Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I Brands - podcast cover

Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I Brands

Mike Gelbredcircle.com

Consumer VC takes a look into early-stage consumer investing and venture capital. If you are interested in learning about consumer trends, have a b2c business and interested in learning about the fundraising process at the early stage, you have come to the right place.


Mike interviews some of the top venture capitalists in the world that focus on B2C and consumer type companies or have a deep track record investing in these categories such as marketplaces, SaaS, social, CPG and non-tech subscription.


Mike also interviews founders that are building some of the most disruptive consumer facing companies in the world. The conversation usually includes the insight the founder discovered, fundraising strategy, and the pitch.


This podcast also includes bonus episodes. Each bonus episode dives into a particular subject that might not have to due with the fundraise or venture capital, but still would be helpful to founders. For example, a bonus episode on brand strategy or how to construct a board of directors. All bonus episodes will be clearly labeled.


For all episodes, please visit www.theconsumervc.com. For updates, you can follow @mikegelb on Twitter.

Last refreshed:
Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.
Download Metacast podcast app
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Holiday Highlights: Natalie Dillon, Principal at Maveron

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Natalie Dillon. I'm excited to share highlights from my conversation with Natalie Dillon, Principal at Maveron. Maveron is a premier consumer focused fund that invests in seed and Series A companies that empower consumers to live on their terms. Some of their investments include eBay, Everlane, and Allbirds. Without further ado, here's Natalie. Links: Click here to listen to my full conversation with Natalie Dillon Click here on Mobile to joi...

Jan 04, 202121 min

Holiday Highlights: Anna Whiteman, Vice President at Coefficient Capital

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Anna Whiteman. I'm excited to share highlights from my conversation with Anna Whiteman, Vice President at Coefficient Capital. Coefficient Capital is a new venture capital fund that leads early growth investments in fast-moving consumer goods, typically investing in Series A and B rounds. So far they've invested in Just Spices, NomNom, Hydrant and Personal Care. Without further ado, here's Anna. Links: Click here to listen to my full conversa...

Jan 03, 202128 min

Holiday Highlights: Charles Hudson, Founding Partner Precursor Ventures

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Charles Hudson. Charles Hudson is the Managing Partner and Founder of Precursor Ventures. Precursor Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on investing in the first institutional round of investment for the most promising software and hardware companies. Some of their investments include The Athletic, Goodr and Co-Star. Links: Click here to listen to my full conversation with Charles Hudson Click here on Mobile to join our Co...

Jan 02, 202123 min

Holiday Highlights: Sarah Kunst, Managing Director of Cleo Capital

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Sarah Kunst. Thank you Soraya Darabi for the intro to today's guest Sarah Kunst , managing director of Cleo Capital . Cleo Capital is an an early stage VC fund focused on the preseed & seed stages. Some of their investments include 42 Birds, Athena and Lovewellness. She's also a contributing editor at Marie Claire Magazine and previously served as a senior advisor to Bumble. Links: Click here to listen to my full conversation with Sarah. ...

Jan 01, 202123 min

Holiday Highlights: Sasha Astafyeva, Partner at Atomico

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Sasha Astafyeva. Sasha Astafyeva , Partner at Atomico . Atomico invests in Europe’s most ambitious tech founders at Series A and beyond. Some of their investments include Farmdrop, Habito, and teatime games. Sasha leads new investments in consumer. Previously, she was a Principal at Felix Capital and VP of Finance and Business Intelligence at VivaReal. Links: Click here to listen to my full conversation with Sasha. Click here on Mobile to joi...

Dec 31, 202020 min

Holiday Highlights: Michael Duda, Founding Partner of Bullish

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Michael Duda. Michael Duda, Founder and one of the Managing Partners at Bullish. Bullish is a pre-seed fund and creative agency, investing in early stage consumer companies. Some of their investments include Warby Parker, Peloton, Casper and Birchbox. Click here to listen to my full conversation with Michael Click here on Mobile to join our Community....

Dec 30, 202029 min

Holiday Highlights: Kanyi Maqubela, Managing Partner Kindred Ventures

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Kanyi Maqubela. Kanyi Maqubela, is the Managing Partner at Kindred Ventures. Kindred Ventures is a seed-stage venture capital fund, whose mission is to back visionary and dedicated founders who want to solve the most important problems and vastly improve people’s lives around the world. Some of their investments include Uber, Poshmark, Otis and Blue Bottle Coffee. Links: Click here to listen to my full conversation with Kanyi. Click here on M...

Dec 29, 202032 min

Holiday Highlights: Samara Hernandez, Founding Partner Chingona Ventures

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Samara Hernandez. My guest today is Samara Hernandez , founder of Chingona Ventures . Samara invests at the preseed and seed stages on industries that are massively changing and founders whose backgrounds uniquely position them to create businesses in growth markets that are often overlooked. We discuss how she analyzes overlooked opportunities, some of the differences when investing in consumer vs. enterprise, and Chicago. Links: Click here ...

Dec 28, 202025 min

Holiday Highlights: Eric Paley, Founding Partner at Founder Collective

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Eric Paley. Thank you Adelle Archer for introducing me to today's guest, Eric Paley , who is one of the Managing Partners at Founder Collective . Founder Collective's mission is to be the most aligned VC for founders at seed. Some of Eric's investments include Uber, CoverWallet, Seat Geek, Whoop, Thred Up and so many other incredible companies. Links: Click here to listen to my full conversation with Eric. Click here on Mobile to join our Com...

Dec 27, 202026 min

Holiday Highlights: Soraya Darabi, Founding Partner TMV

This is a highlight from my conversation with Soraya Darabi. Soraya is one of the Founding Partners of TMV, where she focuses on the future of living well. Links: Click Here to Listen to Full Episode with Soraya Darabi Click Here on Mobile to Join Our Community...

Dec 26, 202024 min

Holiday Highlights: Rishi Garg, Partner at Mayfield Fund

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Rishi Garg. Rishi Garg Rishi is a partner at Mayfield. Mayfield is a global venture capital firm with a people first philosophy of investing. Links: Full Episode with Rishi Garg Click on Mobile to Join Community...

Dec 25, 202025 min

Holiday Recap: Jiake Liu, CEO of Outer

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Jiake. Outer is an extraordinary company that is reengineering outdoor furniture. Business Insider named them the #1 fastest growing DTC brands. If you enjoy this episode, click here to listen to my full conversation with him....

Dec 18, 202017 min

Holiday Recap: Jessica Rolph & Rod Morris, Co-CEOs of Lovevery

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Jessica & Rod. Jessica Rolph and Rod Morris , the co-founders of Lovevery , staged-based play essentials designed by experts, built for babies and toddlers up to age 3. If you enjoy this episode, click here to listen to my full conversation with Jessica & Rod...

Dec 17, 202021 min

Holiday Recap: Michael Barlow, CEO of Fernish

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Michael Barlow, CEO of Fernish. Thank you Anna Barber for the intro to today's guest, Michael Barlow , founder and CEO of Fernish . Fernish offers premium furniture rentals that feel like home, delivered and assembled in a week. If you enjoy this episode, click here to listen to my full conversation with XXX

Dec 16, 202015 min

Holiday Recap: Betsy Fore & Sofia Laurell, Co-CEOs of Tiny Organics

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Betsy Fore & Sofia Laurell, Co-CEOs and Founders of Tiny Organics. Tiny Organics delivers organic, fresh, nutrient-rich baby and toddler meals created by their Infant Nutritionist. Their goal is to help every parent feed their baby and toddler the healthiest food. If you enjoy this episode, click here to listen to my full conversation with Betsy and Sofia....

Dec 15, 202011 min

Holiday Recap: George Milton, CEO of Yellowbird Sauce

This episode are highlights from my conversation with George Milton. George Milton is the co-founder and CEO of Yellowbird Sauce , Spicy condiments crafted to take you on a fiery–fresh food adventure. If you enjoy this episode, click here to listen to my full conversation with George...

Dec 14, 202019 min

Holiday Recap: Coulter Lewis, CEO of Sunday

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Coulter Lewis. Coulter Lewis is the founder and CEO of Sunday . Sunday provides nutrient and soil health plans for garden and lawn care. Previously, Coulter founded Quinn Snacks, the successful farm to bag snack company. If you enjoy this episode, click here to listen to my full conversation with Coulter...

Dec 13, 202011 min

Holiday Recap: Adelle Archer, CEO of Eterneva

This episode are highlights from my episode with Adelle Archer. Adelle Archer is the founder of Eterneva , which celebrates remarkable lives by making diamonds from Ashes. Eterneva was featured on Shark Tank , in which Mark Cuban joined other incredible angels and VCs as an investor. This episode focuses in the end of life space. If you enjoy this, click here to listen to Adelle's full episode. Click here on your phone to join The Consumer VC Community...

Dec 12, 202011 min

Holiday Recap: Kate Boyle, CEO of Banjo Robinson

Kate Boyle is the founder and CEO of Banjo Robinson . Banjo Robinson is a magical cat that writes personalized letters that turn reading, writing and learning about the world into a magical game for 5-8 year olds. Banjo Robinson graduated London Techstars Accelerator fall 2019 and recently raised a pre-seed round led by Collaborative Fund and Sesame Ventures. Previously, Kate worked at William Morris and in screenwriting and script development. If you enjoyed this, here is a link to check out Ka...

Dec 11, 202019 min

Annoucement: Consumer VC Holiday Schedule

Hey Everyone! For this holiday period, I'll be releasing an episode every morning of Hanukkah (starting tomorrow) that will be some of the best moments from my conversations with founders over this past year. I'll also be releasing an episode everyday during the twelve days of Christmas that will be some great moments with investors on this show during 2020. Click this link on your mobile to join my Upstream Community Sign up here to receive updates about the summit. hoJsKsOKdYfTDO7r1PY4...

Dec 10, 20201 min

Matthias Metternich (Art of Sport) - Building the Nike of Body Care, The Power of the Athlete, and How to Build a Compelling Story for Retail

My guest today is Matthias Metternich , one of the co-founders and CEO of Art of Sport . Art of Sport is a complete line of daily essential body and skin care products made for athletes. Some of the things we spoke about were his approach to building a world class skincare business, how he partners with Athletes, and his thoughts around fundraising and investing in CPG businesses. A couple books that inspired Matthias - Arrow In The Blue by Arthur Koestler and American Colossus by W.H. Brands. Y...

Dec 08, 202050 min

Aaron Fu (Catalyst Fund) - The Biggest Misconception When Investing In Emerging Markets, Difference Between Selling to SMBs and Consumers, and the Effects of Mobile First

Our guest today is Aaron Fu , Head of Growth at Catalyst Fund . Catalyst Fund is an inclusive fintech accelerator that is focused on investing in companies located in different parts of Africa, India and Mexico. They support innovative startups building affordable, accessible and appropriate solutions to reach the world's 3 billion underserved, while accelerating innovation ecosystems across emerging markets. We focus on the difference between selling to a consumer, SMB and enterprise business, ...

Dec 03, 202033 min

Vincent Diallo & Joseph Sartre (Interlace Ventures) - Why ecommerce is boring, Why is China at the Forefront of Retail Tech, and Headless Commerce Explained

Our guests today are Vincent Diallo and J oseph Sartre , founding partners of Interlace Ventures . Interlace is a seed stage fund that invests in founders that are re-inventing commerce and retail for better consumption. We focus this conversation on their learnings in innovation when they both worked in China, opportunities in future of retail they are focused on in the United States, and how we can make venture capital more inclusive. Highly recommend following them on Twitter @Vincent11D and ...

Dec 01, 202039 min

Michael Barlow (Fernish) - The Advantage of Not Knowing, His Approach to Building a Rental Furniture Supply Chain, and The Biggest Hurdle When Fundraising

Thank you Anna Barber for the intro to today's guest, Michael Barlow , founder and CEO of Fernish . Fernish offers premium furniture rentals that feel like home, delivered and assembled in a week. We discuss how Michael approached validating his idea of furniture rental, figuring out the supply chain, and how they adjusted to shifts in demand for certain products during COVID. A book that inspired Michael is Against The Gods by Peter L. Bernstein. I highly recommend following Michael on Twitter ...

Nov 24, 202038 min

Samara Hernandez (Chingona Ventures) - Why Chicago, How Diverse VC Teams Lead To Investing In Markets That Are Overlooked, and Some of the Differences When Investing In Consumer vs. Enterprise

My guest today is Samara Hernandez , founder of Chingona Ventures . Samara invests at the preseed and seed stages on industries that are massively changing and founders whose backgrounds uniquely position them to create businesses in growth markets that are often overlooked. We discuss how she analyzes overlooked opportunities, some of the differences when investing in consumer vs. enterprise, and Chicago. A book that inspired Samara is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. You can also follow your hos...

Nov 19, 202047 min

Elizabeth Edwards (H Ventures) - Why Some DNVBs Don't Work On Shelf, Different Customer Insights You Receive in Retail vs. DTC and Demystifying Corporate Venture Capital

My guest today is Elizabeth Edwards , the founder and Managing Partner of H Venture Partners . H Ventures invests in brands that are disrupting billion-dollar categories and changing the way we live our lives. She was an early investor in Peloton , Roots, Freshly to name a few. Previously, Elizabeth was a partner with Maywic Select Investments and West Ventures. We discuss what makes a brand compelling, the mystery of corporate venture capital, and how to increase diversity in the venture and st...

Nov 17, 202050 min

Taylor Nieman (Toucan) - Browser Extension Businesses, The Power of Partnerships, and Her Unique Approach to Fundraising

Our guest today is Taylor Nieman , founder of Toucan . Toucan is a free chrome extension that helps you learn a language without even trying. It's pretty cool, I've been using it for the past few months and The Consumer VC owns the word "episode" on the platform. We discuss the opportunity in browser chrome extension businesses, the insight she had when founding Toucan and all her different monetization avenues, which I must say are pretty amazing and wide ranging. You can follow Taylor at @tayl...

Nov 12, 202033 min

Nikhil Basu Trivedi (Next Big Thing) - Why Investing in Consumer Subscription Businesses Has Become The Next Big Thing, and The Reasons Physical Goods and Software Businesses Aren't That Different

Thank you Ezra Galston for the intro to today's guest, Nikhil Basu Trivedi . Nikhil previously was the managing director of Shasta ventures and writes The Next Big Thing, which is an awesome online publication. Some of his investments include Literati, Tally, Canva, Farmer's Dog and The Pill Club. His focus has been on consumer, particularly consumer subscription businesses, which was the main focus on today's conversation. Check out Nikhil's three part series about consumer subscription - Consu...

Nov 10, 202030 min

Carlton Fowler (Goat Rodeo Capital) - The Changing Landscape In Beverage, Why Beverage is Poised For Ecommerce, and His Thoughts Around Portfolio Construction

Our guest today is Carlton Fowler, Managing Partner of Goat Rodeo Capital . Carlton invests in the beverage space with some of his invests including lemon perfect, sourced, and one hope. Previously, he led spirits innovation and brand development at E&J Gallo. In this episode we focus our conversation on the change in beverage during covid, how brands are becoming creative and how he sees value add from investors in the space. A couple books that inspired Carlton are Pattern Recognition by W...

Oct 29, 202036 min

Han Shen (iFly.VC) - How He Thinks About Overlooked Opportunities, Focusing on a Sector Rather Than Becoming Opportunistic, and How One of His Portfolio Companies Was Able to Pivot Successfully

Our guest today is Han Shen . Han is the Founding Partner of iFly.vc , an early-stage seed/VC fund based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The fund follows a sector-thesis driven process and aims to build a concentrated portfolio with meaningful value add to entrepreneurs. We discuss the different sectors he's focused in, how he became a VC and how he thinks about uncovered opportunities. And there you have it. Han, thank you again for your time. You can follow Han on Twitter at @ *Han_Shen * A few...

Oct 27, 202054 min
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android