Bio
Drew is the Co-Managing Director of LDR Ventures. He has successfully incubated, operated, turned around, transformed, advised and invested in Food, Restaurant, Fashion & Consumer Lifestyle Omni-channel brands worldwide for over twenty years.
He actively leads, co-leads, invests, consults to and advises companies, executives and entrepreneurs across the United States and internationally at multiple stages including Seed and Series A, in businesses that are part of the omni-channel food economy and restaurant ecosystem. He is an early stage investor in companies which include: Sweetgreen, Junzi Kitchen (+Advisor), Territory Foods, Thrive Market (+Advisor) and Court Buddy (+Lead & Board Member).
Drew’s investment, consulting and advisory experience includes: better, fast casual brick & mortar, mobile and digitally enabled restaurants, food, beverage, CPG, cloud kitchens, commissaries, pods/outposts, production automation, delivery/distribution/
He is widely regarded as a pioneering force in Internet Grocery, E-commerce, M-commerce, Omnichannel Retail and a thought leader for Innovative Technologies which support food, fashion and retail. Drew embraces diversity, impact, inclusion and female led businesses to build market leaders which address systemic and behavioral trend changes and have Impact.
Experience
Andrew “Drew” Koven is the Co Managing Director of LDR.
He has a long standing, ongoing and successful track record which includes 20+ years of experience and industry relationships launching, operating, innovating, transforming and investing in internet grocery (Shoplink.com, Fresh Direct) commissaries, restaurants, CPG, food and beverage companies, warehousing and distribution, technology, Omni-channel retail, eCommerce and mobile commerce.
Positions include:
Consultant – Chief Transformation Officer for Reef Technology
Consultant – President of Swagtron Hoverboards and eRideables
CEO at The Beach People, a global Seaside Luxe products for beach, bath & home, which he grew 5000% and sold.
VP of E-commerce & Omnichannel retail for Guess? Jeans with P&L responsibility for 5 brands, 11 websites & a team that drove 3 consecutive years of double digit revenue and conversion growth.
President of E-commerce & customer experience for footwear icon Steve Madden achieving three consecutive years of double digit growth and developed the mobile commerce and in-store fulfillment initiatives.
CMO of Melissa & Doug, children’s toys
EVP/CMO of Fresh Direct, a leading online grocer
VP Business Development & Customer Experience, ShopLink.com, a leading online grocer
Co-founder of Geoff & Drew’s, an online cookie and baked goods gift company
He is recognized as a: Webby Award Winner for Court Buddy, Top 25 Retailer by Apparel Magazine, Top 3 Mobile Marketer by Mobile Marketer Magazine, Boston Business Hall of Fame Inductee, Virgin Atlantic Entrepreneur of the Year, 40 under 40 Recipient, YEO charter member & 2 Chapter President and Advisory Board Apparel Magazine.
Drew is on the Board of QL+, which enhances the quality of life for those who have served. And an Executive in Residence for Cal Poly’s Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in San Luis Obispo.
Education
Syracuse University – Whitman School of Management, BS
Finance, Marketing & Economics