Founders supporting founders

He has spent his career looking at the inner workings of organizations and in enabling and optimizing the three primary catalysts of growth and scale in any environment: people, processes and platforms.

Osman was formerly Co-Founder (along with Alexander Gilkes) and CEO of Paddle8 and since exiting has advised over 50+ companies in the consumer space on strategic and transformational matters, including launching four direct-to-consumer businesses in the last 18 months, Osman is also an entrepreneur-in-residence at Nike, supporting their innovation team on the launch of businesses that serve their customers in new and unimagined ways.

Osman started his career in professional services across Perella Weinberg and Towers Perrin. Osman was named one of Fast Company's Most Creative Entrepreneurs in 2017, the 100 Most Powerful People in the Art World (Art + Auction) in 2015 and 2016, and a New York Venture Fellow.

Lukas has spent a career building and telling some of the greatest brand stories and journeys in the consumer world and has an innate ability to readily evaluate, define and architect the brand and product of a company to actively engage its audience.

Lukas was formerly Co-founder of Sid Lee USA and part of the global executive team that led Sid Lee to become a 700-person, global creative powerhouse, leading brands such as adidas, Apple and Dom Perignon. Forbes Magazine listed Sid Lee top 3 agencies to watch and was named Agency Of The Year in 2013, ’14 and ’16 by Strategy Mag. Sid Lee was successfully acquired by Hakuhodo,JP in 2015, and one of the leading firms in their boutique US network holding company KYU alongside IDEO and SYPartners.

Derksen’s past work is defined by unique collaboration between cultural icons and brands, working with the likes of David Beckham, David Lynch, Lionel Messi, Katy Perry, Daft Punk and Run DMC to name but a few. Lukas is a frequent speaker on ranging innovation topics, personal investor, and makes his own biodynamic wine with his wife in Burgundy, France.

Alexander was formerly Co-Founder and President of Paddle8 (an online auction house which changed the way a new generation accessed art and collectibles and became the world’s fifth largest auction house with $150 million in sales by 2015) until its sale in 2016.

There he pioneered new formats for charity fundraising and as an auctioneer helped raise over $300mm for non-profits including AmfAR, Elton John AIDS Foundation and UNICEF. His career started at LVMH as the youngest executive team member in the company's history and built Krug Champagne into the world renowned brand it is today. Most recently he drove innovation at Pace Gallery by advising the owners on global business and brand strategy, while opening the world’s most ambitious 8-floor gallery.

At auction he has sold everything from the Wu-Tang Clan’s single-copy album to a world-record setting Warhol and Rothko. He was named Fast Company's Most Creative Entrepreneurs, 100 Most Powerful People in the Art World (Art + Auction), a Digital Maverick (DETAILS), one of the 40 Most Important People Under 40 (Apollo). He is also a Contributing Editor to British Vogue.

Sivan Gompers is head of Strategy and Business & Portfolio Operations at Squared Circles. Prior to joining Squared Circles, she spent the last three years investing across the consumer sector at L Catterton, Siddhi Capital, and Amberstone Ventures. Before attending business school, Sivan worked extensively at the intersection of consumer and technology - at Banza in forecasting and demand planning, at Anheuser-Busch InBev in e-commerce and data analytics, and at Avero in restaurant technology. Sivan received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, and graduated from Harvard College where she received an A.B. in Anthropology and Human Evolutionary Biology.

Outside of work, Sivan enjoys running, baking, hiking with her dog Miso, and cheering on the New England Patriots.

Karan Jerath is the youngest member on the 2016 Forbes' 30 Under 30 Energy List and a United Nations Young Leader for the Sustainable Development Goals. His novel patented invention targets remediation methods for subsea oil spills and has earned him the Intel Foundation's Young Scientist award along with recognition from the Kingdom of Brunei, Kingdom of Bahrain, Emperor of Japan, and the Governor of Texas.

Prior to Squared Circles, Karan was working as a consultant at one of the Big Four Consulting Firm in the field of Corporate Sustainability. At Squared Circles, Karan is the source of inspiration and knowledge as it pertains to the latest in Material Sciences and Biotech. He heads up our Product Development translating our product vision into must-have product that are better for you and planet.

Over the past 25 years Jim has had the opportunity to take on some formidable leadership challenges from start-up businesses through to re-building iconic brands. Through that, Jim has established himself as a visionary leader who understands how to set strategic, cultural, team, and action oriented 'conditions for success'. With experience in leadership positions across several industries, including CPG (Red Bull, Wholly Veggie), Sports (Reebok, adidas, Salomon and Merrell Outdoor) and now Squared Circles, Jim has always found a way to make significant impact to brand, business, and stakeholder success. With a modern balance of passion and professionalism, Jim always try to take an energetic approach as a 'global entrepreneur' to find pioneering solutions for brand momentum, team development, product innovation, and profitable business growth.