Welcome to Stacklist.

Startups in the beauty industry have been crushing e-commerce and direct-to-consumer sales in recent years. Beauty has been one of the most innovative and fastest growing industries in recent years; since 2012, there’s been a 70% growth in the number of venture-funded beauty startups. And a unicorn has even emerged – Glossier, which recently surpassed the $1 billion valuation.

VCs and entrepreneurs are all taking note and looking to build the next beauty startup that will enamor consumers.

However, building a product in the beauty space is challenging. Physical products can be a barrel of complicated logistics around manufacturing, packaging and shelf-life. Regulatory concerns can arise, especially for products in the naturals space. You also need to be intentional about distribution channels, understanding the economic impact and marketing opportunity of purusing d2c vs. online retail vs. brick & mortar retail vs. amazon vs. a combination thereof.

Perhaps most challenging is standing out. Customer acquisition is expensive; the beauty market is exciting, but it’s crowded. So it can be a herculean effort for even the most truly differentiated products to get consumer’s attention.

Join us on October 17th, as we discuss what it takes to launch and grow a beauty startup, some of the opportunities and challenges unique to this industry, and

• Designing & prototyping products
• Competing in a crowded space
• Distributing your product online and retail
• Marketing and getting early press
• Fundraising for your beauty product

About the panelists

• Mariya Nurislamova, Co-founder & CEO of Scentbird – Mariya Nurislamova is a CEO and co-founder of Scentbird – a beauty e-tailer and subscription service that started in 2014 with a focus on fragrance. Scentbird pioneered the concept of fragrance rental by offering its customers a monthly supply of any designer fragrance for $14.95. Additionally, Scentbird currently operates two beauty brands – Deck of Scarlet (makeup) and Confessions of a Rebel (fragrance).
• Charlotte Cho, Co-founder of Soko Glam, and Founder of Then I Met You – Charlotte Cho is an esthetician, author, co-founder of K-Beauty destination Soko Glam and skincare content site The Klog, and now the founder of Then I Met You, a premium direct-to-consumer skincare line focused on a meaningful experience and quality ingredients. As an expat living in Seoul, she discovered the world of Korean beauty and skincare. After using the products and applying the Korean “skin-first” philosophy, she saw her skin and confidence transform, so in 2012 she made it her mission to share her skincare expertise and a curated selection of Korean beauty products in the US. Despite the many industry doubters that anyone would care about unfamiliar online Korean beauty brands, Charlotte stayed course and co-founded Soko Glam in 2012. As a result of this commitment, K-beauty grew into a $13.1 billion phenomenon that continues to thrive across the globe. Additionally, Cho is the author of The Little Book of Skincare (HarperCollins) and is currently working on her second book, which will focus on the Korean concept of jeong (an inspiration for Then I Met You) and our current need for richer connections in today’s hurried world. In 2019, Charlotte was named Adweek’s Trailblazer of the Year, WWD 40 under 40, and has been featured in media outlets such as Entrepreneur, The New York Times, Allure, Harper’s Bazaar, and Fast Company.
• Paul Michaux, Co-founder & Vice President of Product at Prose – Paul Michaux is the Co-Founder and Vice President of Product at Prose, the direct-to-consumer beauty brand delivering custom hair care products that are made-to-order and address the specific needs and goals of each individual’s hair and scalp. As Co-Founder and Vice President, Michaux is responsible for leading digital product innovation and expansion. Prior to his role as Co-Founder and VP of Product, Michaux served as Special Projects Manager at L’Oreal in New York City, where he was responsible for leading the implementation of strategic digital marketing projects. Before L’Oreal, he held brand manager positions at companies including, Christian Dior and Procter & Gamble. In 2018, Michaux was recognized as one of the winners of Forbes 30 Under 30 List. He graduated with two Bachelor’s degrees from HEC Paris and University La Sorbonne. Michaux also holds a Master’s Degree from HEC Paris and Telecom ParisTech.
• Meghan Maupin, Co-founder & CEO of Atolla – Meghan has a graduate degree in Engineering and Management from MIT, and previously worked in design roles at Patagonia, The MIT Design Lab, and Formlabs. With an expertise in integrating new technology into user experience, her work includes designing an AI-powered personal assistant, and launching multiple products for mass customization in 3D printing. Meghan used this experience to launch Atolla in 2019 – a revolutionary customizable skincare company. The Atolla Skin Health System leverages machine learning algorithms and precision skin data (captured through physical skin testing tools) to create personalized and adaptable serums.

Mark Brinker’s latest Marketing Tech Landscape listed over 7,000 marketing tools across advertising, content, social media, data, management, and sales. But he admitted even that number was understated.

It pays to be savvy about the tools on the market. Even more so, it pays to be savvy about capabilities, functionality and enhacements that you might not be aware of yet. With the myriad choices out there, choosing the right marketing tools and creating a “stack” of the best and most comprehensive solutions can be critical, if not catalyzing, your startup growth.

Join us on October 23rd as we learn about different marketing tools for startups! You’ll find valuable and scalable tech that will set the foundation for your growth.

Interested in showcasing your startup? Contact [email protected]

Presenting Companies

Ceros is a cloud-based experiential content creation platform that empowers marketers and designers to create rich interactive content without code or traditional web development. The Ceros Studio is the only platform of its kind with the ability to produce creative content experiences at scale. Founded in 2013, Ceros has offices in New York and London and is used by many of the world’s top brands.

DojoMojo is a brand network and partnerships marketplace. We empower marketers of all sizes to connect and build sponsored content and giveaway campaigns to grow their audiences at a fraction of the cost of traditional paid channels. We’ve also taken on an entirely new way for advertisers and publishers to work together, and leveraging scores of data points to ensure that every brand is working with partners who will turn their new audience into buyers and readers.

With nearly ten thousand brands in the DojoMojo network, we’re trusted by brands like General Assembly, theSkimm, Conde Nast and Hearst and have helped our customers add close to 200 million new potential readers and customers to their email lists.

Paloma helps businesses turn Facebook Messenger into a sales channel. Working with top marketers from brands like Bombas, Andie, LOLA, The RealReal, and more, their platform powers automated, personalized sales conversations that convert at 2–3x higher than site experiences.

Segment is a single platform that collects, stores, and routes your user data to hundreds of tools with the flick of a switch.We take care of the messy analytics installation process for you, so you can spend more time using your data and less time tracking it down.

Schedule

6:30 – 7:00: Drinks & Networking
7:00 – 8:15: Demos
8:15 – 9:00: More Drinks & Networking

Startups new and old value a strong social media presence. A thoughtfully crafted social strategy is an asset that strengthens brand awareness, sales and customer acquisition.

With ever-changing algorithms and new platforms emerging, getting to your first thousand followers or growing your brand on a crowded channel can be daunting. Founders wonder about efficiency: which channel presents the most opportunity for their business? They think about execution: what is it going to take to have a meaningful social following? And they want to know about outcomes: what results should they look for and when is it time to doubledown or change course?

Join us on October 30th for a social media workshop where you’ll learn how to effectively leverage social media to grow your startup.

You’ll learn

• How to create content for different social media channels
• How to measure the effectiveness of your social media marketing
• Engaging users and building a following
• Integrating social media with other parts of your marketing mix

Schedule

6:30 – 7:00: Drinks & Networking
7:00 – 8:15: Social Media Workshop
8:15 – 9:00: More Drinks & Networking