Tom Speiss represents brand owners. He handles US and global intellectual property (IP) portfolios, including securing and defending trademarks, copyrights and patents, and further handles related URL matters - which closely overlaps with trademarks. Tom further advises on product naming and packaging and handles related disputes, both informally and informally. Tom has developed particular skill working with early stage and maturing companies. He routinely handles IP due diligence matters for CPG companies seeking investment, as well as investors seeking to invest. He advises several CPG companies including Country Archer beef jerky, Good Culture cottage cheese, Health-Ade kombucha, JOT coffee, L-Nutra (the makers of the Prolon fasting mimicking diet), LooseLeaf whole-leaf tobacco, and Yerbae yerba mate, to name a few. Tom received his MBA from USC, his law degree from Villanova and his undergraduate degree from James Madison. Tom hikes and swims in his free time.

Jeremy Halpern is a Partner at Nutter, McClennen & Fish, LLP and the Co-Chair of its Emerging Companies Group and its Food and Beverage Practice Group. Jeremy’s practice focuses on emerging and mature operating companies, private equity, venture capital and angel financing transactions, mergers and acquisitions, commercial transactions, executive and team compensation matters, and general support for high growth and privately held companies in technology, life sciences, and consumer products. Concurrently, Jeremy is a member of the board of Naturally New England, a non-profit serving the natural and organic consumer product industry, and is a member of the Advisory Board for the UCLA School of Law Resnick Center for Food Law & Policy. Previously, Jeremy served on the Board of Directors and the Investment Committee of MassVentures, an early stage venture capital fund geared toward technology companies in Massachusetts, and as the founder of Edible Ventures, the nation’s first angel group specifically investing in high growth food and beverage companies. Jeremy was also previously a Director and the Executive Chairman of The Capital Network, a Boston-based nonprofit serving entrepreneurs seeking high growth capital. Jeremy was previously the co-founder of a company in the mobile technology synchronization space. Jeremy is a prior recipient of the Boston Business Journal’s 40 under 40 Award. Jeremy spent nine years teaching entrepreneurial leadership at Tufts University and has guest lectured at Babson, Harvard, Boston University, Tufts, MIT and Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Jeremy received his B.A. from U.C. Berkeley, summa cum laude; phi beta kappa, and his J.D., from the UCLA School of Law.

Rachel Mansfield is a food entrepreneur, cookbook author, podcast host, managing partner at grt sht ventures, and the co-founder of a kid's snack company launching in 2025. And her favorite role of all - a mother to three amazing boys. Rachel has been running her food content site and social media platforms for nearly a decade. After being laid off from her job at a CPG company, she turned that moment into an opportunity to create, develop and share healthy recipes online and turned her side hustle into a multi-faceted business. She is a regular on the TODAY Show, has been featured in Time, Forbes and Shape, among other publications. Rachel focuses on healthy recipes and has a passion for inspiring others to cook in their kitchens too. She serves as an advisor for a handful of emerging CPG brands and loves to help start up companies scale using her platforms.

Dace is a global supply chain and logistics specialist with over 20 years of experience at Fortune 500 companies. With extensive international experience, particularly in Asia, Dace has developed products, streamlined manufacturing, and built strategic relationships. Known for reducing costs and generating savings, he balances logical efficiency with creativity. His career includes roles at Target Corporation, Porsche Cars North America, The Coca-Cola Company, and Johnson & Johnson. Dace also supports community initiatives in Atlanta and Minneapolis. He holds a B.S. in Business Management from Hampton University.

Megan Beebe is an attorney at Husch Blackwell and co-leads the Functional Food and Beverage Practice. She specializes in transactional matters, offering counsel on corporate governance, debt and equity financing (including angel investments, venture capital, and private equity), and mergers and acquisitions. Her experience spans working with early-stage startups to established operating companies within the food and beverage industry, including the functional and alcoholic beverage sectors. Megan also has significant experience assisting cannabis and industrial hemp clients with regulatory and transactional matters. Megan is a member of Naturally Boulder, a non-profit serving the natural and organic product industry in Colorado and is also a member of the International Cannabis Bar Association. Megan holds a B.A. from the University of Dayton, where she graduated summa cum laude, and a JD from the University of Denver, where she was honored as Order of the Coif for her academic excellence.

Emily R. Lyons is a partner in the Washington, DC office of Husch Blackwell and co-lead of the Food Safety and Regulation Practice. Her practice focuses on the regulation of food, agricultural commodities and consumer goods with an emphasis on sanitary production, ingredient safety and advertising of products. Emily focuses her practice on counseling companies of all sizes and stages of innovation and marketing to ensure a safe and high-quality product, seamless market launch as well as meeting consumer expectations all while balancing regulatory compliance.

Beth J. Brown is a Supply Chain leader with more than 25 years of CPG experience leading and optimizing supply chain, operations, and integrated planning with a focus on continuous improvement and a passion for natural food and beverage brands. She has worked with Diageo, Pepsi Beverages, Reed's, JPG Resources, Edgewell, Gillette, among others. She specializes in designing planning and inventory strategies to create operating efficiencies and strong partnerships with co-manufacturers and suppliers.

Luke Goldstein is a Managing Partner at Simple Food Ventures.  Luke has 8 years of experience in the consumer space as an operator, an advisor, and an investor.  Prior to joining Simple Food Ventures, he started two venture-backed CPG companies and ran them for a span of 5 years as acting CEO.  Luke has extensive experience guiding consumer startups through financial planning and analysis, corporate strategy, financial strategy, and market positioning. His background as an operator brings a unique perspective to Simple Food Ventures and he is passionate about using it to help guide the next generation of better-for-you brands.