Summit Partners announced it has welcomed Morgan Buehler Zanotti to the firm’s Executive-in-Residence (EIR) program. In this role, Zanotti will work closely with Summit’s Growth Products & Services team to identify new investment opportunities and advise growth-stage companies in the functional foods and health/wellness sectors.
Zanotti brings over a decade of experience building, leading, and supporting brands in the functional food and beverage categories. In 2014, Zanotti had co-founded Primal Kitchen, a bootstrapped, better-for-you condiment and supplement brand that has grown to offer over 70 products sold across 16,000 retail outlets.
As President, Zanotti helped drive solid growth resulting in a sale to Kraft Heinz. Following the acquisition, Zanotti transitioned to a senior executive role at Kraft Heinz, serving as divisional president of Primal Kitchen for four years. There she focused on scaling Primal Kitchen into new categories and channels, with the company nearly quadrupling retail sales and meaningfully increasing household penetration. Morgan was subsequently named Kraft’s Vice President of New Ventures, where she spearheaded corporate development and M&A strategy in the health and wellness category.
Before Primal Kitchen, Zanotti led the marketing efforts at KeVita, a pioneering Kombucha brand, which was later acquired by Pepsi in 2016. Zanotti launched her focus on the consumer foods industry at Culver Brand Design, where she worked with numerous marquee brands, including Stacy’s Pita Chips, Tostitos, Lays, Cheetos, Ruffles, Cracker Jack, Pepsi, and Taco Bell.
Summit has been active in the consumer and healthcare sectors for nearly 4 decades. And since the firm’s founding in 1984, Summit has partnered with more than 80 consumer companies.
Since its inception, the program facilitated collaboration between seasoned industry executives and Summit’s investment professionals, working to identify sector-specific opportunities in which EIRs may support companies in an ongoing capacity through board or executive leadership roles.
KEY QUOTES:
“Our team was drawn to Morgan’s diverse set of experiences in the functional foods category, from scaling rapidly growing, bootstrapped businesses to strategic executive roles at a Fortune 500 company. Morgan brings a distinct skill set, network and perspective that we believe will benefit growth companies in an important and expanding area of the health and wellness sector. We enthusiastically welcome Morgan as an EIR, and we look forward to working with her in supporting other entrepreneurs and executives in the category.”
- Julianne Hummelberg, a Vice President at Summit Partners
“The impact of food on health and wellness has long been a passion of mine. I am impressed by the proactive approach the Summit team takes to supporting growth-stage companies and look forward to working alongside the Summit team to identify, support and scale breakout brands that help people live healthier, more active lives.”
- Morgan Buehler Zanotti
