Seed Capital: Funding Your Early-Stage Startup

Lizzie Francis is a Partner and Head of Operations at M13. Lizzie’s work touches all aspects of the firm; she helps drive day-to-day operations and works closely with M13’s Propulsion and Launchpad founders, helping them navigate core operational and marketing needs. Lizzie has extensive experience in marketing and operations, primarily at consumer tech companies; she has been the CMO at fashion retailer Gilt Groupe, COO at sneaker marketplace Goat Group and a GM at fast-fashion retailer TechStyle fashion. Lizzie's operating career includes launching and developing digitally-born consumer brands and products, running operations, creating programmatic solutions, and building out innovative marketing programs leveraging data and technology to drive early to mid-stage growth. Lizzie has built businesses through two previous economic downturns, helping them scale despite tough market dynamics; including LowerMyBills.com (sold to Experian Interactive), at the time the largest online advertiser.

In 2015, she launched Brilliant Ventures, an early-stage VC firm focused on bringing go-to-market and operating expertise to early-stage consumer technology companies, including CherryPick.ai, Harper Wilde, SkylarBody, Tamara Mellon, Happy Returns and more.

Kelly Kovack is the CEO and Founder of BeautyMatter, a noted beauty authority, brand advisor and strategist. She began her career in beauty as one of the original executive team members at Bliss, taking on the way women bought beauty as the Managing Director of the Bliss Catalog. This venture fundamentally changed the way beauty products were merchandised, distributed and marketed to consumers leading the acquisition of Bliss by LVMH. As Vice President of Marketing for Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare, she was at the forefront of defining the cosmeceutical category. Kelly also founded consultancy group Purpose Built, providing concept to counter solutions and strategic advisement for startups to Fortune 500 brand and everything in between. In addition, she's also built her own brands, most recently award-winning fragrance brand, Odin, which was co-founded in collaboration with the men's fashion brand. Kelly is the “lens” of BeautyMatter providing a fresh voice to the beauty industry with highly curated news and original content.