Profiles in Leadership: Nicki Zevola, FutureDerm

From the time she was a 7-year-old mixing her grandmother's skin creams into her own formulas, Nicki Zevola knew she was meant for life in the beauty industry.

So when she launched the FutureDerm beauty site while on track for a dermatology doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh, going from giving advice about beauty products to making her own was an almost inevitable transition.

After hitting the lab to create science-based skin care products, she developed a business plan solid enough to win a $20,000 second prize in the university's Randall Family Big Ideas competition in 2012. Shortly after, she earned an additional $25,000 as part of South Side start-up accelerator Alpha Lab.

Only two years after her 2012 launch, the FutureDerm website has received more than 7 million views and earned a monthly audience of 250,000.

The quick strides were rewarded last year with a Series A joint round of $600,000 from Audrey's Kitchen, an investment fund run by Alpha Lab mentor Alicia McGinnis, angel investor Bernard Stoecklein, and Chris and Robin Randall, who are part of the family that founded the Big Ideas Competition.

That boost in funding helped to fund an upgrade to the website, hire staff members and develop a suite of products that includes a time-release Retinol product; an eye cream fortified with vitamins C and E; and organic moisturizers, cleansers and toners made using only eight ingredients.

With 12 products now being shipped to more than 60 countries, FutureDerm recently has acquired shelf space in regional Whole Foods Markets. Ms. Zevola is working to get the company's offerings into Nord-strom department stores and Sephora beauty and cosmetics stores.

Regardless of how quickly the company's expansion unfolds, Ms. Zevola said her most important challenge as an emerging leader is to lean on both her strengths and the strengths of her supporting staff of six.

"I'm not into titles or power for a title or power's sake. I think right now the best thing for our company to have is more people who are capable of doing sales, production, writing and other duties I do right now. As the company evolves, I have no qualms against letting my role evolve to whatever it needs to be at a later stage," she said.

"Leadership is knowing your limits and knowing what's best for yourself and the people around you."

— Deborah M. Todd: dtodd@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1652. Twitter: @deborahtodd.