Current speakers

Taryn is the president of IRL Ventures, a bespoke early stage advisory & investment firm building operational excellence into VC-backed startups. We work as a true extension of the founder's team, rolling up our sleeves to solve the toughest problems and create durable solutions that accelerate growth. We work best with ambitious founders who are obsessed by an audacious vision. IRL also has an early stage investment vehicle to underwrite the winners in our portfolio.

Taryn’s career has been spent focused on empowering founder vision and unlocking hyper-growth for mission driven companies. Taryn Jones Laeben is the former Chief Operating Officer (COO) of SoulCycle, the revolutionary indoor cycling brand, founded in New York City in 2006. Before her time at SoulCycle, Taryn was the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Casper, the fast-growing sleep company, where she led rapid expansion across retail, wholesale, partnerships, customer experience, and strategy at large. Prior to joining Casper, Taryn spent many years generating industry leading results in fashion & retail. Taryn led NYC-based jewelry brand Alexis Bittar as President after having run the North America and International businesses for Kate Spade New York as Senior Vice President of North America and Vice President of International, respectively. At Kate Spade New York, Taryn led multi-channel growth across 120+ retail stores, 500+ points of wholesale distribution, and the e-commerce channel. She was a key member of the executive team that lead Kate Spade New York to become the eponymous global lifestyle brand it is today.