At COO (Boardroom Media) we track over 1,000,000 startups and over 5,000,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United States based COO’ operating in the Shopping space. If you think a COO’ is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on [email protected].
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Jared Yaman
Co-Founder, COO of Boxed
Prior to Blackgate Ventures, Jared was a corporate attorney at Proskauer before becoming a Co-Founder at Astro Ape Studios. Most recently, he was made upper level management at Zynga Mobile NY where he oversaw high profile mobile properties. Jared holds a J.D. from Fordham University and a Bachelor’s in Economics and Business from Michigan State University. Unbeknownst to most, Jared is actually Troy Aikman’s younger, stronger, better looking brother.
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About Blackgate Ventures, Boxed: Boxed is an online bulk grocery retailer used to offer wholesale club experience for modern shoppers.
Allison Barr Allen
Co-Founder & COO of Fast
Allison Barr Allen is the co-founder and COO of Fast, the world’s fastest online login and checkout platform. Previously, Allison was the head of global product operations for the Money Team at Uber, where she helped scale Uber from 2,000 employees to more than 26,000 worldwide. Allison’s team launched and scaled Uber’s payments, risk, and compliance products globally, including on-demand payments, cash products, debit cards and credit cards. Prior to Uber, Allison served as a healthcare strategy consultant at PwC. In addition to her role at Fast, Allison is a limited partner at Operator Collective, a venture capital firm that brings together leaders from diverse backgrounds to invest in the next generation of enterprise technology. Allison is also deeply committed to supporting entrepreneurs through Trail Run Capital, her angel investment fund. Allison graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders.
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About Fast: Fast provides an online login and checkout solutions designed to provide users with a secure shopping experience.
Mike Don
COO of InMarket
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About InMarket: InMarket offers a self-service location-based platform that captures accurate consumer location data, which drives campaign performance.
Lori Flees
SVP and Chief Operating Officer, Walmart Health & Wellness of Walmart
Lori Flees is Senior Vice President, Next Gen Retail and Principal, Store No 8. In this role, Lori leads the incubation of new businesses (via Store No 8) and builds strategic partnerships that will help Walmart define, enable and win the next generation of retail. Lori is also responsible for our growth strategies and partnerships in digital media/entertainment (including day-to-day leadership of our VUDU platform) and in Health and Wellness in close collaboration with the Walmart US Stores leadership. Lori joined Walmart in 2014 as SVP, Corporate Strategy and had responsibility for Corporate Strategy, Corporate Financial Planning & Analysis, Mergers & Acquisitions and Integration (Acceleration). In this role, Lori worked with Walmart’s senior leadership to define the company’s priorities and align the organization to execute. This included an aggressive corporate development agenda which comprised the acquisition and integration of Jet.com, several additional eCom acquisitions, some International portfolio divestitures as well as key strategic or joint-venture partnership agreements in healthcare and supply chain. Prior to joining Walmart, Lori spent over 17 years at Bain & Company where she was a partner in the global strategy consulting firm. While at Bain, Lori worked with clients to develop growth strategies (organic and acquisitive) and to drive performance, improvement & organizational alignment. Prior to Bain, Lori held roles at Intel Corporation and General Motors. Lori has a bachelor’s degree in management systems from Kettering University (formerly General Motors Institute) and a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School.
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About Walmart: Walmart is a multinational retail corporation that operates several chains of discount department and warehouse stores.
John Mulligan
EVP, COO of Target
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About Target: Target is an American retailing company providing access to a wide selection of products such as furniture, electronics, toys, and more.
Andreas Bergmann
COO and Co-Founder of Ella Paradis Inc.
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About Ella Paradis Inc.: Ella Paradis is an eCommerce startup company positioning itself to become the market leader in the sexual wellness market.
Rachel Jarrett
President & COO of Zola
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About Zola: Zola is a wedding company that reinvents the wedding planning and registry experience.
Phil Kaulfield
Founder & COO of ShoppingGives
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About ShoppingGives: ShoppingGives encourages consumers to make an impact through its change commerce technology.
Emerson Yenokida
CFO & COO of NTWRK
Emerson Yenokida is the CFO and COO at NTWRK.
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About NTWRK: NTWRK is the definitive live streaming video commerce platform developed specifically for Gen-Z and Millennials.
Sam Howarth
Co-Founder and COO of BUMP
Sam Howarth is the co-founder and COO at BUMP.
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About BUMP: BUMP is a social peer-to-peer marketplace for authentic streetwear and sneakers.
Jessica Crothers
Co-Founder and COO of Good Buy Gear
COO and Co-Founder at Good Buy Gear.
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About Good Buy Gear: GoodBuy Gear is a managed marketplace that enables parents to safely and sustainably circulate quality-used baby & kid products they love
Michael Suswal
Co-founder & COO of Standard Cognition
Michael Suswal is the Co-Founder & COO of Standard Cognition.
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About Standard Cognition: Standard Cognition provides an autonomous checkout tool that can be installed into retailers’ existing stores.
Ken Gao
Founder and COO of Patpat
Ken Gao is a Founder at PatPat.
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About Patpat: PatPat is a shopping app for moms.
Jamie Glover
President ,COO & Co-Founder of Asiya
After graduating from Carleton College with a major in economics, I pursued a marketing career where I fell in love with the study of consumer behavior and developing communications strategies to create meaningful connections between consumers and brands. After 5 years at Fallon, an advertising agency, and another 5 at 3M, I decided to pursue an MBA to broaden my understanding of business and learn how to best utilize my skills and passions to make a positive impact on the world around me through my work. Why Carlson? I chose Carlson for two main reasons. I spoke with several alumni before making my decision, and they all had great things to say about the program–so that was very telling. The second reason was because Carlson is un-matched in it’s incredible network within the Twin Cities. I knew I would be pursuing employment in Minnesota upon graduation, and saw the value in both building my own network here and leveraging the connections that Carlson has created over the years. Overall Experience as a Carlson MBA Student I decided to pursue an MBA at this point in career because I wanted to broaden my knowledge and skills, and have the opportunity to try out new things in pursuit of my “dream job.” The range of academic experiences have certainly exposed me to new perspectives on how to approach business problems, and I’ve also had the opportunity to join a start-up business and try out the world of entrepreneurship–something I never would have done on my own.
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About Asiya, OptiMine Software: ASIYA™ is a sport and activewear brand striving to level the playing field for Muslim females everywhere.
Paul Watson
Co-Founder & CFO/COO of Ledbury
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About Ledbury: Ledbury is a luxury shirtmaker and menswear brand known for dress and casual shirts that prioritize fit and quality.
Gregory Boudewijn
Chief Operating Officer of Slickdeals
Gregory Boudewijn is the chief operating officer of [Slickdeals](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/slickdeals#/entity), a user-driven deal-sharing website that enables consumers to collaborate and share information. Previously, he served Demand Media, holding various leadership roles as senior vice president of media and operations, senior vice present and general manager for eHow, and vice president of demand media networks. Prior to joining Demand Media, Boudewijn held managerial positions in product marketing, engineering, and technology implementation at Yahoo! and IAC. He was also a case assistant at Ropes & Gray. Boudewijn holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations at Cornell University.
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About Slickdeals: Slickdeals is a user-driven deal-sharing site enabling consumers to collaborate and share information that facilitate shopping decisions.
Ted Allen
COO of WAO!
Bilingual Latin America regional expert leveraging strategic innovation and technology to launch new companies and advise clients on digital transformation.
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About WAO!, WAO!: Platform, SaaS, Mobile App, Social Commerce
Paige Cattano
Co-Founder/COO of Wonder Technologies
COO at jaris, inc.
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About jaris, MPC Consulting, Wonder Technologies: The Future of Gifting and Incentives
Stephanie Peng
Co-Founder & COO of St. Frank
Steph has worked in social enterprise strategy with REDF/Goodwill of Silicon Valley and in the impact investing ecosystem with Impact Investment Exchange Asia (IIX). Steph started her career with four years in asset management at AllianceBernstein. Steph holds a B.S. in Operations Research and Engineering from Cornell University, and an M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Business.
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About St. Frank: Luxury lifestyle brand offering a curated line of globally-inspired products made ethically by artisans working in traditional crafts.
Conor C. Flynn
President & COO of Kimco Realty Corporation
Conor Flynn was appointed President of the Company in August 2014 and continues to serve as the company’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Investment Officer. He is responsible for overseeing the company’s shopping center business including the supervision of all regional personnel handling leasing, property management, construction, asset management and value creation activities, as well as, guiding new investment decisions for the organization. Mr. Flynn joined Kimco in 2003 as an asset manager and has held a variety of senior leadership roles over the past 11 years, including President, Western Region. Mr. Flynn received a B.S. degree from Yale University and a Master’s degree in Real Estate Development from Columbia University. Mr. Flynn is a licensed real estate broker in California, and a member of National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT), Urban Land Institute (ULI) and International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).
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About Kimco Realty Corporation: Kimco Realty is a real estate investment trust based in New Hyde Park, New York.
Thomas J. Benson
COO of Helen of Troy
COO at Helen of Troy .
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About Helen of Troy: Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ: HELE) has established a leadership position in the consumer products
Cem Yildirim
CTO/COO of BigZpoon Inc.
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About BigZpoon Inc.: B2B SaaS venture addressing restaurants’ unsolved pain points with preference based menus, disruptive delivery model & food waste management
Chapin Henry
COO of FlyBuy Technologies
COO at FlyBuy Technologies.
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About FlyBuy Technologies: FlyBuy is a next-generation mobile commerce platform brings a better-than-drive-thru experience to any retail or restaurant location.
Juan Tamayo
COO of Crest & Co
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About Crest & Co: An authentic luxury shopping experience. [email protected]
Juan Tamayo
COO of Crest & Co
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About Crest & Co: An authentic luxury shopping experience. [email protected]
Steve McKee
COO of Point of Choice
Steve McKee is the COO at POC. Steve has over 30 years of experience helping technology-enabled service companies scale and prosper. He has held senior leadership positions at Wiland Services (a top database marketing service company), CQG (a futures trading platform), Merkle (a large marketing agency), and most recently Wiland, Inc. (a leading marketing intelligence company).
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About Point of Choice: Point of Choice offers marketing solution that allows vendors to identify and reach targeted K-12 buyers.
Steve McKee
COO of Point of Choice
Steve McKee is the COO at POC. Steve has over 30 years of experience helping technology-enabled service companies scale and prosper. He has held senior leadership positions at Wiland Services (a top database marketing service company), CQG (a futures trading platform), Merkle (a large marketing agency), and most recently Wiland, Inc. (a leading marketing intelligence company).
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About Point of Choice: Point of Choice offers marketing solution that allows vendors to identify and reach targeted K-12 buyers.
Danny Emmett
Chief Operating Officer of AO World
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About AO World: AO World is a online retailer company.
Madhuri Sharma
Co-founder and COO of Global Belly
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About Global Belly: Global Belly is the first platform that monetizes the reach and IP of food influencers, by launching their branded products.
Henrike Langbroek
COO of VIDA
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About VIDA: VIDA is bridges the gap between artists and consumers while promoting socially responsible fashion.
Jorge De Bernardo
Co-Founder & COO of Marketplay
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About Marketplay: Discover unique products being sold by cool people
Jack Margareten
COO of Fab
Jack Margareten is the COO at FAB.
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About Fab: Fab sells everyday design products online.
Adam Kostman
Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of OpenMessage
A multi-award winning art director and strategic brand consultant, Adam Kostman has experience working for both global fortune 500 and startup companies. Adam is passionate about brand creation with an emphasis on using design to create simple solutions that provide long term value. Adam’s work spans across branding campaigns, marketing collateral, UX, UI, and environmental design for clients including: AT&T, Hertz, Visa, Merck, P&G, Knewton, Purdue Pharma, and Bank of America. He has held various roles with some of the top brand consulting firms in the industry such as Interbrand, Pentagram, Landor Associates, and Accenture Interactive. Adam is the Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder of OpenMessage, a web-application built for businesses and creative professionals to design, deploy and manage real-time SMS conversations. OpenMessage is funded by Loeb.NYC.
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About OpenMessage: A media and commerce platform homegrown to power apps inside of messaging apps.
Robin Srivastava
Co-Founder / COO of GrabShack
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About GrabShack: Search Engine For Indian E-commerce
Robert Underwood
Chief Operating Officer of Aspen Midstream
Robert Underwood brings experience in managing the complete lifecycle of midstream capital growth projects to Aspen Midstream. He has successfully managed daily operations at pipeline facilities and has overseen the construction of intrastate and interstate pipelines, crude oil terminals, tankage and trucking facilities. Prior to co-founding Aspen Midstream, Robert worked at Energy Transfer Partners in several engineering roles, most recently as director of engineering. In that role, Robert guided other engineers and project managers, assigning projects, balancing workloads and helping his team coordinate with commercial groups to meet objectives. He was responsible for all aspects of capital growth projects, including estimates, system design, bidding, construction, commissioning and operations. Robert managed the estimating, permitting and construction of more than $400 million of capital growth projects spanning natural gas and crude oil midstream assets. He also gained experience as a technical supervisor for Sunoco Logistic MLP in Texas and as an engineer/project manager at Colonial Pipeline Co. in Maryland. Robert received a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Texas Tech University.
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About Aspen Midstream: Headquartered in Dallas, Aspen Midstream is an independent energy company.
Kevin Futch
COO of ShadowBid
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About ShadowBid: ShadowBid is a revolutionary new online shopping platform that is incorporating financial trading tools.
Zachary Schmidt
COO of Looplist
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About : Looplist is an AI-driven Social Marketplace that provides each user with a uniquely tailored shopping experience.
Adebayo Folayan
Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer of NigerianNation
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About AfricanPlanet, NigerianNation: NigerianNation is a Nigerian e-commerce company operating online marketplaces for both international and domestic trade.
Adebayo Folayan
Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer of NigerianNation
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About AfricanPlanet, NigerianNation: NigerianNation is a Nigerian e-commerce company operating online marketplaces for both international and domestic trade.