Kiva Dickinson is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Selva Ventures, leading all deal sourcing and execution efforts and working closely with portfolio brands. Prior to founding Selva Ventures Kiva was a Partner at CircleUp, where he joined during the launch of the Company’s first discretionary equity fund CircleUp Growth Partners. While at CircleUp Kiva led Series B investments in Nutpods and Liquid I.V., working closely with both companies following investment. Prior to CircleUp, Kiva was a private equity investor in San Francisco at TPG Capital. There, he focused on a combination of consumer and digital media companies. Kiva was involved in TPG’s Series B investments in Lynda.com (subsequently acquired by LinkedIn) and Ipsy. Prior to TPG, Kiva began his career in Los Angeles at Barclays in consumer-focused investment banking.

Kate joined Encore Consumer Capital in 2016. Kate is a Director of Kyla, Lion Beverages and Murry’s and helps manage Encore’s investment in Full Sail. She was a Director of California Splendor, ThunderWorks and Van Law. Kate is responsible for deal origination and execution as well as portfolio company oversight. Prior to joining Encore, she worked at Lineage Capital where she focused on investing in owner-managed businesses in the lower middle market. Kate received a BA in Economics from Boston College and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Kate lives in San Francisco with her husband and son. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, running, hiking, and getting out of the city to explore Northern California.

Arif invests in and works with innovative brands and companies led by inspiring entrepreneurs and management teams, and collaborates closely alongside similarly focused co-investors and value chain partners. Bringing two decades of consumer and retail experience to the table, Arif partners with teams building the next generation nutrition landscape by providing early & growth stage capital and operational support to help empower growth and build great businesses. Select investments and board responsibilities include Vive Organic, Flying Embers, REBBL, 4th & Heart, High Brew Coffee, Ripple Foods, Barnana, Revive Kombucha (acquired by Peet’s Coffee), Rhythm Superfoods, Fishpeople Seafood, Biena Snacks, Sufferfest Beer Company (acquired by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company), Bonafide Provisions, Nutriati, Austin Eastciders, Pique Tea & RightRice.

Ken Sadowsky is known by insiders in the beverage business as “the beverage whisperer” for having an incredible track record of investing in and advising many of the fastest-growing and most successful new beverages over the last 20 years, including Glaceau/VitaminWater, Vita Coco, Hint and LifeAID where he serves (ed) as a Director. He has also advised companies including Bai, Califia Farms, Recess, and Dyla Brands (makers of Stur and Forto). Ken is also the senior beverage advisor for Verlinvest (investment vehicle of Belgian InBev family) in the USA. He is also the executive director of NIDA, a group of independent beverage distributors in the Northeast part of the USA.

Mr. Huntsman joined UBS Financial Services in February 2013. He advises high-net-worth families, family offices and institutions, and brings a wealth of expertise in high-net-worth investment consulting. Michael has substantial experience working with asset allocation, portfolio modeling, concentrated stock and restricted securities issues.

Liz Myslik is driven to help mission-driven brands and the people who create them. She has spent 20 years leading and investing in emerging consumer brands across the food, beverage and fitness industries. In her role at 2X Consumer Growth Partners, she funds and supports great brands to transform their categories and grow. Her operating and leadership experience make Liz a valued partner to the entrepreneurs she works with, because she has faced many of the same challenges they do; including building and managing supply chains, running in-house and outsourced manufacturing, driving product trial and consumer loyalty, achieving distribution growth, developing new products, leading teams, and financing working capital and growth. Liz has been named as a Kingmaker in Consumer & Retail by Forbes, one of the Most Influential Woman in Food & Drink by Fortune, and a Wonder Woman in the Natural Products Industry by New Hope Media.

David is a Vice President with AF Ventures, where he supports the investment activities of the Fund, including sourcing and due diligence. He also works with the founders of our investments building their financial plans. Prior to joining AF Ventures, David worked at Incentrum Group in a strategic advisory role for select life sciences & healthcare corporate clients and pursued private equity and venture-oriented investing. Before that, David worked at BNP Paribas in both their M&A and capital markets groups. David holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Bucknell University.

Nate started Barrel Ventures out of a passion to help others disrupt the status quo. Surrounded by entrepreneurs at a young age, Nate became an operator himself as a founder of L3 Hospitality Group and later Wise Apple, a company that set out to change kids' lunch. Nate is a graduate of the Goizueta School of Business at Emory University and received his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management where he was awarded a Kellogg Scholarship and named a Zell Fellow.

Tiffany is a Partner at NextWorld Evergreen, a San Francisco-based private capital firm that provides growth capital to companies in the branded consumer and retail ecosystem. NextWorld Evergreen is investing out of a $400 million, 100-year evergreen fund and seeks majority or minority investments in consumer companies that are pioneers in their categories (portfolio company examples include Credo Beauty, Alter Eco Chocolate and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream). Tiffany has over 15 years of private investing experience. Prior to joining NextWorld Evergreen in 2020, she was a Managing Director at Insignia Capital Group, a Bay Area, lower middle-market private equity firm, where she served on the boards of Century Snacks and Tillamook Country Smoker. She started her private equity career at Lake Capital in Chicago where she focused on investments in marketing services companies (examples include Hyper Marketing, ORC International and Respond2 Communications).

Andrew Reynolds is Co-Founder and Managing Partner RCV Frontline along with Jeff Grogg of JPG resources, LLC. RCV Frontline is an operationally focused venture fund investing in early stage food and beverage companies. In addition to RCV Frontline, Mr. Reynolds is the Co-founder and Managing Partner of Reynolds & Company Venture Partners (RCV partners). Mr. Reynolds founded RCV partners in 2010 because he saw the need and opportunity to provide capital and professional support to emerging consumer product and service companies. Mr. Reynolds views early stage emerging brands through a unique lens. Not only from an investing point of view but also from an operational perspective gained from his time as President of Icebox Water where he helped build every aspect of the business, from supply chain, operations, sales and finance.

Larry Kahn is the Founder and Managing Partner of Beechwood Capital, a Boston-based investment fund that identifies and invests in venture and growth stage branded consumer product companies. Beechwood’s approach blends a unique background as former operators with significant experience in helping disruptive brands scale across food/beverage, beauty and retail categories. Beechwood’s recent and exited investments include Banza, Once Upon a Farm, Flying Embers, Revive Kombucha and Urban Remedy. For more information, please visit www.beechwoodcap.com

Brian Locklear is a Principal at Beechwood Capital, a Boston-based investment fund that identifies and invests in venture and growth stage branded consumer product companies. Beechwood’s approach blends a unique background as former operators with significant experience in helping disruptive brands scale across food/beverage, beauty and retail categories. Beechwood’s recent and exited investments include Banza, Once Upon a Farm, Flying Embers, Revive Kombucha and Urban Remedy. For more information, please visit www.beechwoodcap.com

Robert co-founded Encore Consumer Capital in 2005. He is Chairman of Encore portfolio companies Ancient Harvest and Tender Belly and a director of butter LONDON, Navitas Organics, and Supergoop!. Robert was the Chairman of former Encore portfolio companies Aidells Sausage Company, Atlantic Aqua Farms, California Splendor, Caterina Foods, Isopure, PhillySwirl and tarte and was a director at Thanasi Foods.

Mel Gaceta is the Director of Ventures. He oversees and executes early stage investments as part of their innovation hub, SnackFutures. Previously, Mel helped establish and was Managing Director for Synchrony Ventures, the venture arm of GE Capital’s former retail finance business. Mel started his career in corporate venture in 2000 as part of the founding team at Motorola Ventures.

Brigette Wolf is the Head of Innovation for SnackFutures, Mondelez’s new innovation hub that will play a critical role in the company’s aggressive global growth agenda. In this role, Brigette is a key architect in the building of a multi-functional ecosystem consisting of internal experts around the world and cutting edge external partners to drive innovation in a new and different way. In the SnackFutures model of Invent, Reinvent and Venture, Brigette’s focus is driving the development of new brands and businesses in the Well Being and Premium Space. Brigette has been with Mondelez for 6 1/2 half years, and in that time served as the senior director of Global Platform Innovation for Gum, Candy and Biscuits as well the brand manager for Belvita. Brigette was with the company when it was Kraft Foods, and for 10 years under that umbrella served as the Global Innovation Manager for Oreo and also worked across several of the pizza and meal brands.

Ben Lee is a Managing Director and General Partner of CircleUp Growth Partners, an early-stage consumer fund with a scalable, data-driven approach to investing in visionary entrepreneurs and products. Ben has spent the last 15 years working with early stage consumer brands, with experience as an investor and operator across a broad range of industries, from food and beverage to personal care, home goods, direct marketing, and e-commerce. He previously led CircleUp's investing marketplace, which connected high-growth consumer companies with accredited investors. Prior to CircleUp, Ben was an investor at JH Partners, a consumer-focused private equity firm. Ben currently serves on the boards of HUM Nutrition, 4505 Meats, and Liquid I.V. and led CGP's investments in Barnana, Fort Point Beer Company, and Cali'flour Foods. Ben received a BS in Physics from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.