Krista Lynn Ward

Entrepreneur and Business Strategy Consultant

After having earned a Bachelor's Degree in Retail Merchandising and Management from UW Stout, and both an MBA and law degree from the University of Wisconsin Madison, Krista Lynn Ward started her career at Stark Investments, where she helped increase their assets under management from $40 million to $550 million within two years. She also played an integral part in getting their convertible arbitrage hedge fund listed on the Irish Stock Exchange.
After recovering from a rare cancer, in 2010, Krista Lynn Ward founded Yohob ("You Only Have One Body"), whose first product was Hooray Puree, a first of its kind shelf-stable (non-retort) aseptically packaged vegetable puree. She led her company's growth with the production of a number of SKUs and line extensions, bringing these products to market in retail outlets including Target and Whole Foods, as well as New York City School District.

With Krista Lynn Ward at the helm, Hooray Puree was asked to produce a private label product for Target Corporation, called Veggie Stir-Ins. These products were sold in more than 1,100 Target stores as part of its Simply Balanced line, as well as online.

As CEO, she negotiated contracts with manufacturers and navigated the approval process for packaging and labeling. Moreover, she ensured compliance with all industry regulations and maintained organic and non-GMO certifications for company products.

Since 2019, Krista Ward has served as Director of Operations and Development for the privately held venture capital firm Maestro Corporate Group. Her responsibilities range from helping manage real estate development projects, client relations, financing relationships, corporate operations, and lately, the design and oversight of its crowdfunding portal.