Firstleaf
Founded 2015 · 43 employees on LinkedIn · 5 known investors
Find your way into Firstleaf
964 people in our graph share verified history with the Firstleaf team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
Jan Hammerunlockedknows Philip James · together at University of Oxford (overlapped)
×2knows the team · via Stanford University
×4knows the team · via Stanford University Graduate School of Business
×2knows the team · via Penn State University
knows the team · via Columbia Business School
knows the team · via Purdue University
Firstleaf sources and delivers curated wines to consumers based on their taste preferences, using technology to match bottles to individual palates. The company operates a direct-to-consumer wine subscription and retail service.
Founders & leadership
Firstleaf was founded in 2015 by Philip James and Erik Steigler.
PJ
Philip JamesinFounder & CEOPhilip James holds a Master's degree in Computational Chemistry from Oxford and an MBA from Columbia University. He founded Lot18 and Snooth before establishing Firstleaf, a direct-to-consumer wine subscription service.
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Erik SteiglerinCofounder & Chief ArchitectHe has over a decade of experience in software development and systems architecture, including work at high-traffic websites.
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Carolin MeierinChief Wine OfficerCarolin Meier studied fine arts at the University of Fine Arts and holds certificates from British Columbia Institute of Technology in web technologies and digital design. She began her career in retail and publishing education, later moved into hospitality developing beverage training programs, built wine and cocktail lists for Tavistock Restaurants, and served as a buyer and négociant for premium Napa wineries before joining Firstleaf as Chief Wine Officer.
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Greg KryderinPresident and Chief Financial OfficerGreg Kryder previously led finance and operations for businesses ranging from $300 million to $5.5 billion in revenue across publicly traded and private equity-sponsored companies. He holds advanced degrees in business and engineering from a top-tier university and has worked internationally in Europe, Australia, and South America.
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Kevin JesseninSr. Vice President, Technology & ProductKevin Jessen leads technology and product at Firstleaf, a direct-to-consumer wine subscription service, where he has overseen platform migrations, launched an AI-powered mobile app for wine discovery, and led a 25-person engineering team. Previously, he held engineering leadership roles at Uline (managing software teams for a $3B e-commerce operation), ClickFox (delivering SaaS data analytics platforms), and Whole Foods Market (overseeing store operations software).
Investors · 5
Competitors · 5
by search overlapVivino8242 shared keywords
Vino Vest4641 shared keywordsVinovest offers a platform for building and managing personalized portfolios of fine wine and whiskey as investment assets, handling logistics such as merchants, warehousing, insurance, and export. It targets individual investors seeking alternative assets and uses data-driven strategies backed by wine and whiskey experts.
VinePair4634 shared keywordsVinePair is an online media outlet publishing news, guides, and editorial coverage about wine, beer, spirits, and other alcoholic beverages for drinks enthusiasts and industry followers.
Usual3450 shared keywordsUsual Wines produces small-batch sparkling wine made from sustainably farmed grapes in California's North Coast region, sold direct to consumers with no added sugar and minimal processing.
Tastingtable3005 shared keywordsTasting Table is a food and beverage media brand that publishes original recipes, dining guides, culinary news, and expert-backed content for home cooks and food enthusiasts. The publication serves a global audience through informative articles, product reviews, celebrity chef interviews, and cultural explorations of cuisine and ingredients.
Companies competing with Firstleaf for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
In the news
Frequently asked questions
- What does Firstleaf do?
- Firstleaf sources and delivers curated wines to consumers based on their taste preferences, using technology to match bottles to individual palates. The company operates a direct-to-consumer wine subscription and retail service.
- Who founded Firstleaf?
- Firstleaf was founded by Philip James, Erik Steigler in 2015.
- Who are Firstleaf's investors?
- Firstleaf's investors include BAM Ventures, Greycroft, LifeX Ventures, Primary Venture Partners, Tribeca Venture Partners.