Highlight x New York Tech Week 2024

Join Good Housekeeping, Highlight, Statusphere, HearstLab, and Rebecca Minkoff of The Female Founder Collective for a panel diving into the future of consumer product goods and product testing. Together, leaders across the CPG and venture spaces will explore why and how women and non-binary perspectives belong at the forefront of product innovation as technology develops. 

Rebecca Minkoff, Founder of Rebecca Minkoff and Co-Founder of The Female Founder Collective

With over two decades in business, Rebecca is a visionary entrepreneur and fashion industry pioneer known for her dynamic leadership, commitment to female entrepreneurship, tech innovation, and brand longevity. As a board member, she offers a unique blend of strategic thinking, industry expertise, and a dedication to promoting diversity and equity. Rebecca is equally equipped to support Founder retention having seen both sides of a transaction and knowing what it takes to ensure a founder has success post-acquisition. Learn more about The 10th House for female founders at their website.

Jenny Bryant, Director of Customer Development at Highlight

With over a decade of experience in high-impact sales roles and over 8 years as a sales leader in the insights space, Jenny has developed a dynamic approach to driving success. She excels in challenges requiring a strategic eye and innovative problem-solving, consistently creating visionary strategies that redefine business landscapes. Jenny is passionate about helping CPG organizations develop better, more sustainable products, driving initiatives that enhance revenue performance and support environmental sustainability.

Julia Collins, Founder and CEO of Planet FWD and Moonshot Snacks

Julia Collins is Founder & CEO of Planet FWD, tackling climate change by making it easier to bring climate-friendly products to market. Her mission was originally inspired by her love of food, including spending over a decade of her launching and growing food brands such as Union Square Hospitality Group and Murray’s Cheese Bar.  In 2020, she launched Moonshot Snacks as the first climate-friendly snack brand which has since been acquired by Patagonia. Today, in addition to leading Planet FWD, she is an active angel investor focused on funding female entrepreneurs and BIPOC founders.

Laurie Jennings, General Manager at Good Housekeeping

​​Laurie Jennings is the General Manager of the Good Housekeeping Institute. In her role, she oversees all innovation and testing for consumer products, services, and content including collaborating with Hearst Magazine brands such as Cosmo & Oprah Daily. For the last 7 years, she has also served as a Scout and advisor for HearstLab, a venture arm of Hearst that invests in women-led startups in media, technology, and data.

Kristen Wiley, Founder at CEO at Statusphere

Kristen Wiley is the Founder and CEO of Statusphere, a micro-influencer marketing platform that helps brands scale their influencer partnerships in a fraction of the time. She has been in the influencer industry for over 10 years, during which time she has both coordinated partnerships for brands and built her own following as an influencer. Her unique experiences on both sides of influencer collaborations led her to develop a technology solution that helps brands and influencers enjoy all the upsides of influencer marketing with none of the effort. Learn more about how Statusphere connects brands with microinfluencers at their website.