Special Broadcast of "Learning Out Loud"
UVA students Justin Guerra (A&S ’24), Marlee Reiter (McIntire ’25), and Chapin Zerner (A&S ’25) will be live streaming a recording of their "Learning Out Loud" podcast at the event.
Connaughton
SPEAKER SERIES
Changemakers:
A Founders Conversation
Friday, April 26 | 10 - 11:30 a.m.
Newcomb Hall Ballroom (Third Floor)
It takes a special combination of entrepreneurial spirit and measured optimism to launch a profit- and purpose-driven company that creates real business value. Join us as we explore the unique journeys of four McIntire alumni who have built successful businesses from the ground up to make a positive impact.
This event is underwritten by the Connaughton Commerce for the Common Good initiative.
Keynote Speaker - Nancy Twine
Twine joins McIntire Dean Nicole Thorne Jenkins for an enlightening fireside chat followed by a dynamic founders panel.
Nancy Twine (McIntire '07)
Entrepreneur, Executive, Investor, Adviser, & Philanthropist
Nancy Twine has carved her own unique path in the business world. Pivoting from her first career as a VP at Goldman Sachs, she sought a different life filled with inspiration and purpose. Tapping into her mother's roots in natural product formulation, Twine created Briogeo — the clean, high-performance hair care line that pioneered the "skinification" of hair movement. At the age of 29, Twine became the then-youngest Black woman to launch a product line at Sephora, and the brand has gone on to win dozens of awards for innovation, including one of the highest number of Allure Beauty Awards in the prestige hair care space.
In 2022, less than 10 years after launch, Twine sold Briogeo to the Wella Company. Twine is one of the few Black CEOs and businesswomen who have successfully launched and scaled a global business, has raised over $20 million of private equity funding, and has sold her company in a strategic M&A process — all before the age of 40.
While Twine continues in her role as Founder & CEO of Briogeo globally, she is now evolving once again, harnessing the power of her business expertise and life experience to enrich the lives of her community. By providing meaningful connections to information, tools, and resources on NancyTwine.com and through her podcast, Makers Mindset, Twine is helping to open up a world of possibilities for others—and to empower everyone to create a life well lived.
Today, Twine is an active investor in multiple startups across the beauty, wellness, food and beverage, tech, and real estate industries. She is also considered a leading expert in entrepreneurship, growth mindset, and female leadership and has been sought out for profiles and opinion from publications such as Inc., Forbes, WWD, NPR, Allure, and Vogue. Twine is the recipient of the Goldman Sachs Builders + Innovators Award, Entrepreneur’s 100 Women of Impact, Inc.’s Female Founders 100, Essence Magazine Power 40, Black Enterprise 40 Under 40, and Gold Stevie Awards for Best Female Solo Entrepreneur. Twine currently serves on the board of Cosmetic Executive Women and philanthropic organization Room to Grow.
Meet the Founders Joining Twine on the Panel
PANELIST
Bradford Manning (McIntire '07)
Co-Founder, Two Blind Brothers, and Managing Partner, Tiger Lily Capital
Bradford Manning, Co-Founder of Two Blind Brothers, is on a mission to cure blindness. Two Blind Brothers is a small charitable clothing company that donates 100% of its profits to drive life-changing research for a cure for blindness.
PANELIST
Ashley Young (McIntire '09)
Co-Founder, CEO, and Lead Stylist, Bridal Babes
Ashley Young is Co-Founder, CEO, and Lead Stylist of Bridal Babes, the first size-inclusive bridesmaid gown line. Young currently heads up the marketing and production side of the business and taps into her 10+ years of marketing expertise to grow the business.
Background
About the Connaughton Speaker Series
In recent years, John and Stephanie Connaughton made an investment in the McIntire School, with a vision for shaping the greater learning community’s understanding of the ideal, “Commerce for the Common Good.” Recognizing the relevance of commerce as an exchange central to global business and society, the initiative aims to prepare and empower students for employing McIntire’s world-class business education to address a wide range of pressing societal issues.
The inaugural Connaughton Speaker Series event took place on April 28, 2023, on the historic Grounds of the University of Virginia. The conversation featured John Connaughton, UVA President Jim Ryan, McIntire Dean Nicole Thorne Jenkins, and a panel that included some of John Connaughton’s most esteemed professional collaborators. Together, the group explored how Connaughton’s trusted network is helping him serve at the forefront of Commerce for the Common Good through his work as Co-Managing Partner of Bain Capital and as an exemplary contributor to economic and philanthropic endeavors that embody Bain’s Core ESG Commitments.
Having spent our professional careers in the private sector, we believe that business can and must be a constructive force in addressing the enormous issues facing our society and our economy.
John Connaughton
(McIntire '87)