Events
[FOM] The Data Behind Desire: Building KPIs That Drive Growth with Sapna Shah
Successful consumer founders know how to read the signals that matter (and ignore the ones that don't). In this session, investor and retail expert Sapna Shah will help you cut through the noise of early data and build the KPI foundation that reveals what your customers want, and what will drive your sustainable growth.
Date
Tuesday, February 24, 2026, 1:30 PM EST
URL
Register NowSign Up to Founders Operating Manual - Required to Attend.
Successful consumer founders know how to read the signals that matter (and ignore the ones that don't). In this session, investor and retail expert Sapna Shah will help you cut through the noise of early data and build the KPI foundation that reveals what your customers want, and what will drive your sustainable growth.
Leveraging her experience investing in and advising hundreds of consumer and retail startups, Sapna will show you how to:
-
Identify the KPIs that matter in the earliest stages of DTC and retail
-
Interpret early traction signals to validate demand and prioritize next steps
-
Build a simple measurement framework that guides marketing, merchandising, and channel strategy
-
Avoid the data traps that distract founders and slow down growth
After this session, you’ll leave with a customized KPI layer for your business — a focused, founder-friendly dashboard that clarifies what to track and why.
MEET YOUR HOST
Sapna Shah is an angel investor, retail/consumer expert and three-time entrepreneur. Through Red Giraffe, Sapna makes early-stage investments in sports, particularly in three verticals within sports: women's sports (teams/leagues), fan engagement and sports as community. She previously invested in retail and consumer startups. She has a particular focus on startups that have female and/or underrepresented founders, and invests in US-based companies.
Select investments include: Unrivaled Basketball, North Jersey Pro Soccer/NY Cosmos, Break Sports, Young King Hair Care, Realworld, Silk + Sonder, Findmine, Stantt, Monica + Andy, Iterate.ai and The Renatural.
Sapna founded Retail X Series, an ecosystem for retail and consumer startups in New York and around the US, which featured webinars, a podcast, Slack community and resources for early-stage founders revolutionizing the future of retail. Retail X provided targeted content with experts giving tactical advice on topics ranging from customer acquisition to financial modeling to early-stage fundraising.
Feb
4
Building Smart: Starting Your MVP the Right Way
Wednesday, February 4, 2026, 7:00 PM UTC
A Q&A for non-technical founders on what to think about before building — validating your idea, scoping your MVP, and choosing the right tech path.
Feb
5
Designed to Last: How Taste, Product, and Discipline Build Enduring Brands with Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton of Chillhouse
Thursday, February 5, 2026, 2:00 PM EST
In this session, we sit down with Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton, Founder & CEO of Chillhouse, to unpack what it actually means to build a product-first, taste-led consumer brand, and why those decisions became a long-term strategic advantage (that led to an acquisition by KISS Beauty Group in January 2026).
Feb
7
{LAS VEGAS, NV} Member Mingle
Saturday, February 7, 2026, 5:00 PM PST
Power in partners-- let's link up with our 2026 collaborator!
Feb
8
{CHICAGO, IL} Member Mingle
Sunday, February 8, 2026, 10:00 AM CST
Join us on February 8th for a reset Pilates class, followed by a relaxed brunch gathering for those who’d like to continue the morning together.
Feb
10
What It Takes to Build a Category-Defining Consumer Brand with Ara Katz, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Seed Health
Tuesday, February 10, 2026, 1:00 PM EST
What does it take to build a consumer brand that doesn’t just compete in a crowded market, but redefines the category entirely? Join us for an actionable session with Ara Katz, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Seed Health, for a conversation designed specifically for early-stage consumer founders navigating the messy middle of growth.
Feb
11
Trademarks 101
Wednesday, February 11, 2026, 1:00 PM EST
Are you looking to safeguard your brand? Join us for Trademarks 101, designed to discuss the critical role trademarks play in building and protecting your business.
Feb
12
[FOM] Founders Operating Manual Orientation
Thursday, February 12, 2026, 1:00 PM EST
This live orientation will walk you through exactly how the Founder’s Operating Manual works and how to get the most out of the program. We’ll cover the program structure, session formats, key dates, and what deliverables you’ll receive, along with practical guidance on how to participate, prepare, and apply what you’re learning to your business in real time.
Feb
12
Growth & Distribution: Go-To-Market Strategy with Reshma Chattaram Chamberlin
Thursday, February 12, 2026, 10:00 AM PST
In this session, Summersalt Co-Founder Reshma Chamberlin will teach you what it truly takes to enter retail, scale omnichannel, and build a Go-to-Market strategy that drives long-term success.
Feb
12
Beyond the Launch: Scaling Brands for the Long Term with Julissa Prado, Founder & CEO of Rizos Curls
Thursday, February 12, 2026, 4:00 PM EST
What does it really take to scale a beauty or personal care brand without losing trust, culture, or the community that made it successful in the first place? Join us for a live session with Julissa Prado, Founder and CEO of Rizos Curls, for a candid conversation designed for early-stage consumer founders, especially those building in beauty and personal care.
Feb
13
Debugging Human Communication
Friday, February 13, 2026, 1:00 PM EST
Are you a building a Community Organization? Come join this 10th House Huddle to meet and network with fellow founders!
Feb
18
{NEW YORK, NY} Member Mingle
Wednesday, February 18, 2026, 6:30 PM EST
Join NYC chapter lead Molly Godfrey for an intimate, winter-themed evening at the stunning Bedford Studios in the West Village.
Feb
19
[FOM] Founder Vision In-Focus with Robyn Ward
Thursday, February 19, 2026, 1:00 PM EST
The strongest consumer brands aren’t just built on great products — they’re built on founders with clarity. In this masterclass, Robyn Ward will guide you through the foundational inner architecture every early-stage founder needs to scale with intention: a defined vision, aligned values, and a grounded understanding of your role as the leader of the company.
