NEW YORK — Emerging CPG founders and startup brand leaders will converge in Manhattan this December for Founders’ Innovation Day, a high-impact event designed to equip innovators with the tools, insights, and connections needed to scale smarter and faster.
📍 Location: 4 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036
🕗 Time: 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
👉 Register Now | Learn More
A Roadmap for Growth
Hosted by ECRM and RetailMediaIQ, the event will spotlight retail executives from the nation’s largest and most influential chains, including Walmart, Target, Whole Foods Market, Giant Food, Wakefern Food Corp., Dollar General, Albertsons, Kroger Health, CVS, Fire Dept. Coffee and Nicobi Foods.
Speakers will share actionable strategies for retail readiness, demand generation, trade spend, innovation, and authentic partnerships—while offering founders a behind-the-scenes look at how merchants evaluate new brands and identify growth opportunities.
Featured Speakers
This year’s lineup includes a powerhouse roster of executives and entrepreneurs:
- Jeffrey Mondelli, Vice President, Grocery Division, Wakefern Food Corp.
- Jennifer Ray-Jones, Director, Target Accelerator Pipeline & Programmings, Target
- Le’Spencer Walker, Director, Target Accelerators, Target
- Jerrit Davis, Vice President, Personal Care Merchandising, Walmart
- Ralph Clare, SVP, Merchandising, Consumables, Health & Wellness, Walmart
- Vinima Shekar, Vice President, Merchandising, Beauty, Walmart
- Jim Kirby, Chief Commercial Officer, Kroger Health
- Karen Ivanis-Rogers, Senior Director of Business Ventures, Albertsons
- Kelly Landrieu, Global Coordinator, Director – Local & Emerging Brands, Whole Foods Market
- Tonya Douglas, SVP Omnichannel Merchandising, Giant Food
- Michelle Leblanc, Vice President, Beauty, Personal Care & Hispanic Center of Excellence, CVS
- Zachary Dennett, Vice President of Merchandising, CVS Health
- Luke Schneider, CEO & Founder, Fire Dept. Coffee (FDC)
- Obi Linton, Co-Owner, Nicobi Foods
Empowering Founders
For founders of D2C startups and emerging CPG brands, the event promises more than inspiration. Attendees will gain a clear roadmap for brand growth—from navigating retail scalability to connecting with potential collaborators and growth partners.
With new speakers added this year and sessions spanning operations, finance, sales, and the path to purchase, Founders’ Innovation Day delivers on its mission:
Content. Community. Connections.
Registration
Founders’ Innovation Day will take place on December 10, 2025, in New York City.
