Dennis Branoff

Mr. Branoff’s entrepreneurial path began in 1967 when he was first introduced to Weight Watchers as a teenage member, and by 1974 he was the youngest Weight Watchers franchisee in the country. Over more than three decades as CEO and co-founder of his Weight Watchers franchises, he expanded operations across the Midwestern United States in Michigan and Indiana and internationally in Southern Europe, specifically the countries of Italy, Greece, and Cyprus. The dynamic international growth earned him a director position with the HJ Heinz/Weight Watchers World Board for the development of the entire Weight Watchers brand until 1999 when Heinz sold Weight Watchers, International to Artal, S.A.

During this period Mr. Branoff also founded CIO Technologies, one of the first USA data mining companies in 1996. It integrated diet consumers buying behavior with their weight loss results, leading to the development of cross marketing initiatives with fitness and food companies.

Mr. Branoff also published 26 best selling low-calorie cookbooks in Italy and Greece on a variety of nutritional themes.

He sold his Weight Watchers business, his publishing business and CIO Technologies to Weight Watchers International, Inc in 2006.

In 1997, Mr. Branoff founded Branoff Capital, LLC, through which he identifies and builds profitable ventures in insurance, real estate and venture enterprises.

He launched Atlantis Campus Communities in 1997, which redefined and pioneered the luxury student housing resort style rental model and sold his portfolio in 2007.

Mr. Branoff became an early investor in BioStar Capital since 2005. BioStar is an American physician founded venture capital firm focusing on emerging transformative companies in cardiology, orthopedics and robotics. BioStar partners with medical companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Boston Scientific and others that seek BioStar’s leading research physicians and influence amongst the global medical community.

Mr Branoff serves as a member on the BioStar Advisory Board.

Mr. Branoff was also a founding partner of Spotted Risk in 2017, a specialty insurance brokerage serving the Hollywood Film and Entertainment industry. Spotted developed a globally accepted infectious disease policy during the depths of the Covid Pandemic, and was an important factor in allowing the film and concert industry back to full production. Spotted Risk acquired Media Guarantors in 2019, a leading film bonding broker to commercial film lenders. Spotted Risk and Media Guarantors were acquired in 2022.

National Shield Insurance Services in 2013 acquired Vehicle Risk Solutions of Texas, a brokerage company serving large automobile dealerships, both foreign and domestic, with bespoke vehicle service contracts for dealers to sell. Vehicle Risk Solutions presently has a growing dealership footprint spanning the United States.

Mr. Branoff served as a State Commissioner of the Michigan Nutrition Commission from 1977 through 1983. He and his wife Alexis are longtime benefactors to local and international charities and religious organizations.

Mr. Branoff was a Lloyd Scholar at the University of Michigan from 1971 to 1973 and an honors student at the International University of Santander, Spain in 1972.

Mr. Branoff credits his success to his amazing wife Alexis and his three incredible sons for their immeasurable support as well as to his professional mentors most notably , Al Lippert, co-founder of Weight Watchers International.