What Is Sprinkles Cupcakes' Founder Candace Nelson Up To Now?

Candace Nelson founded Sprinkles Cupcakes in 2005, then sold it in 2012. According to a post on Instagram, Nelson, a former investment banker from Silicon Valley, sold the company because she considered herself more of a creator than a person who runs a business. Her recent posts are full of people critiquing her decision to sell to a private equity firm, which has recently been blamed for closures or the drop in quality of other beloved restaurants. However, there is seemingly little online blame directed to Allan Karp and Chris Reilly, co-founders of KarpReilly, the firm that purchased Sprinkles, and their role in laying off workers in 20 locations with a day's notice.

Since selling the cupcake bakery in 2012, Nelson has been busy. After tasting a pizza at a party, she went into business with the pizzaiolo who had recently moved from Naples, Daniele Uditi, and co-founded the Michelin Bib Gourmand-rated, Los Angeles-based Pizzana chain in 2015. Already a TV-personality from judging Food Network's "Cupcake Wars" starting in 2010, she became a regular judge on Netflix's "Sugar Rush" in 2018. In 2023, she was a guest Shark for the 15th season of Shark Tank. Her TV credits don't stop there, as she's guested on "Throwdown with Bobby Flay," "Masterchef USA," "The Best Thing I Ever Ate," among many other shows. She is also the Executive Producer of the pizza-making competition show, Best in Dough.

Outside of food, Candace Nelson has positioned herself as a leader in the entrepreneurial space. She's a top creator on the business social media website LinkedIn. She is active on Instagram with posts both about food shows she is working on and career inspiration. Her book, "Sweet Success: A Simple Recipe to Turn Your Passion into Profit," is her story about building her cupcake business and aims to inspire other entrepreneurs in their own ventures. Her substack, also titled "Sweet Success," includes entries on her own stories and advice to those in similar situations.

She and her husband, Charles, run a Venture Capital fund together called CN2 Ventures. Together, they invest in startups, not just in the food space. With Dr. Allie Ticktin, they co-founded Play 2 Progress, a play-focused children's learning center. She is also a keynote speaker, having been hired to speak to corporate teams at Taco Bell and Goldman Sachs.