We believe that is what it takes to identify powerful trends, recognize visionary innovators, collaborate effectively, and make transformative investments.
PASSION
HUMILITY
TENACITY
We believe that is what it takes to build exceptional businesses.
TRIAL & ERROR
SUCCESS
We’ve spent decades traveling the world – observing, listening, participating, experimenting… We’ve studied consumers. Honed our perspective. Identified trends. Recognized disruptors. Conducted analysis. Invested in and operated businesses. Built brands.
Along the way, we’ve learned a lot, especially the importance of credibility and trust.
We’ve been involved in operating and investing at all stages of development – from seeding ideas to creating unicorns to taking companies public. We’ve worked alongside public company CEOs and management teams to tackle pivotal changes in consumer trends and develop powerful global strategies. We’ve seen success and failure, examined the post-mortems, and tried to learn from both.
Most importantly, we know the learning is never done.
THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR HANDS ON EXPERIENCE
FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS,
WE HAVE BEEN DOING THIS
We know how hard it is to build a sustainable, profitable business. We created Clerisy to partner with founders, share our experience, perspective and expertise, and deliver resources that can drive growth and help build extraordinary businesses.
Portfolio
CleanCo is a delicious, low-calorie line of non-alcoholic spirit alternatives: Tequila, Gin, Rum, Vodka and Whiskey.
Dormify is the cult-favorite destination for designing and outfitting a college dorm room or apartment with on-trend, innovative products, inspiration and solutions for every style and budget.
GolfForever integrates a personalized at-home golf training app with the coaching and tools used by the world’s best players to improve flexibility and core strength to optimize golf performance.
Sonoro is an entertainment company that collaborates with Latino storytellers and creators to develop scripted and live content for modern Hispanic audiences.
A digital agency enabling brands to deepen engagement through distinctive, engaging storytelling, IP, and technology.
Union is a next-generation venue operating system incorporating inventory management, point of sale, loyalty, and data intelligence for high volume bars, restaurants, and their brand partners.
Team
Lisa Myers
CO-FOUNDER & MANAGING PARTNER
Lisa lived in the global public equity markets for almost 20 years as a portfolio manager, and coordinator of all consumer research for Templeton. She looped the globe observing consumers, identifying secular and structural trends, meeting with companies of all sizes and shapes, and strategizing with the management teams of those companies. After almost two decades, Lisa decided it was time to roll up her sleeves for real. She spent a year doing some hybrid investing in public and private companies with BTG Pactual, and ultimately joined LCatterton as a partner on their flagship Buyout Fund. As L Catterton was growing bigger, Lisa found herself drawn to the challenges of earlier stage companies. Convinced that her cumulative perspective, and broad global experience and network could be most impactful to founders searching for partners to help them scale and grow their businesses, Lisa convinced Alexandra to build Clerisy with her as a purpose-built platform to help accelerate the building of amazing, sustainable, profitable businesses.
While Lisa hails from the northeast, where she attended U Penn, and Georgetown for her law degree, Lisa has called The Bahamas home for over 25 years. When Lisa is not doing a deep dive into company strategy, she can usually be found diving up sand dollars and sea biscuits or trying not to take a dive off a ski slope in Colorado. In addition to diving and skiing, Lisa loves spending time with her husband and kids, running, hiking, finding the perfect word, side hustling as an interior designer, and art and art history.
Alexandra Wilkis Wilson
CO-FOUNDER & MANAGING PARTNER
Alexandra is best known professionally as Co-Founder of ecommerce sensation, Gilt, which transformed the landscape of luxury and fashion with the flash sale, creating urgency of demand and innovating online shopping. Alexandra owned the Chief Merchant role at Gilt, and filled many other seats on the journey from start-up to $650M in revenues. Having learned how to parlay the ability to sell accessible luxury items into selling travel and experiences, Alexandra became intrigued by the idea of using technology to deliver services. As Co-Founder of GLAMSQUAD, Alexandra brought beauty services to the homes of the time constrained. Before AI and machine learning became household words, Alexandra worked on creating a shopping tool using these advanced technologies, ultimately acquired by Google pre-launch.
While no one would have flinched if this pioneer in digital commerce, retail, merchandising, sales, business development and marketing had launched another start-up, Alexandra joined Allergan, the global pharmaceutical leader in aesthetics, to help them learn how to communicate directly with consumers.
Don’t hold it against Alexandra that she is a double H – Harvard B.A. and MBA. Alexandra’s humility is disarming, especially when she speaks to you in your native language (of which she speaks five). Alexandra is a relentless consumer, forever testing new platforms and products. She will often have suggestions on a first meeting. When she is not analyzing a new consumer concept, Alexandra can be found on the tennis court, not missing her New York roots as she soaks up sunshine with her husband and two kids in their Florida digs.
Susie Harbour
PRINCIPAL
Susie’s ability to recognize innovative founders disrupting their industries is more than a passion, it’s her DNA. After several years analyzing big public equities at Bank of America and Putnam Investments, Susie turned in her subscription to Bloomberg for Pitchbook and joined the renowned platform builder Yellow Wood Partners. Susie learned from the best what it takes to execute, integrate, and grow. After working on several deals and a notable exit, Susie decided to move down the cap table to invest in earlier stage companies. She joined Volition Capital to help the team expand beyond traditional SaaS businesses to internet & consumer companies. Most recently, prior to joining Clerisy, Susie really “hit her stride” in the beauty and personal care space as a founding member of the team at Stride Consumer Partners, a middle market consumer-focused growth equity firm. Having now worked across all stages of business evolution, Susie brings her discerning eye and deep experience to Clerisy to help uncover the next big thing in consumer and consumer tech.
We won’t wager money on Susie’s regional origins. She may have spent some time in the DC melting pot while studying Finance, Accounting and Economics at Georgetown, as well as a few years cutting her teeth in NYC, but it only takes one conversation to identify this Bostonian. They say birds of a feather flock together, which may explain her husband being a Hoya, but she really took it to heart and also married a fellow consumer analyst. While Susie used to travel the world seeking outdoor adventures, with two young kids and an unusually needy cat, these days, Susie can be found running along the Charles River and traveling wherever a car seat and stroller can take her.
Zack Shaftal
PRINCIPAL
A smart Midwesterner rounds out every team. From Chicago, Zack has been loyal to his roots, studying at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for his undergrad, and at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business for his MBA, where he not only learned a lot, but also claims to have had fun (maybe the business school is exempt from the moniker?). In between undergrad and business school, Zack cut his teeth in investment banking at Greenhill & Co. and had his first foray in private equity at Madison Dearborn Partners, where he focused on growth equity and buyout investments across the consumer, software, and industrial sectors. After business school, Zack moved to the “other” big city and spent a couple of years in the New York office of UK-based 3i Group plc where he continued to work on software, business services, and industrial deals. Wise for his years, and valued for his insight, Zack has been an esteemed board observer for Multi-Packaging Solutions, Fleet Complete, JMJ Associates, and Magnitude Software. Committed to focusing on all things consumer, and a true entrepreneur at heart, Zack took the leap out of big firm PE to join Clerisy to help build the next generation of consumer innovators.
Zack used to dream about weekend golf, but as a new dad, golf is out, Peloton HIIT classes are in, and Zack is the best hands- on consumer researcher in the baby space, keenly investigating new innovations in food, toys, gear, and apparel.
Approach
We Are Prospectors,
We Are Builders
Whitespace
We look for whitespace in consumer categories and the technologies that power them. Consumer preferences are evolving faster than ever, and technology is transforming the way consumers consume, and sellers sell.
Evolving
Trends
We identify the big secular and structural consumer trends early. We follow closely as they evolve. Evolution creates whitespace. Innovation provides solutions.
PASSIONATE & TENACIOUS
FOUNDERS
We seek out passionate and tenacious founders who are innovating to solve problems and meet needs for consumers. Making a difference.
COMPETITIVE
ADVANTAGE
We subscribe to the notion that true innovation equals competitive advantage, which when paired with strong leadership and discipline can become a competitive moat.
We Help Navigate and Scale,
We Are Collaborators
Experience
We draw on our experience to try to anticipate dynamic shifts and help shape all aspects of operations to drive growth and efficiency
Financial Discipline
We partner with our management teams to build strategies rooted in financial discipline that can drive sustainable, profitable growth and scale
Access
We provide open access to our extensive global network, which we continue to build every day
Transparency
We believe that honest and open communication is the foundation of successful partnerships
Diversity
We are female-founded and believe that different perspectives, opinions, and experiences are critical to building successful businesses
We Share the Wins and the Challenges,
We Are Partners
Testimonials
“Clerisy is the partner I had long been searching for to bring the company I founded from a startup to a mature thriving business. The team brings a wealth of expertise and knowledge in consumer brands and business strategy that helped transform our company into the industry leader we are today. They are devoted and driven partners. I’m so glad I found them.”
-Dr. Jeremy James
Founder & Chief Experience Officer
“The Clerisy team is always willing to roll up their sleeves and help out when we need it — they have acted as an extension of our team and dedicated their time to be in the weeds when we’ve had holes.”
-Amanda Zuckerman,
Co-Founder & President
“Throughout my career as a VC and an entrepreneur, I have worked with some of the largest and most well respected names in the venture and growth equity industry. Clerisy is top of my list. They are invested in both the journey and the destination of the craft of growing a company. They are helpful, passionate, and unwavering in terms of supporting their companies and would be my first phone call for any entrepreneur beginning a journey.”
-Alex Broeker
Founder & CEO
“Clerisy has been the most involved investors on CleanCo’s Cap table. They offer regular assistance in a myriad of ways, from finance to operations to marketing support. I can rely on them to always pitch in and assist however they can.”
-Billy Paretti
CEO
“Clerisy has been an active and strategic partner for us at Sonoro as we develop and execute our company’s plans for growth. The Clerisy team is enthusiastic and driven, and we enjoy working hand in hand with them as we embrace opportunities in the market.”
-Camila Victoriano
Co-founder and Chief Content Officer
“Having Clerisy as part of our team creates a format for mutual trust and true transparency as we navigate rapid growth. The breadth of their experience always provides a fresh and relevant point of view to help inform our decisions.”
Latino-focused media company Sonoro wants to be the next ‘IP machine’ like Warner Bros. TV. Here are its expansion plans and the pitch deck it used to get investment.