Unlocking Corporate Growth

We navigate the startup landscape for innovative solutions to unlock accelerated growth for our clients. At the forefront of cutting-edge technology and emerging opportunities globally, we apply new ideas and creative marketing strategies to specific challenges.

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Global Innovation Network

We run startup competitions and tech experiences in Tokyo, Sydney, Mexico City, London and all throughout the United States. Our Global Innovation Network consists of founders, VC’s, research labs, seed investors, angel investors, incubators, accelerators and our trend scouts that enable us to keep our corporate partners ahead of what is next.

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Fueling Tomorrow’s Great Ventures

VentureFuel accelerates the growth of new technology and emerging opportunities through strategic partnerships with our Fortune 500 clients. We are experts in facilitating and activating partnerships that generate significant revenue, increased valuations and overall exposure for your growing company.

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Corporates

At our core, we are corporate innovators that work as an extension of your team to build innovation programs to solve specific challenges, deliver tangible results and discover first-to-market opportunities from the Museum of Ice Cream to the latest pioneering technologies. We are 100% independent, sourcing from our global network of the best investors, scouts, founders and academics to find only what has sustainable and scalable impact for our clients.

The pace of change will only accelerate and this furious velocity is creating seismic opportunities and disruptions. We are here to help you stay ahead of what’s next and identify powerful new ways to capitalize on change.

Investors & Startups

How do you navigate the corporate spaghetti to identify real decision-makers, with real budgets, that want to activate rather than just play innovation tourism? How can you gain exposure, serious consideration, and drive revenue with corporate partnerships? We work with the largest companies in the world and are always looking for break-through opportunities, pioneering tech, and unique solutions to corporate challenges.

For Investors, we provide the above opportunities for your portfolio as well as provide you with corporate trends, insights and collaborative deal flow.

Visionaries

An exclusive club for the elite change-agents embracing new opportunities and mitigating risks to imagine new business models and outsized results for their companies. Current members include CMOs, VCs, Angels, up-and-coming disrupters, futurists, technologists, corporate innovators, break-through marketers…the people making a tangible impact within innovation.

Applications are now open! If accepted, you will receive unprecedented and advanced access to the hottest emerging companies and pioneering technologies as well as exclusive programming including thought leadership events with break-through founders, VCs and corporate luminaries. Our events happen all over the world from our Innovation Brew Series to special programming at Cannes, SXSW, CES, etc.

Apply Now to become a Visionary

Meet the Visionaries

About

Fred Schonenberg

Founder

Fred has 15+ years of high growth media sales experience, introducing new media formats and first-to-market products to the ad marketplace.

Known for his award-winning creative solutions and ability to forge strategic partnerships to drive revenue, Fred has deep relationships throughout the advertising industry, from top CMOs & brand managers, to agency presidents, planners and buyers across mobile, online, print, TV, experiential and out-of-home.

He is a frequent speaker at industry events such as SXSW, Ad Tech, Advertising Week, Offline Summit, Lightbox Lab, Recess Music & Ideas Festival, IAB Digital Leadership Program, etc. He is also an industry thought-leader published in everything from The Huffington Post, Media Post, The Drum, Media Daily News, Tech.co, The Mobile Insider, Modern Marketing Exchange, etc.

Most recently, Fred was the EVP of National Sales for Zoom Media & Marketing where he guided the video-centric selling strategies that built Zoom into the largest fitness digital media company in the world as well as the most successful nightlife network. His sales team was rated #1 in the industry by digital agencies and strategic planners.

Justin Uretz

VP of Brand Partnerships

Justin has enjoyed more than a decade in the media sales universe, creating unique programs with some of the most forward thinking marketers in the world. Living in Los Angeles, Justin first cut his teeth in the entertainment industry partnering with the likes of Sony Pictures, Disney and Paramount where he developed an extraordinarily collaborative, idea driven philosophy and a profound appreciation for true creativity that he now employs across a number of categories from automotive to food & beverage. A true storyteller at heart, Justin has spent the past eleven years studying, performing and teaching improv to whoever will listen – and, for you Founders, you may recognize him from his cameo on Silicon Valley.

Allie Feinstein

Director of Innovation and Brand Strategy

Allie has spent her career building strategy and marketing plans for world-class brands such as Disney, Xbox, and Target while working at Dentsu Aegis, Disney/ABC and Periscope. She has developed a keen understanding of brand needs and how innovative partners can best position themselves to help brands break boundaries. Allie’s passion for entrepreneurship and media started at an early age with her family’s media & entertainment business where she had a central role in all projects, from TV & Radio programming to feature films. Allie is a proud Buckeye and avid NBA basketball fan. She is also a native Russian speaker. A creator at heart, Allie has a love of writing, video production, and storytelling. She has enjoyed telling compelling brand stories in partnership with Comedy Central and Adult Swim, among others.

Kayla Phillips

Innovation Manager

Kayla comes from a diverse background in media, branding, entertainment, and finance. She has developed marketing strategies for brands, including AMC Networks and Red Bull, and has consulted on business development and expansion for an acclaimed nonprofit. Kayla has helped drive record-breaking ratings for the #1 show on cable TV through creative and data-focused media strategies, as well as helped cast Emmy-winning TV shows with A-list talent. Her varied experiences and interests provide her with an out-of-the-box perspective for uniting art + science to identify innovative brand solutions that drive effective results.

News

The Innovators Solution

Dec 13, 2018

Corporate innovation is one of the most dynamic, emerging, changing, challenging, rewarding, and confusing roles in the history of business. You must make bets while mitigating risks. You must evaluate that which cannot be measured. You must do the...

Rideshare Equals Mindshare

Dec 5, 2018

$120 billion valuations. Hundreds of thousands of drivers. Tens of millions of riders. Companies like Uber and Lyft have ushered in an entirely new industry that has exploded, seemingly overnight. Several startups have emerged with unique, scalable opportunities for...

What’s In Store for the Future of Retail

Nov 29, 2018

Fretting over your holiday shopping? ‘Tis the season! Thankfully, Nike and CoverGirl are paying close attention to consumers’ needs and have opened 2 new retail stores in New York City in the past week. We were some of the first people to check them out! These...

ANA Trends Continued: Bring It In-House

Oct 31, 2018

This is part 2 of trends from the 2018 ANA Master of Marketing Conference, where CMOs discussed their growth stories. Part 1, which you can read here, focused on Leading The Disruption and overcoming the Walled Gardens of Facebook, Google, etc. I gave a few startups...

« Older Entries

Contact

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VF Insights

Email: info@venturefuel.net

Meet the new class of VentureFuel Visionaries

Chris McCann

President & CEO; 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc.

Learn more about Chris

Chris McCann, President and Chief Executive Officer, of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM is responsible for the company’s operations across all of its brands and businesses. He oversees the company's strategic, operational and organizational processes, including the development, implementation and execution of annual and longer-term strategic, operating and budget plans.

When Chris' brother, Jim, bought his first flower shop, Chris, who was still attending school, would come in on weekends to learn about the business and help out in any way that he could. Since joining 1-800-FLOWERS.COM in 1984, Chris has played a pivotal role in helping the company build a reputation as one of the leading ecommerce and Omni-channel retailers in the country. He has also become well-known for embracing new customer engagement opportunities in Social and Mobile commerce. He believes strongly in his company’s corporate mantra that their “best product is our customer experience."

In 2005, as part of Chris' vision, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM again led change in the floral industry with the launch of its BloomNet Wire Service business, which is designed specifically to help professional florists grow their businesses profitably. More recently, the company has begun offering on-demand delivery to its network of BloomNet florists through a new partnership with Uber. Chris also spearheaded the launch of the company’s Local Artisans program as a way to showcase the creativity of these local florists to millions of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM customers online.

Chris currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of IGHL, a facility dedicated to the enrichment of the lives of developmentally disabled adults, a cause that is near to his heart. Smile Farms is a non-profit he helped found with his brother, Jim, that seeks to help developmentally disabled adults find meaningful employment. The five-acre Smile Farm in Moriches, NY currently employs more than 30 developmentally disabled adults (including one of Chris’ older brothers) who grow flowers, plants and food products to be used in their local communities.

Chris also serves on the Advisory Board for Likeable Media and the Board of Advisors for IBM Websphere. Previously, he held director positions at Gizmoz.com, BLUEFLY.com and Neoware Technologies.

Chris earned his Bachelor of Arts in political science from Marist College, where he currently serves on its Board of Trustees.

Vote For Chris

Corbin Brown

Director of Strategy, Giant Spoon

Learn more about Corbin

Corbin is obsessed with and inspired by the intersection between media, technology, and culture. At Giant Spoon, he's helped to build the agency's intelligence practice, led brand strategy projects for brands big and small, and spent several years developing breakthrough ideas with GE. He was part of the team who ideated and launched the award-winning (Cannes + Grand Prix, Adweek Media Plan of the Year, Clios, Webby) GE + NYTVR activation, marking the first time VR was introduced to the masses at scale, and GE Podcast Theater, a chart-topping podcast. In other words, he's still trying to figure out whether he's happiest with his head in the clouds or his feet on the ground. Prior to Giant Spoon, Corbin spent time thinking about becoming a lawyer, moonlighted as a semi-professional athlete in Australia, and launched a food-security startup in college.

Vote For Corbin

Brynn Nakamoto

Smashbox Cosmetics of the Estee Lauder Companies; Global Digital Marketing

Learn more about Brynn

Brynn joined Smashbox Cosmetics in September 2016 but initially became familiar with the uniquely bold brand while working on the account at OMD within the digital strategy division. A technology enthusiast, Brynn combs the landscape to identify opportunities where cosmetics and digital blend together in efforts to engage the ever-evolving expectations of younger generations. Brynn enjoys spearheading the company's virtual try-on makeup tool as well as integrating new digital tactics into consumer marketing plans. Keeping close ties to alma mater USC, she keeps her pulse on trends by co-hosting Society 52's Trojan Scuppers as well as being on the scholarship committee for the USC Asian Pacific Alumni Association. Brynn is passionate about the evolving digital and social landscapes and is honored to be a Visionary for VentureFuel.

Vote For Brynn

Jane Mohon

SVP of Media and Digital Marketing; Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Learn more about Jane

Strategic entertainment marketing specialist with highly analytical and data-driven approach to Media, Digital & Social Marketing and Consumer Insights. Extensive experience in solving entertainment marketing challenges through data mining and model building approaches. Jane has been at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment for 13 years. Prior to SPHE she led the planning team at UM for Sony Pictures theatrical and Home Entertainment team. Prior to UM, she worked at numerous media planning agency on various theatrical businesses including Disney, Fox and MGM.

Vote For Jane

Jeremy Hull

VP of Innovation; iProspect

Learn more about Jeremy

As VP, Innovation at iProspect, Jeremy works with iProspect’s clients in order to develop new advertising solutions that incorporate emerging technologies, leverage ever-changing platform features, and most importantly address evolving consumer behaviors and expectations. He provides both thought leadership around changing trends and specific plans that ensure brands can continue to connect with individuals and value and performance across digital and physical experiences. Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have long relied on Jeremy’s insights to improve their advertising and customer experiences. He is a regular speaker at industry events such as SMX and Advertising Week. Jeremy has also written articles for Search Engine Watch, ClickZ, Wired, OMMA, MediaPost, SES Magazine, and Internet Retailer. He has been quoted in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Google AdWords blog, the Bing Ads blog, eMarketer, MediaPost, CMO.com, and Digiday, In 2013, Jeremy was inducted into the ClickZ Digital Marketing Hall of Fame, and in 2017 he was recognized as the Bing Executive of the Year. Over the past twelve years Jeremy has delivered transformative business results for dozens of the world’s top brands, including General Motors, adidas, Choice Hotels, T-Mobile, Under Armour, The Neiman Marcus Group, Hilton Worldwide, Michael Kors, Microsoft, NRG, and Staples. Outside the office, Jeremy is a talented bassist and can often be found playing for a crowd at a local jazz lounge.

Vote For Jeremy

Mara Golden

SVP of Strategy; Zenith Media

Learn more about Mara

Marketing professional with 15 years experience building and growing teams, collaborating with clients and working across functions to achieve defined goals. Result driven and adept at analytics, I successfully employ leadership and mentoring to promote teamwork for project success. Skilled at identifying inefficiencies and implementing processes, I help teams to embrace new procedures within environments that are traditionally ‘anti-process.’ I juggle a heavy and diverse workload with ease while maintaining consistently high quality thinking. I love to problem solve, providing solutions via traditional and non-traditional methods, including social and mobile media. I thrive in creative collaborative environments, take pride in my work and derive satisfaction from both the successful implementation of a strategy and the professional growth of those around me.

Vote For Mara

Regan Przybyl

SVP Digital Media; Annapurna Pictures

Learn more about Regan

As the SVP, Digital Media for Annapurna Pictures, Regan is responsible for leading digital strategy and execution for all domestic film releases. She is a driving force of innovation, consistently challenging the boundaries of media platforms to find new ways to connect and mobilize moviegoers. While at 20tth Century Fox, she launched box office hits like Deadpool, X-Men Apocalypse, Gone Girl and the social phenomenon The Fault in Our Stars. Prior to diving into the studio business, she ushered major brands into the digital world - launching Google's first ever ad campaign, taking T-Mobile from underdog to major player, winning Media Plan of the Year for her work on HP and keeping everyone's love for Ferrero's Nutella alive. A few highlights from 16/17 below: DEADPOOL (2016) Deadpool was well-known to fans but unknown to the mainstream crowd that makes or breaks comic book movie success. The campaign introduced Deadpool to audiences using an “anti-super hero marketing filter”, focusing on Deadpool’s unique brand of irreverence. We launched a relentless marketing siege on every platform you wouldn’t think of online – kicking off with a Bachelorette surround, an obscene emoji set (rivaling kimoji’s) and an overactive Tinder account that charmed new audiences into thinking Deadpool was something different. Deadpool went on to become a phenomenon, the #1 R rated movie globally and the #1 Fox movie opening ever at $132MM. XMEN APOCALYPSE (2016) To launch X-Men Apocalypse, we executed the first complete takeover of all Snapchat lenses (sorry flower crown lovers). Users acquired super powers and turned themselves into the iconic X-men characters for 24 hours. 298 Million views later, the execution greatly amplified awareness and anticipation for the movie. With a 25% lift in theater watch intent, X-Men Apocalypse went on to be #1 opening weekend and one of the franchises’ most successful films ever. DETROIT (2017) DETROIT was a riveting film about the race fueled riots that rocked motor city in the summer of 1967. But the film is as culturally relevant today as ever, and to prove this we tapped local rising hip hop artists, Tee Grizzley, to create a single inspired by the film. Featuring local residents and top influencers MeechonMars and Page Keneddy added a level of authenticity and impact. The single itself was a hit and the music video garnered over 3MM views in 48 hrs. Pick up across the hip hop, music and movie communities fueled press and slew of homemade reaction videos filled YouTube feeds. The collaboration TEETROIT was successfully able to bring relevance and visibility to DETROIT and ultimately to a story that needed to be told.

Vote For Regan

Hilary Batsel

Marcom Media Director; Microsoft

Learn more about Hilary

A Media Director with over 13+ years experience specializing in global media strategy and execution. Hilary began her career working with various agencies in NYC across a wide variety of categories including beauty, automotive and electronics. She then ventured out to the Pacific Northwest where she continued her career at Optimedia Seattle venturing into the telcom industry. Hilary has been at Microsoft for almost 8 years now and has had the pleasure of working across most Microsoft consumer brands. She has proven success at leading large-scale global media campaigns, aligning multiple stakeholders to encourage nimbleness and encouraging data-driven planning. Her personal passion around understanding new innovation to help drive a better connection between customer and brand is what keeps her excited every day.

Vote For Hilary

Bethany Ford

Content Marketing Manager; SITO

Learn more about Bethany

Bethany currently manages strategic marketing initiatives for location data and consumer insights platform SITO, where she leverages her background in emerging technology and marketing innovation. Bethany is also an advisor to the Fantasy Life app, a leading mobile sports community founded by ESPN’s Senior Fantasy Analyst Matthew Berry. Previously, while at OMD, she conceptualized and launched groundbreaking campaigns for Fortune 500 CPG and entertainment brands. For example, for the premiere of Showtime’s Wall Street drama, Billions, she led a partnership with Shazam to transform cold hard cash into a media touch point by creating the first-ever scan-able dollar bill. Using Shazam’s image recognition technology, the campaign turned the crumpled-up cash in consumers’ wallets into a digital key to exclusive experiences and content. She also launched the first-ever digital GIF Coloring Book for the sixth season premiere of Showtime’s Shameless. The campaign allowed fans to color in their favorite characters, which then transformed into animated GIFs showing the characters chugging a beer, twerking, or dropping it like it’s hot—all as shareable art. Bethany is most excited about the opportunity for augmented/mixed realities to transform how individuals consume content and engage with the world around them. Digital and physical experiences are blurring together—transforming every interaction with a tangible product into an opportunity to unlock digital experiences.

Vote For Bethany

Andrea Javor

Sr. Director Global Connections Planning; Beam Suntory

Learn more about Andrea

In her role as Sr. Director of Global Connections Planning at Beam Suntory, Andrea Javor is responsible for leading consumer connections planning, including paid media investment, digital content creation, consumer response strategies, and media analytics. Her current focus includes supporting the global marketing team in transforming the organization from a company of great brands, into a great brand building company through better leverage of IMC principles and discipline. Beam Suntory’s roster of brands include: Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Yamazaki, Courvoisier, Sauza, Laphroaig, EFFEN, and Knob Creek. Andrea is a proven strategic leader with a highly diverse background encompassing more than 17 years communications and media strategy experience for several public world-renowned consumer companies. Before joining Beam Suntory, Andrea served as Partner, Sr. Communications Planning Director for Mediacom, responsible for integrated media execution on brands like Healthy Choice, Hunt’s and Slim Jim, for ConAgra Foods. Her previous experience also included roles at Mindshare Chicago serving clients such as Unilever, Northwestern Mutual Financial Network and Nestle, on cross-functional, cross-brand, media planning and strategy. Andrea worked for OMD on the Global McDonald’s account as the resident expert on high-growth media vehicles, implementing a plan of action for technological advancements in marketing around the globe. Andrea holds a Bachelor’s degree in Advertising and Psychology from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her new husband and three children as active members of their community. She lives in Glen Ellyn, IL.

Vote For Andrea

Sean Corcoran

EVP Executive Director; MullenLowe Mediahub

Learn more about Sean

Sean oversees the management and growth of both the LA and New York offices, while also leading multiple specialty teams within the agency such as media sciences (our programmatic group), R+D (our Radical + Disruptive Lab) and search. As a media executive and former Forrester analyst, Sean has nearly 20 years of industry experience that spans media, digital marketing, research, consulting, CRM and business development. Throughout his career, Sean has worked on a wide range of industries and clients including Netflix, VH1, TV Land, MTV, National Geographic Channels, Nickelodeon, Bose, Royal Caribbean, Motorola, Google, Nike, Philips, Lenovo, JetBlue, Hearst and Johnson & Johnson, to name a few. Sean authored the Forrester report that defined the terms “paid, owned and earned” media and was named an Adweek Media All-Star in 2016.

Vote For Sean

Benjamin Lord

Global Director; Kinetic (WPP)

Learn more about Benjamin

A self-proclaimed “geek,” Benjamin has a knack for discovering technologies that are transforming culture and commerce around the world, from artificial intelligence and mixed reality, to connected-everything. His background gives him a unique perspective on shaping customer engagement for brands globally: Raised in Asia and Africa, Benjamin cut his teeth in the business in Europe before moving to New York, where he has held domestic and international roles spanning over fifteen countries. Benjamin joined WPP's Kinetic in 2016 to help establish a forward thinking team that has since worked to develop and execute tools and programs designed to spark game-changing innovation. A passionate strategist, Benjamin has spent his career helping global marketers - including LVMH, L'Oréal, and HSBC - define their vision, tell their stories and develop brand continuity over time. Benjamin regularly shares his insights to media like WWD, Luxury Daily and Chain Store Age, and in keeping with this passion, he also provides an honest take on the emerging world of AI every month through an open correspondence called H-Artificially.

Vote For Benjamin

Unlocking Corporate Growth

Global Innovation Network

Fueling Tomorrow’s Great Ventures

Corporates

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About

Fred Schonenberg

Justin Uretz

Allie Feinstein

Kayla Phillips

News

The Innovators Solution

Rideshare Equals Mindshare

What’s In Store for the Future of Retail

ANA Trends Continued: Bring It In-House

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