Lauren Rome: Founder and CEO of Romer

Lauren Rome is a lover of community, the environment, and clean skincare.  Lauren spent the last decade in NYC grinding in the tenacious environment of Wall Street — the stress of which often led to breakouts, dark circles, and dehydrated skin. A woman on the go, she tried countless products, but nothing seemed to work. 

Lauren wondered, why can’t I find a simple regimen that works, removes the hassle in my daily life, and has high-quality ingredients that can be shared by both me AND my partner?

Lauren has always been a problem solver and comes from a line of strong women in her family who believe they can affect real change. Empowered by the idea she could help people feel their best, she embarked on a mission to create the solution she and others needed. She set out to build a simplified skincare regimen that can be used by all genders and skin types.

She left her career behind and spent a year of research and education with industry experts. At the end of this journey, she created Romer Skincare, based on simple ingredients and a consistent routine with only three products – a daily cleanser, a hydrating moisturizer, and a night treatment mask.

Lauren now lives in Chicago with her husband, is a proud Mom to two beautiful babies and her golden retriever, and her skin has never looked better. Lauren continues to build a community around her brand and helps others discover the joy of healthy, beautiful skin.

Thank you for your submissions!

Jennifer Kennedy, CEO & Founder of www.shophoneybug.com;

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennkenn/

Jennifer Kennedy launched HoneyBug in 2019 not only in a bid to reinvent baby and kids’ gifting, but in an effort to create a company that supports, listens and fosters female entrepreneurs and young talent. Jen founded HoneyBug out of her garage, while holding a full time job as a Senior Vice President of Product Marketing & Innovation at a multi-billion dollar brand, and navigating life with two small children. As a mom of two, her family’s schedule was constantly overflowing with birthday parties, baby showers and more, and finding the time to shop for the perfect gift became next to impossible. While successful in her career at global consumer brands, Kennedy always felt that companies missed the opportunity to embrace and cultivate the unique perspective and energy women and mothers brought to the office. Driven by a deep curiosity, resilience and vision for creating a company that celebrated women at all stages of their career, especially Motherhood, HoneyBug was born.

She's a world class marketer, having won an Effie award, launching an entire industry-leading daypart in the restaurant industry, and holding a Guinness World Record for the world's largest coupon. We are proud of her at HoneyBug for her relentless work ethic, and we know she was never handed anything along the way. She is an innovator and is equal parts tech nerd and marketer.

Jenni Morse, an entrepreneur and founder of Made Simpli. She is an inventor of the Simpli Press, a French Press without the Mess.

Jenni Morse made Simpli Press a reality by pursuing her passion of creating a truly great cup of coffee all while making the world a better place. She worked in the corporate world when her father, an inventor, and entrepreneur passed. She decided to follow in his footsteps, quit her corporate career and launch Made Simpli, with its flagship product Simpli Press.

“My father was an inventor and an entrepreneur—and the first person to show me that my dream of owning a product-based business was possible. His passing made me realize that life is short. Now is the time to give back and make an impact.

My goal with Made Simpli is to create innovative and high-quality sustainable products that add beauty and bliss to people’s daily lives, all while making the world a better place. That’s why we give back 10% of our net profit to women and children in the coffee industry, as well as those involved in STEM and entrepreneurship programs.

As of right now, only 13% of patent holders are women. And you have to wonder, what percentage actually makes it to the market? My personal mission is to empower others.

It’s always the right time to make a difference.”

Driven by passion and purpose, Made Simpli is Jenni's platform to give back and make a difference. She currently resides in San Clemente, California, with her husband and two sons.

Dropbox with product + founder images: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/xk3f41nawub7oxb/AAAj4H49Od6LpfRPUdgSPEi2a?dl=0

Jamaican born, NYC-based Danielle “Danz” Edmond, founder and CEO of Stay Golden Cosmetics and uQueen Organics has two brands but with the same core mission: to empower dynamite women through confidence-boosting cosmetic and organic pampering products. 

From national basketball star to worldwide model, event strategy consultant turned glitter cosmetic and organic skincare guru/entrepreneur – Danz has lived many lives, but will always honor her roots. Jamaican Rastafarians uphold the principle of lividity: a balanced life to maintain vitality. Her two brands pay homage to this value by creating products for both when it is time to glamorize, and when it is time to revitalize. Stay Golden Cosmetics offers vibrant and fierce shimmering eye and lip glam, while uQueen Organics is for rejuvenation – of skin, body, and being.

About Stay Golden Cosmetics: 

Starting with just 5 glitter lip kits, conceived on her Brooklyn NY living room floor in 2017, the brand has since evolved to 20 varying lip shades and eye pigments, is sold on UrbanOutfitters.com and DollsKill.com and in store at the Allure Beauty Store NYC. It has been seen on the likes of Nicki Minaj, Lizzo, Kacey Musgraves, and Cardi B.

About uQueen Organics: 

Skincare systems derived from nature for organic rejuvenation to improve your holistic lifestyle. Ingredients sourced from the island of Bali, Indonesia from their plants and fruits, the most effective in naturally reducing impurities while gently resurfacing and rebalancing the skin to be the best version of itself. Vegan, ethically sourced, organic, and cruelty free, offering elixirs from Almond Shea Glow Butter to Rose Papaya Glow Toner

Sarah Ribner is the Founder & CEO of PiperWai, the first all-natural, charcoal-based, nontoxic deodorant. Sarah began her journey with wellness almost a decade ago, however, an effective nontoxic, natural deodorant was the missing piece in her quest to lead a healthy, low waste lifestyle. Sarah saw an opportunity to fill a market need and to create a powerful brand to bring this formula to the masses. 

She holds an MBA from Columbia, a BA from Upenn, and an aromatherapist certification from the New York Institute of Aromatic Studies. Sarah is a proud member of the EY Winning Women Class of 2017, Forbes 30 Under 30, and she has appeared on ABC, CBS, HSN, AOL Build, Fox and many other major media outlets. 

Denise Dubois is an entrepreneur and founder of Dubois Beauty. She has worked at the pinnacle of the aesthetics and spa industry for decades. Denise was inspired to create her skincare brand Dubois Beauty to offer innovative, clean beauty solutions for customers at Complexions Spa, the high-end spa located in New York’s Capital Region which she has owned and operated for 35 years.

While the Dubois Beauty brand is new, Dubois herself has an impressive history as a pioneer in the clean beauty and sustainability spaces. In 2007 when Denise had the opportunity to move her growing spa business into a new building, she chose to do so while following guidelines from the US Green building council, and achieved the first Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) spa in the country for new construction. This is an internationally recognized green building certification program developed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC).

As her business continued to grow, Denise’s passion for preserving the environment and avoiding toxins also grew. She wanted to create a clean beauty line that featured all natural active ingredients at the clinical level to produce superior results. In creating Dubois Beauty, Denise utilized her deep knowledge of overall wellness practices, nutrition, skin care ingredients, spa treatments, and advanced technologies that have made her a trusted resource for her spa clients. Her extensive beauty industry experience granted her access to incredible professionals and experts that she worked with to ensure that Dubois Beauty was the most efficacious and clean it could possibly be.

Denise is an Internationally Certified CIDESCO Diplomat, Esthetics America Member, NCEA member, Green Spa Network Member, ISpa Member, Professional Beauty Association Member, Day Spa Association Member, NY State Spa Alliance member, Institute of Integrative Nutrition Health coach, and certified Organic Skincare Formulation. She started her career as an esthetician in 1985 after graduating from the Catherine E. Hinds School of Esthetics where she received the Merretta Gotham Hinds Award for highest achievement.

She is the recent author of Living Beautifully: Creating A Holistic Lifestyle. This book takes a comprehensive look at healthy living in the modern era, including nutrition, activity, fresh air and nature, relationships, work, de-stressing, self-care, and professional treatments.

In addition to running the two spas, founding and developing the Dubois Beauty skincare line, Denise Dubois continues to support the community through charitable work and wellness education programs in her home base in upstate New York.

Thank you for the consideration!

Name: Whitney McElwain

Title: Founder and CEO

Short Bio:

Whitney McElwain is the Founder of Daybird: the anti-beauty beauty club creating clean makeup with active skincare ingredients so you can wear less and benefit more. With over a decade of experience in building both household names like Red Bull and startups like Curology and Liingo Eyewear, Whitney is no stranger to creating consumer brands people love. As a Hispanic woman, she wants to be a part of the generational change for Latinas everywhere. "I don't want my one-year-old daughter growing up with the same societal standards that exist today," says Whitney. She holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and her Bachelors from the University of Texas at Austin.

Reem Hassani, Co-Founder of Numi Organic Tea

At Numi, Reem oversees brand identity, including all packaging design, brand voice and experience. An artist by trade (including a Diploma d’Arte from Lorenzo de Medici Art Institute in Florence, Italy and an M.F.A. in Arts & Consciousness Studies from JFK University), Reem’s original artwork has been a source of inspiration for Numi’s brand vision and packaging. In 2019, she was honored as one of Progressive Grocer’s Top Women in Business.

Larissa Pickens, designer turned entrepreneur

My first venture is the design agency Float Design. We specialize in branding, packaging, and digital marketing for brands ranging from Condé Nast, Calvin Klein, Scholastic, and Estée Lauder to start-ups. 

As the agency grew, I started writing to share my experiences. This gradually evolved into a collection of lifestyle publications that now reach over two million readers per month. Fragrance has always been one of my favorite indulgences and led me to launch my current pet project, Fernweh Editions candles, which combines my passions for scent and travel.