Democratizing Fine Wine Investing
Fine wine has long been a cornerstone of wealth generation and preservation. The problem: historically, it's been reserved for the ultra-wealthy. Vinovest is changing that.
Get startedLeveraging technology to provide access to all
Vinovest is democratizing fine wine investing, providing clients with unparalleled access, liquidity, and transparency. Our combination of wine and technology experts makes it possible for everyday investors to own blue-chip wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux, and beyond. With our easy-to-use platform and team of portfolio advisors, you can have your profits and drink them, too
WHO ARE WE?
Vinovest is a team of world-class wine experts and the best technology talent.
Our talented team of experienced operators, software engineers, designers, and data scientists have previously started, scaled and sold several venture-backed companies.
Anthony Zhang
CO-FOUNDER, CEOAnthony is a repeat entrepreneur who has previously founded and sold two companies, EnvoyNow and KnowYourVC. He has also held leadership positions at Blockfolio and is a board member at RateMyInvestor.
Brent Akamine
CO-FOUNDERBrent is a serial entrepreneur bringing nearly 20 years of experience from senior roles TrueCar, ByteDance and more. He led the US re-launch/re-design of the TikTok App and was also design director at Blockfolio.
Arman Zand
Finance AdvisorArman Zand has more than 22 years of experience in technology and venture finance. He is currently VP of Finance at Upstart (Nasdaq “UPST”). Prior to joining Upstart, Arman was CFO at Prodigy which Upstart acquired in 2021. Prior to Prodigy, he was Head of Finance at Farmstead and Head of Value Creation at Quona Capital, a fintech venture capital fund focused on financial inclusion in emerging markets. Arman spent the prior 15 years at Silicon Valley Bank in the US, India, U.K, the Middle East, and Asia, helping expand the SVB globally including 7 years in China. Arman is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and is a part-time professional faculty member at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, his alma mater.
Mike Johnson
Director of EngineeringMike was most recently a Director of Engineering at Vestiaire Collective and was previously a Director of Engineering at Evite and held engineering lead roles at TrueCar and Bank of the West. He earned his B.S. in Computer Science from Regis University after leaving the Marine Corps.
Hunter Robillard
DIRECTOR OF SALES & Head of WhiskeyHunter has experience in both the fine wine & high end spirits industry. He previously helped wineries, distilleries, and breweries around the world with their production equipment needs.
Kelly Oresky
Vice president of operationsKelley Oresky is a leader with more than 25 years of management experience. She most recently served as Director of Operations for StockX. Prior to that, Kelley led the Inbound Operations within an Amazon Fulfillment Center. As an entrepreneur, Kelley built and managed two wireless retail companies with over 100 locations across 15 states. She also served as Chief Marketing Officer for a New York-based entertainment company. Kelley started her career in marketing and advertising working with automotive clients including General Motors, American Honda, and Ford Motor Company where she helped launch OnStar, the GM Card, and several new automotive models.
Austin Burgess
Product LeadAustin started his career as an aerospace engineer designing spacecraft for Boeing and NASA. Since then he has followed his passion into the tech world and has held roles in various startups from social networking, fitness, to real estate. He also enjoys fine wine and recently placed second in a blind tasting competition in Napa Valley.
Camrynn Robles
Software EngineerCamrynn has been working in tech startups since she was 18 and stuck with it all the way through college. She's been the sole member of Quality Assurance teams at multiple companies (including Quickride and Blockfolio) and even dabbled in product/project management. Her journey didn't stop at QA - Camrynn's engineering career started when she joined Unblocked as part of the front end engineering team where she accumulated a wealth of experience and development knowledge. She expanded her expertise by delving into mobile and game development through a spectrum of side projects, demonstrating not just quality assurance proficiency but also a hands-on approach in diverse development arenas.
Emily Knight
Senior Analytics EngineerEmily has been in data and analytics roles for over seven years in a variety of verticals including dev tools, insurance, ecommerce, and healthcare. She received her masters degree from the University of Texas at Austin.
Gaby Dilley
Senior Software EngineerGaby has been coding since 1999 and has worked with teams as small as one to teams of 50+ developers. She is a developer with an eye for detail and excels at writing semantic SEO friendly and Accessible code. Gaby is self taught. She was a key asset for companies large and small such as TrueCar, ZipRecruiter and Tradesy.
Fabrice Georges
Winery relations ManagerBorn in France and having moved a lot since then, Fabrice decided to give up his lawyer background to dedicate his professional life from the very first year to his wine lover background. He has been working in many aspects of the wine industry, especially purchases and trade, and he is specialized in the fine and rare wines market for more than a decade. Fabrice has also founded his own rare wines trade company operating from Europe.
Juan Tran
UI designerJuan has more than 10 years of experience in graphic design based in Vietnam. Now he focused on product design in the field of interface interaction, brand identity, and product illustrations. He also had the privilege of working at fantastic companies including Blockfolio, GoQuickride, and more start-up.
Karl Roskamp
Head of Content and CommunityA graduate of the University of Missouri journalism school, Karl prides himself on creating compelling content across multiple platforms, helping brands build meaningful relationships with customers. To date, he has produced a documentary, worked on Hollywood sets, published a book, written for Fortune 500 companies, and founded a YouTube channel with more than a million views. A jack of all trades, Karl proves that generalists can triumph in a world of specialists or at least have very eclectic resumes.
Laura Otey
Senior Portfolio ManagerLaura has previous experience being a Sommelier at luxury resorts and has a keen eye for quality in wine. She is a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers and her WSET level 3. She has a passion for educating every level of wine enthusiasts.
Lauren Bletcher
Head PORTFOLIO ADVISORSince leaving her career in luxury travel, Lauren has been able to pursue her true passion for wine by completing sections of both the Court of Master Sommeliers and the WSET exams. During this past fall, she followed this passion to the Willamette Valley in Oregon, in order to be an assistant winemaker in the 2020 harvest, under the renowned Drouhin family.
Mathew Richards
Inventory and Logistics ManagerMathew is an experienced purchasing, operations, planning and logistics manager who has set up and run operations, forecasting, manufacturing, and supply chain processes for blue-chip multinational, SME and start-up companies. He has focused mainly on the UK wine trade, but also has experience in pharmaceuticals, beer and soft drinks.
Micah Q
OperationsMicah started her career as a collector specialist at JP Mprgan Chase Bank which she became the youngest top collector at the age of 18 years old. She has managed several accounts and has accomplished her position as the acting CEO for an online company that helps modify the start-up website to attract traffic and have a good reputation.
Miguel Heiland
Sales Development RepresentativeMiguel, originating from Argentina, has developed a passion for business and sales since his youth. Driven by ambition and a thirst for knowledge, he journeyed to Europe four years ago on a solo adventure to immerse himself in diverse business cultures and connect with international peers. With a solid foundation in finance and management, Miguel has collaborated with professionals from various corners of the world, enriching his perspective and forging lasting relationships.
Robyn Ellicson
Customer Service ManagerOriginally hailing from Milwaukee, Robyn is the most organized and data driven free spirit that you will ever meet. Prior to the global pandemic, as an entrepreneur she helped develop, launch, and implement 16 brands in the entertainment and hospitality industries. She then landed at Bright Cellars which let her combine her love of wine with her statistical and customer care skills to become the top rated specialist on their concierge team. She now travels the world as a digital nomad enjoying wine, whiskey, and adventure. Robyn has two medical degrees from Marquette University.
Robert Taylor
Head of Trading, APAC and GlobalRobbie began his wine journey driving and delivering wine across London with Corney & Barrow and soon moved in to on-trade sales. He soon figured out his passion for fine wine and began work for a London brokerage and then to Armit Wines to join their trading division and was instrumental in the control, buying and selling of fine wine. With Armit, Robbie moved to Hong Kong to set up the HK trading division and then ventured out on his own setting up a brokerage firm. The past 8 years he has worked with Altaya Wines, one of Hong Kong’s largest fine wine importers as their Head of Broking before joining Vinovest. Robbie holds an advanced WSET certificate and has been a guest judge for numerous wine awards.
Ryan La Valle
Senior Portfolio ManagerPrior to joining Vinovest, Ryan was an Associate with MetLife Investment Management's Institutional Client Group and S&P Dow Jone's Sales Strategy & Client Service Teams, with almost a decade of Investment/Financial Service experience. He currently holds the FINRA Series 7 (Registered Representative) & Series 63 (Uniform Securities Agent) licenses. Academically, Ryan has earned a Bachelor degree in International Relations & Economics from Seton Hall University and is currently a MBA candidate at Penn State University. His passion for wine has led him to receive the WSET Level 2 & Level 3 awards in Wine & Spirits / Wine, respectively.
Olivier Bouchard
Winery Relations ManagerOlivier left his hometown of Montreal to pursue his passion for wine a little less than a decade ago, after working a few years with brands like L’Oréal and Expedia. After studying in Bordeaux for a year, he started working on La Place de Bordeaux as a buyer for a Négociant. His experience in Bordeaux then led him to try something new: Italian wines. Seeing the shortage of quality Italian wines in the region, he decided to import and distribute fine Italian wines in Bordeaux and its surroundings. Olivier then left Bordeaux to become a wine advisor for Château de Pommard, in Burgundy, where he managed a portfolio of private clients in the UK and Scandinavia. Olivier will be working from France, frequently travelling between France and Italy to meet with wine producers and learning more about the wines and their stories. On the weekends, Olivier spends his time outside, hiking in the mountains, breathing fresh air and enjoying nature. What he likes above all else: inviting friends over, cooking a nice dinner and sharing a great moment over a glass of wine.
Volodymyr Grinchenko
Head of Growth MarketingVolodymyr brings 9 years of experience in digital marketing to Vinovest. Having previously worked at Microsoft and Deloitte, Volodymyr has experience leading online advertising, marketing analytics and digital transformation initiatives for the biggest Canadian brands.
Vinovest Council
Jane Lopes
ADVISORJane is a sommelier with experience at New York's Eleven Madison Park, Nashville's The Catbird Seat, Chicago's The Violet Hour, and Melbourne's Attica. She was one of less than 30 women to ever pass the Master Sommelier exam, is a published author, and is currently developing her own import company, bringing Australian wine to the United States.
Jennifer Grancio
ADVISORJennifer was on the founding team of BlackRock iShares, where she led P&L, partnerships, and marketing. She earned her MBA with honors from Columbia business school and her BA with honors from Stanford University.
Jonathan Ross
ADVISORBorn and raised in New Jersey, Jonathan has worked in New York at a number of high-profile restaurants including Eleven Madison Park as head sommelier, and as beverage director for the Rockpool Dining Group in Melbourne Australia. While down under he curated wines for Qantas Airlines and launched his own wine label, Micro Wines. Jonathan was the Guild of Sommeliers TopSomm champion in 2015, passed the Master Sommelier exam in September 2017.
Dustin Wilson
ADVISORDustin Wilson is a Master Sommelier and was previously Wine Director of the 3 Michelin-starred restaurant, Eleven Madison Park. This expertise led him to have a leading role in the critically acclaimed wine documentary, SOMM.
DLynn Proctor
ADVISORAs a winery executive, DLynn has spent the last decade in global leadership roles with Penfolds Winery and Fantesca Estate & Winery, focusing on import/export, sales, marketing, strategy, and consumer relations. The previous decade of his career, DLynn was instrumental in building restaurant and training programs, restaurant and retail wine lists, and expanding new venue operations, while garnering accolades as an accomplished sommelier.
CJ McCollum
AdvisorCJ is the owner of McCollum Heritage 91 and a professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans. As an ambassador and advisor, CJ brings several years of wine and business experience to Vinovest. As of 2022, he is also the only active NBA player to own and operate a vineyard. CJ focuses his efforts on programs to make wine investing more inclusive and equitable.