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.

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).