Bullish Announces First Operator-in-Residence Cohort, Deepening Commitment to Modern Consumer Business Building

NEW YORK, May 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Bullish, the early-stage consumer venture capital and marketing firm known for blending capital, consulting, and creativity, today announced the launch of its inaugural Operator-in-Residence program, welcoming three consumer operators into the firm's orbit for a six-month residency beginning May 2026.

The program brings together three operators actively building and shaping today's modern consumer landscape:

• Alyse Borkan, Co-Founder, Rocco
• Alex Frias, Chief Marketing Officer, Steve Madden
• Catherine Wolpe, Chief Marketing Officer, Bandit Running

"Bullish has always operated at the intersection of capital and culture," said Lindsay Kaplan, Venture Partner at Bullish. "This program is a direct extension of that — a way to build genuine relationships with the people closest to where the consumer is going. These three operators bring real, current perspective on how brands are built, distributed, and differentiated today. That's exactly the kind of insight that makes us better investors and better partners."

The inaugural cohort reflects the depth and range of consumer brand experience Bullish seeks to stay close to. Borkan co-founded Rocco after years building brands at Casper, Coterie, Billie, and Our Place. Frias brings over two decades of experience driving cultural transformation across consumer, retail, and media — previously leading marketing teams at Wayfair, FILA North America and TIDAL before joining Steve Madden, where he oversees marketing across a portfolio that includes Steve Madden, Dolce Vita, and Betsey Johnson. Wolpe joined Bandit Running as CMO following close to two decades in brand leadership, including agency work at companies like Wieden + Kennedy and Anomaly, and on the brand side, at Apple and Billie.

"Consumer businesses are being built differently now," said Michael Duda, Managing Partner at Bullish. "The playbooks are more fragmented and move faster than ever before. The Operator-in-Residence program is another initiative to help expand our ability to find, fund, and shape the next consumer brand disruption."

Bullish will announce additional executives to the program on a rolling basis. The firm expects to expand the program to include two cohorts annually.

About Bullish
Bullish is a consumer venture capital and marketing firm that blends capital, consulting, and creativity to build consumer companies that matter. It backs ambitious founders early and partners closely on brand strategy to strengthen traction, build cultural relevance, and accelerate growth. Bullish's investments include Bandit Running, Harry's (Mammoth Brands), Casper, Hu Chocolate, Bubble Skincare, and Warby Parker. Learn more at bullish.co.

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SOURCE Bullish