A team that loves to strategize, collaborate, and eat.
Andrew Bluestein
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Andrew is The Strategist. His first love is strategy (yes, really!), helping leaders and teams achieve their goals. While he built these skills as a consultant at Monitor Deloitte and from his time earning his MBA at Kellogg, he will tell you that there's nothing like working with more than 50 startups over 12 years to figure out what product-market fit really looks like for entrepreneurs. He currently serves on the boards of Bizzy Coffee, Local Hero, and BiomeSense, and served on the board of Factor 75 through its exit. He's the one to call when you want to talk through those knotty challenges; he'll challenge and support you and help you unlock creative solutions. And if more than a call is needed, meet him over a grill, whether it's his Big Green Egg, gas grill, or fire pit; even if you don't get answers, at least you'll get your protein in, courtesy of the smoked meats!
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Ashley Hartman
Managing Partner
Ashley is The Operative. She lives by the GSD credo, understanding that a great vision is only the starting point and useful if it can be translated into action. Ashley loves to start a meeting with first principles but makes sure it doesn’t end without a clear plan. She’ll ask tough, clarifying questions to address your challenges and help you get to a solution – honing these skills throughout her time running and scaling her family’s business, experience in financial consulting, and toughing it out at Harvard to receive her MBA. She was vegan before it was cool and is the health and wellness nut on the team, endlessly focused on how to optimize habits for peak performance.
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Amira Khatib
Vice President
Amira is The Analyzer. With an MBA and journalism degree under her belt, Amira is energized by developing narratives from data and distilling complex ideas into digestible insights. She has spent her career wearing several hats across the food industry, including at Whole Foods Market, a CPG startup, a marketing agency and venture capital firms — all of which have contributed to her passion for supporting founders on their path to growth. Having grown up vegan in the nation’s pork capital (Iowa), she has had a front row seat to experience the rapid innovation in the food industry. A forward-thinker, she’s the go-to for identifying what’s next, researching shifting market dynamics and discovering new products to try.
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Lindsay Levin
Venture Partner
Lindsay is The Advisor. She's been there/done that and has true empathy for what it's like to work tirelessly through the grind and hustle at early-stage. Having served as Employee #8 and Chief Marketing Officer at RXBAR through/beyond acquisition, Employee #4 and Chief Marketing & Sales Officer at a disruptive cannabis company, and a global marketer at PepsiCo, she understands consumer-brand connection and what success looks like at both nascent and mature companies. Lindsay brings to the table a wealth of experience as an executive coach, board director and former operator.
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Ilene Gordon Bluestein
Advisor
Ilene is The Guru. As former CEO & Chairman of Ingredion, a Fortune 500 food ingredient manufacturer, her career was defined by breaking barriers and transforming the food industry for the better. She knows how to lead organizations to achieve their highest potential. She’ll give you great advice, but buyer beware, as she’ll also hold you accountable!
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Bram Bluestein
Co-Founder
Bram is The Chairman. After a storied career across consulting and private equity, Bram now pushes everyone on Team Blue to reach our potential. He gets to the heart of the matter quickly and makes you think deeply about ‘the why.’ His love for the food industry goes way back to his grandfather’s butcher shop. He’s also one of the most enthusiastic people you’ll meet, so be ready for a high five (or two).
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