The Consumer Brand Founders and CFOs Dinner took place on October 18, 2026, in National Harbor, Maryland. It was hosted by Paperstack Capital, which provides growth capital to consumer brands, and was timed to coincide with the NFRA Convention, which the hosts were in town to attend.
What the event covered
The event page described a small, relaxed dinner where conversation centered on topics consumer brand teams deal with: cash flow, retail expansion, fundraising and related issues. The page stated plainly that there would be no pitches. Seating was limited, and guests received email confirmation of their spot.
Who it was for
The dinner was for founders and finance leaders building consumer brands in Maryland, DC and the surrounding area. The hosts specifically welcomed people making the trip from Baltimore or DC. Registration was by request and subject to host approval.
Hosts
- Assel Beglinova, co-founder and CEO of Paperstack
- Vadim Lidich, co-founder and CTO of Paperstack, named as a host in the event description
Venue
The event page listed the location only as National Harbor, MD. The exact venue was shared with confirmed guests and was not published.
About the organizer and how to find future events
Paperstack was founded in 2021 in Toronto and has an office in New York, according to BetaKit. It started as a bookkeeping automation company and moved into e-commerce lending in 2022, offering revenue-based financing that online brands use for inventory, advertising and hiring. BetaKit reported that it focuses on private-label brands selling through channels such as Shopify, Amazon and Etsy with annual sales above $250,000. The event page describes Paperstack as serving brands across DTC, wholesale and retail. Paperstack's dinners are posted on Luma, and the most direct way to spot the next one is the host's Luma profile. For consumer founders in the DMV, events tied to national conventions held in the region can be a way to meet visiting investors and operators.