Ever dreamed of starting a beauty brand, or wondered ~what it takes~? Connect with founders from Instagram’s favorite beauty brands and ZitSticka as they share their origin stories, how to navigate inclusivity in 2021, challenging conventional standards of beauty, and more!
Takeaways
- How to start a beauty brand that meaningfully adds to an already overcrowded space
- Understand the importance of a clear brand identity & values, and how to turn them into brand loyalty & love
- Why conventional beauty standards must be challenged and subverted in 2021
About the Panelists

Daniel KaplanFounder,
ZitSticka
Danny developed his passion for human biology, chemistry and psychology whilst completing his Bachelor of Science at the University of Sydney. After graduating, Danny helped scale two advertising technology companies; one in the US (Signpost) where he trained and managed the NY sales team for three years, and the second (AdRoll) in Australia, where he was the first sales hire to help penetrate/scale the region, managing the Sydney sales team for the second half of his tenure. During his time at AdRoll, Danny also helped multiple D2C brands (such as Frank Body and HiSmile) scale and grow their businesses by executing all Facebook/Instagram ad campaigns and advising on on-site optimizations/tools. Danny's entrepreneurial itch, his passion for skincare and D2C, combined with his extensive experience in ecommerce & digital advertising led him to leave his full time role to join forces with his brother-in-law (Robbie Miller) to build their own digitally native, next generation, global skincare brand. At ZitSticka™, Danny specializes in product development, supply chain management, brand development, performance & brand marketing, ecommerce planning/dev/optimization as well as global regulatory management.

Sasha PlavsicCreator,
Ilia Beauty
Born in Vancouver and raised in a rural, ocean-side setting just outside the city, Sasha has always been close to nature. Her younger brother and now business partner, Zac, suffered from acute asthma and allergies as a young child. Her mother, a true pioneer in health and wellness at that time, sought out homeopathic remedies to help heal her son. This included co-founding an organic food co-op with several families in the area, as organic food did not yet exist in the grocery stores. Through trial and error, Zac was healed primarily through diet, and went on to compete in sailing in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. This was an amazing accomplishment, especially after the doctors had predicted he would never be able to play sports.
Sasha’s interests fell into design, studying Typography in London and New York. She found herself in Los Angeles in 2006 and spent several years working as a branding executive within the fashion and beauty industries. After moving home to Vancouver for a brief sabbatical, her mother encouraged her to read the ingredient list on her favorite lip balm. Sasha was shocked to discover many of the ingredients were not safe, and it’s something she used daily. The challenge was set – re-create her favorite lip balm so that it would be safe, effective and natural. And so the story of ILIA begins.
Sasha currently resides near ILIA’s headquarters in Laguna Beach, CA with her husband and two young daughters.
About Our Partners
ZitSticka is a tech-meets-skincare brand hinging on science and leveraging the most efficient and innovative delivery systems.
Central to the brand's ethos is bringing transparency to the acne space—a space typically glossed over, sidestepped or approached in a clinical light. We explore the reality of having acne with equal parts sincerity and humor, while collaborating with members of the online “skin positivity” community to normalize the phenomenon that is acne. We're at once proposing that zits are an entirely normal and non-shameful phenomenon, but that we can help you fight them.
- May 13, 2021 at 5:00pm – 6pm
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Online
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New York, NY 10010
United States
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