FEATURED MEMBERS

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Marie Roker-Jones, Co-Founder of Essteem

ABOUT: Marie Roker-Jones is the co-Ceo of Essteem. Essteem organizes Equalithons (hackathons for equality), first-of-its-kind, virtual DEI events that connect tech companies that uphold diversity and inclusion commitments to underrepresented tech talent who want to work for those companies. She is a social impact startup founder with over ten years of experience in leading gender and racial diversity strategies as a founder for Raising Great Men and senior editor for The Good Men Project. Marie also has workforce and career development experience creating workforce re-entry programs for underrepresented communities. She has helped tech companies and startups create inclusive and impactful work cultures through Veteran and military spouse hiring initiatives. Marie was the lead for The Charter for Compassion's Compassionate NYC and facilitated dialogue on privilege fragility, designing for inclusion, and debiasing through #CompassionConvos.

GIVE: How to source for diverse talent and build inclusive work cultures through social impact. Cultural competency for working with Veterans or the military community.

GET: Introduction to talent acquisition for tech companies looking to hire for diversity and introductions to angel investors who invest in social ventures. 

FUN FACT: I am a Reiki practitioner.

NEWS: We are working with Harvard Ventures for an April hackathon.

Lin Chen, Founder of Pink Moon

ABOUT: Lin Chen is the CEO + founder of Pink Moon. Sustainable beauty has been a core component of her professional life for nearly a decade. Her experience and passion for holistic living ultimately led her to create Pink Moon, a NYC based consultancy that aims to uplift and radically transform the beauty industry. She has intentionally built a business that works solely with female-founded brands that value sustainability, philanthropy, and holistic wellness because she believes that these values are key to creating a more conscious and empowering beauty space.⁣ Pink Moon is now also a digital wellcare + community space, curating female-founded sustainable and mindful brands while giving back to those in need. 

GIVES: Happy to give strategic advice about branding, transitioning to being a more eco/sustainable business, and happy to connect anyone in my network. 

GETS: I'm raising a seed round for my company Pink Moon and have a list of investors I'd love a warm intro to but also would like to meet angels who are keen to invest in e-commerce, retail, and/or wellness. 

FUN FACT: I love making cocktails at home and creating delicious, fun recipes. 

NEWS: We are a social impact mission-driven company and have given back to over two dozen charities since our launch last June! 

RECENT PRESS: Our Midnight Melody Body & Hair Oil was recently selected by Brit + Co as 'best self-care product of 2021. SELF Magazine highlighted us as an 'Asian American-owned small business to know'. 

Deborah Metts & Margaux Avedisian, Co-Founders of Beyond The Runway

ABOUT Deborah: I have 10+ yrs of rich experience in Creative Marketing, E -Commerce, Fashion Production, and Academia. I've been privileged enough to work with Bloomingdale’s, Laquan Smith, Nicole Miller, Calvin Klein, Macy’s, and the LIM College of Fashion. Most recently I co-founded Beyond the Runway which is a revolutionary web and mobile app that is changing the online shopping experience. As an expert in the fashion industry I enjoy anything that allows me to engage with and teach others within that space. 

ABOUT Margaux:  Margaux has been a serial entrepreneur for over 10 years. She is currently the CEO and co-founder of Beyond the Runway, a multi-brand fashion e-commerce site that allows you to create a fit avatar based on pictures to virtually try on clothing. Early in Bitcoin’s adoption cycle in 2012, she relaunched the first American Bitcoin exchange, Tradehill, while also co-founding two other early bitcoin exchanges companies—MonetaGo (now a blockchain value transfer company) and AlphaPoint (now a white label exchange software solution) that are still operating today. Her first company, a music app, sold. Margaux has been featured on the cover of ETFs & Funds in The Wall Street Journal, as well as in the documentary “The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin.” She got her BA from Mount Holyoke College and a Master of Fine Arts in Fashion Merchandising at the Academy of Art University  GIVES: To leverage our expertise in the form of one-on-one consults and office hours, forums, etc. There will also be positions opening with Beyond the Runway this year that I look forward to offering to other The Fourth Floor members. Stay tuned there! GETS: Deborah wants to connect with some The Fourth Floor Life Coach experts this year to get guidance on personal goal setting and future development. 

FAVORITE QUOTE: "Done is better than perfect"- Sheryl Sandberg. LIVE by this! NEWS: Yes!!! We just completed a pre-launch for our BTR app which has been months in development. A HUGE accomplishment! You can check that out here: BTR YouTube Video

Tobi Obsede, Founder & CEO of Ilekun Health

ABOUT: Tobi is one of "12 women in machine learning to watch," as recognized by Samasource. She is a leader in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) and considered an expert in ML and data science. A trained applied mathematician with a passion for leading high-impact initiatives and solving complex technical problems,Tobi has built production predictive systems for Fortune 500 companies resulting in billions in revenue and multiple patents. Most recently, she has brought her skills to bear with Ilekun Health, a category defining platform remaking the way patients find health care providers. 

GIVE: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning consultation & Intros from my network. 

GET: Intros to preseed and consumer health investors & Marketing/advertising content creators FAVORITE QUOTE: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." - MLK 

NEWS: I am gearing up for our initial launch. Anyone who is interested in being a user (from patient, provider, or advertiser perspectives) should join our mailing list via www.ilekunhealth.com and to see a MVP product demo. 

FUNDING: Currently raising a pre-seed round.

Felicia Kashevaroff, CEO, Co-founder at Persistiny

ABOUT: Felicia is an entrepreneur and advocate for mothers and caregivers. She left her full-time career in marketing and publicity to be a stay-at-home mother to her three children, which set her on the path to founding Persistiny - a tech start-up dedicated to tracking, valuing, sharing and leveraging the invisible workload of motherhood. Felicia has served on the board of directors for three start-ups, one of which had a successful exit in 2015. She has also served on the board of several non-profits.  

GIVE: I have a passion for marketing and branding. I’m always happy to brainstorm with fellow founders, or give my feedback on marketing materials. 

GET: I would love to connect with the parents in the Fourth Floor to learn about their experience with invisible labor and how it affects their mental health, relationships and professional lives. 

FUN FACT: I’m an experienced group facilitator. I love working with groups to build authentic, vulnerable connections. 

NEWS: Persistiny is in the process of building our advisory board and officially opening our pre-seed round of funding. I welcome the opportunity to work with fellow Fourth Floor members. Reach out and let’s talk! 

FUNDING: We will officially open our round in Q1 2021.

Kaitlin Christine, Founder & CEO of Gabbi

ABOUT: Kaitlin Christine is a fighter and fierce advocate. After losing her mom to breast cancer due to malpractice, she exhibited similar symptoms and had to fight to get proper care and was diagnosed with breast cancer at only age 24. After working as a National Patient Speaker and Hereditary Cancer Specialist for the world's leading genetics company, Kaitlin founded Gabbi. Gabbi empowers women to understand their bodies and proactively seek the care they need. By selling to health insurers, Gabbi helps identify and manage female members in order to deliver maximum cost savings and improve health outcomes. Kaitlin lives in Portland, Oregon. 

GIVE: We all go up together! I love leveraging my expertise and network. Expertise includes: email marketing, pitching and public speaking, startup life, best restaurants and wineries, health insurance, women's health.  

GET:  I am most interested in growing relationships with investors, key decision makers at health insurance companies, and potential hires in engineering, marketing, and operations. I also have a secret list of female celebrities who focus on women's health and/or have been impacted by cancer--if you know one, I would LOVE an introduction.   

FUN FACT: I was training for the Salt Lake Olympics as a Ski Racer before college.  NEWS: Signed our first customer and currently raising our pre-seed round. 

Ashlee Wisdom, Founder & CEO of Health In Her Hue

ABOUT: Ashlee Wisdom is a public health enthusiast and health equity champion. She is the Founder & CEO of Health In Her HUE, a digital platform that connects Black women and WOC to culturally competent healthcare providers, services and health content. Health In Her HUE’s mission is to reduce racial health disparities by leveraging the power of technology, media and community to improve health outcomes for Black women. 

GIVE: I am happy to make myself available to anyone who'd like to discuss health equity and I'm willing to make any helpful introductions to Fourth Floor Members who are building a health tech company. 

GET: I am looking for a CTO and would love any and all referrals and recommendations for the right CTO. I am also looking for strategic partners! 

My favorite quote: "I get angry about things, then go on and work." - Toni Morrison 

NEWS: We were recently featured in Forbes and Pop Sugar and Bloomberg Law and Above The Law 

FUNDING: I am currently raising a pre seed round for Health In Her HUE.

Kristen Carbone, CEO of Brilliantly

ABOUT: Kristen Carbone is committed to making the lives of the people around her more comfortable, fulfilling and beautiful. After a decade long career working in curatorial departments in Museums across New York and New England she founded Brilliantly, a brand dedicated to meeting the long term, quality of life issues faced by women who’ve had an experience with breast cancer. She currently resides in Providence, Rhode Island where she lives with her two children. 

GIVE: I'm looking forward to providing insights and having conversations about community building, startup life, pitching, brand positioning, event planning, and parenting. 

GET: I'm always looking to expand my network and find deep connections and symbiotic, collaborative business relationships. 

FUN FACT: My hidden talent is estimating volume. I can always pick the right sized tupperware for leftovers. The very best part of running my own business has been getting to know the women in the community I'm trying to serve. I'm driven by human connection and while this effort has been difficult, I'm inspired and fueled by the relationships I've built.

Emily Wazlak, Founder and CEO of Shine Registry

ABOUT: Emily created Shine Registry as a platform for female founders to ask for startup needs in the style of a wedding registry. You can ask for a gravy boat when you’re getting married - with Shine Registry you can ask for office supplies and network connections when you’re starting a business. Her company is changing the way communities show up for people they care about and reimagining the relationship between women and ambition.

There are more than 250 female founders that currently use Shine Registry.  

GIVE: Emily is a non-technical founder that has gone through several rounds of finding and onboarding technical talent and can provide insight into that process.  

GET: Shine Registry is looking to build new brand partnerships before relaunching the site in early fall. Special focus on products new business owners love and entrepreneurial ecosystems.  

FUN FACT: Before becoming a startup founder Emily's previous jobs ranged from converting an abandoned auto-body shop into a campaign office and managing internal policy processes at the Pentagon.

Steph Speirs, Co-Founder and CEO at Solstice - Solar for every American

ABOUT: Steph is an entrepreneur and community builder with management experience in the Middle East, South Asia, and the United States. She co-founded and runs Solstice, an enterprise dedicated to radically expanding the number of American households that can take advantage of clean energy using community-shared solar farms.
GIVE: List of funders, can offer connections to investors.
GET: Advice on how to raise a Series A next year, in addition to sales advice.
FUN FACT: I know all the lyrics to every Elvis Presley song because my father was a Chinese Elvis impersonator.
NEWS: Despite the difficulties of this COVID-era, we continue to sign additional contracts with the largest wind and solar developer in the world and are expanding to a new state (IL) to work on our first urban project in the Chicago area which will also allow us to serve a more diverse customer base.

Alissa Baier-Lentz, Co-Founder & COO of Kintra Fibers 

ABOUT: Alissa Baier-Lentz is the co-founder & COO of Kintra Fibers, a material science company that makes high-performing bio-synthetic textiles that biodegrade like a natural fiber. Kintra exists to solve the microfiber pollution in the ocean and the use of fossilized carbon in fashion that traditional synthetic fabrics perpetuate. Prior to Kintra, Alissa launched and scaled HERO Backpacks. Each HERO backpack gives one day of school to a girl who will be the first in her family to graduate. After all, you can’t spell HERO without HER! 

GIVE: For anyone seeking to curate a sustainable wardrobe, or to learn more about the solutions that exist for the fashion industry to become circular, I am happy to be your guide. 

GET: To be connected to fashion brands with an interest in innovation / sustainability, and investors with an interest in the bio-based product economy / sustainability. 

FUN FACT: I have one letter from the declaration of human rights tattooed on my arm. If I were to stand united with the other 6,772 humans in this living art project, we would spell out the declaration. 

NEWS: Exciting news coming soon!

Brandi DeCarli, Founding Partner of Farm from a Box 

ABOUT: Brandi DeCarli is the Founding Partner of Farm from a Box, an off-grid toolkit that revolutionizes local food production and enables communities around the world to grow their own nutritious food with clean technology. She is currently a SheEO Venture fellow, a board member of Jordanian agritech accelerator HASSAD, and a Rising Talent with the Women's Forum. She is a frequent global speaker on technology's role in climate resilience and women's leadership, including her TEDx talk, "How technology and togetherness can transform our world." A firm believer in the power of collaboration, Brandi is passionate about rejecting old rules and driving positive change in the world through innovation, compassion, and connection. 

GIVE: I love exploring strategic partnerships and potential collaborations, and have earned the nickname of “Constellationist” as a result. I am happy to brainstorm ideas and help! 

GET: We are a growing company, and I welcome intros to potential funders, partners and/or interested buyers. 

FUN FACT: I used to work on a Big 5 game reserve in South Africa, and am an excellent spotter and overall adventuress. (animal calls? Not so much.) 

NEWS TO SHARE:  It is an exciting time to be working on building food independence! We just released our 4.0 model for the US market and have some pretty incredible new deployments coming up, ranging from a few family farms and farm-to-table programs to a multi-unit project in the Pine Ridge community of South Dakota. We’re working to get some solid sales traction in before opening our next funding round.