SmugMug is a paid photo and video hosting platform that helps photographers showcase, share, protect, and sell their work. Founded in 2002 by father-and-son team Chris and Don MacAskill and bootstrapped without venture capital, it built a subscription business around customizable portfolio sites, password-protected client galleries, unlimited storage, and built-in print and digital sales. In 2018 SmugMug acquired Flickr, adding tens of millions of community photographers, and in 2022 the two brands launched the nonprofit Flickr Foundation to keep historically significant photos accessible for the next 100 years.
David Renteln is the co-founder and CEO of Lucy, a Los Angeles consumer brand making tobacco-free nicotine gum and pouches built around a stated mission of reducing tobacco-related harm to zero. A Harvard human evolutionary biology graduate and former Harvard Rugby president, he deferred a Caltech bioengineering PhD to help build Soylent, where he served as co-founder and chief marketing officer. In 2016 he started Lucy with Soylent alumni John Coogan and Samy Hamdouche, raised a $10M Series A in 2020 from RRE Ventures, Vice Ventures, Greycroft and Y Combinator, and has since pushed nicotine into the productivity-and-wellness conversation.
RYZE Superfoods is a Boston-based direct-to-consumer wellness brand best known for its mushroom coffee - a blend of organic instant coffee, organic fiber, and a six-mushroom 'Super6' functional blend (cordyceps, lion's mane, reishi, turkey tail, shiitake, and king trumpet). Founded in 2020 by Harvard classmates Andrée Werner and Rashad Hossain, RYZE pitches a calmer, lower-caffeine ritual that delivers focus and immune support without the spike-and-crash of regular coffee. The company grew largely on early seed money plus aggressive social and influencer marketing, reaching reported revenue in the tens of millions while expanding into matcha, hot cocoa, creamers, and other functional blends.
Savage X Fenty is Rihanna's inclusive lingerie, loungewear and apparel brand, launched in 2018 as a joint venture with TechStyle Fashion Group. Built around radical size inclusivity (30+ bra sizes, XS-4X), it sells direct-to-consumer through an Xtra VIP membership model and an expanding wholesale footprint in Nordstrom, Galeries Lafayette and Selfridges. Backed by L Catterton, Neuberger Berman and Advent International, the company reached a reported $1 billion valuation and turned an annual Amazon Prime Video runway show into an Emmy-winning cultural event. It positions itself as the inclusive, unapologetic alternative to the old Victoria's Secret playbook.
Jonathan Regev is the co-founder and CEO of The Farmer's Dog, the fresh, human-grade dog food company he started in 2015 with Brett Podolsky after the two met on a Birthright trip to Israel. A former Bain consultant and Rocket Internet entrepreneur-in-residence, Regev spent over a year planning the business before spending a dollar on infrastructure, building a subscription supply chain that ships pre-portioned, vet-formulated meals direct to dogs' doors. Under his leadership the company crossed more than $1 billion in annualized revenue, turned profitable, and won USA Today's Ad Meter with its 2023 Super Bowl debut.
Create Wellness is a New York-based consumer health company that built the world's first creatine monohydrate gummy, turning a messy, bodybuilder-coded powder into a low-sugar daily habit. Founded in 2022 by husband-and-wife team Dan and Sienna McCormick, the brand sells creatine gummies, electrolyte stick packs, and unflavored powder direct-to-consumer and through Target, GNC, The Vitamin Shoppe, Sprouts, and Wegmans. With more than 250 million gummies sold and $25M+ raised across Series A and Series B rounds, Create is trying to take creatine from the 2% of people who use it to the other 98%.
FEVO is a New York-based social commerce and ticketing company that turns the lonely online checkout into a group activity. Its Social Checkout lets fans buy tickets together, split payments, mix inventory, and share events across their networks - generating extra sales through built-in virality. Since 2016 it has helped 750+ blue-chip brands in sports, music, and live entertainment sell more than 15 million tickets to roughly 4 million consumers.
M.M.LaFleur is a New York-based direct-to-consumer womenswear brand that coined the term 'Power Casual' and built its business around solving a single problem: getting ambitious women dressed for work without wasting their time. Founded in 2013 by Sarah LaFleur, designer Miyako Nakamura, and Narie Foster, the company pairs thoughtfully engineered professional clothing with a free personal-styling service called Bento that curates a box of pieces around each customer. After a near-collapse during the pandemic, the company was rescued by a syndicate of women investors and refocused on the wardrobe needs of a hybrid working world.
Nate Okonkwo (also known as Aneto Okonkwo) is the co-founder and CEO of Remarkable AI, the New York software company formerly called Chatdesk. After 7+ years at Google building Voice Search and the Google Assistant, he left to apply machine learning to customer service - an industry that employs millions and, in his view, was ripe for both better software and better jobs. His platform now helps more than 1,000 brands grow revenue through personalized messaging across email, social, and SMS, blending AI with human agents to hit 90%+ customer satisfaction.
Eric Hunter is the Chief Executive Officer and Board Member of World Market (Cost Plus World Market), the specialty retail chain known for globally sourced furniture, home decor, artisanal foods, and international gifts. Based in Alameda, California, Hunter joined World Market in May 2021 as Chief Commercial Officer, was elevated to President in June 2022, and became CEO in July 2023. He brings deep retail marketing expertise from executive roles at Pier 1 Imports, JCPenney, Kellwood Company, and Ascena Retail Group's plus-size division (Lane Bryant, Cacique, Catherines). Under his leadership, World Market has pursued digital transformation, flexible payment solutions, and continued its mission of delivering unique, globally inspired products across nearly 250 stores and online.
Incognia is a location identity and fraud prevention company that uses device intelligence, location behavioral analytics, and AI to help platform businesses — from food delivery to financial services — detect fraud without compromising the user experience. By processing signals from GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth without capturing PII, Incognia identifies legitimate users from fraudsters across multiple devices with 99.999999% accuracy, a 0.0001% false-positive rate, and no friction for genuine users. Deployed on over 200 million smartphones and protecting nearly 1 billion devices, Incognia has become the go-to fraud layer for platforms like Grubhub, Delivery Hero, and Upwork.
Daniel Villegas is Co-Founder and COO of Domestika, the world's fastest-growing online learning community for creative professionals. Starting from a scrappy Spanish-language forum in 2002, Daniel helped steer Domestika into a $1.3 billion unicorn with over 10 million members worldwide. Based in New York, he brings over two decades of experience across e-commerce, digital marketing, SEO, and startup operations — including earlier ventures as co-founder of Webpop and founder of Infohostal.com — making him one of the key architects of a platform that has trained millions of designers, illustrators, photographers, and creators globally.
Jake Miller is the founder of Fellow, a San Francisco-based premium coffee gear company known for design-forward products like the Stagg EKG electric kettle, Ode Brew Grinder, and Carter Move Mug. He launched Fellow as a Stanford MBA class project in 2013, weathered 73 investor rejections and a failed first product, before building a nine-figure consumer brand sold in 45+ countries and backed by $42M in funding. Miller's mission is to transform everyday coffee routines into meaningful rituals by bridging the gap between specialty roasters and home baristas.
Kevin H. Johnson is the CEO of Focal Systems, an AI-powered retail operations company deploying shelf-scanning cameras across brick-and-mortar stores worldwide. A 30-year veteran of building and scaling tech businesses, he grew Ebates forty-fold before selling it to Rakuten for $1 billion, then led Udemy as a publicly-traded company, and now applies that commercial track record to the frontier problem of putting real-time AI intelligence into every grocery aisle.
Krzysztof Marzec is Co-Founder of Trove, the branded recommerce platform powering more than 75% of the U.S. branded resale market. Originally founded as Yerdle in 2012 and rebranded to Trove in 2016, the company has raised over $153 million in funding and serves clients including Patagonia, Levi's, Lululemon, Canada Goose, and Carhartt. With a background spanning commodity futures trading at Geneva Trading USA and early-career roles at Northern Trust and Morningstar, Marzec brings a rare blend of financial markets discipline and entrepreneurial technology vision to the fast-growing recommerce sector.
Tanner Johnson is the Co-Founder and Former President of Curated, a San Francisco-based expert marketplace that matches shoppers with passionate product specialists for high-consideration purchases like outdoor gear, skiing equipment, golf clubs, and jewelry. A Princeton-educated psychology and neuroscience graduate with roots in outdoor education, Johnson helped build Curated from a 2017 founding concept into a $141.5M-funded platform with over 250 employees - until its $330 million stock acquisition by social commerce company Flip in July 2024.
CPAP.com is the largest internet retailer of CPAP equipment for sleep apnea treatment, founded in 1999 by Johnny Goodman and his father in Stafford, Texas. The family-owned e-commerce company carries over 1,000 products including CPAP machines, BiPAP machines, masks, and accessories from all major brands, helping more than 2.3 million people find effective sleep apnea therapy. With 25+ years of experience, a community of 40,000+ members on CPAPtalk.com, and institutional backing from Cathay Capital and The Silverfern Group, CPAP.com has become the go-to destination for both new and experienced sleep apnea patients navigating their treatment journey.
Wing Assistant is a managed virtual assistant marketplace that pairs businesses with dedicated, vetted remote professionals to handle recurring administrative, sales, marketing, and operational tasks. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Berkeley, California, Wing combines a proprietary AI-enhanced supervision platform with human assistants - covering everything from executive support and social media management to lead generation and customer success. With over 50,000 customers globally and assistants operating across 8 countries, Wing positions itself as a cost-effective alternative to in-house hires, offering dedicated (not shared) assistants starting at $699/month.
Alyssa Bernstein is the co-founder, President, and CEO of wrrk, an Austin-based company that provides fully managed, fractional customer support solutions for fast-growing brands and startups. With a background in product management at RetailMeNot and Main Street Hub, she launched wrrk in 2016 to give entrepreneurs access to experienced, embedded support teams without the overhead of building in-house. Under her leadership, wrrk has grown to serve 125+ brands including Bombas, Taylor Stitch, and Supergoop, offering omnichannel support via US-based and offshore teams in the Philippines.
John Balen is a General Partner at Canaan Partners, one of the oldest venture capital firms in the US, where he has been investing since 1995. With a background in electrical engineering and an MBA from Cornell University, he brings both operational and financial depth to early-stage investing across consumer internet, fintech, enterprise software, medtech, and digital health. His portfolio includes companies that have gone public (Cardlytics, Commerce One, eStamp) and been acquired by major players including Akamai, Dell, Expedia, and Oracle. He resides in Hillsborough, California, and is an active Cornell trustee and mentor.
Matt Lee is the Founder and General Partner of Progression Fund, a pre-seed and seed-stage consumer technology VC firm co-founded with alumni from musical.ly and TikTok. Based in Oakland, California, he backs visionary founders building AI-native products for everyday consumers and prosumers, with a particular thesis around generational behavior shifts - specifically Gen Z and Gen Alpha. His portfolio spans consumer tech, gaming, entertainment, social platforms, live streaming commerce, and digital health, with notable investments including Perplexity AI and Dapper Labs. He brings a global perspective from prior roles at ChinaRock Capital Management, Pereg Ventures, and engineering and consulting stints at Macquarie Group and Capco.
Sonya Brown is a General Partner and Co-Head of Growth Equity at Norwest Venture Partners, a leading venture and growth equity firm managing over $12.5 billion in capital. With more than 20 years of investment experience spanning Bear Stearns, iXL Ventures, and Summit Partners, she joined Norwest in 2011 and has built a reputation as one of the most influential investors in consumer products, e-commerce, retail, and business services. Her portfolio includes Babylist, Madison Reed, Kendra Scott, and PCA Skin. A perennial honoree on M&A's Most Influential Women list, she is equally recognized for her work advancing diversity and inclusion in private equity.
Amy Pritchard is the founder and CEO of ModSquad, a global leader in outsourced digital engagement services. A former commercial litigator, she launched the company in 2007 inside a virtual bar in Second Life with four colleagues - their first gig was guarding Newt Gingrich's avatar. Today ModSquad runs 10,000+ independent contractors across 70 countries, serving clients from the NFL to the U.S. Department of State with customer support, content moderation, trust and safety, and community management - blending agentic AI with high-EQ human expertise.
Fedor Pak is the CEO of Chatfuel, the no-code AI chatbot platform trusted by 7 million businesses for over a billion monthly conversations on WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram. A serial entrepreneur who cut his teeth in Russian oil and gas before founding coin-machine networks, ride-hailing operations in Pakistan, and e-commerce ventures, Pak joined Chatfuel in October 2022 and has since steered the company from a chatbot builder into a full AI sales and engagement engine - Meta's top automation partner and a platform that saves clinic owners 30+ hours of admin per month.
Taoufik Jamali is a Moroccan-born serial entrepreneur and CEO of Journify, an AI-powered composable Customer Data Platform that pushes ad conversion match rates from ~42% to 70-90% through privacy-first, server-side data activation. With two successful startup exits under his belt - Netclub (sold to Match.com in 2007) and Unyk (acquired by Viadeo in 2009) - and stints as VP of Growth at Shopkick and VP of Product/PLG at Smartsheet, Jamali founded Journify in 2023 and grew it to $1M ARR within nine months, raised $4M in 2025, and doubled the company valuation in under six months as he targets the broken attribution problem plaguing e-commerce advertisers globally.
J. Scott Zimmerman is the CEO and co-founder of Xola, a San Francisco-based SaaS platform that powers booking, back-office management, and marketing for tour and activity operators worldwide. A licensed physician who completed a neurology residency at Stanford, Zimmerman chose Stanford precisely for its proximity to Silicon Valley, coding in Python during spare hospital moments - sometimes until 2am - while simultaneously building the company that would become Xola. He founded Xola in fall 2011 after recognizing that real-time technology had transformed flight, hotel, and car rental reservations, but the $135 billion tours-and-activities market remained largely undigitized. Backed by investors including Rakuten Travel, Michael Burry (of 'The Big Short' fame), and Google Analytics co-creators Scott and Brett Crosby, Xola has grown to serve thousands of operators across North America, Western Europe, and beyond.
Dave Strohm is one of Silicon Valley's longest-tenured venture investors, joining Greylock Partners in 1980 and opening the firm's West Coast office in 1983. Over four decades, he has been an early or founding investor in more than 30 companies - more than a dozen of which went public - spanning enterprise software, cybersecurity, infrastructure, and e-commerce. His most storied bets include DoubleClick (sold to Google), SuccessFactors (sold to SAP), Internet Security Systems (sold to IBM), OpenDNS (sold to Cisco), Mentor Graphics (sold to Siemens), and Ascend Communications. He served as Chairman of SuccessFactors for nearly a decade and as Lead Independent Director of EMC Corporation for twelve years. Today he serves as Venture Partner at Greylock and Special Advisor at 83North, with active board positions at Oportun, ASAPP, MATRIXX Software, RichRelevance, and Bounty Jobs.
Ethan Choi is a Partner at Khosla Ventures leading the firm's Growth Fund, where he writes checks between $15M and $70M into cloud infrastructure, SaaS, enterprise, and consumer internet companies from Seed through Series C. Before joining Khosla in 2024, he was a Partner at Accel, where he backed Klaviyo (now NYSE: KVYO), 1Password, and Pismo (acquired by Visa). His investing philosophy pivoted from metrics-first to founder-first — he now spends 90% of his diligence energy on the people rather than the numbers. A former LDS missionary who spent two years in South Korea, Choi is an unusually direct voice on AI's disruption of white-collar work and the coming robotics inflection point.