Erum Hasnain

Erum Hasnain built her career at the intersection of consumer finance, brand operating, and early-stage investing. She began as an analyst in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs, then moved into brand operating as a Brand Manager for Oral Care and Personal Care at Colgate-Palmolive (associated with brands such as Optic White). She earned a BA from New York University and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (Class of 2013), with a focus on Marketing and Operations Management.

After Wharton, Hasnain joined L Catterton, the global consumer-focused private equity firm, as an investor (Senior Associate). She subsequently became a Founding Partner at Idea Farm Ventures, a New York consumer venture studio founded in 2017 by Wharton professor and DTC pioneer David Bell that both backs and actively builds next-generation lifestyle, health, and wellness brands. She has also served as a guest lecturer at NYU Stern School of Business.

More recently, Hasnain served as Head of M&A at Intrinsic Brands, an e-commerce acquisition and growth platform focused on digital-first health and wellness brands (a role held from around 2021 through the company's acquisition). As of 2025 she is a Principal at ghSMART, a leadership advisory firm, where she partners with boards and CEOs on leadership strategy, executive coaching, and succession, drawing on her investor and operator background. Her angel/venture-partner work at Idea Farm Ventures represents the investing chapter of this profile.

• Backs and helps build mission-driven companies for the modern consumer — the stated mandate of Idea Farm Ventures.
• Focus on early-stage Millennial/Gen-Z lifestyle and DTC brands, particularly in health, wellness, beauty, and personal care.
• As a venture *studio*, IFV does more than write checks — it actively co-builds brands (product, marketing, operations), reflecting Hasnain's operator background at Colgate-Palmolive and L Catterton.
• Looks for women-led consumer companies building brands and products that customers love, a theme she has spoken to publicly (e.g., the 2019 WAFFA "Business of Building a Brand" panel).
• Values founders who understand both brand storytelling and disciplined unit economics, consistent with her mix of banking, PE, and brand-management experience.