Spring 2024 Accelerator

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SPEAKERS

Laurie Lam Chief Brand Officer, e.l.f. Beauty

Jihan Lee Chef Partner, Nami Nori

Raymond Trinh Co-Owner, Sixty Three Clinton

Vince Ning Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Nabis

MODERATORS

Minji Cha VP of Revenue, IL MAKIAGE

Hoon Kim Director of Operations, Fish Cheeks

Jhonel Faelnar Beverage Director, NA:EUN Hospitality

Jason Shen Executive Coach & Lunar Accel Board Member

SPEAKER BIOS

Laurie Lam is Chief Brand Officer at E.l.f. Beauty, a multi-branded portfolio that includes namesake brand e.l.f. Cosmetics, e.l.f. SKIN, Naturium, Well People, and Keys Soulcare. She is responsible for e.l.f.’s global brand strategy, driving growth across all categories, and championing their mission to make the best of beauty accessible to every eye, lip, face, and paw. With nearly 20 years of experience building global brands, Laurie is an accomplished business leader and dynamic marketer in the beauty industry. Prior to e.l.f. Beauty, she was at L’Oréal where she held several leadership positions within the group’s Professional Products Division and Consumer Products Division in the United States, France, and Asia-Pacific. Her experience spans across marketing, e-commerce and digital, acquisitions and business development, and innovation.

Jihan Lee is a Chef Partner at Nami Nori, the Japanese restaurant specializing in open temaki with locations in New York’s West Village and Williamsburg, and Montclair, New Jersey. A second-generation sushi chef, Jihan spent years working in notable kitchens like Morimoto and Zuma, before joining Masa under chef Masa Takayama, the only 3-star Michelin sushi chef in the country. During his time at Masa, Jihan met his Nami Nori partners – Taka Sakaeda and Lisa Limb – and the trio went on to open Nami Nori in Fall 2019. Nami Nori has received two stars from The New York Times and was highlighted as one of Esquire’s “Best New Restaurant in America 2020”, Robb Report's "10 Best New Restaurants in America" and Bloomberg's "Best Restaurant Dishes of 2019.

Raymond Trinh co-owns Sixty Three Clinton, a Lower East Side restaurant featuring elevated American cuisine with global influences, with his longtime friend & Michelin-starred chef, Samuel Clonts. Raised by Vietnamese refugees in Santa Barbara, Raymond's hospitality journey began in the family's convenience store before he pursued culinary arts. After honing his skills at The Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain and various Michelin-starred kitchens, Raymond developed a passion for front-of-house operations & beverages at Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare. In 2017, he joined Sam at Bar Uchu, contributing to its Michelin star. Their collaboration earned Sixty Three Clinton a Michelin star in 2022, just a year after its opening.

Vince is the Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Nabis, a leading licensed cannabis wholesale platform, and is a world-class technologist and entrepreneur who has turned his focus to accelerating cannabis industry growth operationally and compliantly. Vince’s prowess in technology, finance and data analysis have made him an invaluable partner to top-tier cannabis brands and retailers across the United States, where he has helped hundreds of businesses launch and scale. Through his leadership, Nabis, a Y Combinator-backed company, is poised to become the largest national cannabis B2B platform. He holds degrees in Computer Science, Economics, and Statistics from the University of Virginia, and has studied Public Policy & Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School.

S’24 Testimonials

“The cohort has a lot of really great people…I left feeling pretty excited. I also felt more empowered to speak up at work, and reflective on my short-term career goals - it's something that I've been thinking about recently, so I looked forward to the programming that…allowed me to further define my career goals and move toward them tangibly.”

Elizabeth H., 2024 Fellow

“The micro-retreat fostered a lot of insightful dialogue around the Asian American experience working in America. I felt a sense a camaraderie sharing my experience with my peers and was relieved to hear that I am not alone in my experiences.”

Brian L., 2024 Fellow

“As someone who entered unemployment during this program and was trying to navigate what path to take next - I’d say parts of this program definitely inspired me to take my aspirations for entrepreneurship into more serious consideration!”

Anonymous, 2024 Fellow

Program Overview

SATURDAY APRIL 13

Fellow Micro-Retreat
Meet & greets with the S ‘24 fellow class & Lunar Accel team

SUNDAY APRIL 14

Opening Keynote
Laurie Lam, Chief Brand Officer of e.l.f. Beauty

SATURDAY APRIL 20

Mentor-Led Panels Part 1
Focused on climbing the corporate ladder, career pivots, entrepreneurship, & mentorship

SATURDAY APRIL 27

Mentor-Led Panels Part 2
Focused on navigating corporate growth, building your personal brand, and communication / presence - Social Event
Fellow class happy hour

SUNDAY APRIL 28

Fireside Chat
Vince Ning, Founder & CEO of Nabis - Mentor Speed Networking
Fellows meet with our incredible cohort of mentors to inform their mentor selection

SATURDAY MAY 4

Fireside Chat
Raymond Trinh, Co-Owner of Sixty Three Clinton

TUESDAY MAY 14 - WEDNESDAY MAY 15

Executive Coaching Workshops
Dalglish Chew shares how to make impactful first impressions and exert more influence in your organization

THURSDAY MAY 2

Winter 2023 x Spring 2024 Fellow Class Happy Hour
Bringing together our current and past fellow classes

SATURDAY MAY 18

Closing Keynote & Reception
Jihan Lee, Chef Partner at Nami Nori