Capital Summit 2021

Carol Hamilton is the Group President of Acquisitions, L’Oréal USA. During her 34-year career at L’Oréal, Carol has been integral to the development of brands worldwide and building both the L’Oréal Paris and L’Oréal Luxe portfolio businesses in the US. An active beauty dealmaker, Carol has been instrumental in landing such L’Oréal acquisitions as IT Cosmetics, Carol’s Daughter, Urban Decay and many others.

Richard Gersten is a Partner of Tengram Capital Partners, a consumer private equity firm formed to invest in the consumer and retail sectors. Mr. Gersten has over 25 years of experience in the private equity industry and has spent the last 19 years focused exclusively on the consumer and retail sector, with an emphasis in the beauty and personal care industry. He currently sits on the board of directors of Algenist, Cos Bar, This Works and NEST Fragrances and formerly sat on the board of directors for Deva Curl and Laura Geller Beauty.

Janet Gurwitch is an operating partner with Castanea, a Boston-based private equity firm, with focus on the beauty consumer space. 

Gurwitch is the founder and former CEO of Laura Mercier Cosmetics & Skincare, a global brand of high-end niche cosmetics.  Prior to founding Laura Mercier, Janet Gurwitch was the Executive Vice President of Neiman Marcus, where she established the merchandising strategy from 1992-1995.

Today, Gurwitch is an investor in and on the boards of Drybar and Tatcha.  She formerly served on the boards of Dollar Shave Club, Urban Decay Cosmetics and First Aid Beauty.

Brandon L. Ford is the Chief Accelerator Director for the Brand Accelerator Program at The Lubrizol Corporation, a Berkshire Hathaway Company. The accelerator leverages Lubrizol technology, manufacturing, and skin science expertise to provide market ready product and brand development to beauty brands.  Brandon is responsible for the growth and strategy of the program and its strategic investment initiatives.

Anu is the Founding Partner of Female Founders Fund, an early-stage fund investing in technology companies started by women. Female Founders Fund has invested in some of the fastest growing female-led start-ups nationwide including: Eloquii, WayUp, Tala, Zola, Primary, Thrive Global, WinkyLux, Billie and more. In 2018, Anu was included in Fortune’s “40 Under 40” list,  and she has been praised for her impact in diversifying venture capital with additional distinctions including Business Insider’s “Ultimate List of Female Startup Investors,” and “Top 4 Venture Firms Investing in Women”. Anu began her tech career as a co-founder of Exclusively.in, a private sale e-commerce company backed by Accel & Tiger which was acquired by Myntra. She is a Board Observer for ELOQUII, Maven Clinic, and Landit, and a Board Member for WinkyLux and The Rubin Museum of Art. She holds an MBA from London Business School and a BA from Vassar College.

Tina Bou-Saba is the founder of CXT Investments, a seed fund that stands at the intersection of consumer and technology. Tina has invested in over 30 early-stage companies, with a focus on the beauty, health and wellness, lifestyle, and consumer technology categories. Through CXT, she supports exceptional, diverse founders who are attacking high-potential opportunities in large but under-served markets, disrupting legacy brands and business models, and building passionate customer communities.

Alison Ryu is Managing Director at CircleUp Growth Partners, an investment platform that provides resources to early-stage consumer brands. She leads investments with a date-driven, scalable approach, which leverages proprietary technologies to invest in visionary founders.

Oakland native Diishan Imira believes in delivering quality products to consumers and empowering his community. Founded in 2013, Mayvenn has generated over $80 million in revenue and recently closed its series B round with a $23 million investment.

As part of the Consumer & Retail team, she has global coverage responsibility cross Beauty and Luxury. Within Beauty, Nini actively engages with emerging and digitally native brands, as well as established players. She has experience leading and executing transactions across M&A, equity, debt, and private fund raising.