People

Paul Earle & Co. is led by Paul W. Earle, Jr., a brand and innovation professional, entrepreneur, intrapreneur, and lecturer with significant experience in design, the development of new products and services, new venture formation, intellectual property licensing, marketing communications of all kinds, and traditional brand management and strategy. His professional experience entails innovation roles at several top global creative agencies, most notably and most recently Leo Burnett, where he co-founded and led Farmhouse, its new product and service innovation center. Paul also has substantial experience in private startups, as founder and President of the brand acquisition firm River West Brands, which became part of Omnicom Group in 2007, as well as being part of the founding team that created and launched Angel’s Envy, the brown spirits company acquired by Bacardi in 2015. Paul is also an adjunct lecturer of innovation and entrepreneurship at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, where he co-leads the popular “Corporate Innovation & New Ventures” lab class. Paul’s full biography can be downloaded here.

Simply put, Alliance Partner and Advisor Craig Dubitsky is one of the consumer product world’s most acclaimed innovators and entrepreneurs today. A passionate champion for design of all kinds, Craig was one of the founding investors and Board members of Method Home Products; co-founder of Eos; and currently is founder/CEO of Hello Products. He also sits on the board of a number of important and successful design-driven new enterprises in the consumer space, such as Flow Water, Finally Light Bulbs, and several others. Among many other accolades, Craig has been named to the CREATIVITY 50 as one of top 50 most creative people in business, and most recently was named Innocos’ first runner up for “Innovator of the Year.”

Alliance Partner and Advisor Stephanie Farsht has been a leading pioneer at the intersection of innovation and retail throughout her career. Currently a faculty member at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and active member of a number of emerging enterprises, she was previously a senior leader at Target Corporation, where she led and managed the team charged with evaluating acquisitions, joint ventures, and partnership opportunities on the cutting edge of what’s next in retail. She also led and developed Target’s relationships with key digital partners (Facebook, eBay, Google), venture capital firms, and startups. Stephanie founded and led Target’s first-ever Digital Advisory Board, and previously held a senior corporate development role for the company.

In the world of innovation and product design, Alliance Partner and Advisor Craig Sampson is one of the top practitioners and academics. A Stanford engineer by training, he was an early protégé of David Kelley and member of David Kelley Design, one of the predecessor companies to what would later become the famous innovation firm IDEO. Craig later founded IDEO’s Chicago office, which he led successfully for years. At IDEO, he stewarded the conception and creation of a number of famous consumer products and services in the market today across a wide range of verticals, and in particular later served as head of their global healthcare practice. He subsequently led innovation at World Kitchen, and served on the leadership team of Farmhouse, the innovation center at Leo Burnett. He is presently a faculty member at Northwestern’s Segal Design Institute and an investor in a number of early stage companies, amongst other endeavors.

Paul Earle & Co. is also fortunate to be able to leverage relationships with prominent players throughout the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, including the top growth specialist Clareo, other proven entrepreneurs, myriad capital sources, myriad retail outlets (both established and new), top creative agencies, incubators and accelerators, academic institutions (including students and tech transfer offices), consultancies, and beyond.

Whatever the challenge, Paul Earle & Co.—a small team by design, but one with wide reach and the right reach—is positioned to help its partners succeed.