Posts tagged: Podcast

Today on The Mentor Files, we have Sarah Jones Simmer, Chief Operating Officer of Bumble talking with us about her work with the incredibly popular dating app.Sarah is the COO of Bumble, the female-first social networking app bringing kindness and respect back into introductions and promoting equality in relationships, with 65mm+ users around the world. In that role, she oversees core strategy, international growth, marketing initiatives, and business operations, and facilitates the expansion of Bumble’s rapidly growing team, headquartered in Austin, TX, with offices around the world.Sarah has spent her...

Today on The Mentor Files, we have vegan food innovator Miyoko Schinner of Miyoko's Kitchen. From their humble beginnings with 4 employees in Miyoko’s home kitchen, to a 30,000 sq ft. state-of-the-art facility in Sonoma, Miyoko's Kitchen is leading the way in transforming the future of creamery. In just a few short years, their products can be found in 1,000’s of stores across the country and their ‘cheese’ wheels are on the road to global distribution. Miyoko is changing perceptions of vegan food, to inspire people from all walks of...

In 2016, Jens Grede and Erik Torstensson launched FRAME, a premium denim company with the intent of creating a brand on the back of a single pair of jeans. Through their strategy and superior product, the Los Angeles based brand is now expected to top $400 million in sales this year. Prior to FRAME, Jens and Erik ran a creative agency called Saturday where the duo created and were the masterminds behind notable projects such as Mr. Porter, Justin Bieber x Calvin Klein and Beyonce x H&M. FRAME now operates...

Today on The Mentor Files, we have the founder of Bombas, David Heath. David and his co-founders set out to rethink a product that was an afterthought in the marketplace. Two years of research & development led to seven material improvements to the design, performance and comfort of the everyday sock. And they continue to innovate with each successive production run.But there's more to this story. When David first learned that socks were the most requested clothing item in homeless shelters, he knew he had to do something to help....

In the four years since Birdies launched, they have become a staple in Meghan Markle’s wardrobe, have had waitlists 30 thousand people long and have raised around $10 million in funding. Today, Birdies is disrupting the footwear industry, merging the style customers want with the comfort that they need. Birdies Co-Founder and CEO, Bianca Gates is a first generation American and grew up in San Francisco. She first started her career as an account executive at Univision. In 2011, she happen to catch a commencement speech from Sheryl Sandberg which...

In 2013, at just 25 years-old, Sarah Flint launched her eponymous brand, Sarah Flint. The company was born out of Sarah's frustration that women had to choose between feeling good in their shoes and looking great in them. When she first launched the brand, her landmark luxury shoes could be found in boutiques and high end department stores around the world. However, as she grew, she saw an opportunity in the direct-to-consumer space and made the decision to adjust her distribution strategy. Fast forward to today, the brand has developed...

In 2012, Vicki Fulop and her husband Rich were vacationing in Las Vegas when they slept on bed sheets so comfortable that they asked the hotel where they could purchase them to bring home. When they discovered the sheets cost $800 they were appalled and dove deep into researching the bedding industry to see if they could find a way to make such a luxury product more affordable. They built Brooklinen with a direct to consumer business model and in 2014 launched a kickstarter a kickstarter campaign. Their goal was...

Katie Warner Johnson went from Ballerina to Broadway dancer, Wall Street analyst and fitness instructor before ultimately starting what is now Carbon 38. The company which started out as a content driven site showcasing the contents of influencer's gym bags is now a premier e-commerce destination for performance fashion. Through a curated selection and exclusive collaborations, they're blurring the boundaries between functional activewear and progressive street style. Katie's unique story brings a new light to the entrepreneurial journey—listen in to learn why she believes female CEOs are over mentored and...

Nicole Quinn is an investor at Lightspeed Venture Partners, focused on early stage Consumer internet and FinTech companies, having invested in companies such as Calm, Cameo, HAUS, Rothy’s, Zola, Daily Harvest, Illumix, Brandable, Girlboss and Goop. Nicole spent nearly a decade at Morgan Stanley covering the European and US e-commerce, retail and consumer companies, and also angel invested in healthcare and consumer companies over those years. Nicole then went to Nutmeg, a London based FinTech company before launching her own startup, which is where she met Lightspeed. At her core,...

Meet Afton Vechery, cofounder of Modern Fertility, a women's health company focused on making fertility information more easily accessible. When Afton considered starting her own family, she felt that she was totally alone in the process without support and information to help guide her decisions. After some research and seeing that there was a severe shortage of fertility clinics across the United States, Afton committed herself to getting women the information they deserve. Modern Fertility, started in late 2016, has since been named Fast Company's #1 most innovative health care...