| BevNET Live Summer 2023 - AGENDA |
| THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2023 | |
| 7:00 AM - 9:00 AM | Registration & Breakfast, Presented by Matchako -- Breakfast, coffee and beverages are served from 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM ET and are included with registration. Registration and badge pick up opens for the day at 7:00 AM ET. |
| 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM | Women in Beverage Breakfast -- Join Women in Beverage founders Michelle Cordeiro Grant and Madi Lieber for breakfast at the venue. The networking event is for all attendees of BevNET Live and no RSVP is required. |
| 9:00 AM - 9:30 AM |
Functional Beverage or Drinkable Supplement? Mapping the Path to Placement in Whole Foods --
How should brands navigate the line between nutritional supplement and traditional beverage when they’re pitching Whole Foods? What are the hottest functional trends that are crossing over from supplement into beverage and how should founders incorporate them for best performance? Our panel talks through getting retail placement at Whole Foods – in the retail set that best fits the brand.
with Kadijah Wellons, Global Category Merchant, Whole Foods Market; Charlie New, Global Category Manager, Refrigerated Beverage, Whole Foods Market; Andrew Henkel, EVP - Retail, SPINS |
| 9:30 AM - 10:00 AM |
When Soft Drinks Become Mixed Drinks: The Significance of Category Convergence --
Convergence is a rising trend in which brands are becoming multi-category properties, straddling the soft drink and beverage alcohol categories for new revenue streams and increased visibility. This panel will lead founders through the strategic opportunities – and potential growth disruptions – that this category redefinition creates.
with Bill Creelman, Founder & CEO, Spindrift Beverage Co.; Matt Hughes, Former President/GM (Retired), VEB; Lesya Lysyj, CMO, Boston Beer Company |
| 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM |
Distributor Briefing: In from the Cold --
We bring together West Coast and East Coast beverage distributors to talk about the state of play between brands and distributors, particularly in the high-cost, high-risk world of the cold chain. At a time when customers are reactivating promotions and category change is rampant, what can brands and DSDs do to support each other as partners?
with Mitch Suslak, Founder & President, Gold Coast Distributors Ltd.; Chuck Casano, Founder & CEO, Hi-Touch Libations |
| 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM | Networking Break & Taste Radio Studio -- |
| 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM | New Beverage Showdown Finals - Round 1 -- Our first three finalists make their pitch. |
| 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM |
The Growth Formula: Fixing Margins, Profitability, and the Other Things You Stink At --
Veteran beverage company CEO Miller teaches founders to look inward and figure out what they are bad at to help their companies move forward, offering strategies and habits for effective organizations and the ways to foster an attitude that overcomes obstacles. Not to mention tactics for maintaining solid margins.
with Scott Miller, CEO & Co-Founder, Yesly |
| 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM |
The Story of My Raise --
Three new beverage entrepreneurs who’ve closed or are raising financing rounds over the past year discuss their experiences pitching and working with angel investors and institutional capital in an inflationary environment, how they’ve considered their path to profitability and operations, and how they’ve worked with their existing connections to find startup financing.
with Jaqui Rice, Co-Founder & CEO, G.O.A.T. Fuel; Rohan Tangri, Co-Founder, The BAD Tea Co.; Blodin Ukella, Founder & CEO, The Ryl Company |
| 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM | Lunch, Presented by Saint James Iced Tea, Sampling & Taste Radio Studio -- |
| 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM | New Beverage Showdown Finals - Round 2 -- |
| 2:30 PM - 2:55 PM |
Wal-Mart for the Win --
Inside the massive retailer’s shift to incorporate up-and-coming brands into their sets at an earlier stage, and the ways to pitch and succeed without getting lost within the nation’s largest retailer.
with Will McDonald, VP/DMM Beverages, Walmart |
| 2:55 PM - 3:20 PM |
The State of Growth Capital --
Growth capital is the fuel for beverage companies seeking to accelerate and transform – but how are growth equity investors evaluating the brands and founders who are pitching them? Our panel discusses dealflow, valuations, boards and their expectations for future funding trends.
with Alex Borschow, Managing Director, Semillero Partners; Carolyn Simmons, Partner, Melitas Ventures; Jose Bermudez, Private Equity Investor, VMG |
| 3:20 PM - 3:45 PM |
Swoon’s Partnership Strategies: Tale of Two Collaborations --
The co-founders of this fast-growing lemonade brand share lessons from two high-profile partnerships, one with Chamberlain Coffee and the other with Barbie, as brands look for deals that can help them increase signal amidst a panoply of marketing strategies.
with Jennifer Ross, Co-Founder, Swoon; Cristina Ros Blankfein, Co-Founder, Swoon |
| 3:45 PM - 4:00 PM | New Beverage Showdown: Winner Announcement, Judge’s Review & Closing Remarks -- |
| Please note that event agendas are subject to change. |