Startups in the beauty industry have been dominating e-commerce and direct-to-consumer sales in recent years, and has become one of the fastest growing industries in the US. Since 2012, there’s been a 70% growth in funded beauty startups.

According to Pitchbook, US-based beauty companies have already raised a record amount of VC funding this year, coming in at a total of $812 million (and counting). Almost $200 million more than last year.

But VCs aren’t the only ones taking notice of beauty startups. Large brandhouses like Sephora and L’Oreal have taken note of this boom, and have created accelerators and funds that focus solely on beauty startups.

However, building a product in the beauty space is challenging. Not only is competition intense, there are many regulatory concerns to face while you grow your brand.

Join us on November 6th, 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
• Planning for direct-to-consumer or other distribution channels
• Building momentum for your product
• Adhering to rules & regulations
• Marketing and getting early press
• Fundraising for your beauty product
• And much more!

About the panelists

• Laura Lisowski Cox is the Co-Founder and CMO of Oars + Alps, a direct to consumer skin care brand for people who lead an active, on-the-go lifestyle. The products are made with natural premium ingredients. The company launched in 2015 after Laura quit her high-profile job at Facebook. She started her career at Digitas NYC in Strategy & Analytics advising Fortune 100 companies on digital acquisition and retention strategies, working with clients like American Express and Delta.
• Brian Jeong is the cofounder and CEO of Hawthorne, the first personalized brand for all men’s bathroom needs. Over a decade ago, Brian and his cofounder launched their first company Reluxe, a streetwear clothing brand, and have since worked with Drake/OVO, Microsoft, and Hood By Air. Brian is a former management consultant for The Boston Consulting Group and Booz & Co. and was an e-commerce focused product manager with BCG Digital Ventures. Brian completed his undergraduate studies at Princeton and started (but did not complete) his MBA at Wharton.
• Dan Reich is the founder of TULA, a health and beauty brand that has created the world’s first probiotic technology for topical application. In 2014, they launched exclusively with QVC. He has led the company as active CEO from inception to over $1mm in sales in less than one year. Dan has started and been involved with companies that have collectively raised over $100M in venture capital and have exited for close to $1B in M&A, including companies like Buddy Media, Spinback and Lotame. As a result, he has extensive experience in startups, technology, business operations, financing, management, and scaling large teams.

Schedule:

6:30 – 6:50: Drinks & Networking
6:50 – 7:50: Panel
7:50 – 8:15: Audience Q&A
8:15 – 9:00: More Drinks & Networking