Business Briefing: State Of The Investment Landscape

Ilya Seglin has been a Managing Director with Threadstone Capital, a NYC-based M&A advisory firm focused exclusively on the consumer sector, since 2015. In this role, Ilya helps clients achieve their strategic and financial objectives, advising companies on sell-side and buy-side transactions as well as leading growth capital raises for emerging brands, primarily in the beauty and personal care. Prior to joining Threadstone, Ilya operated a consulting practice focusing on the beauty, apparel and accessories sectors and was engaged by such clients as The Estée Lauder Companies. At Threadstone, Ilya helps entrepreneurs and founders of young, exciting businesses to achieve intermediate financing goals. His most recent transactions included the growth capital raise by Peace Out Skincare and the sale of Cult Beauty to THG, among others.

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.

John Cafarelli is the COO at BeautyMatter. Growing up in New York as the son of a builder, he learned at an early age the value of having the right tools in one’s toolbox to be successful. John’s carried this mindset through to his work at BeautyMatter by working with the team to create content and experiences that inform, analyze and educate to give our audience an “unfair advantage” as they grow their businesses and navigate the ever-changing beauty and wellness landscape.

John’s beauty and wellness industry expertise is centered around identifying market opportunities, strategic planning, developing strategies for growth, cash and financial strategy, and building operational excellence. He’s an entrepreneurial thinker with diverse work experience and a bias for creativity and innovation that’s actionable and realistic.

John is also the founder and CEO of his own skin health brand, Ernest Supplies. He also spent six years as the COO / CFO of Paper Magazine, a multi-platform media company and content creation agency. In 2014, he was part of the team that “Broke the Internet.” Before that, John spent 10 years investing in and helping to grow well-known consumer brands, including Intermix, Skullcandy, All Saints, Morgenthal Frederics, and others.