Michael is a Silicon Valley innovator and entrepreneur who has been seduced by the world of wine. He has started and built several successful technology companies, including big data pioneer, Splunk (Nasdaq: SPLK). His foundation, FOUNDER.org, has invested in more than 125 young innovators applying technology to some of the world’s most challenging problems. 
 
Michael and his family are the fifth family to steward the storybook Château de Pommard, in Burgundy, and have converted the property into a beacon of biodynamic viticulture. 
 
He graduated from Drexel University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Mathematics where he is recognized as a Drexel 100 top living alumni. Michael also holds an MBA in Marketing and Finance from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and he is a certified Wine & Spirit Education Trust wine professional.

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Michael Baum

CEO & Founder

Jacob knows how to tell stories. At VIVANT, he leads our Experience Producers who make the personal stories of the world’s responsible winemakers come alive. Storytelling has always been central to his work. 
 
Previously, Jacob was a contributing foreign correspondent covering France and Europe for National Public Radio (NPR), Deutsche Welle, and was an art and culture contributing writer for The New York Times. 
 
Originally from Texas, Jacob grew up helping on the family ranch. So he has a real appreciation for the challenges Mother Nature dishes out and a soft spot for hardworking winemakers. Jacob has a double master’s in journalism and international affairs from Sciences Po Paris and holds a Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) certification.

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Jacob Cigainero

Editor in Chief

Victoria brings business operations and financial expertise to VIVANT. She loves driving the business to achieve financial objectives, forecasting, and managing operations to ensure success. Originally from Lyon, Victoria most recently managed Sales, Logistics, and Budgeting for Ralph Lauren Europe in Geneva, contributing to a turnover of 7 billion euros. 
 
Previously she was with the team at Disney in Paris and Air France-KLM in Madrid and Barcelona. At VIVANT, Victoria manages finance, customer care, logistics, and human resources, with a constant eye on designing and implementing responsible and sustainable practices. 
 
Victoria is a graduate of the Lyon School of Management (IAE) with a Master in International Trade, and she has a certification from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.

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Victoria Drouelle

Vice President of Finance & Operations

Boris is a technical expert who leads our development teams through successful product launches. As director of engineering, he is in charge of setting goals, processes, improvements, and significant applications for our on-demand and live experiences. Before joining VIVANT, Boris was the team and project lead at Endava, where he designed and built projects for automated warehouses all over the world. Previously, he worked at Banca Intesa on domain payment transactions, cards, and systems. He also served as senior developer and team lead at NCR. Boris graduated with two Masters degrees in Marketing and IT from the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Mathematics, in the Computers department. He is currently finishing his PHD in the IT field.

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Boris Jevtic

Director of Engineering

Brett heads our talent and culture department. Passionate about building relationships and helping people become strong leaders, he empowers the VIVANT team to build a culture that is collaborative, open-minded and, most importantly, fun. Brett has worked at major wine and spirit companies including Moët Hennessy and Constellation Brands. Most recently, he served as head of human resources at Phusion Project LLC in Chicago. Originally from New York’s Finger Lakes wine region, he holds a Bachelor in Public Relations from SUNY Oswego as well as a Wine and Spirit Education Trust certification. 

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Brett Kelly

Director of People & Culture

Preston leads our global team of Wine Advisors, empowering them to share their passion for regions, producers, and specific cuveés. To hear Preston describe the aromas and tastes of a wine is to fall in love. His incredible knowledge of wine is contagious. 
Before joining VIVANT, Preston was the founder of a successful Paris-based wine tourism and education business, welcoming private clients from around the world to learn about the magic of old world wines. 
 
Preston holds the Level 4 Diploma in Wines and Spirits from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) as well as a Master’s in Global Hospitality Management from Georgia State University.

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Preston Mohr

Global Wine Advisor Manager

Karlos brings production design and multimedia magic to VIVANT. He leads our rockstar production team of video editors, photographers, and graphic designers. Obsessed with new technology and the evolution of media, he uses existing and developing technologies to create sleek, immersive, interactive experiences that entertain, transport, and educate our members. 
 
Karlos was previously a Lead Designer for NBC News Primetime in New York City and is the co-founder of Orbix360º extended reality creation and playback system. 
 
He holds a Master’s in Studio and Digital Media from the Universitaet der Kuenste in Berlin and a Master’s in Graphic Communications Management and Technology from New York University. Karlos also has a Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) certification.

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Karlos Moore

Studio & Production Manager

Peter Vukovic leads our innovation initiatives and manages our technology team creating the VIVANT magic. He has deep expertise in user-centric design, multimedia experiences, and e-commerce. Nevertheless, Peter is happiest with his hands on a keyboard writing code. 
 
Before joining VIVANT in 2019, Peter was the Chief Technology Officer at Château de Pommard where he designed and built an end-to-end multi-channel order fulfillment system for the wine industry that today serves more than 100,000 customers. 
 
Previously, Peter was Creative Services Director at Aquarius Ogilvy, and CTO of FOUNDER.org, where he mentored technology startups that are now collectively valued at more than $750M. He graduated from Banja Luka College of Communications Kappa Phi with a Bachelor’s in Communications.

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Peter Vukovic

Vice President Product & Design

Meet the Team