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Deborah Benton is Founder & Managing Partner of Willow Growth Partners, an emerging growth fund providing early capital to entrepreneurs building next-generation, values-led consumer brands. Willow typically leads the first institutional round for brands generating $1–5M in revenue, applying a disciplined approach to valuation, capitalization, and scaling for long-term success. With a founder-first ethos, Willow partners with entrepreneurs at their most critical stage of growth.

Prior to founding Willow, Deborah launched and ran a family office investment vehicle in 2014, focused on seed-stage consumer brands and enabling technologies. In this capacity, she served as a Board Director and Advisor across multiple portfolio companies, gaining the insights, learnings, and conviction that ultimately shaped Willow’s investment thesis.

Earlier in her career, Deborah held various executive operating roles, including President & COO of Nasty Gal, COO of ShoeDazzle, and EVP of Inside Sales & Operations at Teleflora. She began her career in management consulting before joining eToys during the formative years of e-commerce.

Deborah holds both an MBA and a BA (Health) from Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada.

Amanda Schutzbank is Co-Founder and General Partner at Willow Growth Partners, an emerging growth fund providing early capital to entrepreneurs building next-generation, values-led consumer brands. Willow typically leads the first institutional round for brands generating $1–5M in revenue, applying a disciplined approach to valuation, capitalization, and scaling for long-term success. With a founder-first ethos, Willow partners with entrepreneurs at their most critical stage of growth.

Before founding Willow, Amanda spent several years investing in consumer at Amplify and Primary Venture Partners. At Amplify, she backed pre-seed consumer businesses and became a trusted first call for founders. At Primary, she built and scaled an expert network of hundreds of operators to deliver advice, mentorship, recruiting, and board support—underscoring her commitment to making venture capital an active partner beyond the initial investment.

Earlier in her career, Amanda was part of the founding team and served as Vice President of Marketing at the consumer hardware company Karma. She also gained experience as an Associate in the Techstars New York program, working hands-on with early-stage startups to refine their business models and operations.

She began her career as an Investment Banker at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, advising technology companies on IPOs and strategic transactions. Amanda earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Marketing from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Before joining Willow, Ellie spent over two years as an Investment Banking Analyst on Piper Sandler’s Consumer Team, advising leading brands on strategic transactions and growth opportunities. Ellie's early career experience also includes roles in private equity at Stone Arch Capital and in real estate with Lakes | Sotheby’s International Realty, where she gained a strong foundation in research, financial analysis, and client management.

A graduate of Pepperdine University, Ellie earned a degree in Economics and Applied Mathematics, graduating cum laude while competing as a Division I swimmer and participating in the university’s Florence study abroad program.

Prior to joining Willow, Josh gained experience across venture capital, investment banking, and growth advisory through roles at Axcel, Partnership Capital Growth, and Visible Ventures. His background includes sourcing and evaluating early-stage investments, conducting financial and market diligence, and building relationships with emerging consumer companies and fund managers.

Josh earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Philosophy from Colgate University, with additional coursework in Financial Statistics at NYU Stern and completion of the Tuck Business Bridge Program at Dartmouth.

John is a seasoned consumer goods operating executive, bringing over twenty years of business/brand/team building, turnaround, acquisition and retail experience to Willow with deep expertise in beverage and food.

Over the last three years, John has assumed senior operating roles in cannabis, and health and wellness including CEO of Hollandia Produce, the leading hydroponic greenhouse farming entity in the country. Prior to this, John was a founding investor in FLOW Water, the CEO of Ole Smoky Distillery where he tripled revenues in 18 months and sold majority stake to Centerview Capital, and the CEO of Pabst Brewing Company where he led a turnaround. In 2003, John joined The Wonderful Company where he led the acquisitions of FIJI Water, Justin Winery and Neptune Shipping, finishing his tenure as CEO of all three companies.

John began his career in management consulting at McKinsey & Company, and spent 5 years in multiple P&L leadership roles in Asia and the US with General Electric. John is Black Belt certified in Six Sigma.

John holds both an MBA and a Masters of Architecture from the University of Michigan. He completed a BS of Architecture at the University of Illinois.

Silvia brings over 25 years of leadership in the consumer, retail, and e-commerce industries, with deep expertise in brand transformation and business turnarounds. She began her career at The Boston Consulting Group, advising global consumer companies, before moving into senior operating roles at TOMS, American Apparel, and ModCloth, where she led brand expansion, digital transformation, and strategic divestitures.

As CEO of The Collected Group, Silvia oversaw luxury brands Joie, Equipment, and Current/Elliott, and today she serves as CEO and Chair of Coyuchi, driving growth through sustainability and conscious luxury. Alongside her operating leadership, she has served on numerous public and private boards, and currently sits on the boards of VTEX (NYSE: VTEX) and TOMS, while also advising as a Senior Advisor at BCG.

She holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management and a business degree from Università Bocconi.