BevNET Live L.A. 2025 — Agenda
December 7-9, 2025
Pacific Time
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2025
- 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Registration & Breakfast
Location: Promenade Ballroom - Lobby Level
Breakfast, coffee and beverages are served from 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM PT and are included with registration. Registration and badge pick up opens for the day at 8:00 AM PT. - 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
1:1 Meetings, Powered by L.A. Libations
Location: Outdoor Sinder Lounge - Lobby Level
Prior registration is required and meeting times are sent individually. Please check in at the One-to-One Help Desk before to heading to your meeting room. Meetings will be 10 minutes each and the complete schedule is posted at the Help Desk.- Nate Cooper, Founder & Managing Partner (Barrel Ventures)
- Jon Halper, Owner & CEO (Top Ten Liquors)
- Brad Barnhorn, Board Member and Strategic Advisor
- Jorge Espinoza, Beverage Merchant (Sprouts Farmers Market)
- Mason Webb, Forager Manager (Sprouts Farmer's Market)
- Aaron Hinde, President + Cofounder (LIFEAID)
- 8:30 AM – 9:05 AM
New Beverage Showdown Finals, Part I
Location: California Ballroom - Lobby Level
Our first three finalists face the judges!- John Craven, CEO (BevNET)
- Ken Sadowsky, Sr. Advisor (Verlinvest)
- Lourdes Grill, President (Red Tree Beverages (CCNA))
- Kim Route, Category Manager (INFRA)
- 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Sponsored Workshop: Verticalized AI in Action
Location: Palisades - Lower Level
In this high-impact workshop, AisleAI CEO Kevin Senn breaks down how “Verticalized AI” is transforming the way CPG brands win in small-format retail. Unlike general-purpose AI, verticalized AI is trained on domain-specific data — SKU hierarchies, store geography, POS realities, competitive context, and category language — producing insights that directly drive revenue, distribution, and execution in the field. Attendees will learn how leading brands, distributors, and retailers are already using AI purpose-built for CPG to identify whitespace, optimize pricing, improve retail execution, predict demand, and convert fragmented data into measurable outcomes. Through real examples and applied use cases, the session illustrates why the next wave of innovation won’t come from broad AI tools, but from vertical systems designed for the nuances of CPG.- Kevin Senn, CEO & Co-Founder (Aisle AI)
- George Martinez, Head of Business Strategy & Co-Founder (Aisle AI)
- Tyler Coates, Chief Operating Officer (Ultimate Sales)
- 9:05 AM – 10:20 AM
-- Morning Presentations --
Location: California Ballroom - Lobby Level - 9:05 AM – 9:30 AM
Retailer Profile: Inside INFRA
Founded in 2005 by four visionary retailers—Earth Fare, New Frontiers, New Leaf Community Markets, and Jimbo’s…Naturally!—INFRA has grown from a small network of like-minded pioneers into a vibrant cooperative of more than 380 retailers and 630 storefronts nationwide, representing a collective $3.2 billion in sales. INFRA's Kim Route and Angela Bozo will show attendees how to scale and win in the coolers of these high visibility, high loyalty accounts.- Kim Route, Category Manager (INFRA)
- Angela Bozo, Director of Member Programs (INFRA)
- 9:30 AM – 9:55 AM
The Next Stage for Spindrift
How Spindrift founder Bill Creelman addressed key decisions on the path to a sale -- and what the future holds for the brand now that it has partnered with Gryphon Investors to take it to the next stage of growth.- Bill Creelman, Chairman and Founder (Spindrift)
- Ryan Fagan, Deal Partner (Gryphon Investors)
- 9:55 AM – 10:20 AM
Going Pro: How Founder-Led Brands Evolve
How do you evolve from a founder-led vision into a brand that can grow? Whether you're at the wheel or handing it off, Maria Stipp shows founders how to get out of their own way.- Maria Stipp, CEO (Suja)
- 10:20 AM – 11:00 AM
Networking, Sampling & Taste Radio Studio
- 11:00 AM – 11:35 AM
New Beverage Showdown Finals, Part II
Location: California Ballroom - Lobby Level
Our second group of finalists pitch to the judges! - 11:35 AM – 12:50 PM
-- Final Presentations --
Location: California Ballroom - Lobby Level - 11:35 AM – 12:00 PM
Why Some Beverages Just SELL: Revealing the Psychology Hidden in the Sales Data
We’ve crunched the numbers behind the fastest-growing brands and categories, and used AI-powered psychology to reveal the three hidden forces that make products take off.- Hunter Thurman, Founder (Alpha-Diver)
- 12:00 PM – 12:25 PM
ANA Investing – Market Trends
They've been one of the most innovative and widely discussed product types of the past three years, but where is the investment market for Adult Non-Alcoholic Spirit brands heading? Our panel discusses ways to generate interest in categories and companies that are still in their early days.- Jen Batchelor, CEO & Founder (Kin Euphorics)
- Brandon Yahn, Partner (Convivialite Ventures)
- Dan Gasper, Managing Partner (Nex-Drinks Partners)
- 12:25 PM – 12:50 PM
Build to Flip, or Build to Last?
What founders get wrong about building brands that buyers - and consumers - will actually want over the long haul.- Courtney O'Brien, Founder (The Outlier Initiative)
- 12:50 PM – 1:00 PM
New Beverage Showdown: Judges’ Remarks and Winner Announcement
Location: California Ballroom - Lobby Level
Please note that event agendas are subject to change.