Bill Creelman is the Founder of Spindrift Beverage Co., Inc. Founded in Charlestown, MA in 2010, today Spindrift is one of the fastest-growing brands in the country. Inspired by his upbringing in Western MA, his summers spent living and working on the island of Nantucket, and his longtime passion for unprocessed, seasonal, and fresh ingredients, Bill started Spindrift in 2010. At the time, no one had created sparking beverages using real squeezed fruit - so Bill and team were not only inventing a product but also an entire process. From sourcing the best-tasting fruit from farms to creating production processes to respect and celebrate that fruit. Through many years of trial and error, Spindrift has become a household name. Today, Spindrift products are available nationwide in retailers like Target, Costco, and Starbucks, and the Spindrift team has grown to over 175 passionate employees who are dedicated to making every beverage a positive force of nature. Bill lives outside of Boston with his wife, Harley, and their 4 kids.

Chris Lansing is a seasoned Chief Executive Officer known for her transformative leadership in both entrepreneurial and Fortune 500 environments. With a proven track record spanning companies such as Health-Ade, Nature’s Bakery, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, PepsiCo, Hershey’s and Procter & Gamble, Chris excels in driving growth and profitability across a breadth of consumer brands and categories.   Combining big CPG business discipline with entrepreneurial zeal, Chris specializes in revitalizing consumer brands and strengthening business models while preserving their entrepreneurial values and agility. Her strategic prowess extends across the business, with equal focus on driving consumer preferred innovation and topline growth and improving core business operations to improve overall cost structure.   Recognized for her team-building skills, Chris fosters a culture of collaboration and innovation, empowering teams to achieve ambitious goals and drive organizational excellence. Her commitment to talent development and mentorship has been instrumental in cultivating high-performing teams capable of navigating complexities and seizing opportunities.   Chris holds an M.B.A. from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and a Bachelor’s in Economics and Public Policy from Swarthmore College. With expertise in growth acceleration, turnarounds, M&A, and strategic planning, Chris is poised to continue shaping the consumer industry with her visionary leadership and unwavering dedication to driving meaningful results.

A 25-year consumer packaged goods industry veteran, Bob is Managing Director of First Bev, a private equity firm that invests in innovative and transformational beverage brands, helping them grow and stand out in a dynamic and competitive industry. In addition to Health-Ade, First Bev has backed other industry-leading brands including Essentia Water, Q Mixers, Laws Whiskey and Drizly. Bob’s background includes two years at KeVita, maker of sparkling probiotic drinks and kombucha, where he led a high growth commercial strategy that accelerated the company’s already steep growth trajectory and resulted in PepsiCo’s largest acquisition in over 5 years, paying a premium multiple to buy a leader in the emerging functional beverage space.  Prior to KeVita, he spent 17 years at PepsiCo in leadership positions across business development, customer development, strategic planning and product commercialization and developed a strong track record for architecting and staffing teams for growth and leading them to above-plan results.  Bob lives in South Pasadena, CA with his wife, Kelly, and their two daughters. His volunteer work includes two terms on the Board of Trustees of the Mayfield Junior School in Pasadena where he chaired the Finance and Audit Committee. In addition to spending time with his family, he enjoys playing ice hockey in Pasadena’s adult leagues. He holds a BA from Denison University, where he also played on the men’s soccer team.

Dr. Sebastian Dreher is Managing Director of Döhler Ventures US and has been leading early-stage investments into next generation food and beverage brands since 2016.   He is based in Venice Beach, California, and has been an active part of the local CPG community. His responsibility includes several board and board observer positions.   Sebastian holds a degree in industrial engineering (with focus on mechanical engineering) and a PhD in Strategic Innovation Management from Technical University in Darmstadt, Germany.

Courtney O’Brien is a strategic brand leader behind some of the most successful beverage brands in the world. She built Apothic into a $100M+ wine powerhouse, led the U.S. launch and repositioning of Coke Zero into a $1B+ megabrand, and spearheaded Evian’s marketing strategy in one of the most competitive beverage categories. As founder of The Outlier Initiative, she helps ambitious beverage brands break through the noise, claim their space, and engineer demand - using the same proven strategies that built billion-dollar brands, without the Fortune 500 budget.

Ryan Fagan is a Deal Partner at Gryphon Investors, a $10 billion middle-market private equity firm. He focuses on growth investments in Consumer Health & Wellness and Better-For-You Food and Beverage. Most recently, Ryan led Gryphon’s investment in Spindrift in partnership with Founder and Chairman Bill Creelman and CEO Dave Burwick. He also serves on the boards of Metagenics and Mechanix Wear, and has supported prior Gryphon investments including Zicam and Dessert Holdings. He began his career at Gryphon in 2007, after earning a J.D. from Columbia Law School and a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Originally from Philadelphia, he now lives in the Bay Area with his wife and two daughters.

Nate Cooper is the founder & Managing Partner of Barrel Ventures, a seed-stage venture fund based in Chicago that supports category-defining companies innovating in throughout the food ecosystem. He launched Barrel after founding L3 Hospitality Group and Wise Apple—an early venture aimed at reinventing kids’ lunch. An early investor in companies such as Olipop, Nowadays, Helaina, Jumbotail, Confido & many more, Barrel focuses on companies where they can add a disproportionate amount of value. An Emory University graduate from the Goizueta School of Business, Nate earned his MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management as a Kellogg Scholar and Zell Fellow. At home, he's supported by his wife Ariel and 3 young kiddos Sadie (5), Chase (3), and Maddy (1).

Melissa Angle is the Vice President of Natural Category Merchandising and Supplier Relationship Management for United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI), a premier grocery wholesaler delivering a wide variety of fresh, branded, and owned brand products to more than 30,000 locations throughout North America, including natural product superstores, independent retailers, conventional supermarket chains, ecommerce providers, and food service customers. Melissa began her career at UNFI in 1998 as a Custom Flyer Coordinator in the Dayville, Conn. facility. She quickly moved into a Category Management role for Grocery. In 2001, Melissa joined BIN Sales & Marketing, a natural broker, where she served as Brand Manager and later Director of Marketing before returning to UNFI in 2006. Over the years, Melissa has held several key positions of increasing responsibility at UNFI, including National Director of Marketing – East and West, East Region Director of Supplier Relationship Management, National Sr. Director of Supplier Relationship Management, and Vice President of Supplier Relationship Management. She’s played a pivotal role during numerous mergers, acquisitions, and organizational transformations, including the formation of UNFI and integrations with Millbrook, Haddon House, Trudeau, Tony’s, and SUPERVALU. Outside of work, Melissa enjoys spending time with her two adult children, Ashleigh and RJ. She’s an avid pickleball player, a home project enthusiast with a passion for painting, and is currently diving back into sourdough baking.

Bill Moses is an entrepreneur, investor, and executive leader at the intersection of functional CPG and precision e-health innovation. He currently serves as CEO of Credibl.AI and brings decades of experience scaling disruptive wellness and nutrition brands. In addition to his leadership at Credibl.AI, Bill is a strategic advisor and board member at Kosterina, JRNYS Wellness, JuneShine, WILDE BRANDS, Koia Protein, and the Eudemonia Regenerative Health Summit. He is also an angel investor in DrinkPAK. Previously, Bill was the Founder and CEO of Flying Embers, acquired by JuneShine Brands. He was also the Co-Founder and CEO of KeVita, which was sold to PepsiCo. As an investor, advisor and board member, he played a role in the growth of Vive Organic, which was acquired by Suja / Paine Schwartz. He also founded and Vintner of Casa Barranca Organic Winery—the first USDA-certified organic winery on California's Central Coast, later sold to The Naturalist Winery. Bill’s philanthropic efforts include serving on the board of the World Business Academy, a nonprofit think tank and action incubator. He previously served as Chairman of Opportunity Green, a leading sustainability business conference hosted at the UCLA Anderson School of Business. He is also a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. With more than 30 years of experience in business and finance, Bill began his career on Wall Street at Bear Stearns. He later became a Partner at Axiom Partners, LTD., a New York-based investment banking and brokerage firm. He was also the Co-Founder and CEO of Recovery Television Network & RNetHealth.com, which were acquired by Liberty Media.

Brian Rosen is a third-generation veteran of the adult beverage industry and the General Partner of InvestBev, the largest private equity platform dedicated exclusively to the spirits and adult beverage sector. Under Rosen’s leadership, InvestBev now manages over half a billion dollars in total assets under management (AUM) across equity, credit, and insurance strategies. The firm was honored as Preqin’s Growth Fund of the Year in 2024, and in 2025, Inc. Magazine named InvestBev one of the Top Equity Firms for Founders, underscoring its position as the premier institutional investor in the category. Through InvestBev Capital, Rosen pioneered and successfully executed a proprietary bourbon barrel arbitrage strategy, consistently delivering first quartile results since 2015—a track record that has established InvestBev as the global leader in spirits-based alternative assets. Rosen has launched five equity funds and two credit funds, along with a $70 million insurance platform dedicated to barrel inventory—making InvestBev the most diversified investment and risk-management platform in the spirits asset class. In 2025, he also secured a $100 million investment from the world’s largest global equity firm, further cementing InvestBev’s global leadership. Earlier in his career, Rosen led his own $100 million retail liquor enterprise, served as a partner at PwC in the adult beverage practice, and acted as lead trade marketing consultant at Anheuser-Busch. He has been recognized as Retailer of the Year (3×), Wine Innovator of the Year, Forbes Best of the Web (2×), and named to the Power Ranking’s Top 100 Global Beverage Leaders. A frequent keynote speaker, Rosen has addressed leading industry forums including the Wine Technology Symposium, WSWA, and the Beverage Expo, and his expertise has been featured in Forbes, Wine Spectator, Beverage Dynamics, CNN, FOX, and CBS. Rosen holds an Executive Leadership credential from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a degree in marketing and finance from DePaul University. He is also a member of Tiger 21 and YPO Gold.

Brandon is a Partner and Co-Founder of Convivialite Ventures, where he leads North American investments. CV is backed by Pernod Ricard, the second largest wine & spirits company in the world and invests in consumer startups that are reinventing the way people socialize, entertain, and share experiences together. Investments that Brandon has led include Fever, AvantStay, Fetch Rewards, Bartesian, Outdoorsy, ResortPass, Peerspace, ChowNow, WaveXR, Atmosfy, Liquid Death, Sanzo, AF Drinks, Ghia, and Glovo (acquired by Delivery Hero). He is currently on the Board of AvantStay, Bartesian, Sanzo, and AF Drinks. Prior to investing, Brandon worked as entrepreneur, startup operator, and management consultant and drove early business initiatives at three $1+ billion startups: Credit Karma, Datalogix, and Evernote. Brandon has an MBA from University of California, Berkeley and a BS in Industrial Engineering from West Virginia University.

Kim Route is a Category Manager at INFRA, where she curates strategic promotions and identifies emerging trends across snacks, candy, chocolate, and beverages. With experience spanning both conventional and natural grocery, she is passionate about helping independent retailers thrive and advancing a more sustainable food system. Outside of work, Kim enjoys time with her three dogs, trying new recipes, exploring local breweries, and serving on the Advisory Board for Minnesota State University’s Women in Leadership program.

Jen Batchelor is the co-founder and CEO of Kin Euphorics, a category-defining brand in the non-alcoholic beverage space. With a background in Ayurvedic practice, psychology, and neuroscience, Jen launched Kin in 2017 to reimagine how we revel—without alcohol. She became the first Latinx woman to raise over $15 million in venture capital for a beverage brand and has since helped lead a movement that blends wellness, social connection, and cultural relevance. Her journey offers hard-earned lessons in category creation, consumer education, fundraising, and scaling a brand with soul. Jen is an inspiring, no-fluff speaker with a track record of pushing boundaries and building community. She brings real talk and actionable insights—from navigating growth in a crowded space to creating emotional resonance with customers. Her perspective is especially relevant for founders breaking into wellness, functional, and lifestyle categories—and for anyone seeking to build a movement, not just a product.

Ila Byrne is co-Founder and Chief Marketing & Innovation Officer at Parch.  She was named by Forbes as one of the “Women Running the Spirits World” and after 10 years leading Brand & Innovation Strategy at DIAGEO for spirit brands like Crown Royal, Tanqueray, Bailey’s and Ketel One, she decided to go it alone.  After living in London, Melbourne, and Dublin she settled in Brooklyn where she consults to leading beverage brands around the world, advises spirit start-ups and is building the next generation of alternate adult beverages.  PARCH offers a range of distinctive, non-alcoholic agave cocktails, inspired by the Sonoran Desert and the lush biodiversity it keeps. Each sip offers a complex taste from unique pairings of desert ingredients, based on the ethos that "what grows together, goes together". Our blend of functional herbs and desert botanicals is designed to center your mind and body like no other.  Ila is passionate about offering consumers beautiful brands and better drinks that bring more people to the table and do less harm to people & our planet.

Co-Founder Susan Buckwalter Hartman set out to create the clean-label drink she wanted after a workout or surf session—one that went beyond hydration. An adventure sports enthusiast and former college athlete, she’s long been passionate about wellness. With deep experience in natural products and innovation, Susan teamed up with her co-founder, Siwat, to build Recoup: a mission-driven brand that champions resilience for people and the planet. Before launching Recoup, Susan held brand and innovation leadership roles at Unilever, Campbell’s, and eos Products, where she developed and launched more than 50 consumer products. She holds a BA from Gettysburg College and an MBA from Cornell University.

Scarlett Leung is a seasoned retail and e-commerce executive with deep expertise in strategy, operations, finance, and mission-driven brand building. She brings a proven track record of crafting customer-centric strategies that drive innovation and exceptional experiences. As Co-founder, Scarlett is currently leading brand, growth and strategy at Pretty Tasty, a better-for-you beverage brand positioned at the intersection of wellness and lifestyle. Pretty Tasty was awarded "Best New Beverage" in 2024 by BevNet and has grown to over 2,000 doors nationwide in its first year of launch. In addition to her operator role, she collaborates in advisory, investment, leadership, and consulting capacities with firms including Anthos Capital, Target, and Bain & Company. Earlier in her career, she began in audit at Deloitte & Touche and later held leadership roles at L’Oréal, AllSaints and FreshDirect. She holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. With more than a decade of leadership experience spanning strategy, team development, global operations, and end-to-end business optimization, Scarlett has lived in six cities and delivered projects across North America, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania.