May 24, 2024 – A week ago on May 16, The Well professional network hosted its New York launch event with the theme “Food, Fashion & Finance” at the BOSS flagship location in Columbus Circle in New York City featuring panelists and partners in these leading industries which attracted over 200 guests including founders, investors, advisors and influencers.
A recap video of the event from The Food Institute is available at this YouTube link.
“This was our second event after our launch in Southern California on March 12. We have more planned for New York and other locations. There was a lot of good energy in the room with the diverse range of partners and guests who attended. When you put good people together, good things happen!” said Rob Rinderman, a founding member of The Well and SMC Consulting.
The event featured Stephan Born, CEO and President for the Americas of HUGO BOSS Fashions, Inc. who shared his perspectives on how BOSS has been a leader in the fashion industry through premium lines such as BOSS Camel with its expert craftmanship and superior fabrics to more casual offerings, and bespoke partnerships with Naomi Campbell, Shohei Ohtani and other leaders in their field. Born also noted that a “good looking and stylish crowd” that gathered that evening.
James Arndt, General Manager at the Hugo Boss flagship store in NYC added: “This was the largest attendance for an in-store event so far. So many new and interesting people came to the store and the brands that participate were very aligned with our approach to partnerships. We look forward to hosting more bespoke events with The Well!”
Panelists representing innovative companies included Brad Charron, Chairman and CEO of ALOHA, an award-winning B Corporation and Climate Neutral Certified plant-based protein brand and Meghan Asha, CEO and Founder of FounderMade which connects CPG brands and executives to world-class education, resources and tools to scale their business.
Other panelists included investors from family offices, venture capital and private equity firms: Josh Gellert, President of Camerican International and member of Gellert Global Group; Farah Kahn, Managing Partner at L Catterton; Eric Kroll, angel investor and Partner at Vibrant Ventures and Susie Bittker, Senior Associate at Siddhi Capital.
“The people in the room from inspiring entrepreneurs to investors to people who manage established businesses really made it a worthwhile evening and a great networking opportunity for me,” said Josh Gellert of Camerican International and member of Gellert Global Group.
The event also featured products from sponsors Cipriani Food, Ito En and Oishii, and partners at Aura Bora, Barcode Drinks, GLASS, Maivino, Petit Pot, Talkhouse Encore, Vertage Foods, Weleda and partners.
“We sampled a variety of our beverages including the Cipriani Virgin Bellini combining white peach purèe with mineral water to deliver a unique and refreshing taste, along with our Zero Zero Alcohol Free Sparkling wines and tonics which were such a great fit for this fashion forward event,” said Maria Roemer, Director of Business Development at De Medici Imports which represents Cipriani Food.
“We were very pleased to share our Oi Ocha green tea in new sleek aluminum cans which were served at the event. Also was a wonderful coincidence that ITO EN and BOSS are brand partners with Japanese professional baseball star Shohei Ohtani, who was recently announced as Global Ambassador of Oi Ocha to promote Japan’s tea culture in the US and worldwide,” said Rob Smith, Chief Sales Officer of ITO EN North America Inc.
“This buzz-worthy event was the first in a must-attend series of programs over the next month in New York City,” said Brooke Effron, Co-Founder of The Well and Principal of BWE Consulting LLC. “The next event on June 6 will take place at the elegant D’Angelico Guitars Showroom in partnership with Entrepreneur Ventures during NY #TechWeek, followed by a special reception on June 24 during the Summer Fancy Food Show with our friends at Whole Foods Market and Rodeo CPG. These in-person gatherings and other programs will build and engage our intentional community of founders, investors and advisors in the CPG and wellness industry. We look forward to welcoming more like-minded members and partners!”
For more information about the press release, please contact: brian.choi@foodinstitute.com
About The Well
The Well is a membership-based organization committed to empowering the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) and wellness community. Our mission is to engage with CPG and wellness companies to enhance the growth stages of their brand lifecycle, leveraging our network of members to connect them with the resources necessary for their business advancement.
Co-founders of The Well include professionals at Blossom.it, Cream of the Crop, The Food Institute, Force Brands, Happy Wellness Consulting, Planet LA Records, Poe Law PLLC, Roadmap Advisors, Narwhal Network, SMC Consulting, Two Shes Productions, US Veg Corp, Vierra Ventures, Vertage Foods and other companies.
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