Lauren Maillian is a former model turned serial entrepreneur; she is the Founder and CEO of LMB Group, a strategic marketing and advisory company, is a Founding Partner at Gen Y Capital Partners, an early stage venture firm focused on investments in mobile and consumer facing technology enabled companies and is the author of the instant bestselling business memoir, "The Path Redefined: Getting To the Top On Your Own Terms." Most recently, Lauren has brought her trademark personality and passion for entrepreneurship to television as co-star of the new startup focused reality TV show, "Quit Your Day Job," premiering on Oxygen (NBCU) Q1 2016.

At age 19, Lauren cofounded a boutique winery that quickly became an internationally recognized award-winning wine brand, making her the youngest self-made winery owner in the country. She served as the Chief Operating Officer of the company from inception through the brand’s acquisition in 2011.

Lauren’s passionate about marrying marketing, branding, strategy and technology. She is known to spearhead the development of communication concepts to help others build, inspire, engage and connect. Lauren is a marketer at heart, who loves to build brands and devise business development strategies with a concentration on the creation and implementation of innovative yet strategic plans that build brand identity and increase revenue. She is a detail-oriented strategist with a deep understanding of business operations, management, and formation across various industries. She has a unique ability to turn opportunities into inflection points that help companies gain the traction and market share they need. Lauren has a global perspective and a fresh, yet entrepreneurial, approach to implementation. She is excited by innovative and unique concepts, and has been known to seize rare opportunities and turn them into iconic experiences.

Lauren often speaks about entrepreneurship, female leadership, marketing, branding, business development, startups and early stage venture at various conferences. She has spoken at prestigious institutions including Harvard University, Columbia University, the S.C. Johnson School of Management at Cornell University and the University of Virginia. She is a large supporter of entrepreneurship; she invests in numerous companies and serves on the advisory board of Digital Undivided, a social enterprise that increases the active participation of urban communities, especially women, in the digital space; CoSign, a technology company that allows you to monetize your social media and shareable content; and LIQS, a brand of pre-mixed single serve cocktail shots. Lauren judges the Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship’s (NFTE) business plan competition and the incoming classes of Start Up Chile, an incubator program in support of entrepreneurship sponsored by the Chilean Government. She is an active advisor to several startups including the Levo League and the Pipeline Fellowship.

Lauren’s work has been featured in national media outlets including Forbes, American Express OPEN Forum, Interactive ONE, Sirius XM Radio, 1010 WIN’s, HuffPost LIVE, UPTOWN Magazine, CNBC’s Nightly Business Report, MSNBC, FOX 5, CBS New York, Business Insider, Fast Company, and Black Enterprise. In 2011 she was recognized at The White House by the Kauffman Foundation as an Empact100 Award honoree which lists the top 100 entrepreneurs under 30 and in 2013, Essence Magazine named Lauren a “Shot Caller” to watch in business. In 2014, the New York Urban League’s Young Professionals awarded Lauren the honor of Philanthropist of the Year for her charitable involvement and dedication to giving back, in 2015 Kia Motors and UPTOWN Magazine awarded Lauren for being Inspirationally Crafted for her leadership and fearless entrepreneurial journey and in 2015, Smart CEO Magazine named Lauren as a Smart CEO Brava Award Winner.

Lauren is very involved in various philanthropic organizations that affect youth, poverty, education, and the arts. She serves on the Advisory Board of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Multicultural Audience Development Initiative (MADI) Committee, as Vice Chair of The Apollo Theater Foundation Young Patrons Steering Committee, The New York Urban League’s Development Committee, is a founding member of the Young Entrepreneur Council, and a Lifetime Member of the Children’s Aid Society. Lauren has a Bachelors of Science, Magna Cum Laude, in International Trade and Marketing from the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is a single mom and currently resides in Manhattan, New York with her two children, Jayden and Chloe.

Black Heritage, Black History Month, African-American Women, Diversity, Entrepreneurship, Women in Business, Marketing, Investing, CEO, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Authors, Diversity Topics, Innovation, Startup, Start-up Advisor,