HearstLab

I'm excited to be speaking on the Fund Her Future panel next Wednesday, the 30th April, hosted by Breakthrough Labs and supported by the British Business Bank. This marks the final session in a powerful webinar series designed to equip female founders with essential funding knowledge and resources. I’ll be joining the brilliant Vanesa Pazos and Malin Svanberg Larsson to discuss: 💡 When equity funding makes sense 🧭 How to navigate the (sometimes daunting) funding ecosystem 🚀 And what still needs to change to make this space more accessible and inclusive. Whether you're a founder, an aspiring investor, or simply passionate about reshaping the funding landscape — this conversation is for you. 🔗 Register now via www.breakthroughlabs.net A huge thank you to Kristen Weatherby and Susan Elliott for driving such an important initiative! #femalefounders #VC #investment

This #EarthDay, we had the pleasure of attending Hearst 2025 Sustainability Summit for a morning of discussion around the present & future for our planet 🌎✨ A few highlights… First up, Hearst’s Senior Vice President, Public Affairs and Communications David Carey reiterated the fundamental importance of: - Doubling down on core values - Rethinking systems not just products - Collaborating across boundaries - Recognizing the cyclical nature of politics - Tying #ESG to business outcomes We also enjoyed a provocative conversation with New York University’s Chisara Ehiemere & Nature Is Nonpartisan’s Benjamin (Benji) Backer on how “fighting climate change is not what’s possible vs. not. It’s a communications challenge.” Bottom line? Words matter. Personal stories & local impact matter. 📰Speaking of words & storytelling…We loved hearing from HearstLab Scout jane francisco on a panel (along with Kate Galbraith from San Francisco Chronicle & Robinson Meyer from Heatmap News) on “Shaping the Climate Narrative: Media’s Role in Sustainability.” 🏡Of note: news rooms are working to manage an incredible volume of news as well as a constant balance of when/how to “get political.” Home insurance is one of the hottest climate topics right now…to the point that SF Chronicle has hired a dedicated team to cover it! P.S. Did you know? Hearst manages a sustainable forest with over 20 million trees as well as the San Simeon Conservation Easement (200 square miles of land with 1M+ solar modules. We love a fun, nature-friendly fact. 🌱🔅 Don’t miss Hearst’s latest official Sustainability Report https://lnkd.in/e_wwND5p & Rise Report: https://lnkd.in/e3Z9WyRz Thank you again Isabel F. and team for having us! Great to see so many new & familiar faces (like Alec Turnbull) in the room together.

🌍 This Earth Day, one thing is clear: more consumers are demanding sustainability—and they want brands to prove it. In the $18 trillion consumer goods industry, how can companies cut through the noise, drive revenue, and empower smarter, greener choices? HearstLab portfolio company Planet FWD is teaming up with Hearst UK and the Good Housekeeping Institute (Laura Cohen) to turn sustainability into real action—not just talk. 🎥 Get a behind-the-scenes look from Planet FWD Founder & CEO Julia Collins and Hearst UK CEO Katie Vanneck-Smith on how they’re making it happen. Watch the full replay here: https://lnkd.in/eMpxixxT 📊 Get more insights from Planet FWD in our new Consumer Insights & Innovations report here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eTjFhKGz 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘁 𝗙𝗪𝗗: Planet FWD brings complete confidence to sustainability management. Its integrated platform transforms complex supply chain data into trusted insights, supporting enterprises at every stage of their journey. #FemaleFounders #Sustainability #Hearst #HearstLabShowcase

What happens when a 138-year-old company thinks like a startup? Last week we hosted our 2025 HearstLab Showcase, an afternoon packed with real stories of innovation, global collaboration, and startup magic across the Hearst ecosystem. After a warm welcome from Hearst CEO Steven R. Swartz, HearstLab Chairwoman & Hearst EVP and Chief Legal Officer, Eve Burton, set the stage with this year’s theme: How Hearst businesses and HearstLab startups are successfully partnering to accelerate business innovation globally. As Eve put it, Hearst and HearstLab “are a rare model of corporation innovation who are not at odds but in sync.” What did we cover? ✨ From Pitch to Partnership: In a series of panels and presentations, portfolio companies shared how they’ve been teaming up with Hearst businesses to go “all in” on new ideas and accelerate innovation across industries. 🌍 Going Global: Azahara García Espejo, Sumiyo Tsuchikawa and Nejoud Al Mulaik spotlighted HearstLab’s growing international communities, including our recent investments in Japan and the GCC region and our new International Scout Advisory Board. 🔥 Founder vs. Investor: Eve Burton and multi-time founder Elizabeth Joy Zalman closed out the day with a candid fireside chat exploring the founder journey, the value of strategic investors, and the headwinds/tailwinds of building with AI in today’s market. If you missed it live, catch up below 👇 + stay tuned for more highlights… 📹 Watch the replay: https://lnkd.in/e7kSBWw2 📰 Read full coverage of the event via Hearst StoryStudio by Monica Vanover (Many thanks also to Ellen Schaft): https://lnkd.in/eeQB6AWb Thank you to all who helped make this event special including our founders, guest speakers, HearstLab Scouts, and everyone who attended in person or tuned in virtually. And a special thanks to our media partners at A+E Global Media for their continued event coverage, and our reception sponsors Curamia Tequila, For Bitter For Worse, Summer Water Rosé, TOST Beverages and Vinat.

What’s the future of CPG and Retail? One of the highlights from last week's events at HearstLab was releasing our inaugural Consumer Insights & Innovation Report that features five consumer trends to watch in 2025! This report highlights emerging outlooks and how consumer-to-consumer marketing is disrupting advertising with featured insights from HearstLab portfolio companies AptDeco, Beam Impact, Highlight, Planet FWD, and Statusphere. Here’s a sneak peak at what’s inside: 🔎 70% of customers would pay more for a brand they believe is making an impact. More consumers than ever want brands to invest in improving their communities and sustainability. 🔎 86% of Gen Z shoppers have switched or stopped purchasing a product due to sustainability concerns. 🔎 As marketing channels like social search boom, always-on user-generated content is the best way for brands to boost algorithmic reach and ad engagements versus competitors. If you’re a CPG brand planning for the year ahead, discover the latest behavior shifts, spot growth opportunities, and refine your marketing strategies with this new report. Get your free copy here 👉: https://lnkd.in/eFsdbRbr #HearstLab #FemaleFounders #CPG #Retail #ConsumerInnovation #ConsumerTrends

Last week at HearstLab HQ, we hosted a powerhouse week of insights and innovation! We kicked things off with the CMO Innovation Forum, co-hosted with the incredible Nancy Berger, where we welcomed 50+ C-suite executives from top retail brands for an intimate conversation on emerging trends from supply chain sustainability to micro influencer marketing. Here’s what we covered… ♻️ Sustainability Still Matters Moderated by Jennifer Gootman (Chief Sustainability Officer, TORY BURCH), our opening panel featured founders Julia Collins (Planet FWD), Dana Kim (Highlight), and Kalam Dennis (AptDeco), who shared why brands can’t afford to sit on the sidelines. Here’s why: 👉 𝗜𝗻𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹: 86% of Gen Z shoppers have stopped buying a brand over sustainability concerns (pack size, pack composition). Inaction signals disengagement with climate-forward consumers and can cost you future growth. 👉 𝗡𝗼𝘄’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮: Even in volatile times, businesses can use emissions and lifecycle assessments to make informed decisions, reduce costs, and uncover unseen opportunities. 👉 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹𝘁𝘆: There is still strong interest from customers for brands to be sustainable. Transparency on a product’s carbon footprint can increase engagement, repeat purchases, and boost referrals. 👉 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Despite being a small slice of a brand’s emissions, packaging is the first thing customers see and offers a huge opportunity to build trust and boost shelf velocity. 👉 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲, 𝗖𝗶𝗿𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 & 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿: Resale is growing 3X faster than traditional retail. As a channel that avoids tariffs and speaks to cost-conscious consumers, it’s a win-win for revenue and sustainability. 🤳 The Future of Marketing is C2C For Gen Z, TikTok is the new Google. Statusphere’s Kristen Wiley showed us how brands can leverage user-generated content and social search as online word-of-mouth drive conversions like never before. 🤝 Doing Well & Doing Good Viveka Hulyalkar (Beam Impact) and Adriana Carrig, (Little Words Project), closed the morning with a powerful case study on purpose-driven products, how to cut through the noise, and the benefits for brands that clearly communicate their values and social impact. The key takeaway: When customers find something they care about, they’re willing to pay for it. —- A HUGE thanks to all our speakers and attendees + a special thanks to Nancy for co-hosting this incredible event with us. 📊 Want more insights, we just released our inaugural Consumer Insights & Innovations Report featuring all five of these brilliant HearstLab portfolio company founders. Get your free copy here: https://lnkd.in/eFsdbRbr

I'm still energized from last week’s HearstLab CEO Summit and Showcase ✨ We brought together founders across our 85+ portfolio companies, Hearst executives, and investors from across the country — all under one roof. What stood out most? The spirit of collaboration that makes HearstLab so unique. When early-stage innovation meets the scale and talent of Hearst, incredible things happen. I love this moment we captured between Katie Hill, CEO of Unlisted, and her partner at Hearst Newspapers, Scout Advisory Board Member Bridget Williams. If only all founders were so lucky to have someone as great as Bridget and her team to work with (and vice versa)! Huge thanks to the HearstLab team for making last week's events (and every day) so meaningful and fun -- Katie Bailey Beth Devin Azahara García Espejo Eve Burton Lia Tavarez Ashanti P. Rebecca F. Eastin Rossell Dominique Festa Nico Gendron Kriti Krishna Louise Harvey Jeff Israel

SPOTTED at Hearst: We’re incredibly excited to have so many of our amazing founders here in NYC for our 2025 Showcase and CEO Summit. From deep dives into consumer trends to navigating today’s market dynamics, we’re covering it all this week at HearstLab! Stay tuned for a recap of this week’s events…and if you're in midtown, be sure to catch a glimpse of our video takeover outside Hearst Tower 📸 #FemaleFounders #HearstLab #2025Showcase

Team HearstLab is buzzing with excitement as we prepare for our 2025 HearstLab Showcase, happening tomorrow ⏰ April 9, at 2PM ET! Join us live in NYC (limited in-person tickets still available) or virtually for this exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at HearstLab’s community of tech innovators, big thinkers, and industry trailblazers in action! Here’s a sneak peak at the incredible speakers joining us: Barin Nahvi Rovzar, Hearst Health Bridget Williams, Hearst Newspapers Elizabeth Luciano, A+E Global Media Kati Fernandez, ESPN Katie Vanneck, Good Housekeeping UK Issa Balde, ESPN Amra Tareen ,ALL3D Courtney Jeffries, VRTL Elizabeth Joy Zalman, Sandgarden Jennifer Henderson, Tilt Julia Collins, Planet FWD Katie Hill, UNLISTED Kristen Wiley, Statusphere Kishau Rogers, Time Study Lindsey Klein, QGenda, Sharon Bordas, Mindshow Plus HearstLab's own Eve Burton, Lisa Burton, PhD, Beth Devin, Katie Bailey, Azahara García Espejo, Sumiyo Tsuchikawa, and Nejoud Al Mulaik (Fitch Ratings) We can’t wait to show you what we’ve been up to! RSVP now to reserve your spot 👉: https://lu.ma/gxaya5of

I'm excited to be representing HearstLab at Unrest's 2nd edition of Impact <> Investor Office Hours on May 8th! This is a unique opportunity for 100 of Europe's top impact founders to:   ✅ Get direct access to top VC's ✅ Receive strategic feedback ✅ Pitch your startup and start building funding relationships    📅 Applications close April 17th – don’t miss out! 🔗 Link here: https://lnkd.in/e5y-9ySZ   #ImpactInvesting #IIOH