2025 Featured Speakers
Creating the Next Cultural Movement
Some brands don’t just sell products—they shift culture. In this conversation, we’ll look at how mission-driven founders are shaping consumer values across food, beverage, and beauty. We’ll dive into what it takes to lead (and scale) the next cultural wave.
David Lester
Co-Founder, OLIPOP
After a ten year career at global drinks giant Diageo spanning placements in London, Sydney and São Paulo David took the leap into entrepreneurialism. David co-founded OLIPOP in 2018 and the company has since grown to over $500M in sales and recently completed a Series C led by JP Morgan, which valued the business at ~$2bn.
Scott Norton
Founder & Investor
Co-Founder, Sir Kensington's
Scott Norton is an entrepreneur turned investor obsessed with consumer businesses. He serves as an operating partner at Anthos Capital, manages N+1 Ventures, and helped establish a $300M consumer growth fund affiliated with Fidelity Investments. Scott is the host of “At Large with Scott Norton,” a show about world-class creatives build companies.
Previously, Scott served as CEO, CMO, and co-founder of Sir Kensington's, best known for making condiments with character. At Sir Kensington’s, he helped raise over $20M from investors and guided it to a successful exit to Unilever in 2017. After the business tripled in sales post-acquisition he transitioned to an advisory role for the company at the end of 2020.
Scott has been named one of Fast Company's “Most Creative People in Business” and listed on Forbes' “30 Under 30.” He serves as a member of the Brown University's Advisory Council on Entrepreneurship.
Power of Artisan Operators:
Where Creativity Meets Execution
Behind iconic brands are visionary operators who blend creative intuition with operational excellence. Join this conversation on how to build a culture of innovation while scaling businesses that endure.
Eric Ryan
Serial Entrepreneur, Gobstopper Brands
Co-Founder, Method, Olly, Welly
Eric joined Greycroft in 2025 and is based in Marin. He brings two decades of experience building and scaling emotionally resonant consumer brands. As the founder of Method, OLLY, Welly, and Tandy, Eric has a track record of turning everyday categories into design-led, culture-forward movements. A former ad executive, he is known for blending creativity with commercial rigor—creating products people don’t just buy, but fall in love with. At Greycroft, Eric focuses on early-stage consumer investments, helping founders build with purpose, aesthetic, and long-term value in mind. Eric's innovative and socially responsible approach to business has earned him numerous awards and honors, including the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Award, Vanity Fair’s Eco-Leader, Time Magazine’s Eco-Revolutionary, PETA’s Person of the Year, and the Clinton Global Citizen Award. In 2018, he received the NBJ Management Achievement Award for taking OLLY from launch to acquisition by Unilever in just a few years. He was also named to Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list.
Anthony Sperduti
Founder, Mythology
Anthony Sperduti is the Executive Creative Director, Partner and Founder of Mythology, an evolution of leading creative agency Partners & Spade, which he co-founded in 2008. For over 16 years, Anthony and his team have developed and shaped some of the world’s most innovative brands, building categories and reframing cultural narratives along the way. Current and past clients include Warby Parker, Harry’s, Hims, Mirror, Shinola, The Coca-Cola Company, Beyond Meat, A24 and Allbirds, among others. Prior to Mythology and co-founding Partners & Spade, Anthony spent over 10 years working as a creative director at various global advertising agencies including Wieden + Kennedy, TBWA\Chiat\Day, and Modernista. Originally from Buffalo, New York, Anthony studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) before moving into advertising. He has been featured in Inc., Fast Company, The Economist and The New York Times and lives in New York City with his family.
The Future Consumer:
AI & Personalization
AI, personalization, and digitally native shopping are rewriting the rules of consumer behavior. This roundtable dives into the emerging tech redefining discovery and the shopping experience, shifting consumer expectations, and what brands must do today to remain relevant tomorrow.
Julie Bornstein
Co-Founder & CEO, Daydream
Julie Bornstein is an e-commerce veteran, with over 25 years of leadership and operating experience in digital commerce. Julie is the Founder and CEO of Daydream, a new AI powered fashion search engine. Prior to Daydream, she founded THE YES, a venture-backed fashion recommendation app in 2018 which was acquired by Pinterest in 2022. Previously, Julie served as the Chief Operating Officer and Board Member of Stitch Fix, Inc., a personal style service and online retailer from 2012-2017 where she helped scale the company to over $1 billion in revenue. Prior to that, Julie was Chief Marketing and Digital Officer of Sephora U.S. from 2007- 2015, creating an industry leading loyalty program, Beauty Insider, and building the gold standard in mobile and social shopping. Julie helped launch Nordstrom.com in 2000, running e-commerce for 5 years. Julie serves on the board of directors of WW & Sweetgreen. Julie is an investor and advisor to multiple start-ups including Honeybee Health (Women's Pharmacy), Exponent Beauty (Skincare), Clockwork (Robotics), Amulet (Allergy testing) & Archive (Resale platform). Julie holds a B.A. and M.B.A. from Harvard University.
Kevin Kingman
Partner & Global Director of Consumer Insights, L Catterton
Kevin is a Partner and the Global Director of Consumer Insights at L Catterton, the world’s largest consumer-focused private equity investor. As the Global Director of Consumer Insights, Kevin leads the firm’s initiatives to understand and predict consumer behavior, preferences, and habits across the globe. Kevin has spent his career evaluating consumer behavior in the context of private markets. Prior to joining L Catterton, he led strategy for Melissa & Doug and was a Senior Principal at the Parthenon Group (now EY-Parthenon).
Kevin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Williams College and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
Building Enduring Brands:
Data, Wellness, and the Modern Consumer
What does it take to create a brand that lasts in a world obsessed with novelty? This roundtable will explore how brands are using data, science, and consumer behavior trends—from GLP-1 to biohacking—to drive relevance, resonance, and results.
Emily Heyward
Co-Founder, Red Antler
Emily Heyward is a visionary leader in brand building, co-founding Red Antler in 2007 and serving as its Chief Brand Officer. Under her guidance, Red Antler has become a trailblazer in the industry, shaping the practice of branding as it’s known today and launching some of the most iconic companies of the 21st century. Her work establishing brands like Hinge, Allbirds, Casper, PopUp Bagels, Figure, and Clear has earned her recognition as one of Inc.'s Most Important Entrepreneurs of the Past Decade and Entrepreneur's Most Powerful Women in Business.
Emily’s expertise extends beyond branding startups, with Red Antler collaborating with partners like the NBA, Sonos, and Zillow to drive obsession for businesses of every size. She is also a founding partner at Habitat Partners, an early stage venture fund. Her insights are sought after by top business publications, including Forbes, Bloomberg, Inc., and Fast Company, and she is the author of "OBSESSED: Building a Brand People Love From Day One," a Porchlight Business Book award winner.
Beyond her professional achievements, Emily enjoys traveling with her wife and son, exploring Brooklyn’s culinary scene, and contributing to social impact programs as a board member of Raised By Us and a mentor for Endeavor.
Debbie Perelman
Founder & Managing Partner, InviNext
Debbie Perelman is the founder and managing partner of InviNext, a fund focused on emerging growth CPG businesses. InviNext invests in the next generation of visionary founders disrupting consumer behavior. The fund will provide capital along with guidance and ongoing support for founders, CEOs, shareholders and teams as they create and grow sustainable businesses. With over 25 years of experience in the consumer sector, Debbie has led companies through significant transformations— expanding into new markets, driving digital innovation, optimizing product lines for long-term success and more.
A sought-after advisor to both public and private businesses, Debbie serves as Executive Chair of Stripes Beauty. She also plays a key role in other corporations, serving on the boards of AMC Networks (AMCX), Sally Beauty (SBH), Bed Bath and Beyond (BBBY) Sphere (SPHR) and Mastercard’s CPG Innovate Steering Committee. Additionally, Debbie supports emerging brands as an angel investor and advisor.
Prior roles include Debbie’s work as the CEO of Revlon, where she created a new corporate strategy that prioritized profitable growth, innovation and digital transformation across the organization. Prior to that, she was a senior executive at MacAndrews & Forbes, managing a diversified portfolio of public and private companies.
Debbie co-founded the Child Mind Institute, a non profit committed to improving mental health outcomes for children and families. She holds an A.B. from Princeton University and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.
Debbie lives in New York City with her husband, four children and three dogs.
Inside the Mindset of Strategics
Explore how strategic investors and capital partners are reshaping the future of the branded consumer landscape. From private equity to strategic buyers, this session will unpack recent deal activity, trends in M&A, and what founders need to know to attract the right capital at the right time.
Janica Lane
Managing Director, Piper Sandler & Co
Janica Lane is a managing director at Piper Sandler focused on providing investment banking and M&A advisory services to consumer companies in healthy, active and sustainable living industries, with a focus on food and beverage, as well as nutritional supplements.
Prior to joining Piper Sandler, Lane was a partner at Partnership Capital Growth, a boutique investment bank providing M&A and private placement services to health and wellness-oriented businesses. Prior to investment banking, Lane was a researcher at Stanford University’s Center for Environmental Science and Policy (CESP) and an equity research associate on Prudential Securities’ energy team.
Lane has a Master of Business Administration degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She received dual bachelor's degrees (international relations and Spanish) with Phi Beta Kappa honors from Stanford University. She spent six months living in Santiago, Chile, as part of her undergraduate education and is fluent in Spanish.
Doug Behrens
CEO, Catalina Snacks
Doug Behrens serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Catalina Snacks and is responsible for growing its Better for You Snacking portfolio, collaborating on M&A initiatives, driving innovation and building a strong, talented organization.
Behrens joined Catalina Snacks in January 2024. Prior to that he was at KIND Snacks where he served as President and CCO and was a critical leadership team member responsible for scaling and selling the company to Mars. Prior to that he was President and CCO of Danone North America (formerly WhiteWave Foods). He has over 35 years of Sales, Marketing and Operations experience and is well known for building high performing leadership teams. He was a critical member of the leadership team that saw WhiteWave grow from $1B in 2010 to $5B+ in 2017 and then being acquired by Danone. During that time, WhiteWave went public in 2013 and acquired and integrated 7 companies.
Prior to that he came from Johnson & Johnson where he spent 11 years, acting as General Manager of Customer Business Development for the company’s global Walmart team. In that role, he was responsible for leading a multi-billion-dollar sales portfolio and supervising a 100 person cross-functional customer business development team.
Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Behrens spent 10 years in a variety of sales positions with increasing
responsibilities at Procter & Gamble. Behrens obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tenn.
Navigating a Volatile Landscape:
Tariffs, Trade, and Capital Alternatives
From tariffs and supply chain shifts to new funding routes, consumer brands are navigating unprecedented complexity. This discussion will explore strategic responses to macroeconomic pressures—and how to build resilience into your business model.
Clayton Christopher
Founder & Managing Partner, Asto Consumer Partners
Clayton is a passionate entrepreneur and investor dedicated to helping better for you consumer product companies and their leaders reach their full potential. In 1998, he founded Sweet Leaf Tea with $14K and a family recipe, transforming it into a nationally recognized brand that Nestlé acquired in 2011. Next Clayton launched Deep Eddy Vodka, which became one of the fastest-growing spirits brand in the U.S. growing to $100mm+ in revenue before being acquired by Heaven Hill Spirits in 2015. In 2017 Clayton co-founded Waterloo Sparkling Water which quickly became the #1 sparkling water in Whole Foods and was acquired 3yrs later by PE firm Eiurazio.
Clayton co-founded CAVU Consumer Partners in 2016, raising over $450 million across two funds and investing in 23 better-for-you brands. In 2019, he stepped back from CAVU to spend more time with his family and pursue later-stage CPG investments. He is currently the founder and Managing Partner of Astō Consumer Partners, a growth equity fund focusing on high growth, profitable, consumer brands.
He was awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Central Texas in 2006 and 2020.
An outdoor enthusiast, Clayton enjoys cycling, hiking, snow skiing, and sailing. He and his wife Carly split their time between Jackson Hole, WY, and Austin, TX, with their two children, James and Charlotte.
Michael McGowan, CFA®
Managing Director of Investment Strategy, Pathstone
Michael is a co-portfolio manager on several equity, hedge fund, and fixed income strategies where he focuses on sourcing, diligence, and monitoring of active and passive strategies globally.
Michael joins Pathstone from Crestone Capital, where he was managing director of investment research and strategy. Prior to Crestone, Michael was vice president within BlackRock’s Investments and Portfolio Solutions group in New York City. With a focus on alternative investments, he was responsible for developing the alternative investments platform across product management, investment strategy, and portfolio construction. Prior to BlackRock, he was a trader at James Capital Alliance (dba James Investment Research), working directly with senior portfolio managers on equity and fixed income trading, research, asset allocation, and portfolio management.
Michael received his Master of Business Administration, with a concentration in Finance, from the University of Dayton. He received his Bachelor of Science in Finance from Wright State University, where he graduated summa cum laude and was the recipient of the Wall Street Journal Student Achievement Award. He is a CFA® charterholder and a member of both CFA® Institute and CFA® Society Colorado.
Elements of Success:
Managing Investors, Board Members, Deal Negotiations, and Company Culture at Scale
Join fellow consumer executives and Pathstone’s in-house transaction planning resource for a candid discussion on leveraging advisors and investors, navigating deal negotiations, and protecting culture while scaling. We’ll also explore practical strategies for tax planning (e.g. QSBS) and optimizing corporate structure/equity across growth stages. Leave with insights and actionable takeaways to maximize financial outcomes with cultural integrity.
Hass Hassan
Board Member, Gaia Herbs, Green Spoon, Luke’s Local, Maple Hill Creamery, Pact Organic & Former Board Member, Whole Foods Market
Bio coming soon.
Kari Pedriana
Co-Founder & CEO, Green Spoon Sales
Kari Pedriana is a dynamic entrepreneur and CEO with a strong background in the food and beverage industry. As the co-founder of Green Spoon Sales, she has successfully led her company to become a prominent natural food and beverage sales agency. Kari is passionate about supporting woman-led and mission-driven businesses, reflecting her commitment to conscious leadership and sustainability. With expertise in brand management, business development, and strategic planning, she has positioned Green Spoon as a key player in the market. Her leadership has earned the company notable accolades, including recognition as a Top Workplace in the USA. Kari's interests extend beyond business; she is also an environmentalist and a dedicated mother, embodying a people-first approach in all her endeavors. Through her work, she aims to inspire others in the industry to prioritize quality and ethical practices. Kari's innovative mindset continues to drive her success in a competitive landscape.
Charles Olson, CPA, PFS
Director of Tax, Pathstone
Charlie Olson is a Director and shareholder at Pathstone. Charlie has over a decade of experience in tax planning, providing guidance on the complex tax planning issues that arise for ultra-high-net-worth individuals and their families.
Charlie joins Pathstone from Crestone Capital, where he was responsible for tax-related awareness and expertise in all aspects of the client experience and portfolio. In this role, he also managed client CPA relationships, focusing on both short-term and long-term client outcomes. Prior to Crestone, Charlie worked at Gary A. Jacobs & Associates, P.C. CPA where he was responsible for tax compliance, assurance, consulting, and advisory for individuals, businesses, non-profits, and trusts.
Charlie received his Bachelor of Science in business accounting and psychology from Colorado State University. He is a certified public accountant (CPA) and personal financial specialist (PFS).
