Business Rockstars

With fifteen years of combined industry experience in capital markets and fresh food production and distribution, Michael R. Lippold is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of FreshRealm. An innovator in easy-to-cook meal kits, FreshRealm is the largest marketplace that delivers fresh food and Do-It-Yourself meal kits. With the immense popularity of online recipe sourcing, FreshRealm takes this one step further by offering “shoppable” meal kit recipes designed by food influencers known as Tastemakers. All recipes feature pre-cut, perfectly portioned ingredients delivered directly to consumers’ doorsteps. Prior to founding FreshRealm in January 2013, Lippold was instrumental to the strategy and growth development of Calavo Growers, a preeminent name in the global avocado industry and leader of made-to-order, “just-in-time delivery” of fresh food in the U.S. For over seven years, Lippold served as Director of Strategic Development for Calavo Growers.

Nexient CEO Mark Orttung has over 25 years of experience in consulting, systems integration and SaaS product development. Mark leads Nexient in creating a new platform that enables our clients to bring innovative solutions to their customers quickly. In addition to leadership roles at GetThere and Genesys—both of which were acquired for a combined $2.25 billion—Orttung has held key executive positions at Accenture (formerly Andersen Consulting), Deem (formerly Rearden Commerce), and Bill.com, where in his last two years as president and COO he led the company in revenue growth of 350 percent. Among his many accomplishments, Orttung is credited with founding a start-up SaaS company incubated at Accenture, joining the first class of corporate fellows at the Institute for the Learning Sciences and successfully launching Accenture’s Palo Alto Center for Strategic Technology. He also invented or co-invented 25 product innovations for which he holds patents. Mark completed his undergraduate degree in mathematical a

- Molly Hayward has a deep knowledge of menstrual management in both its cultural and commercial contexts- She was the first entrepreneur in the menstrual health space to introduce a modern, healthy, pro-social brand to mainstream consumers- Previously, Molly co- founded ethical fashion label Rebecca Street, in the UK- Molly (together with Cora) is about to get her big break as a reality TV star- She will be a featured entrepreneur on a forthcoming TV show airing on a major national network early this year- Cora is her 3rd startup, 2nd as founder.- Several years ago I was travelling with an organization in Kenya when a girl named Purity told me she and other girls would stay home from school during their periods because they couldn’t afford sanitary pads. - Every year, 100 million girls miss school during their periods due to a lack of access to adequate menstrual products. - Later, when I learned that many feminine products used in the U.S. contain substances that are potentially harmful to our health, I kne

As co-inventor, co-founder and CEO of VolJet, Susan Sloan is a motivational executive who leads the company’s strategic vision, guidance, goals and values. She is responsible for VolJet’s customer and employee satisfaction, business execution and results, technology roadmap and overall system performance. Sloan is a passionate engineer, leader and change agent, with an established track record of creating organizations and high-performing teams that deliver increased profitability and both employee and customer satisfaction. In 2016, she retired from a leading aerospace corporation’s Navigation arena, where she held executive positions as director of Strategy, Business and Program Development for the Advanced Systems and vice president of Space for the former Navigation Division. As CEO, she dedicates her time, talent and energy entirely to VolJet.

Kristoffer Nelson has over fifteen years of experience helping businesses and individuals succeed. Kristoffer integrates the skills and experience of a manager, coach, change agent and facilitator drawing insights from psychology, organizational dynamics and other developmental sciences successfully and consistently delivering exceptional and profitable change. As the COO of Social Reality, Kris oversees product, customer support & account management, network management and growth, strategic partnerships and organization development. Kristoffer joined Social Reality, an advertising technology company with a mission to automate digital advertising through advertising and marketing tech and agency services, in 2011. In 2007, Kristoffer launched Krama Consulting & Development, a consulting firm dedicated to developing culture and leadership as a means to directly increasing revenue. Kristoffer has been exceptionally successful in developing business to business and business to consumer sales teams, often

I started my career as a psychotherapist helping others to manifest their truest selves. It took a cherished chiropractor for me to realize mine. When I was 43, my chiropractor figured out that I had celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that had left me debilitated most of my life. Celiac disease causes an inflammatory response when ingesting gluten, a protein found in wheat (and all its cousins), barley, rye and most oats. Her wisdom and experience changed my life.

Adam Wescott, Partner/Co-Founder, is an accomplished executive with more than ten years in the entertainment and digital industries. Most recently, Adam served as principal consultant and executive producer to Refinery29 and Nylon TV, among others. Previously, Adam developed and executive produced the Google-funded Original Channel ‘u look haute’ featuring YouTube sensations Elle and Blair Fowler. As Vice President of Owned and Operated Properties for EQAL (acquired by EverydayHealth), Adam developed and ran more than 20 celebrity editorial websites in partnership with Bethenny Frankel, Nick Cannon, Lauren Conrad and more. He spent four and a half years managing E! Entertainment and Style Network’s creation and distribution of online video. Early in his career, Adam developed and launched social networks for Jessica Biel and Olympic skier Bode Miller. Adam regularly moderates and speaks at industry events and is an active member of Television Academy’s Interactive Media Peer Group and the International Academ

Dr. Michio Kaku — theoretical physicist, bestselling author, acclaimed public speaker, renowned futurist, and popularizer of science. As co-founder of String Field Theory, Dr. Kaku carries on Einstein’s quest to unite the four fundamental forces of nature into a single grand unified theory of everything.

- Career diplomat with the Finnish Foreign Service- Working at the Department for Americas and Asia at the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Helsinki -Counsellor responsible for issues related to trade and economy with the United States- From 2010 to 2014, Mr. Lindström was the DCM at the Finnish Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal- Was responsible for issues related to trade and economy and the European economic crisis- From 2007 to 2010 he was Counsellor and DCM at the Finnish Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia- Was head of the trade and development sectors- Between 2005 - 2007 he was the adviser to the undersecretary of state for legal and administrative affairs at the MFA in Helsinki, Finland- Between 2001 – 2005 he was Deputy Consul General at the Consulate General of Finland in Los Angeles

Amanda is the Chief Brand and Communications Officer at Deluxe, and created the 'Small Business Revolution,' an acclaimed documentary series celebrating small businesses across the country. She experienced success early in her career at advertising agencies such as Cohn & Wolfe London, Campbell Mithun and Fallon, working on top brands such as BMW, Reebok, Sony and Virgin Mobile. In the corporate world, Amanda has held executive marketing roles at Allianz, General Mills, and UnitedHealth Group and is known for her ability to build "creativity from the inside out." Actively involved in the community, Amanda serves as the Board Chair for Children's Cancer Research Fund and on the Make-A-Wish Board. Amongst her awards and recognition, Amanda has been named a "Woman to Watch" and received the "Forty Under 40" award in 2009 from the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.

Julia Cordray is pioneering her 3rd innovative company; Peeple App, that has received global and viral attention from media, investors, and the public. Her mission is to re-invent and innovate the recruitment industry as a whole. She began her recruitment career by building, Career Fox; aimed at finding dream jobs for employees. Career Fox developed a proprietary recruitment process that leads to a 96% successful placement rate. Now Julia and her companies have innovated again and made Peeple, an app; which is the next generation of online reputation management and connects people through their professional, personal, and dating relationships.

My name is Jolina, and I'm an entrepreneur. Growing up, I've learned that with combination of perseverance and hard work, great things can happen. Entrepreneurship is my passion, I enjoy taking an idea and bringing it to life because nothing is more satisfying seeing your idea end up in the mass market hands. I grew up in the restaurant industry and after hearing countless restauranteurs complain about the difficulties of connecting with their customers. I knew there had to be a better way to help restaurants promote and engage with their customers. My company is BuzzyBooth, a social media photo station that helps businesses and brands engage with their customers more effectively. The increased online presence and promotional caption will help businesses increase sales and decrease marketing costs. I would love to have everyone turn to BuzzyBooth for any photo marketing needs.

I am a tea industry specialist with 6 years of experience in the international tea industry.The depth of my knowledge of the tea industry began with my life in Yunnan province, China. In China I worked with a number of renowned Tea Masters, became fluent in Mandarin Chinese, and gained complete knowledge of all aspects surrounding tea in China including; retail and wholesale markets, quality control, sourcing, growing, preparing, and drinking etiquette. After returning to the states, I opened my own tea company, McIntosh Tea. McIntosh Tea experienced great success through traveling all over China and selling fine tea to high-end, international clientele. My understanding of retail and wholesale tea sales also extends to the U.S. market. Returning to the Seattle area from Yunnan, I began working with other Tea Masters in the US, oversaw the opening of retail stores, and in addition I lent my skills to project management, hiring, training, eCommerce, PR, consulting, customer services, and brand standardization.

SYDNEY FINKELSTEIN is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, as well as Tuck’s Director of the Center for Leadership. He is a consultant and speaker to senior executives around the globe, as well as an executive coach, focusing on talent development, corporate governance, learning from mistakes, and strategies for growth. He has published eight previous books, including the Wall Street Journal bestseller Why Smart Executives Fail. He is listed in the "Thinkers 50", the world's most prestigious ranking of leadership gurus. He has been featured in the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Harvard Business Review, Business Week, the London Times, Toronto Globe and Mail, the London Times, Inc, and Fast Company and is a regular columnist for the BBC. He is well known for his keynote speeches and media appearances on CNBC, Bloomberg, Yahoo Finance, and Marketplace.

Matthew Ramirez is the CEO of WriteLab, a venture-backed company that uses artificial intelligence to teach students how to write. The idea came to the former Ph.D. candidate at University of California, Berkeley's prestigious English program when he was teaching writing to oversized freshman classes. Born in McAllen, Tex., on the Mexican border, Ramirez grew up with mostly poor, non-native English speakers and attended the local community college for one year before graduating from the University of Texas at Austin. WriteLab now has $2.5 million in funding and has already been deployed in 53 schools, ranging from low-income high schools to Ivy League colleges.

2x Emmy Award-Winning Producer, Host and Writer of over 50 cable television episodes, Christina Cindrich has been entertaining global audiences with new and engaging content for over 10 years. She has traveled to over 40 countries around the globe featuring the world’s most exclusive brands, giving her viewers an inside look into destinations that many have only dreamed of. Having a strong social media presence, Christina has become an influencer with sizeable reach to bring inspiring messages and campaigns to international audiences.

Gustus Vitae Condiments mission is to share the magic of cooking. Our name means ‘Taste of Life’ in Latin: we’re for getting the spices off the rack and onto your plate. For trying new things. For making food taste spectacular.We make the best spices and gourmet salts on the market. Our sourcing team seeks out both local and international ingredients, and only accepts the highest quality. Every spice, salt, and condiment that we sell has been personally inspected for quality, before being handpacked into our unique tins in our Los Angeles facility. Unlike most spices and salts available today, our products are never irradiated, not treated with EtO (Ethylene Oxide) gas, and at no point are stored or coated with PLA (Polyactic Acid). We believe in quality above all else.

Abbie grew up in a creative family that used to make her sing for her dessert. At a very young age, she became fascinated with how companies reached out to consumers. At thirteen she wrote an advertiser in Seventeen Magazine to let them know their ad needed to be tweaked. She grew up, moved to New York, and got a job in PR and Brand Strategy helping companies find a stronger voice. She got to work with the smart people behind brands like Ben & Jerry’s, Champagne Krug, and she became the Vice President of Public Relations Worldwide for Kiehl’s. But all these cool jobs seemed a lot less cool after she had a daughter. Like many mamas who work outside the home, Abbie found it to be hugely challenging to manage the balance of a new baby with the inflexible expectations of corporate culture (6:30pm meetings = don’t see child). So one brave day after her daughter turned one, she left it all, took husband and said baby back to Los Angeles for a better life, closer to nana and papa, and walking distance to the bea

Everyday in America, an estimated 40% of the food we produce is discarded; 50% of that waste is nutritious fruits and vegetables. In 2015, L.A. Kitchen moved into its new 20,000 sq. ft kitchen facility where we work directly with farmers and wholesale companies to collect fruits and vegetables that are cosmetically unsalable. All donations and purchases will be gathered at L.A. Kitchen’s food processing hub, where staff and volunteers will use it to make healthy meals, snacks, and food products for social services agencies across Los Angeles, or process and freeze it for distribution at a later date. During the first year of operating in this new facility, L.A. Kitchen expects to reclaim 1,000,000 pounds of produce.Robert Egger is the pioneering social entrepreneur who founded the D.C. Central Kitchen, The Campus Kitchen Project and now, the L.A. Kitchen. He has helped over 100 cities open similar kitchens, and the businesses he founded have made payroll, without fail, for 30 years.

Bombsheller is all about harnessing your potential. Our leggings are the shell that contains the explosive force that is you, whether you be man, woman, or robot. It's your mission to choose the Shells that best reflect (or disguise) the body they contain. We believe in taking action, whether it’s with your head, your hands, or your heart. We believe in experimenting until we find a better way. That’s why we’ve departed from the Old Way of manufacturing to build the factory of the future and put the power of design creation in the hands of the artist. We have yet to discover the limits of human potential. There is more for us to accomplish, collectively and individually. You direct the energy of your life on the adventure of your choosing, making the discoveries and solving the problems that matter to you. Whether you’re changing yourself or changing the world, we’re helping you dress the part.