Mercato, the San Diego, California-based e-commerce platform for independently-owned grocery and specialty food stores, has hired Emily Keeton to be its chief financial officer. In this role, Keeton will oversee all financial and administrative functions at Mercato.
“Emily is a terrific addition to our leadership team and we are excited to leverage her expertise and deep skillset as our company continues on its path of accelerated growth,” said Bobby Brannigan, founder and CEO of Mercato. 
Keeton was most recently at WeWork, acting as managing director of WeWork’s Creator Fund and, prior to that, as global head of M&A for the provider of flexible workspace. Before joining WeWork, Keeton was co-head of M&A at IAC, the New York-based internet company. She started her career in investment banking at DLJ and Credit Suisse.
Mercato was started in Brooklyn, New York, in 2015, and the company currently operates in 45 states nationwide. Mercato’s digital platform seamlessly connects consumers to more than 1,000 independently owned grocery stores and specialty markets. Built upon a mission of supporting such stores, Mercato has been actively onboarding and serving grocers during the COVID-19 crisis, adding more than 400 specialty food stores, independent grocers and market halls since the beginning of 2020. The company’s platform equips independent grocers with a clean and seamless way to manage online inventory, orders and deliveries.
Keeton currently serves on the board of directors for ezCater, the largest online marketplace for business catering, and she’s also on the advisory board of the Liu Idea Lab for Entrepreneurship at Rice University. She secured her MBA from Harvard Business School and her bachelor’s degree from Columbia University.
