Our Leadership Team

Using decades of experience in wines, Firstleaf sources the highest quality bottles worldwide and maps them to every member’s unique taste preferences, while bringing world-class practices to winemaking as well as wine selection.

Philip James

Founder & CEO

Serial entrepreneur dedicated to innovation at the intersection of wine and technology. Previous ventures include Chairman of CustomVine, Founding CEO of Lot18 and Snooth.

Erik Steigler

Cofounder & Chief Architect

Recognized authority in leading innovative transformation and evolution by technology. Member of the Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator. Cofounder of Shopalytic

Carolin Meier

Chief Wine Officer

Passionate wine enthusiast leads winemaking team and global partners. Led Firstleaf in winning thousands of awards in highly competitive International competitions.

Greg Kryder

President and Chief Financial Officer

Seasoned finance executive with proven oversight of $300M to $5.5B revenue businesses. Previously held CFO roles at private equity owned companies and at publicly traded multi-national alcohol giant, Diageo.

Ricky Grenis

Vice President and General Manager, Swirl Wine Shop

Experienced leader in e-commerce, brand strategy, and digital growth with a track record of scaling consumer businesses at Swirl, Firstleaf, and E. & J. Gallo. Known for combining financial rigor with creative thinking to unlock value and build customer-first experiences.

Kevin Jessen

Sr. Vice President, Technology & Product

Visionary and seasoned engineering and product leader who has a reputation for bridging the gap between technology and the rest of the organization. Previously held roles in CX and E-Commerce with Uline Shipping Supplies, ClickFox and Whole Foods Market.

We stand behind our product and we’ll give you Firstleaf credit for 100% of the price of the bottle if you don’t like a wine we select for you.

Get Started

Get your first 6 wines for $44.95 plus free shipping.