DON'T QUIT (Private) | Live from Madison Square Garden

Mark French, Chief Executive Officer, DON'T QUIT

Mark French has created, operated and sold multiple businesses in the consumer goods, sports, media and technology industries. As profiled by Forbes, French is recognized as one of the most successful business disruptors. As the recipient of three ‘40 Under 40 Awards’ in three separate business sectors, Mark has proven that his passion, creativity, leadership and entrepreneurial skill sets drive sustainable growth across industries. Previous ventures include MISSION®, The Players’ Tribune®, Healthy Together®, as well as entrepreneurial leadership roles with NBC Universal (Founder of NBC Everywhere). French is the Founder of NLP Ventures, an investor and hands-on operational partner for portfolio companies in the Sports, Entertainment, and Technology sectors. Leading consumer PE Firm L Catterton tapped French to join them on the Board of Directors for their portfolio company X2 Performance (a clean, healthy sports energy brand) and take over the CEO role in effort to scale the business. Under French’s leadership X2 partnered with Kawhi Leonard, Saquon Barkley and other elite athletes to grow the brands offering and distribution with large retailers including CVS, Subway, AMPM, GNC, etc. Mark recently led the strategic merger of X2 with Keurig Dr Pepper’s sports protein brand DON’T QUIT. The combined DON’T QUIT business now features sports beverages for all use occasions and is backed by Keurig Dr Pepper, LA Libations, Fitness icon Jake Steinfeld, Madison Square Garden, L Catterton, Sweetwater Private Equity, etc. . Over the course of his entrepreneurial career, French has partnered with legendary co-founding athletes and entertainers including Dwyane Wade, Serena Williams, Derek Jeter, Carmelo Anthony and others. Premiere institutional investors including L Catterton, Madison Square Garden, Live Nation, Endeavor, Roc Nation, Nelson Peltz, etc have backed French and his disruptive ventures. As a philanthropist, Mark received the Lowell B. Mason Award for exemplary volunteer service for his constant commitment and mentorship to at-risk inner-city youth. Mark was one of 150 delegates selected by Pope Francis for the Global “Sport at the Service of Humanity” Council. French is an alum of Ithaca College, where he is an active member of the Athletic Departments Advisory Council. He recently graduated from Harvard’s Business of Entertainment, Media, and Sports Exec Program. Mark’s inspiring entrepreneurial story has been featured on CNBC, Forbes, ESPN, Fox Business News, and more. Mark is often asked to share his entrepreneurial story and teach best practices with corporate giants such as GE, The NFL and more.

Dan Aldridge, Founder and Managing Partner, SHARE Series

Dan is currently the Founder and Managing Partner for SHARE Series. He is also the President of the National Investor Relations Institute for the Southeast and has been on the board of directors for the past five years. He was formerly the Senior Director of Investor Relations (IR) for Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), where was responsible for managing the company’s relationships with the investment community, and creating and disseminating all financial communications, including the company’s strategy and vision. Prior to ICE, Dan led the Investor Relations function for CF Industries, INC., based in Chicago, IL. Prior to CF, Dan helped lead the IR department at The Home Depot and had leadership roles in their internal audit/consulting and FP&A functions for over seven years. Dan started his career at UPS where he had increasing levels of responsibility in the Internal audit, and FP&A departments, including M&A. Dan is a graduate of The University of Georgia Terry College of Business with a BA and Masters degrees in Accounting. Dan also holds a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license and the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) designation.