Intro to Startup Board Service and Bolster.com – Is it for you?

If you are interested in learning more about what serving on the board of a start-up looks like, please join UNC’s Director Diversity Initiative (DDI) and ION for a webinar with their new partner, Bolster.  Bolster is an on-demand executive talent marketplace that helps accelerate companies’ growth by connecting them with talented executives for interim, fractional, advisory, project-based, and board roles.

In this session, hear from Matt Blumberg, Cristina Miller, and Michelle Goldberg about what start-up boards are looking for in board members and how your skills, professional and volunteer experience, and interests may help.  The Bolster platform will be described in more detail.  

Register here

Matt Blumberg

Matt is the founder and CEO of Bolster, a new talent marketplace for on-demand executives and board members launched in 2020. Matt was previously Chairman & CEO of Return Path, the market leader in email optimization, from 1999, until its sale to Validity. Under Matt’s leadership, Return Path won numerous employer of choice awards including #2 on Fortune Magazine’s “Best Companies to Work for” list. Prior to founding Return Path, Matt founded the Internet division of MovieFone (777-FILM) and had previously worked in venture capital and management consulting. Matt is Founder and Chairman of Path Forward, a non-profit that was spun out of Return Path in 2016 whose mission is to empower people to restart their careers after time spent focused on caregiving. He is also the author of Startup CEO: A field guide to scaling up your business, published by Wiley & Sons in 2020.

Michelle Goldberg

Michelle J Goldberg is an experienced board member for both startups and established public company brands pursuing digital transformation. As a partner at Ignition since 2000 she has invested in consumer and enterprise software technology companies. She is now a Venture Partner at SoGal Ventures investing in how the next generation works, plays and stays healthy. Michelle has sat on numerous public, private, and not for profit boards and has t for You? expertise in audit, risk management, activism, ESG and M&A. Michelle has been a public board member for Legg Mason, Taubman and Plum Creek. Michelle is a Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute and is an advocate and fundraiser for women in tech. Michelle was awarded a Masters degree from Harvard University, and holds an undergraduate degree from Columbia University where she is currently a member of the Board of Visitors.

Cristina Miller

Cristina is the Chief Operating Officer at Goldbelly, the e-commerce marketplace that connects food-lovers with delicacies from the best restaurants, chefs and food-makers in the U.S. Prior to joining Goldbelly, Cristina spent seven years at 1stDibs where, as Chief Commercial Officer, she oversaw all seller-facing functions – from sales to partner management to product marketing – for the company’s 4,000+ sellers around the world, as well as new category development, partnerships, and marketplace trust. Prior to joining 1stDibs, Cristina was the President of the 60-year-old collectibles company The Franklin Mint, where, after building out an e-commerce presence for the private-equity-owned company, she ultimately oversaw its successful sale to Sequential Brands Inc. (SQBG). In addition, Cristina has held senior roles at Group Commerce, an e-commerce and lead-generation platform for local merchants; Gilt Groupe, a flash-sales e-commerce company; and Store Adore, a fashion boutique-listings business she co-founded in 2007. In each of these positions, Cristina has focused on helping small and medium-size businesses grow their bottom lines through off-line and online commerce, particular marketplace commerce. Cristina also serves on the board of directors of Bolster, the marketplace for on-demand executive talent. Cristina holds a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. She resides in New York City with her husband and two children.