THE BLACK BOOK x Winnin Partnership
By April Uchitel, CEO & Co-Founder of THE BOARD.
Every Thursday, THE BOARD BRIEFING brings you curated industry insights directly from our Members to your inbox.
THE BOARD IS AN AGGREGATE OF SYMBIOTIC COMPONENTS.
While “ecosystem” is overused today, it’s still the right word to describe us.
Our components include vetted BOARD Members, our collective professional networks, the brands, retailers, and tech companies we support, our collective resources, plus a deep well of shared expertise and earned wisdom. Layer in curiosity, a drive for innovation, “what’s next,” and “how can we help?” —and you have THE BOARD ecosystem.
We engineer moments where these components light up together, achieving strategic results lifting everyone. Opportunities to activate all components are what we love the most. Sometimes we drive them, sometimes the market pulls us in—but always toward solutions we’re uniquely built to deliver. We listen closely—we never chase.
When Warby Parker launched in 2010, the DTC model ignited a movement. Shopify soon became the backbone of owned digital storefronts. Venture capital firms poured billions into “e-commerce enablement” tech. Then Amazon changed everything. Now TikTok Shop is a formidable force, and AI dominates every conversation.
Through it all, consumers shopped at breakneck speed while venture capital fueled software solutions to help brands compete on acquisition, retention, LTV, customer experience, and more. During this time, many Members built careers at Fortune 1000 brands and retailers, as well as at leading digitally native brands, helping to shape the evolution of the consumer sector. Others joined big tech leaders like Google, Apple, and YouTube, while still others grew with emerging technology companies - myself included.
Fast forward to 2022, when I launched THE BOARD. From day one, the inbound interest from tech providers was constant —sometimes via VCs and PE firms sending portfolio companies our way, other times through founders referring one another, and often through BOARD Members connecting us to platforms they were advising. Our lens is always about unique fit, and it quickly became clear that as a bridge, we were game changers.
And the BLACK BOOK was born.
The goal then, as it is now, has been to select technology partners that solve acute problems and deliver real value for executive decision-makers. By getting close to the products and founders, we can champion the needle movers that we ourselves would have chosen in our former seats.
Our ecosystem is robust on one hand, but delicate on the other. Unlike venture capital, which deploys financial capital for financial returns, we deploy “relational capital” for long-term value and reputational impact. Therefore we choose our partners very wisely.
OUR TECHNOLOGY FILTERS
We only work with companies that pass through a set of filters we’ve honed over time:
Proven ROI & Differentiation – Does the technology deliver measurable ROI (revenue growth, cost reduction, or both) and fill a real gap in the brand tool stack?
Product-Market Fit – Does it have strong case studies with brands we know and admire?
Strong Founders – Are the leaders credible, visionary, and deeply entrenched in the consumer sector, solving meaningful problems for brands and retailers?
Problem Acuteness – Is the technology addressing a pain point urgent enough that senior brand decision-makers will immediately recognize its value and be motivated to adopt it?
Scalability via THE BOARD – Can our ecosystem help this company meaningfully scale? We only partner when we know we are uniquely positioned to help.
Each year, numerous tech companies approach us. After applying these filters, and our well honed instincts, only a select few move forward into a strategic partnership.
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: WINNIN
One partner I am excited to highlight is Winnin, especially given the explosion of focus on cultural relevance. Everywhere you look—press, industry experts, CMOs, CDOs, and CEOs—cultural marketing is front and center.
Winnin passed all of our filters:
Highly Differentiated – Winnin is an AI-powered cultural intelligence platform that drives cultural marketing strategies. It analyzes behavioral data from all major video platforms to deliver predictive insights, identify white space opportunities for innovation and audience strategies, and fuel UGC-led growth for the world’s largest advertisers.
Strong Case Studies – Winnin works with high-growth brands and global enterprises like L’Oréal, Unilever, Netflix, AB InBev, Danone, and Google to bring rigor to cultural marketing and deliver growth.
Strong Founders – BOARD member Halley Morrissey spent six months working closely with CEO Gian Martinez, a visionary creative executive who built his career at Coca-Cola before founding Winnin a decade ago. Halley also collaborated with Winnin’s Head of US, Rodrigo Maroni, a highly respected thought leader in the advertising world. Over this time, she developed case studies with CMOs and SVPs of Marketing and Digital at Winnin’s largest enterprise customers, who consistently praised both the team and the technology.
Acute Problem Solving – Global brands continue to struggle in today’s video-first, culture-first world, losing Share of AttentionTM not only to direct competitors but also to cultural ones. Winnin enables them to “turn on” a cultural marketing strategy that accelerates their Share of AttentionTM growth.
US Growth Opportunity – Winnin has built a strong foundation of Fortune 1000 customers across LatAm and has proven US enterprise demand. They sought our help expanding into the US across beauty, fashion, CPG, and tech—sectors where THE BOARD has its deepest networks.
Like many ecosystems, our’s is both resilient and delicate, wide reaching and intimate. We only introduce elements that feel truly organic, ensuring they fit seamlessly with what already exists. Winnin has quickly struck that balance—building authentic connections across THE BOARD and within our extended network of brand stakeholders. As a collective, we’re excited to support their U.S. expansion and continue learning together along the way.
As a network of deeply connected leaders,The BLACK BOOK Program is baked into our DNA. We're committed to meeting, vetting, and championing differentiated, high-ROI technology solutions. As the consumer economy shifts faster than ever, AI commands trillions in investment dollars, and decision makers are inundated with pitch decks and promises,THE BOARD is uniquely positioned to read both consumer and brand demand, and to put our stamp of approval only on the solutions truly worthy of our relational capital.
Always grateful to our extended network of investors and industry peers, equally invested in impacting business. And to our brand and retail partners—thank you for trusting us to help you cut through the noise. Having been in your seats, we know how precious your time is, and we work hard to deliver best-in-class products truly worthy of it.
The BLACK BOOK is much more than a resource—it’s a signal of where business is headed— and THE BOARD is here to listen, lead, and connect the dots.
THE BOARD is a vetted community of C-Suite talent from worlds of Fashion, Beauty, Tech and more. Whether your brand needs a 'Dream Team' for what's next or an on-call advisor to provide objective feedback on your strategy, THE BOARD has you covered.
For more BTS + in depth insights subscribe to ABOVE BOARD on SUBSTACK.
