Florence Sender (b. January 25, 1943 – d. October 19, 2012) was an American

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...

. She founded or served as a director of a number of companies. Sender taught at the

MIT Sloan School of Management The MIT Sloan School of Management (branded as MIT Sloan) is the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT Sloan offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree progra ...

and co-founded its

MIT Entrepreneurship Center The MIT Entrepreneurship Center is one of the largest research and teaching centers at the MIT Sloan School of Management, the business and management school at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It was founded in the early 1990s and charg ...

Career in business

Sender founded, directed, or participated in a number of notable business ventures. She was described as a "serial entrepreneur."Albion, Mark S. ''True to Yourself: Leading a Values-Based Business''. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. 2006. p. 38

/ref>

Nibbles International

In 1978, Sender founded Nibbles International, a seller of all-natural cheese spreads and snacks that Sender developed and that were produced and distributed by

Beatrice Foods Beatrice Foods Company was a major American food conglomerate founded in 1894. One of the best-known food processing companies in the U.S., Beatrice owned many well-known brands such as Tropicana, Krispy Kreme, Jolly Rancher, Orville Reden ...

. For her work with Nibbles, she was recognized in 1987 as a runner-up for ''Inc.'' magazine's "hottest entrepreneur in America."Richman, Tom. "The Hottest Entrepreneur In America." '' Inc.''. 1 February 1987

/ref> The French food company Bongrain purchased Nibbles in 1988.

Be Fine Food skincare line

In 2006, Sender founded Be Fine, a

Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located roughly west of Downtown Boston, and comprises a patchwork of thirteen villages. The city borders Boston to the northeast and southeast (via the neighborhoods of ...

-based maker of food-based skincare products. Be Fine's line, which is formulated entirely from food products, has been distributed by retailers including CVS Pharmacy, Duane Reade, and

Rite Aid Rite Aid Corporation is an American drugstore chain based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1962 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, by Alex Grass under the name Thrift D Discount Center. Prior to its first bankruptcy in 2023, it was the th ...

."Ride the wave of green business, sustainably." ''ukfast''. 11 September 2008

/ref> The company has been cited as an example of a green, sustainable enterprise.

ClickR

Sender was founder and CEO of ClickR, LLC, a 2010 retail start-up that she founded with her husband, Noam Sender. ClickR announced in September 2010 that it would launch a new skincare line in October 2010.

Sephora Sephora is a French multinational retailer of personal care and beauty products, offering nearly 340 brands alongside its own private label, the Sephora Collection. Its product range includes cosmetics, skincare, fragrance, nail color, beauty t ...

began selling the start-up's products in January 2011. ClickR describes its products as "completely vegan" and designed to avoid irritating sensitive skin.Press release: "clickR: New Skin Care Collection Clicks with Youthful Skin." 24 September 201

/ref> In January 2011, the company announced that actor

Cam Gigandet Cameron Joslin Gigandet (; born August 16, 1982) is an American actor whose credits include a recurring role on '' The O.C.'' and appearances in feature films ''Twilight'', '' Pandorum'', '' Never Back Down'', ''Burlesque'', '' Easy A'', ''Pries ...

had signed on as a spokesperson for the brand, and characterized him as the "first official male spokesperson for a beauty brand."

Work in education

From 1989 to 1997, Sender was an Executive Director of the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

Sloan School of Management The MIT Sloan School of Management (branded as MIT Sloan) is the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT Sloan offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs ...

, where she taught MBA students. Sender also lectured at

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...

."Tufts Initiative for Leadership and International Perspective: 1999-2000." Tufts University

/ref>

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sender, Florence American women in business MIT Sloan School of Management faculty 1943 births 2012 deaths American women academics 21st-century American women