Founders supporting founders

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.

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.

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.