My Story
didn't plan to become an entrepreneur. I just never stopped building.
I was twenty when three partners and I, my husband among them, opened a small cell phone store. One store became seventeen across the tri-state area, and somewhere along the way I learned that business is never really about the product. It's about people: the ones you hire, the ones you serve, and the ones who trust you enough to stay.
That lesson followed me into payments, when we started Merchant Industry, the company that became Suede. I gravitated to the people side of the business, building the culture, the teams, and the systems that let everyone do their best work. What began as a handful of us around a table grew into a family of about 320 people across the U.S. and India.
"Business is never really about the product. It's about people."
Watching that company reach a private equity partnership in 2025 was one of the proudest moments of my life, not because of the deal itself, but because of everyone who made it possible.
Today I remain a proud owner in both Suede and Valor Paytech. Since the post-acquisition transition, I've taken some time for myself to do what I enjoy most: family, friends, mahjong, travel, and some good old shopping experiences, all part of continuously reinventing myself. I still work closely with Vartanov Capital and give my time to my community through the Jericho Board of Education, Love Together USA, and Marine Toys for Tots.
And I'm still building. The next chapter is already being written.