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

Mark Samuel (IWON Organics) - Why His Entrepreneurial Journey Led Him to CPG, What’s Difficult About Scaling a Health Brand, Approach To New Sales Channels and Media

Our guest today is Mark Samuel, Founder & CEO of IWON Organics. IWON Organics snacks are delicious, high-protein, Non-GMO, gluten-free, plant-based snacks made from purely organic ingredients. This was a treat for me as I’ve been following Mark on LinkedIn for a long time and it was great to finally connect with him. We discussed his health journey and entrepreneur journey, why his road eventually led to CPG, what he thought about building a brand vs. what he knows now, how he thinks about n...

Dario Wolos (Tacombi & Vista Hermosa) - Why he Started Selling Tacos Out of a VW bus in Mexico, How He Expanded to a Chain of Taquerias in New York, and Why His Mission Is To Bring Authentic Mexican Food to the World

Our guest today is Dario, Founder and CEO of Tacombi and Vista Hermosa. Tacombi is a tacqueria chain that is one of the fastest growing restaurants in the U.S. and is bringing 100% authentic Mexican food and flavors to the U.S. Vista Hermosa is their CPG brand, that produces tortilla chips and tortillas. We discuss why Dario got a VW Kombi van in the first place, why he thought New York City was the right city to start a restaurant in the U.S., how he approached expansion to different cities and...

Live from Austin: Allison and Stephen Ellsworth (Poppi) - How They Became The #1 Soda Brand on Amazon, Pivot During COVID and How They Approach Brand

This was recorded live in Austin, during SXSW. Allison and Stephen Ellsworth are the founders of Poppi, the fun(ctional) prebiotic soda for all. We discuss: – Their introduction to prebiotics – How they went on SharkTank – Rebranding from Mother to Poppi – Launching during COVID – Expanding to new markets – Their approach to content & more ***Sponsor*** Introducing aVenture - venture capital for everyone With aVenture everyone can now invest directly into venture capital funds through our pl...

David Friedberg (The Production Board) - What The Next Generation of Brands Look Like, How to Analyze Entrepreneurs, and What He’d Change About The All-In Podcast

Our guest today is David Friedberg, Founder of The Production Board and Bestie on the All-In podcast. The Production Board is a holding company that builds and invests in businesses that transform global systems of production and distribution across: Agriculture, Life Sciences, Energy and Manufacturing. On the consumer facing side, some of their investments and/or companies they’ve built include Supergut, The Every Company, Cana, and Soylent. The All-In podcast is one the top podcasts in the wor...

Mike Fata (Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods) - How He Founded a 9-figure Hemp Brand

Hey friends, Our guest today is Mike Fata , Founder of Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods , which sells hemp-based foods, oils, and supplements. The company was acquired for 9 figures by Tilray in 2019. Now he’s an investor, coach, writer and author of “ Grow: 12 Unconventional Lessons for Becoming an Unstoppable Entrepreneur ”, which will be released on March 29th 2023. Highly recommend pre-ordering your copy. ***Sponsor*** Introducing aVenture - venture capital for everyone With aVenture everyone can...

Carle Stenmark (VMG) - Why a consumer PE firm also has a $400m technology fund, the evolution of his thesis, and why VMG rebranded

Thank you Deb Benton for introducing me to Carle Stenmark, General Partner at VMG. VMG, short for Velocity Made Good, is one of the premier consumer private equity funds known for their investments in KIND, Quest Nutrition, Sun Bum, and Justin’s. However, Carle leads VMG’s technology practice and recently the firm went through a bit of a rebrand, which we will discuss. This conversation is around why and what types of technology companies VMG invests in. Without further ado, here’s Carle. Some o...

Kyle Cooke (Loverboy) - How he started a $38m alcohol brand while on a Reality TV, His journey as an entrepreneur and why Loverboy worked vs. his other ideas

Thank you Alex Pattis for the intro to our guest today, Kyle Cooke, Founder & CEO of Loverboy. Loverboy is a better for you alcohol beverage brand that produces sparkling hard teas, spritzes, and RTD cocktails brand. Kyle is one of the stars on the reality show “Summerhouse”, which I must admit is how I found out about the brand and now they’ve sold over $38 million worth of product. We discuss Kyle’s entrepreneurial journey and how he founded several businesses, why Loverboy worked, and how...

Marc Washington (Supergut) - Why better health starts with the gut, What is the gut microbiome and His innovation within CPG

Our guest today is Marc Washington, Founder & CEO of Supergut. Supergut is the world's only clinically validated food that nourishes the gut microbiome and delivers meaningful results across gut health, blood sugar levels, wellbeing, sleep, weight management and other categories of overall health. I’ve personally been very impressed with their products. We discuss Marc’s gut health journey and the founding of Supergut, how the microbiome affects gut health, how he thought about creating real...

Steve Berg (Stride Consumer Partners) - How to invest in consumer companies at the growth stage, what types of brands work in both natural and conventional, and how to analyze retail outlets

Our guest today is Steve Berg, one of the founders and Partners at Stride Consumer Partners. Stride Consumer is a private equity firm that specializes in partnering with talented and dynamic founders, entrepreneurs, and business leaders to build the next generation of great consumer brands. Some of their investments include Chomps, Jeni’s Ice Cream, DryBar and TRX. We discuss how Stride Consumer Partners came together, his investment philosophy with CPG brands, signs a retail outlet is working, ...

Joey Guerra and Alex Dashefsky (Airsign) - Why the vacuum cleaner needed innovation, brand positioning, and their approach to organic marketing

Thank you Yuriy Dovzhansky for the introduction to our guests today Joey Guerra and Alex Dashefsky , founders of Airsign . Airsign makes tools for the modern living, starting with their award winning HEPA vacuum. We discuss innovation within vacuum cleaners, why they were in R&D the whole time and wanted to start their own brand instead of white labeling, how they’ve approached marketing, positioning and fundraising and much much more. Without further ado, here’s Joey and Alex. Some of the q...

Mateo Marietti (CookUnity) - How he’s changing the food delivery experience for daily meals, how he works with the top chefs in the world, and growth during the pandemic

Our guest today is Mateo Marietti, founder and CEO of CookUnity. CookUnity is reinventing the food delivery experience and making it easy for busy people to eat well at home by curating a marketplace of great chefs and unique crafters. We discuss how he founded Cooking Unity, how he developed relationships with some of the top chefs in the world, how he addressed the cold start problem, the response to the pandemic, when they will hit profitability and much more. Some of the questions I ask: Wha...

Anthony Zhang (Vinovest) - What makes wine a profitable investible asset, How he recovered from a spinal injury that left him paralyzed while guiding his company to a successful exit, and other alternative investment markets

Our guest today is Anthony Zhang, founder of Vinovest. Vinovest allows you to invest in Wine Globally Without Leaving Home and Without Storing It Yourself. He also previously founded EnjoyNow and Know your VC. We discuss his introduction to entrepreneurship, what it was like coming back from a spinal injury to guide EnjoyNow to a successful exit, why he started Vinovest, how people were investing in wine previously, and much much more. We discuss: When was the first moment you were entrepreneuri...

James Currier (NFX) - How generative A.I. changes the internet, Will startups be able to capture the value, and Will OpenAI succeed

Our guest today is James Currier, Founder & General Partner of NFX. VC firm investing in pre-seed and seed stage startups. Some of their investments include DoorDash, Lyft and Outdoorsy. We focus this conversation on maybe the biggest tech trend in 2022 – A.I. How much opportunity is there for startups vs. the Googles and Microsoft’s of the world, which layer of A.I. provides the most value and much much more. Please note we do discuss OpenAI but this conversation was recorded prior to their...

Adam Ross (Heyday) - Why he found a facial retail chain, franchise models vs. corporate stores, and producing products

Our guest today is Adam Ross, Founder & CEO of Heyday. Heyday is a skincare establishment that is overhauling the facial experience. We discuss how he got interested in skincare, why he only wanted to focus on facials, how he thought about expanding foot print with a combination of corporate and franchise stores and much much more. ***Sponsor*** Introducing aVenture - venture capital for everyone With aVenture everyone can now invest directly into venture capital funds through our platform w...

Ryan Woodbury (Needed) - How she's building a bundled DTC subscription business with prenatal products, why it took 3 years of R&D research before launching and her fundraising philosophy

Our guest today is Ryan Woodbury, co-founder of Needed. Needed is on a mission to empower every woman with the fundamental nutrition information, products, and community they need to be optimally nourished before, during, and after pregnancy. We discuss how she got involved / started in nutrition, why she decided to create a prenatal supplement company, why she took 3 years in R&D, how she thinks about the DTC channel and LTV of her customers and much much more. Some of the questions I ask R...

Lydia Jett (SoftBank) - How she invests in eCommerce at a global scale, How to evaluate emerging markets, and Learnings from 2022

Our guest today is Lydia Jett, Managing Partner and Head of eCommerce / Consumer Internet at SoftBank Investment Advisors. Some of her investments include Coupang, Fanatics, and Misfits Market. We get into quite a few topics all centered about investing and the future of ecommerce. how she approaches investing at a global scale, particularly in emerging markets, the current outlook for ecommerce, how she thinks about capital deployment in this climate and much much more. Without further ado, her...

Aimy Steadman (BeatBox) - How she created a drink for music festivals, fundraising on SharkTank and how a change in product packaging was an unlock to scale

Thank you Taylor Foxman for the introduction to our guest today Aimy Steadman. Aimy is is the COO of BeatBox Beverages. the World's Tastiest Portable Party Punch. Some of the questions I ask Aimy: How did you found Beatbox? What was the reason why you founded it? You were early with the RTD trend? What’s the difference between wine and spirits vs. beer? How did you think about the category you were creating and the product that you originally set out to create? How did you think about the right ...

Wyatt Taubman (Vive Organic) - How he discovered immunity shots, the learning curves building a CPG brand and why they sold to Suja Juice

Our guest today is Wyatt Taubman, Founder of Vive Organic. Vive Organic is fresh pressed wellness shots from organic superfoods. Some of the questions I ask Wyatt: What led to the founding of Vive Organic? How did you approach your supply chain? How did you envision the brand? How did you think about distribution channels? How did you think about product expansion How did you approach fundraising? Why did you sell to Suja? ***Sponsor*** Introducing aVenture - venture capital for everyone With aV...

Yanni Hufnagel (Lemon Perfect) - Why He Left Basketball To Founding a Lemon Water Company, Getting Beyoncé to Invest, and How He Scaled Distribution Nationally

Thank you CJ Fowler for the introduction to our guest today, Yanni Hufnagel, Founder & CEO of Lemon Perfect. Lemon Perfect is a super-refreshing, full-flavored, hydrating lemon water with no sugar, artificial flavors, or sweeteners. Some of the questions I ask Yanni: Why did you become a coach? Why did you leave college basketball to found Lemon Perfect? What was the insight that led you? How did you think about the hydration category? What was your first steps when you started Lemon Perfect...

Elly Truesdell (New Fare Partners) - How she started a cat food brand with Bobby Flay, Going from Whole Foods to launching VC fund, When brands should vertically integrate

Our guest today is Elly Truesdell, Founder & Managing Partner at New Fare Ventures. a venture capital fund centered on the modern eater and evolving American palate. Some of the investments include Made By Nacho , Mid-Day Squares , Foxtrot and Tacombi . We discuss her time at Whole Foods, how she ended up meeting Bobby Flay and founding Made by Nacho, why she wanted to start a fund and how she thinks about investing in food and retail. Some of the questions I ask her: Were you always into nu...

Annie Kadavy (RedPoint Ventures) – How she invested in Patreon, Classpass and DoorDash, What Are Investible business models, and Lessons Learned as a Founder

Our guest today is Annie Kadavy, Managing Director at RedPoint Ventures. Redpoint partners with exceptional entrepreneurs starting at the earliest stages of the climb some of her investments include Tend, Shash, and SIlk & Sonder. We discuss her introduction to entrepreneurship building in her garage, tiptoeing the line throughout her career between operator and investor, the business models she’s intrigued by and investible in her opinion. Without further ado, here’s Annie. We discuss: Buil...

Chris Ashenden (Athletic Greens) - How he founded a billion dollar nutrition brand, why he waited until $150m in sales to raise capital, and creating a new consumer habit

Our guest today is Chris Ashenden, Founder & CEO of Athletic Greens and AG1. AG1 is the world’s most comprehensive and convenient daily nutrition product in green powder form. We discuss: Why he founded Athletic Greens Approach to formulation How he met Tim Ferriss How he built relationships with customers Scaling online Creating a subscription business and new consumer habit Why he bootstrapped to $150m in revenue When it made sense to fundraise ***Sponsor*** Introducing aVenture - venture ...

Davis Smith (Cotopaxi) - Why he started a mission-led outdoor apparel brand, the difference between Cotopaxi and Patagonia, and lessons learned from his first two businesses

Thank you Luke Vernon for the intro to our guest today Davis Smith , Founder & CEO of Cotopaxi. Cotopaxi builds gear that fuels both outdoor experiences and global change. We discuss: Why he founded digitally native businesses Founding businesses with his cousin The mission behind Cotopaxi How he was able to raise capital Early approach to promotion for Cotopaxi The differences between Cotopaxi and Patagonia How he grew the brand Why he shut down his store in San Francisco ***Sponsor*** Intr...

Matt Higgins (RSE Ventures) - How he became a Shark on SharkTank, Why he invested in Gary Vee, and the future of Direct to Consumer

Today’s guest is Matt Higgins, Founder and CEO of RSE Ventures. RSE is a private investment firm that focuses on sports and entertainment, media and marketing, food and lifestyle, and technology. Most recently he wrote the book “ Burn The Boats ”, which is a counterintuitive formula for a life of perpetual growth can find a link in the shownotes to get your copy. Some of their investments include Vaynermedia, Milk Bar, Magic Spoon and Banza. We discuss: Why he pivoted his career from the public ...

Josh Cliffords (FreeWater) - How He Found a New Business Model for Bottled Water

Our guest today is Josh Cliffords, Founder & CEO of FreeWater. FreeWater is exactly what you think it is. FreeWater. Where they give away water and make money on selling ads on the bottle. We discuss the origin story of FreeWater, the economics of an ad-based physical product business, how he approached his distribution and finding sponsors, reactions to him building FreeWater, other products he wants to move into. Without further ado, here’s Josh. ***Sponsor*** Introducing aVenture - ventur...

Sean Riley (DUDE Wipes) - How he went from $0 to $90 million in sales selling flushable wipes, Getting Mark Cuban to Invest on SharkTank and Why he chose bootstrapping

Our guest today is Sean Riley, co-founder and CEO of DUDE Wipes. DUDE Wipes makes flushable wipes—billions of 'em—assembled right here in the USA. DUDE is bootrapped, only taking outside investment of $300k from Marc Cuban on SharkTank and are set to do $90 million this year in sales. We discuss his entire journey from the aha moment up until scaling the brand. ***Sponsor*** Introducing aVenture - venture capital for everyone With aVenture everyone can now invest directly into venture capital fu...

Holiday Highlights: Ty Haney (Outdoor Voices, Joggy, TYB)

Holiday Highlights: Chuck Newhall (NEA)

Holiday Highlights: Steve Case (AOL.com, Revolution, Rise of the Rest)

Holiday Highlights: Jessica Peltz-Zatulove (Hannah Grey