Mariam Naficy
Mariam Naficy | |
|---|---|
| Occupation(s) | Business leader, entrepreneur |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Known for | Co-founder and chairperson of Tonic.xyz; founder and former CEO of Minted; co-founder of Eve.com |
| Notable work | The Fast Track: The Insider's Guide to Winning Jobs in Management Consulting, Investment Banking, & Securities Trading |
Mariam Naficy is a prominent American business leader, recognized as the co-founder and chairperson of the board at Tonic.xyz, an exclusive fine art NFT platform and community focused on generative art collections.
Previously, she established and led Minted as its CEO, a major online marketplace for design. Earlier in her career, she launched Eve.com in 1998, one of the pioneering online retailers for cosmetics, which received acclaim from Fortune Magazine and CNN for its groundbreaking website design.
Early life and education
Naficy was raised by parents of Iranian and Chinese descent who were Georgetown University alumni and had careers spanning Africa and the Middle East. Her parent worked as a development economist for the United Nations. Throughout her upbringing, she lived in six different countries, including Egypt, Tanzania, and Iran. She obtained a bachelor's degree in political science from Williams College and later earned her master's degree from Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1998.
While attending business school, Naficy wrote The Fast Track: The Insider's Guide to Winning Jobs in Management Consulting, Investment Banking, & Securities Trading, which achieved sales of 50,000 copies.
Career
Naficy's professional journey began in investment banking at Goldman Sachs. At age 28 in 1998, she co-founded Eve.com, which was acquired by Idealab for $110 million in 2000.
She then managed projects at Movielink, a collaboration involving Sony Pictures, Warner Brothers, and Universal, recognized as one of the earliest platforms offering downloadable movies.
In 2004, she held the position of Vice President and General Manager at The Body Shop, where she spearheaded the launch of their inaugural e-commerce initiative.
In 2008, Naficy founded Minted.com, an online retailer specializing in stationery. Despite facing early obstacles, Minted expanded to a workforce of 400 employees by 2019. The company secured $208 million in funding during 2018, marking the largest capital raise that year for a startup led by a female entrepreneur.
Naficy holds board positions at Minted, Medium, Victoria's Secret, and Every Mother Counts. Additionally, she serves as a Trustee of Williams College and participates on the Advisory Council at Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Works
- The Fast Track: The Insider's Guide to Winning Jobs in Management Consulting, Investment Banking, and Securities Trading, Broadway Books, 1997, .
Personal life
Her spouse, Michael Mader, is also involved with Minted. Together they have two children.