After the Raise: Smart Spending for Growth

Jun. 13, 2022 at 3:45 PM

 

Finally we’ll end the day with a panel of entrepreneurs, including Chris Kirby the CEO of Ithaca Hummus and Denise Woodard the CEO of Partake, about their own fundraising experiences and, more importantly, the ways they used it to fortify and grow their businesses when the check hit the account. HINT: No one bought a Porsche.

About Denise Woodard:

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.

About Lisa Barnett:

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.