Uncle Nearest founder and CEO Fawn Weaver will discuss the beverage business, entrepreneurship, investment and share her story as the founder of Uncle Nearest, Inc., the largest Black-owned distillery in the U.S. when she takes the stage of BevNET Live Winter 2022 in Santa Monica, California.
Since starting Uncle Nearest, in 2016, Weaver has become a power player both in the beverage business and the broader business world overall. As an investor, she runs the privately held investment company Grant Sidney, Inc.; in beverage, her $50 million Uncle Nearest Venture Fund has invested in minority-owned brands like Hella Cocktails and Sorel; she has also become a board member of Endeavor Group Holdings. As an author, columnist, restaurateur, and speaker, she has stressed the balance between work and family and building a strong marriage while growing companies.
The story of Uncle Nearest has become one of the most inspiring success stories in both spirits and beverage overall and Weaver’s incredible energy and leadership style have continued to make the brand a forceful change agent in the CPG industry. In 2020, Jack Daniel’s and the nonprofit Nearest Green Foundation formed the Nearest and Jack Advancement Initiative, to elevate people of color within the American whiskey industry and to greatly increase diversity in the spirits industry overall.
Weaver will share insights on the ways that brands can achieve rapid growth while fulfilling a social vision and will discuss ways that entrepreneurs can live balanced lives while building dynamic brands. She’ll offer thoughts on investment across both spirits and non-alcoholic beverage brands, discuss opportunities and challenges for minority-owned companies, and share a lifetime of lessons for the founders and brands in the BevNET Live audience.
Weave joins a speaker lineup that includes executives from Celsius, Dry Soda, GHOST, Thaiwala, Biolyte, Waterloo Sparkling Water, Bertosa, SIA Scotch Whisky, MXXN, Sagamore Spirit and Klaus, with more to come.
For those already registered, there are a number of options for additional education, networking and exposure, including the New Beverage Showdown pitch competition, Beverage School for startups, the Livestream Studio, and various Sample Bars stationed throughout the event. More information about these opportunities can be found on the BevNET Live website.
BevNET Live will take place at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, located at 1700 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90401.
About BevNET Live
BevNET Live is the premiere event for beverage brands, distributors, service providers, retailers and investors to discuss what’s next for the industry. With the industry’s foremost speakers and our New Beverage Showdown, BevNET Live attracts hundreds of brands to each event.
About Fawn Weaver
Fawn Weaver has been a serial entrepreneur for more than 25 years. As the CEO and founder of Grant Sidney, Inc., a privately held investment company, Weaver is often active in her investments, overseeing strategy from behind the scenes. She is also the CEO of Uncle Nearest, Inc. which she founded in 2016 and has become the fastest-growing American whiskey brand in U.S. history and the most awarded Bourbon of 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Weaver is the founder of the Nearest Green Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization offering full scholarships to every descendant of Nearest Green, the world’s first known African-American master distiller. In 2021, Weaver created the Uncle Nearest Venture Fund, to invest in minority founded, owned and led brands with the greatest potential to grow into legacy brands.
Weaver is a popular TED speaker, as well as a USA Today and New York Times bestselling author who has appeared on 100s of popular radio, morning and television talk shows, including NPR, FOX Business, the TODAY Show, CBS This Morning, Good Morning America, CNBC, Bloomberg, Fast Company, Washington Post and The New York Times. She is a regular contributor to Inc. Magazine and her revealing How I Built This segment with Guy Raz on NPR had the internet abuzz for weeks.
She is certified as a Corporate Director by Harvard Business School and in March 2021, was named to the Endeavor Group Holdings (NYSE: EDR) board of directors, alongside Elon Musk, where she also serves on its audit committee.