in the grad program as an associate client lead in Communications & Media. A native Cincinnatian, Alex graduated from Miami University with Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a minor in entrepreneurship. She sits on the Network of Executive Women Cincinnati Regional leadership team and has tutored 3rd grade math and reading at the Oyler School for 9 consecutive school years.

Tapan has been a part of the natural foods eco-system for almost 20 years. He started his career at Glacéau and went on to marketing and leadership roles at the Campbell Soup Co. and Energy Kitchen. In 2013, Tapan joined AF Ventures (AccelFoods), where he was active in sourcing and managing investments, as well as guiding marketing strategy for the fund and its portfolio companies. In 2018 he joined the Pepsico Ventures Group, before joining Mondelez Snackfutures to lead Venture Capital activity. Tapan received a BA from Villanova University and an MBA from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. He lives in Connecticut with his wife and daughters.

Genevieve is co-founder and General Partner of Springdale Ventures, an early-stage consumer brands venture fund. She has been an active investor for seven years and has over twenty years of experience as entrepreneur in consumer products (CPG) and the health and wellness industry. From 2003-2016, she built & managed import/export natural product companies, from 2016 - 2018 years she led SKU, the premier CPG accelerator, and in 2019 launched Springdale Ventures, with her Co-founder Dan Graham. Genevieve also is a founding board member of Naturally Austin and the national Naturally Network. When she is not working with portfolio companies or bringing great new brands into the Springdale family she loves spending time outdoors with her son K-Max, dogs Joon and Oliver at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Carol is the Editor of NOSH, BevNet’s media property focusing on Natural, Healthy, Sustainable and Organic food products. Carol previously worked and consulted for several consumer goods companies, many within the food space. She also was on the marketing team for Whole Foods Market in the North Atlantic region. Prior to focusing on the food industry, Carol worked at several tech companies, including HubSpot, and served as a consumer researcher at AMP Agency. A graduate of Brandeis University in Journalism, Cultural Anthropology and Theater Arts, Carol is passionate about the food, agriculture and beverage industries.

Franklin is a Founding Partner at Coefficient Capital. Franklin has over a decade of investing experience in consumer products and retail and has worked in the sector for twenty years. Franklin lead deal sourcing in the US and select European countries for Verlinvest, the Brussels-based investment firm backed by the founding shareholders of Anheuser-Busch InBev. He set-up the New York office and led growth investments within the branded consumer and retail sectors, deploying equity checks of $5m to $150m. Prior to joining Verlinvest, Franklin worked in the consumer products investment banking group at UBS, in M&A and strategy at Diageo and in brand marketing at LVMH. He started his career at The Boston Consulting Group where he served clients in consumer products and retail. Franklin received an MBA from Columbia Business School, a BA from the University of Dublin, Trinity College, and a Diploma from Sciences Po. in Paris. Franklin is Dutch, grew up in Europe where he learnt to speak four languages and has lived and worked in New York since 2005.

Ray has been with BevNET since March 2011 and oversees strategic planning and content for the Taste Radio podcast, BevNET's education platform and various aspects of BevNET conferences.

Over the past 20+ years, Peter Burns has established himself as an expert in the food and beverage space, especially when it comes to preparing promising brands for acquisition by multinational giants. Peter joined Sunrise Strategic Partners in 2020 as a Managing Partner Prior to joining Sunrise, Peter was the CEO of ONE Brands, a Boulder/Charlotte-based protein-bar line, where he led the business to an exit to The Hershey Co. for $397 million. Before joining ONE Brands in 2017, he served as CEO and President of Justin’s Nut Butters, working with founder Justin Gold to execute a two-year plan culminating in a $286 million acquisition by Hormel. Previously, Burns was President of Celestial Seasonings as well as Chief Sales Officer for The Hain Celestial Group-USA , where he developed and managed Celestial Seasonings’ worldwide business as well as all commercial efforts for The HC Group- USA. Prior to his accomplishments at Celestial Seasonings, Burns was the Vice President of Sales at IZZE Beverage Company where he led all commercial efforts culminating in an eventual exit to Pepsi in 2006. Also of note are senior executive positions at the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation and The Hershey Company.

Will Lisman is the Chief Commercial Officer at HumanCo. Will has almost two decades of consumer industry experience ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies across a broad range of disciplines including marketing, sales, strategy and M&A. Previously, Will was an executive with Amplify Snack Brands, an independent operating subsidiary of The Hershey Company and a leading better-for-you snack platform. Prior to Amplify, Will held a variety of commercial leadership positions within The Hershey Company and also spent five years as a management consultant in the Consumer Practice at The Parthenon Group, a boutique strategy consulting firm that is now part of EY. Will has a B.S. in Management from Boston College and an M.B.A. from The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Brad works closely with leading growth-stage food and beverage companies as a Board member, strategic advisor and Investor. His work leverages 25 years of company-building experience as entrepreneur, CEO, board member and investor, cutting across all strategic and operational dimensions of successful company-building in the food and beverage space. He currently serves on the boards of Country Archer, Rhythm Superfoods, Flying Embers, Barney Butter, Biena, Aura Bora, Gimme Foods and Red’s All Natural. He previously served on the Board of Krave Jerky, Kevita, Health Warrior and Chameleon Cold Brew from these companies early stages through their respective exits as category defining brands to Hershey’s, Pepsi and Nestle. Building upon a foundation in management consulting and investment banking, Mr. Barnhorn’s food and beverage journey began twenty years ago as Founder/CEO of the Fantasia Fresh Juice Company which he built into the leading superpremium fresh juice/smoothie company in the Midwestern United States culminating in a merger with Naked Juice to form the leading national brand in the category which was subsequently acquired by Pepsi. He holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Growing up in Mill Valley, CA, where natural foods were a staple long before it was mainstream, I’ve always been drawn to natural products, local fresh foods, and exploring new and different flavors. I’m especially fortunate that my passion for clean healthy food has not only been a lifestyle, but also the core of my career in the Natural Products industry. While spending the last 20 years as a wife and a mother to our 5 amazing children, I have also had the opportunity to grow with and navigate through the CPG industry, with a primary focus on the Natural Channel. I’ve worked on the Broker side of the business with Acosta/NS Sales, the manufacturer side with Coca-Cola/Odwalla, and the distribution side where my husband and I expanded our local distribution company nationally, to become Whole Foods Market’s #1 DSD distributor in 8 of their 11 regions. It was here, I realized, that helping small businesses launch, grow, and expand into multiple regions and retailers was not only a career, but a calling. Weaving together the unique threads of my early exposure to clean and healthy food, my personal resonance with the natural products industry, and a passion for helping start up brands grow and flourish in this space, it seemed time to start a consulting company and take that approach one step further; to help women owned brands and women entrepreneurs succeed in this male dominated space. Thus, Gather Brands was born!

With over 20 years of Food & Beverage experience, LaRon is the cofounder of Passport Food & Beverages, a retail management and marketing agency that connects forward-looking, entrepreneurial brands with major retailers and regional distributors such as Wakefern, Whole Foods, Stop&Shop and FreshDirect. In 2020, he cofounded a specialty coffee brand #CoffeeUpliftsPeople (CUP), which is available at all NYC Whole Foods and its flagship CUP Boutique in Brooklyn, New York. CUP’s mission is to bring Diversity, Inclusion, Representation & Equity to the coffee industry. LaRon is also a cofounder of Caminus Ventures, the first accelerator program designed to support Black food and beverage innovators. His partners include Aurify Brands, NYC’s largest independent restaurant operator, and the acclaimed Chef Marcus Samuelsson. In addition, LaRon is a passionate video ethnographer of small businesses and cultural global trends. He has lived in Japan, South Africa, France and the UK. Here is a website he created that celebrates NYC small business owners.

Jamie has spent over 20 years in CPG general management with emphasis in Sales & Marketing. After graduating with an MBA from Duke University in 2001, Jamie joined Kraft Foods and led teams on iconic brands such as Ritz and Chips Ahoy!. He was a key leader in the launch of the 100 Calorie Packs platform from concept to year one in market, leading to a $100MM business and IRI Pacesetter Award. Jamie later joined start-up Food Should Taste Good, Inc. and was a key management team member to grow the company from 8 to 55 employees in 5 years to successful acquisition by General Mills in 2012. Jamie joined his next start-up, Justin’s, as SVP of Sales & Marketing and was a key impact player to triple its nut butter/chocolate business in 2 years and partner with private equity group VMG, which led to inevitable acquisition by Hormel. As President of Grillo’s Pickles for 5 years, Jamie expanded a local brand to become the national emerging category leader in retailers such as Whole Foods, Target, Publix, Ahold, and Costco, which led to eventual acquisition by King’s Hawaiian. Jamie currently is a board member with a portfolio of emerging “fighter” brands, where he helps get them to start-up growth leadership.

Greg Papalexis is an independent contractor & advisor that specializes in end-to-end supply chain planning & scaling, specialized contract manufacturing, and general operations & administration. Previously, Greg spent four years as Vice President of Supply Chain & Operations for Chef's Cut Real Jerky Co.® after six years as General Manager of Manufacturing for Sabrett® Hot Dogs; during his tenure at Chef's Cut Real Jerky Co.®, Greg solely designed, constructed, and operated the end-to-end supply chain that within three years expanded its product portfolio from four SKUs to sixty SKUs at five production & distribution points equating to an annual revenue increase from ~$1 million to ~$50 million. More recently, Greg has served interim/fractional roles with both HOP WTR® and 4505 Meats®, and his current clients include HOP WTR®, Prevail® Jerky, Yolélé® African Foods, and The Plug Drink®. Greg earned his B.S. in Business Administration from Fordham University and is based in Miami, FL.

Holly Adrien is the Natural and Organic Strategy and Innovation Manager for The Kroger Co, the nation’s largest traditional grocer. With a deep background in customer insights, analytics and merchandising, Holly leads development of The Kroger Co’s strategic focus for natural and organic, and is responsible for execution of top activations to meet customer’s needs in natural and organic across the total store. In her role, she has the privilege of collaborating with all Kroger banners and both established and emerging brands to continuously innovate in terms of new items, promotions, and communication to customers. Her passion for natural products started as an opportunity to improve health and performance in athletics, then blossomed when she was responsible for the Baby department for Kroger and recognized the opportunity that existed to provide the best to The Kroger Co. customers!

Carol is the Editor of NOSH, BevNet’s media property focusing on Natural, Healthy, Sustainable and Organic food products. Carol previously worked and consulted for several consumer goods companies, many within the food space. She also was on the marketing team for Whole Foods Market in the North Atlantic region. Prior to focusing on the food industry, Carol worked at several tech companies, including HubSpot, and served as a consumer researcher at AMP Agency. A graduate of Brandeis University in Journalism, Cultural Anthropology and Theater Arts, Carol is passionate about the food, agriculture and beverage industries.

Growing up in Mill Valley, CA, where natural foods were a staple long before it was mainstream, I’ve always been drawn to natural products, local fresh foods, and exploring new and different flavors. I’m especially fortunate that my passion for clean healthy food has not only been a lifestyle, but also the core of my career in the Natural Products industry. While spending the last 20 years as a wife and a mother to our 5 amazing children, I have also had the opportunity to grow with and navigate through the CPG industry, with a primary focus on the Natural Channel. I’ve worked on the Broker side of the business with Acosta/NS Sales, the manufacturer side with Coca-Cola/Odwalla, and the distribution side where my husband and I expanded our local distribution company nationally, to become Whole Foods Market’s #1 DSD distributor in 8 of their 11 regions. It was here, I realized, that helping small businesses launch, grow, and expand into multiple regions and retailers was not only a career, but a calling. Weaving together the unique threads of my early exposure to clean and healthy food, my personal resonance with the natural products industry, and a passion for helping start up brands grow and flourish in this space, it seemed time to start a consulting company and take that approach one step further; to help women owned brands and women entrepreneurs succeed in this male dominated space. Thus, Gather Brands was born!

Jason has over two decades of experience spanning operations, technology, venture capital, and private equity. Jason is the founder of Consumer Ventures™, a venture capital firm focused on investing in and building emerging consumer brands and companies. Before Consumer Ventures™, Jason was the fund manager at CircleUp in San Francisco, through which he invested in dozens of consumer ventures. Prior to CircleUp, Jason spent over eight years at Winona Capital Management, a consumer-focused private equity firm in Chicago with over $300 million under management. Jason graduated from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with an MBA and holds a BSBA and MAS from the University of Denver, where he was an alumni scholar and graduated summa cum laude.

Karen Ivanis-Rogers spent the first 20 years of her career in big and mid-sized CPG where she helped brands like Tylenol, Clorox Bleach, Milk Bone and Nature Made Vitamins dominate the retail shelves of retailers in all classes of trade. Today she co-leads the Albertson’s Growth Accelerator Program. The Growth Accelerator Program’s mission is to accelerate the growth of select emerging consumer brands by providing distribution, unparalleled merchandising resources and analytics to increase brand awareness, sales and velocities. These emerging brands grow in Albertsons and the marketplace follows. Karen participates in the prospecting and selection of new brands, she leads the operations team that supports portfolio companies and acts as a problem solver, strategic thinker and connector to emerging entrepreneurs. Karen lives in the Oakland Hills with her husband.

After a nearly two-decade career in finance, Matt launched RIND, a better-for-you snack brand focused on whole fruit nutrition, in 2017. Prior to RIND, Matt spent 20 years in investment research at Baron Capital where he covered consumer growth stocks. He lives in New York City with his wife and three children.

Ibraheem Basir is the founder and CEO of A Dozen Cousins, a natural food brand that makes convenient meals and side dishes inspired by traditional Creole, Caribbean and Latin American recipes. The brand is inspired by his childhood growing up in the culinary melting pot of Brooklyn and is named after his daughter and her 11 cousins. Prior to launching A Dozen Cousins, Ibraheem obtained his MBA from the Wharton School of Business and served as a Marketing Manager on a number of natural food brands including Larabar and Annie's Organic.

Adrianne DeLuca is a reporter for BevNET and NOSH where she covers a range of industry-related topics with a specific interest in new, sustainable innovations, regulatory and legal matters as well as the intricacies of the supply chain. Adrianne is a journalism and political science graduate of Elon University, and has previously written for various local and digital publications.