Cat Chen, MBA
Entrepreneurship Lecturer, College of Business Administration Loyola Marymount University
Biography
Cat has more than 20 years of experience in the consumer sector, including growing omnichannel brands across personal care, beauty, and fashion. She founded and sold clean fragrance company Skylar, helped scale The Honest Company from launch to more than $300 million in revenue, and most recently served as Chief Operating Officer of fashion company Birdy Grey. She also brings her operating experience to board and advisory roles.
Education
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
MBA
2008
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
B.S.
Management Science
2004
Social
Areas of Expertise
Media Appearances
Amazon Metrics That Matter
Beauty Independent online
2022-10-05
Participated in a Beauty Independent roundtable discussing Amazon strategy, marketplace metrics and growth for beauty brands; identified as Cat Chen, Founder & CEO of Skylar.
Skylar’s Fragrance Subscription Shows Strong Retention During Coronavirus
Glossy online
2020-04-08
Quoted as Skylar founder and CEO on subscription retention, customer behavior and adapting a fragrance business during the COVID-19 period.
EP107 - Skylar Founder & CEO on Startup Products
Product Talk online
2020-01-07
Interview covering startup fundraising, customer feedback, product development and scaling a product-focused company.
Everything You Want Is on the Other Side of Fear
Entrepreneur online
2019-09-30
Business Rockstars video interview published by Entrepreneur in which Chen discusses founding Skylar, overcoming uncertainty and solving day-to-day entrepreneurial challenges.
The Art of Selling Scent in the Internet Age
Fast Company online
2019-06-24
Quoted on selling fragrance online, at-home sampling, minimalist packaging and using customer feedback to refine Skylar’s brand.
Day In The Life: Clean Fragrance Brand Skylar Founder Cat Chen Juggles Investor Meetings & Mom Time
Forbes online
2019-04-17
ForbesWomen profile featuring Chen’s operating routine and commentary on building Skylar, clean fragrance, fundraising and balancing entrepreneurship with family.
Dollars And Scents: Skylar Body Raises $3M To Fuel Growth
Beauty Independent online
2018-01-24
Interview-style funding coverage quoting Chen on Skylar’s seed round, customer research, direct-to-consumer growth, product development and retail ambitions.
Cat Chen Is on Inc.’s 2020 Female Founders 100 List
Inc. online
Founder profile identifying Chen as Skylar’s founder and discussing customer-driven product development, bootstrapping and expansion into Sephora.
