---
type: "Profile"
title: "Justin Winter"
description: "AI-forward, product-minded growth leader. Composes systems across DTC, B2B SaaS, and AI-native consumer products. Co-founded a $50M+ DTC brand."
resource: "https://iamjustinwinter.com"
timestamp: 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
---

# Justin Winter

San Francisco Bay Area

# Justin Winter

I build growth engines with founders and the brands we bet on.

AI-forward, product-minded growth leader and operator. Fifteen years composing systems across DTC, B2B SaaS, and AI-native consumer products. Currently VP of Growth at A Pup Above. Co-founded Diamond Candles (bootstrapped to $50M+), Boostopia (VC-backed B2B SaaS), and Pendleton Places.

[Work with me](https://iamjustinwinter.com/#connect)
[Read The Compositor](https://thecompositor.co/)

![Justin Winter](https://iamjustinwinter.com/justin-winter-800.jpg)

The receipts

## Worked on projects with growth and ops teams at

Every logo has a story — hover over one for the details.

Track record

## Outcomes, not a résumé

###

![A Pup Above](https://iamjustinwinter.com/logos/a-pup-above.png)

*VP of Growth*

Leading digital commerce, full-funnel DTC growth, Amazon, and subscription strategy for a premium dog nutrition brand carried in 3,000+ retail locations nationwide with a 4.9/5 average customer rating.

###

![Swiftly](https://iamjustinwinter.com/logos/swiftly.svg)

*VP of Growth*

Led GTM and demand generation for a retail media SaaS platform valued at $1B+, powering grocery retail ecosystems.

###

![Legacybox](https://iamjustinwinter.com/logos/legacybox.svg)

*Head of Cloud*

Owned product strategy and cloud infrastructure for a consumer media preservation platform managing 2.9PB of customer content used by over one million families.

###

![Off-Road Gatlinburg](https://iamjustinwinter.com/logos/offroad-gatlinburg.png)

*Interim COO*

Doubled revenue in under 90 days by rebuilding digital funnels, ad performance, and growth systems across a five-location outdoor recreation company.

###

![Airshop](https://iamjustinwinter.com/logos/airshop.png)

*Head of Marketing*

Second full-time hire at a venture-backed beauty ecommerce spinout of Deliverr, acquired by Shopify. Led growth strategy through product-market fit phase.

### Pendleton Places

*Founder & CEO*

Built a short-term rental management company to 40+ properties and $2M+ in annual revenue using a shared-operations hotel model in the Raleigh-Durham market. Self-taught interior designer across the portfolio.

###

![Boostopia](https://iamjustinwinter.com/logos/boostopia.png)

*Co-founder & CEO*

Co-founded with Paul Davis and Mel Fisher-Wellman. Built a VC-backed B2B SaaS platform for DTC customer support operations. Scaled to $25K MRR and 100+ customers including Allbirds, Bombas, Reformation, Peter Millar, and Supergoop. Angel-backed by Jason Calacanis via LAUNCH.

###

![Diamond Candles](https://iamjustinwinter.com/logos/diamond-candles.png)

*Co-founder & CEO*

Bootstrapped what was then the largest online home fragrance brand in the world from zero to $50M+ in lifetime revenue with a team of 50+. Built on a $2K credit card.

In their words

## What people say

100+ consulting calls with founders, operators, and growth leaders. A selection of what they said.

> “Justin was awesome to speak with in a number of areas relating to ecommerce & marketing. It’s a given he is brilliant with marketing, social media, etc., having grown Diamond Candles so quickly. However, he also has a very strategic approach and gave great insights into product marketing channel fit. One of my best calls on Clarity.”

Manuel Crespo

> “Best call I’ve had on Clarity (and I’ve had some good ones — never given that superlative before). Very ethical marketer standing up for what he believes in, with a terrific mind and real enthusiasm.”

Lance Johnson

> “Any early-stage venture is inherently risky and challenging. It takes serious intellectual horsepower. Justin has the stamina to work through key strategic issues. I’ve talked with a lot of really smart people on Clarity — the call with Justin was one of the best.”

Omar Baig

> “If there was such a thing as a sorcerer in residence for e-commerce problems, Justin would be it. There’s a lot of noisy data in e-commerce, and Justin cuts right to the heart of your problem and figures out the best way to attack it.”

Michael Grasewicz

## Advising & investment

Selected relationships across consumer, media, and technology.

## On how the best companies are built

A series on composing specialized, proven primitives across the value chain.

[Read The Compositor →](https://thecompositor.co/)

## Off the clock

### Save71

*Co-founder*

Alumni-led advocacy organization pushing for governance and leadership accountability reform at Liberty University.

### Summit Church

*Community group leader, Durham, NC — roughly a decade*

Hosted a weekly in-home gathering. Mentored newer members and peers through major life transitions: marriages, new parenthood, career pivots, losses. Coordinated community service projects and built long-form, intentional friendships across the chapter.

### Service projects in India

*Team lead*

Two trips to Madhya Pradesh in support of local non-profits doing community development work. Led the second team: five people, two weeks on the ground.

[Get in touch](https://iamjustinwinter.com/#connect)