Shelley Gupta

Founder & CEO BāKIT Box

Shelley Gupta is an experienced executive specializing in consumer-packaged goods, a philanthropist, and co-founder of Bākit Box, a company that provides recipe boxes for a unique home baking experience. Shelley’s path to entrepreneurship has taken her through a wide variety of roles across many industries, beginning with her success as a singer-songwriter. After pitching her original music to executives throughout her hometown of Toronto, Canada, Shelley was signed as a solo artist to E.M.I. Music Canada and C.P. Records. Her first single "Crazy for You" was a smash hit across the country.

Following her success as a recording artist, Shelley turned her attention to her post-music career, becoming the Director of Finance and Development at Easton's Group Inc, a real estate development firm started by her father. She led all stages of planning, construction, and sales for a new condominium development project. Being only a few years out of college, Shelley learned how to manage and support a wide range of direct reports with different specialties—from architecture to advertising. Despite being Shelley’s first experience running a business, the project became one of the fastest-selling developments in Toronto.

Shelley knew that she wanted to start her own company and left the Easton’s Group to get her MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where she focused on Entrepreneurship and Strategy. After graduation, Shelley became a Business Consultant for Accenture Strategy. In this role, she applied her impressive business know-how to help technology clients meet their growth goals. As Shelley developed relationships with industry leaders and familiarized herself with core competencies, she gained hands-on experience and learned what qualities further distinguish successful businesses.

In 2020, Shelley left Accenture to start her own venture in the highly competitive food and beverage industry. In September of 2020, she co-founded BāKIT Box, a specialty baking kit service that delivers quality ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes directly to your front door. More information can be found at www.bakitbox.com. When she’s not running BāKIT Box, Shelley spends time as a marketing consultant for various clients including, Canadian-based, Radford Beauty.

In her spare time, Shelley enjoys getting involved in her local communities. Driven by her passion for music, Shelley was led to Guitars Over Guns RISE, a Chicago-based non-profit focused on curbing violence across under-served communities. She currently serves as President of the RISE program. The organization provides middle and high school students with a life-changing combination of music education and career mentorship. Shelley’s background in music and her business acumen are the perfect creative combination to build and expand the RISE program and help make an impact across the city.