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.

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

GETS: 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.

CEO & Co-Founder of Priori

ABOUT: Basha Rubin is the CEO and Co-Founder of Priori, the legal marketplace changing the way in-house teams find, hire and manage outside counsel. Priori has been named a 2018 and 2019 Intelligent Business by the Financial Times for their work managing legal costs. Basha writes and speaks extensively on how technology is changing and will change the marketplace for legal services. She holds a JD and BA from Yale University and is a member of the New York Bar. 

GIVE: Real-talk advice / experiences from the trenches for newer entrepreneurs. 

GET: Always looking to connect with in-house counsel who are interested in innovative approaches to working with outside counsel and want to learn more about Priori's model. 

FUN FACT: I almost always have a fantasy novel I'm reading on my phone. Nothing like a little escapism in your pocket in this moment! 

NEWS TO SHARE: Two recent articles about us feature how we use data to drive smarter, more efficient outside counsel hiring choices and price certainty. You can also read our case study with Hearst that was shortlisted for the Financial Times Intelligent Business Awards in 2019.

Co-Founder & CFO of Caira Surgical

ABOUT: Irina launched CAIRA surgical with her fellow classmate after graduating from Columbia Business School. CAIRA is a revolutionary surgical assistant for joint replacement. Prior to CAIRA Surgical, she worked in leverage finance focused on medical device and provider sectors. 

GIVE: Irina has an extensive background in healthcare banking. She is always willing to help healthcare startups build a go to market strategy. 

GET: Introductions to potential advisors and investors focused on the orthopedic market. 

FUN FACT: In her free time, Irina is working on getting her private pilot’s license.

Founder & CEO of 

Private Packs

ABOUT: A former Event Planner turned Accidental Entrepreneur. Suzanne is the Founder & CEO of Private Packs. Private Packs has reimagined the therapy pack and sculpted it for the intimate areas to deliver discrete comfort. Private Packs was born out of a traumatic Brazilian waxing incident. GIVE: Anyone that needs help learning from the inventor’s perspective of filing a patent (i.e.: don’t file a design patent on your MVP design – rookie mistake), building a successful crowdfunding campaign, and overseas manufacturing. GET: I’m looking for advisory board members and a marketer with CPG experience to join our team. FUN FACT: I am a former Marksman for the Royal Canadian Air Force. NEWS: Launched in 2019, Private Packs will transform the healing process for women in their most sensitive areas, specifically after childbirth, bikini waxes, intercourse, and surgery. There is huge potential for us to make a real difference in the lives of vulva owners around the world.

Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Livepin Inc.

ABOUT: Yang Cheung is a co-founder of Livepin, a cloud-based SaaS live broadcasting platform that helps businesses reach and grow their audience by providing intelligent distribution solutions through global delivery and real-time analysis of video content. Prior to co-founding Livepin, Yang spent 13 years in software development and product management in the financial services industry.  

GIVE: Help other founders with product related questions. Bring more members to The Fourth Floor community. 

GET: Introduction to potential partners, clients, advisors, and investors. 

FUN FACT: Yang lives in Brooklyn with her parents, in-laws, husband, son, daughter, dog and frog.  

NEWS: We have released real time transcription and translation feature in closed beta. Please let me know if you would like to see a demo!

        Partner, Jayaram Law

       Lawyers for Innovators®

ABOUT: I started in BigLaw and after a handful of years, I ran for the hills eschewing law altogether and spending the next five years in a start-up, a non-profit and home with my kids.  When I founded the New York City practice of Jayaram Law, I discovered that I actually love private practice, I just needed to find a forum that matched my passions.  I am also an angel investor and over the last three years I have built a legal practice that bridges the gap between traditional law and innovative growth.  In addition to advising early stage companies, I work with larger entities in managing their domestic and international trademark portfolios,
cross-border trademark strategies, and the intellectual property direction for companies such as Rebecca Minkoff’s Female Founder Collective, The Shatter Fund and Ankura Consulting Group.
GIVE: 30 minute general mentor calls with Founders.  AMA! (Ask me anything!)
GET: I am looking to hire a junior corporate associate and an administrative assistant in my New York office; I would love any referrals. 
FUN FACT: I grew up on an intentional spiritual community (think: commune without the indoctrination) in West Virginia.  
NEWS: I know of a number of fantastic founders looking for co-founders, if anyone is looking to become a co-founder to a very early stage business, please let me know.

CEO & Founder of Radical Health

ABOUT: Ivelyse is the founder of Radical Health, the first Latina owned Public Benefit Corp in NY. Radical Health improves health equity through meaningful conversations and technology. The latest app Radical Relay is a “know your rights” for health AI based chatbot that helps pregnant people ask the right questions before, during and after pregnancy to address maternal health inequities.
GIVE: I love thinking strategically about alternate ways to generate revenue or how to maximize social impact. 
GET: I’d love to meet others who have bootstrapped companies and scaled. 
FUN FACT: In her spare time, Ivelyse loves to thrift. She had a side hustle selling used clothes to support Radical Health in its early stages.  
NEWS: Ivelyse was recently appointed as a Commissioner to the NYC Commission on Gender Equity.

Founder and CEO of EggFund

ABOUT: EggFund helps the 1 in 8 Americans suffering from infertility afford their dream of having a baby by providing affordable loans.  We provide funding for fertility treatment, adoption and surrogacy. Within months of launching, EggFund surpassed $1M in loans funded to men and women, across the US, to build their families.  Our goal is to create thousands of families, and plan to introduce additional products in the next year. Prior to starting EggFund, Carmela had a successful 20 year career in the art world. Most recently, as co-President of a global art media group. After starting EggFund, she found out she was pregnant. She lives in NYC with her daughter, Elisabeth, and husband Geoff.
GIVE:  I'd like to get more members and organizations involved. 
GET:  A strategic legal advisor who can help us as we build out the business by making introductions to potential partners and investors, and/or providing strategic compliance/financial advice.
FAVORITE QUOTE: "If it's easy, it's probably not worth doing."
NEWS: We are about to onboard new lenders to meet more of the customer demand for EggFund's affordable loans

CEO & Founder of  Queen of Raw

ABOUT:  Corporate attorney turned fashion tech and sustainability entrepreneur. Stephanie is the Co-Founder of Queen of Raw, a marketplace to buy and sell unused textiles, keeping it out of landfill and turning pollution into profit. Stephanie is a NASA/NIKE/IKEA/DELL Innovator, a Grand Prize WeWork Creator Awards Winner presented by Ashton Kutcher, a thredUP Circular Fashion Fund Recipient, and was nominated as a Founder to Watch by Women 2.0. She is a Member of Pledge 1% and Founding Member of Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network, along with Aveda, Kering, and Stella McCartney. 
BUSINESS WIN: Want a deep dive into sustainability, women in business, and the future of fashion, supply chain, and materials?  Check out our podcast "Material Is Your Business." 
GIVE: Expertise in sustainability and innovative marketplace technologies
GET:  Strategic partnerships with fashion brands and retailers looking to improve their bottom line by 15%
FUN FACT/HIDDEN TALENT: The first piece of fabric I ever loved was my Fisher Price Security Bunny. I still keep her with me.

 COO & CLO of Simplecast

...a podcasting technologies company

ABOUT: Jeanine was a talent-side entertainment and media attorney (she even first-chaired and won a 2-week jury trial for a talent agency!) before transitioning into tech leadership. Since then, she's co-led the auction process to sell a company to GoDaddy, launched an international joint venture with one of the world’s largest companies, and was part of a small team charged with turn-around efforts after the company was acquired by a PE firm. She loves fundraising (not many people can say that!) and enjoys angel investing in tech startups, mentoring high-potential women professionals, and serving on corporate boards. 
INTERESTING BUSINESS: Jeanine was actually Simplecast's first outside investor 3 years ago. When Simplecast raised their Series A, the Founder invited her to join as COO full-time. 
GIVE: Advice to women founders of young companies about fundraising and maybe even some intros.
GET:  Meet more women tech executives and entrepreneurs.
FUN FACT/HIDDEN TALENT: In all of her "spare time", Jeanine keeps busy with her 2 rambunctious boys, 2 dogs, 5 chickens, a hive of bees, growing her own food and making craft beers on her little “urban farm” in Los Angeles.

CEO & Co-Founder of ClearOPS, Inc.
...a privacy technology company, that is speeding up enterprise sales

ABOUT: Prior to ClearOPS, Caroline spent the last 18 years as an attorney, both as outside and in house counsel, and the last 8 years as a privacy expert.
BUSINESS WIN: ClearOPS was just featured in a podcast called AI in the Wild. Give it a listen here.
GIVE: A seat on the ClearOps advisory board to a person who has experience in customer relationship management or privacy.
GET:  Intros to potential customers or other networking opportunities.
FUN FACT/HIDDEN TALENT: Caroline learned how to fly Cessna airplanes in her early 20s and almost got her private pilot’s licens