Rising Star Chapter

Funlayo Alabi co-founded Shea Radiance, a natural beauty brand dedicated to transforming hair, skin, thinking … and lives into something more beautiful than what it was before. She believes in the power of economic access and what can happen when women reach out to lift other women, regardless of their differences.

Lisa Curtis is the Founder & CEO of Kuli Kuli. Kuli Kuli is America’s leading moringa company with the highest quality moringa on the market. Moringa is more nutritious than kale and provides a complete plant protein. Over 60% of Americans say incorporating more vegetables into their diet is their #1 priority but only 4% of Americans are getting our recommended serving of veggies per day. Kuli Kuli’s delicious Moringa Superfood Bars, Pure Moringa Powder and Moringa Green Energy Shots make it easy for Americans to get their greens on the go while planting moringa trees and supporting women farmers worldwide.

An avid permaculture practitioner, surfer, global traveler, and eco-social entrepreneur, Tucker co-founded Imlak’esh Organics in 2012. Imlak’esh Organics is a sustainable, intentional company that specializes in the import and distribution of superfoods ethically sourced from small-scale organic farmers around the world. In his previous roles, Tucker has run a small engine repair business, managed a 40 acre organic avocado, and was an elementary school teacher.

Before co-founding Ziba Foods, Patrick had ten years of experience in International Distribution with Cummins Inc., a US-based Fortune 150 Multinational, focused on business development, sales and aftermarket support of Cummins products across the Middle East and Africa. In addition, Patrick has led distribution company valuations, negotiations and integrations of joint venture alliances and corporate acquisitions in Angola, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Colombia. Patrick holds a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame, an MBA in International Business and an M.A. in International Economic Affairs, with Honors, from the George Washington University. He is also a former United States Peace Corps Volunteer in Niger.

Kyle is the co-founder and CEO of Wildway, a breakfast and snack food brand whose mission is to connect climate health to human health through regenerative organic supply chains, direct farmer relationships, and a focus on circularity and nature-positive outcomes for people and the planet.

Alex is co-founder and CEO of Thrive Natural Care. Thrive sells skincare that regenerates your skin, our planet, and farmer communities. Since 2013, Thrive’s teamof American and Costa Rican entrepreneurs, farmers and scientists have produced award-winning skin/suncare products, powered by new-to-market superplant botanicals. Thrive’s pioneering regenerative business model boosts the potency and purity of its skincare, while restoring degraded ecosystems and communities. Thrive’s growth and success over the past several years has achieved Top 1% Seller Status on Amazon.com, attracted national media such as NYT Wirecutter, Allure, InStyle, USA Today, Forbes and others; and investors from Burt’s Bees, Nestlé, Conservational International, Unilever, and the NBA.

Prior to Thrive, Alex was the founding Director of Sustainability & Corporate Citizenship at Nestlé Waters North America, the $4B division of the world's largest consumer water
company. Prior to Nestlé, Alex was Director of Philanthropy at The Nature Conservancy, where he helped raise a record $75MM in private capital for two of the largest conservation projects in the organization’s history, and increased annual giving revenue 1,250% over four years. Alex’s other environmental contributions include co-development of an ecotourism business/funding model for Gabon’s president and WCS, creation of a five-year business plan for Big Bend National Park, and publication of a field guide to birds.

Alex earned his B.A. with academic honors at Duke University, and a master’s degree in environmental management from Yale University. He lives with his husband and adventure-loving dog in San Francisco, CA.

Jordan keeps Kuli Kuli running smoothly, leading its tech, finance, and legal teams. A software engineer by training, Jordan founded Kuli Kuli with Lisa to foster the positive feedback loop offered by the moringa tree, one of the most nutritious plants on the planet. Jordan has always been interested in how communities and technology interact to solve the world’s problems.

In 2010 Michelle began learning to surf and craved a bowl of organic, crunchy, healthy, and gluten free granola after a long surf session. Feeling discouraged by the Gluten Free options in the stores she set out to make my own. What started as a way to sustain her surfing habit turned into feeding friends and family and eventually the whole neighborhood. Michelle knew Nana Joes Granola had the potential for more seeing the lack of healthy options and whole food ingredients on grocery store shelves. From inception her goal has been to provide livable wage jobs in San Francisco and to create epic granola that not only sustains you through long runs or surf sessions but positively impacts the community around us. Michelle still believes in Community Before Profit and is an active member in her community.

Heather K. Terry is the Founder & CEO of  GoodSAM  PBC, a certified B-Corp. Her career history includes her role as co-founder of NibMor Chocolate, and leading the expansion of popular clean beauty and wellness brands including S.W. Basics, Pulp Pantry, GoodSAM Foods, Organic Bath Company, and more. Under her leadership, GoodSAM achieved B CORP certification in late 2022 and has won countless awards, including a coveted Anthem Award, for their ongoing dedication to sustainability and combating climate issues. She also guided the GoodSAM team as they launched a larger retail presence by landing on store shelves nationally at Sprouts & Erewhon, expanded key partnerships, and introduced more new products in order to make sustainable snacking and food more realistic for the average consumer.

For over a decade, Terry has been immersed in the complexities and nuances of the consumer-packaged goods, confection, and snacks vertical and has not only had her own businesses but has also had a hand in the success of several other female-owned companies in the CPG community. She has placed over 250 SKUs in grocery stores nationwide, within her career. Heather and GoodSAM are tireless advocates of farmers rights and quality of life, equity, inclusion, and diversity within the natural products and confectionary industries. The company believes in indigenous and small holder farmers and the amplification of their voices as we continue to develop climate and planetary solutions. 

She attended the International Culinary Center with a focus in Pastry Arts and Chocolate. Before that she earned her MFA from Rutgers University and her Bachelor’s of Arts from Valparaiso University. She has been a highly-sought after advisor to many up-and-coming wellness products on a mission to land coveted spots on the shelves of national retailers like Whole Foods and Target. 

Heather has also been a CPG mentor and angel investor, the author of ‘From Broadway to Wall Street, Cautionary Tales of an Unlikely Entrepreneur’, the host of the Scaling with Soul podcast (on hiatus), and a high profile speaker in the natural products industry (New Hope, Loyola, GoodHousekeeping, HowGood, Climate Collaborative and many more).  Terry was recently named a Change-maker in the Inc. Magazine’s Female Fonders 200 List.

Raffi has worked in the raw materials and logistics sector since 2002. In 2009, he began work in Afghanistan on the development of the dry fruit and nut industry to clean, sort, grade and process high quality products and facilitate the trade between Afghanistan and retailers in the United Arab Emirates and India. He has lived and worked in various ports across Southern Africa handling port operations, inward freight and vessel chartering for bulk and containerized raw materials and agricultural products. Raffi is from New York, of Armenian-Lebanese descent, and holds a B.A. in Economics and International Relations from Cornell University.

Wes had 10+ years in finance before establishing himself in the food and beverage world. He co-founded Paramo Coffee and Perennial Restaurant Group, both known for their sustainable practices. He helped found Planet FWD’s food division, which resulted in the sales of Moonshot Crackers to Patagonia Provisions. Now, he’s driving innovation at Hoptonic. 

About Hoptonic: 

Hoptonic, the sparkling drink with a difference, was founded by two friends who shared a passion for sustainability and exceptional home-brewed teas. Their mission was to create a guilt-free beverage that had no calories, sugar, or artificial sweeteners while delivering an amazing taste experience. By carefully selecting the finest natural ingredients, Hoptonic has become the go-to choice for health-conscious consumers looking for a refreshing and flavorful drink that does not compromise on taste or quality.  Learn more at https://www.hoptonictea.com/