CartStars

CartStars is the most exclusive friendwork for eCommerce’s top 5%—a curated space where leaders build, learn, and scale together.

What Makes CartStars Different
- Invitation-only—membership is earned through participation, not fees.
- Peer-driven—no sales pitches, just trusted advice from industry leaders.
- Curated vendor ecosystem—only partners recommended by members.
- Beyond digital—private platform, local meetups, and executive retreats.

Why It Matters
Great businesses aren’t built alone. CartStars brings together the brightest minds in retail and eCommerce—leaders who are shaping the future and willing to share what they know.

Know a CartStars member? Ask them for an invite.

Founder & CEO

Diversity Plug

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Founder

Inveterate, Inc

 Director Of Partnerships

Gladly

Trusted by hundreds of companies including Crate & Barrel, Ralph Lauren, and Warby Parker, Gladly is the people-centric CX platform that puts customers and agents at the center of every conversation to kickstart and nurture more natural relationships, driving long-term brand loyalty, revenue, and support efficiency.

Based in San Francisco, Gladly was founded in 2014 and is privately backed by industry leaders including Greylock, GGV Capital, NEA, Glynn Capital, FutureFund, and JetBlue Ventures.

Manager, Strategic Partner Program

dotdigital

The dotdigital platform is an omnichannel marketing solution for B2C, B2B, and NFP marketers in the Americas. Import data, build segments and triggers and create relevant marketing campaigns that engage your customers on their favorite channels. Don’t limit yourself to email marketing; personalize your marketing messages across SMS, push notifications, live chat, and social ads.

Speed and ease of use are at the core of what we do, so our omnichannel marketing features can help you reach your goals faster. If you want to increase marketing ROI, boost sales revenue, drive more qualified leads, or boost donor growth – dotdigital is the single-sign-on platform you need.

Sr. Enterprise Account Executive

SAG-AFTRA

Actress

Demandforce

The Demandforce software-as-a-service application is used by thousands of customers to grow revenue, keep clients coming back, and manage operations more effectively. Demandforce connects Demandforce clients to over 100 million consumers via email communications, text messaging, and online services. Demandforce has achieved 26 quarters of over 80% year-over-year quarterly growth and is led by a management team with over a decade of experience developing and delivering web-based applications that drive real, tangible business value. As of February 2016, Demandforce is proud to now be a part of the Internet Brands family.

Senior Account Executive

Yelp

Account Executive

Lion Management Group, Inc.

CEO at CartStars | Cultivating an Empathetic & Resilient Community for eCommerce Leaders

Two years ago, I had a lightbulb moment.

As a newly minted Director of Partnerships, I gathered seven experienced colleagues to get their honest feedback on a tech solution I was evaluating. No agendas. No sales pitches. Just real advice from people who understood my KPIs.

Their insights saved me $40,000 and a year of frustration.

That’s when it hit me:
 In an industry with 8,000+ tech tools and 4x as many agencies, leaders don’t need more noise. They need trusted, agenda-free connections.

That’s why I built CartStars.

CartStars is the exclusive friendwork for eCommerce’s top 5%—a curated, high-trust space where senior brand, retail, and eCommerce leaders ($10M+ revenue) connect with peers to share insights, solve challenges, and build real relationships.

What makes CartStars different?
✅ Invitation-only—membership is earned through contribution.
✅ No sales pitches—just real, peer-driven conversations.
✅ A curated partner ecosystem—only solutions recommended by members.
✅ Digital + in-person—our platform and executive events create real impact.
✅ Your friendwork in your pocket—get answers instantly from trusted peers.

We believe the best executives don’t scale alone. They grow by building relationships with other smart, kind, and engaged leaders—without wasted time, bad deals, or endless sales cycles.

CartStars is invite-only. If you know a member, ask them to invite you.

🔗 Learn more at CartStars.com

Debbie Kemunto Pearce

We’re finally out.


For almost three years, CartStars felt like one long sprint inside a burning building.
 
Build the thing.
Fix the thing.
Hope it holds long enough to build the next thing.

Chaotic. Ridiculous…Beautiful.
The kind of pace only founders understand.

But somewhere along the way, the rhythm changed.

For the first time, we’re ahead.
Preparing with intention.
Planning next year… in the year before it. (Who am I? 🤣)

I used to watch our members plan Black Friday in February and think,
What is this life? Teach me your peaceful ways!

But the truth is, this feels right.

Because when the fires quiet down, you finally see the things that matter.

The people you want to build with.
The standards you refuse to lower.
The future you can shape on purpose, not by accident.

And that’s where this next decision came from.
Depth over breadth.
Two partners per category.
Chosen by the CartStars, not by us.
Chosen because the humans behind the work are good to work with.

That’s our North Star for 2026.
 
What’s yours?

#CartStars #retail #ecommerce #partnerships #growth #thoughtleadership

Founder, CartStars | Building the room where top retail and eCommerce minds grow together.

No one owes you anything.


Not their time.
Not their trust.
Not their belief in what you’re building.

I learned that early.

Maybe that’s why the last three years have meant so much to me.

Because the only reason CartStars works,
is that the best service providers in this industry decided to give us something they didn’t have to:
Their partnership.
Their excellence.
And their reputation… long before we had one of our own.

Every partner who has ever worked with us was recommended by our members.
Which means before they ever worked with CartStars, they worked with you.
They earned your trust first.
We simply inherited it.
And I don’t take that lightly.

So today I just want to say thank you.

To every team that showed up for our members, solved real problems, and made this ecosystem better.

So here’s to the partners who have been part of this journey,
past, present, and now officially, 2026.

85SIXTY, AB Tasty, Absolute Web, adMixt, AthenaHQ, Bark-Ai, BTR Media, CommerceNext, Flexport, Friendbuy, Instant, Intelligems, Keynes Digital, Kimonix, Klaviyo, KODIF, LettrLabs, Loop, Loop Subscriptions, ShipHero, Nishe, Nostra, Oceans Talent, Opensend, OrderProtection.com, Passport, Poplar/ Share Local Media, Power Digital Marketing, Redo, Retention.com, Rise.ai, Rivo, SARAL - The Influencer OS, SiteVibes, Skio, Stay AI, Stord, & the rest in the comments!

We see you.
We appreciate you.
And CartStars is better because of you.

If you’re reading this and you’ve worked with any of them,
tag them below.
They deserve it.

#CartStars #retail #ecommerce #trust #partnerships

You can’t buy this.


“So what’s the difference between a sponsorship and a partnership at CartStars?”

I get why they ask.

From the outside, the difference looks cosmetic.
A nicer word.
A softer label.

But I’ve never liked soft labels.

A sponsorship is transactional.
You pay. You get visibility. Your logo shows up somewhere it wasn’t yesterday.
Fair enough.

But a partnership is different.
A partnership is work.
An agreement to grow together.

Our partners show up for our members.
We show up for their teams.
Both sides bring something the other can’t.

That is why we are so strict about who becomes a partner here.
You are not buying a list.
You are entering an ecosystem.

If you are here only to take, you will hate it.
If you are here to give, you will feel at home.

Because you don’t get anywhere good by taking without giving.
Not in this industry. Not in this community.

And for CartStars, “partner” is not a nicer word for sponsor.
It’s a promise.

You bring your best work.
We bring our best people.

And when both sides grow from that,
It doesn’t need to be defined. It's felt.

#CartStars #retail #ecommerce #partnership #thoughtleadership #growth

Speed over space. 


If something didn’t click quickly,
I assumed it was wrong.
Or I was.

So I’d look at people who welcomed a slow start and feel almost envious.
They got time.
Time to build processes.
Time to make mistakes without an audience.
Time to breathe before they had to prove anything.

But CartStars never gave me that.
It felt like a long, quiet hallway.
No hockey stick.
No “we blew up overnight” story to tell on a podcast.

At first, I thought that meant we were behind.
But now, the view from the climb feels different. 

Like The Pillars of the Earth.
Ken Follett spent ten years on that book.
ten years tracing every stone,
every choice,
every consequence.

A world built slowly enough that the foundation actually holds.

It’s the kind of story you can’t speed through,
because it wasn’t written that way.

CartStars unfolded the same way.
Carved into place, not rushed into existence.

That’s why I’m grateful we did not get everything we wanted quickly.

You can engineer speed.
But you can’t fake depth.
And depth is what we’re here for.
So I plan to take my time.

Because overnight success is a fallacy.

#CartStars #retail #ecommerce #growth #journey #thoughtleadership

We've heard the whispers. 


"CartStars has too many rules." 
"Other platforms get 6X the sponsorship."

But here's what we keep hearing: "Other rooms don't feel the same."

Because vendors can't pay to be in the room. 
They have to be recommended by members who've used them. 

And they don't make astronomical investments, which means there's air.

Not pressure and pitches.

This year, Allison Gagnon from Tibi sat next to the Videowise team at Torrisi.
No topic. Just dinner.

Twenty-seven live shopping episodes later: $2 million in sales.

Everyone wins. 
Leaders discover what works from peers. 
Vendors doing great work grow. 

And we get to keep building the room.

Receipts in comments :)

#CartStars #retail #ecommerce

Can we fight about it?


When Justin texts you with:
“Hey… what about a boxing match for charity?”

You know something that sounds unhinged,
is about to make perfect sense.

Raising $1,000,000 for charity, 
across clean water, emergency medical care, and cancer research.
That kind of purpose has a way of settling everything into place.

So here we are.
Eight exhibition matches.
Sixteen brave (or slightly unhinged) eCommerce leaders.
Five hundred people in the audience.

All of us trying to do something that looks a little impossible.
And therefore all the more worth it.

I’m part of the donations and boxers team alongside
Anas Hoque at Klaviyo and Bradley Johnston at Opensend.

And yes…
I may or may not be stepping into the ring myself.
You’ll have to show up to find out.

Huge thanks to the incredible group making this real:
Justin Silver (our fearless Chair),
Ben Walter, Emmanuel Kamau, Alexander Lazoff,
Jess Cervellon, Bryce Alsten, Lauren Sawyer ☀️,
Ian Korer, Grace Nicklas,
Bill Murphy, and Josh Garellek!

See you in Vegas on March 24th at The Space.
Let’s make this count. 🥊


#retail #ecommerce #charity #fightforcharity #shoptalk #shoptalk2026

I said yes.


To new ideas.
New experiments.
A few questionable decisions I’m still pretending were strategic.

Eventually, the team started saying I was “subscribing” to everything.
And honestly… fair.
My credit card has been through character development this year. 😬

But when our members started nominating their picks for the 2026 CartStars partnerships in the subscription category,
something unusual happened.
No noise.
No debate.
No fourteen-way tie.
(If you’ve been in eCom long enough, you know that alone is a miracle.)

So if you lean in closely,
I’ll tell you what I’m subscribing to next year:
Skio and Loop Subscriptions!

Chosen by members who don’t just plug into a stack.
They stay in it. 
With skin in the game.
And receipts in their dashboards.

So…yes, I’ve said yes to a lot this year.
But this is the subscription I’d sign twice!
Everything else can stay on free trial 😏


#CartStars #retail #ecommerce #partnerships #subscription

Yotpo

Senior Partner Manager, Tech & Agency Partners

Senior Partner Manager, West Coast

Smarterships

Running a slack community of over 1,600 partnership professionals to work better and grow smarter together. Partnerships Made Smarter.

MuteSix

Sales, Marketing & Partnerships Operations Manager

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lead

Chief Of Staff

Netflix

HR Support for Marketing and Product

Mattel, Inc.

Contract - Assistant To CEO (Ynon Kreiz)

Hitco Entertainment

Contract - Assistant To Chairman (LA Reid)

DMS Governance

Promoted into a role to oversee all US investment managers & service provider relationships for the purpose of revenue generation, relationship building & strategic alliances globally (extensive travel globally).

Global CRM Director responsible for the implementation and transition to SalesForce CRM system as well as advanced financial reporting to assist the CEO, CFO and Managing Partners in forecasting revenue.

Organized and managed events around North America that ranged from small intimate dinners for 10 people to large scale conferences/networking events for 500 participants (budgets, vendors, venue sourcing etc.).

North America Relationship Manager

Promoted to Director of Business Development to take on a portfolio of clients with assets under management ranging from $10 million to $6 billion. Exceeded 2014, 2015 and 2016 revenue sales goals.

Conducted and moderated webinars for managers & service providers on the regulatory landscape for alternative investments.

Covered the following US markets: New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Miami. Assisted in covering the following International markets: Toronto, Cayman Islands, Sao Paulo, Dublin, Luxembourg and London.

Director Of Business Development

Transitioned into a professional services business where my relationship management, operations &
administrative skills could be leveraged in an events & relationship management role.

Role focused on overseeing all operations for the NY office as well as assisting the sales team & Executive Director.

Global CRM Administrator (development and change management). Included running advanced financial reporting to assist the CEO, CFO and Managing Partners in forecasting revenue.

Business Development Coordinator

Regina Spektor - Grammy Nominated Musician

Assisted a high profile musician on the  2012 US and International tour as the liaison between Managers, Warner Bros record label representatives, Tour Manager, Publicist, Business Managers, Press, Agents and other key relationships. Oversaw multiple social media accounts for artist. Prepared travel logistics for musician as well as assisted with the tour crew (20 members) for appearances, press/phone interviews, ticket requests and meetings stateside and abroad. Oversaw requirements for rider fulfillment (dressing rooms, tour bus, hotel rooms and green room). Extensive domestic (over 30 cities and states) and international travel (Australia, New Zealand, Singapore) while being able to advance prior to arriving to various locations.

Personal Assistant For 2012-2013 US & International Tour

Kathy Schenker Management - Manager to Sting (Musician)

Management for Grammy Award Winner, Sting. 

Planning and directing all administrative, financial, and operational activities for the organization's CEO. Providing oversight and guidance to projects critical to the organization like the Broadway musical produced by CEO. Assisted with coordinating corporate show dates as well as workshops, casting and coordinating meetings with Producers. Managed album recording sessions and booking of studio musicians to ensure terms agreed during negotiations were reflected in contracts.

Executive / Personal Assistant to CEO

United Talent Agency

NS Bienstock - Leading talent agency in news and reality based programming for television and radio.

Gatekeeper for President and Project Manager for LA Agent (brand management division). Supported client negotiations, recruitment and client management. Managed day-to-day client contract process while working with Business Affairs to ensure contracts are reviewed and are fully executed by both the client and the television network. Responsible for assisting in negotiations of contracts, salaries, appearances (fee negotiation, flights, hair & makeup, transportation) as well as coordination with other Agencies (CAA, WME, ICM) who also represented clients or shows we worked with. Monitored client social media accounts to ensure compliance with employment agreement terms.

Executive Assistant to President

Sara Pereda, a seasoned professional with a background in Fortune 500 companies like Disney and Netflix, as well as entrepreneurial ventures such as MuteSix and DMS (now Waystone), is the Senior Partner Manager at Yotpo, an eCommerce marketing platform. 

Adept at fostering strategic partnerships, Sara specializes in scaling organizations through streamlined operations and cultivating relationships that enhance work culture. With expertise ranging from offshore compliance to tech stack implementation, she drives collaborative efforts to deliver unified, data-driven solutions. 

Sara is also the founder of a thriving community with over 1,800 partnerships members, created less than three years ago, showcasing her prowess in building and nurturing valuable networks. 

Currently leading go-to-market initiatives for integrated tech partners at Yotpo, Sara empowers partners working with brands like Princess Polly, Rothy’s, Moroccanoil, and Steve Madden, facilitating cohesive experiences that fuel eCommerce growth and customer retention.

Sara Pereda

Global Head of Partnerships, Rivo & Smarterships Founder

What a night. ✨
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 2025 Smarterships Holiday & Awards Gala — a celebration of the people powering this ecosystem and the work that makes partnerships partnerships.

This year hasn’t been easy for anyone, yet this community showed up with so much heart, generosity, and momentum. And I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built together.

So much love, intention, and care went into creating this night — hours upon hours of planning, coordinating, and designing every detail so the only thing you had to do was walk in, feel celebrated, and enjoy being with each other.

Smarterships isn’t something I get paid to run. It doesn’t generate profit (shocking, I know!). Every ounce of effort, every event, every introduction, every spreadsheet, every late-night Slack message...all of it exists to support this community and make connecting with one another easier, richer, and more meaningful.

Because at the end of the day, this ecosystem works best when we remember that we’re doing life together, not alone. Last Thursday was the perfect reminder of that.

📸 Photos: https://lnkd.in/eRHAe873
 🎥 Highlight Reel: below (thanks to Alex Kopnick)

A huge congratulations to our 2025 Smarterships Award Winners:
 🏆 Partner Connector & Collaborator of the Year — Zac Cherin
 🏆 Most Impactful Partnership Engagement / Community Leader — Sam Beqaj
 🏆 Partner Marketing Leader — Ann-Marie Hilbert
 🏆 Rising Star — Diana Zheng
 🏆 Thought Leader In Content - Grace Nicklas
 🏆 Dynamic Partnership Duo - Rich Matukaitis & Valeria Granda
 🏆 City Leader Champion - Oli Best
 🏆 Best City - Lea Kalani & Kathryn Giancola
 🏆 Impact Beyond Partnership - Maier Bianchi
You were nominated by your peers and the community rallied for you in a big way.

We also shared a huge announcement:
 ✨ The 2026 Smarterships Holiday & Awards Gala is returning to sunny Los Angeles — and it’s going even bigger than this year! ✨ 

PLUS:
 We’re partnering with Inspired, who will unlock $12,000 in donations if every attendee simply clicks the link and enters their email — at no cost.
 👉 https://lnkd.in/evAq8W69

A massive thank you to our sponsors who made this night possible:
• Smarterships Members • Shopify • Klaviyo • Forter • Rivo • Swym • Gorgias • Rise.ai • FUEGO.io • Stay AI • Searchspring (now Athos Commerce) • Channable • Inspired • Lasso, Inc.

This ecosystem is the pulse of our industry — a community of people who show up for each other, root for each other, and build with each other.

I’m so grateful, so proud, and so excited for what we’ll create together in 2026.
 💛✨

#Smarterships #PartnerAwards #Ecosystem #Partnerships

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The Battle

Debbie Kemunto Pearce

Sara Pereda

Followers

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Performance ScoreDebbie Kemunto Pearce's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreSara Pereda's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Debbie Kemunto Pearce

Sara Pereda

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Debbie Kemunto Pearce's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreSara Pereda's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreDebbie Kemunto Pearce's LinkedIn Performance