Desi is a serial entrepreneur. He has 15+ years of experience creating, funding, and branding unique business concepts that span the food, music, technology spaces.

Desi is the founder and go-to first point of contact for anyone interested in PLINTH branding and marketing agency.  He brings 20+ years being part of entrepreneurial projects in various roles to economic and community development.  His passion for and push with the community is exemplified in the development of SOMA Pilipinas, Kultivate Labs, Kapwa Gardens and most notably, UNDISCOVERED SF.

His ability to develop ground breaking concepts and unique brand experiences (online & offline) is tied to his mission to create lasting civic effects with successful community development programs, additional investments going back into the community and to awaken what is possible for the Filipino American community.

Concerning Desi’s economic and community development work, his long term vision is to make an impact in the world and create a new history -- what was once collateral damage for the community, is now a landscape of builders & dreamers not stuck to the struggles of our past.  But a future narrative where the heroes of our stories turn their dreams into fruition.

In his free time, Desi likes to spend time with his dog Sumi and hang out at parks.

Kristen is a seasoned entrepreneur, business & service designer, and executive coach with 15+ years of experience across tech, design, food, business, and people development. She started her first business flipping foreclosures during the 2008 recession. Success in her real estate experiments allowed her to start two social-impact companies, and pursue a number of passion projects such leading an award-winning nonprofit dance company, producing a private retreat for top women tech founders and investors, designing a Kickstarter-backed card game, and co-founding Sarap Shop, a Filipino food company with a history-making stand in the Golden State Warriors Chase Center Arena.

In parallel to her entrepreneurial path, she grew a tech career holding roles at Google in sales, marketing, and team + leadership development. She spent the largest chapter of her tech career at Google Ventures (GV) as a Design Operations Partner. There, she worked with a world-class team to help leaders across a portfolio of 300+ high growth startups leverage the power of design thinking to make better business decisions and operate more effectively. Her work at GV can be found in books such as NY Times Best Seller, SPRINT, and Make Time. After GV, she joined Stripe as their first Head of Design Operations to help their team establish organizational systems for global scale.

Currently she splits her time creating food and community experiences with Sarap Shop, coaching first-gen breadwinners in how to flex their wealth and power with New Dimes, and leading consulting projects around ecosystem redesign and economic empowerment such as the SEED Network with Kultivate Labs.

JP Reyes is a multi-passionate entrepreneur and self-taught chef, most known as the co-founder of The Sarap Shop. He launched Sarap Shop originally as a side project with his partner, Kristen Brillantes, to explore and share his Fil-Am culture through plant-forward kamayan pop-ups. His curiosity in food motivated him to grow Sarap Shop into a playground where he could try various models such as a food truck, catering program, packaged foods, and a history-making stand at the Golden State Warriors Chase Center Arena.

Prior to his culinary path, JP worked for 17 years in enterprise tech systems, HR, and retail gaining broad experience managing complex systems, problem-solving, trend spotting, retail operations, and community building. When he decided to switch into the food industry, he learned the ropes by working his way through various kitchens from quick service to nightlife to commercial kitchen management.

JP's most influential chapter in food education was during his time at Google's San Francisco campus, where he worked his way up to leading their plant-based food program and also their food safety program. During this chapter, JP discovered a deeper love for food R&D, constantly exploring and experimenting with new ingredients, food technology, and flavor accessibility.

In recent years, JP’s found heightened interest in neighborhood development work and is excited to be part of the Kultivate Labs team leading the SEED Network. He is excited to continue his curious pursuits as a teacher/student, exchanging experiences with peers and budding entrepreneurs that also seek to build their own paths and establish roots in the SOMA Pilipinas District. 

On his free time, you can find JP dabbling in the world of web3, exploring new food and retail experiences, and bowling.

James Brillantes is a first-gen Filipino American, Bay Area native. And while he is most known as a die-hard Warriors fan (ask about his infamous tattoo), he is also well-known as a co-owner + COO of The Sarap Shop where he has spent the last 5 years building a thriving team culture and food community.

James got his start in management at Old Navy, where he honed his expertise in retail operations, team building, and people development. He also gained experience in soft line merchandising during his time there and piloted the first stylist program at Old Navy’s flagship store in San Francisco. After Old Navy, he switched gears and translated his management experience to the world of food while working at Google's San Francisco campus, where he led the front-of-house cafe operations. While at Google, he continued entrepreneurial projects such as spearheading a sustainability campaign to limit the amount of plastic water bottles being used on campus.

Throughout his professional experience, James has always found ways to weave in culture-informed storytelling into his work as he’s always felt drawn to creating safe spaces for expression and feeling seen — something heavily influenced by his roots producing Pilipino Cultural Nights. This became most prevalent during his time at Sarap Shop, when he redesigned Sarap Shop’s onboarding processes and team development programming resulting in 100%+ retention rates since joining. And he further experimented with his storytelling skills when he took on oversight of the content strategy Sarap Shop’s digital platforms.

With his skills in team building, culture development, and operations management, James is excited to be a part of the Kultivate Labs team to support entrepreneurs and creatives in confidently integrating their culture and purpose into how they do what they do. When he’s not working, you can find him food adventuring in LA with his wife, Cyn, and doggo, Hopper.

Kaithleen is a multi-hyphenated creative with 5+ years of experience, working with a plethora of brands to connect with their audience through social media, content creation, and paid advertising.

With her time working at boutique marketing agencies on brands that span across diverse industries like food & beverage, non-profit, wellness and education, Kaithleen thrives in a fast-paced environment where she is able to flex her project and account management skills all while building brands people are excited about.

Outside of work, she is currently the Marketing Manager for Pinayista, a nonprofit community collective of self-identified pinays with a mission to build sisterhood in the hustle. Through her role, she is able to engage with Pinxy entrepreneurs everyday. Kaithleen is also a clay artist. You can find some of her work through her online Etsy shop or a local crafts market.