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

Hey Friends,

Our guest today is Ashleigh Hinde, Founder and CEO of Waldo. Waldo makes daily contact lenses without the hassle or price tag.

We discuss:

* Why she chose to start a daily contact lenses company

* Friction within eye care

* How she’s building a brand with a product that you can’t see

* Her approach to scale her e-commerce business

* How she struck a partnership with Walmart & retail strategy

* Whether she should launch her own stores

* How she raised capital from VCs

* And much much more

Thank you for listening.

Welcome to The Consumer VC, a newsletter about venture capital and consumer startups delivered straight to your inbox. If you aren’t subscribed, come and subscribe below.

Hey Friends,

Our guest today is Michael Hirshland, co-founder of Resolute Ventures. Resolute Ventures is a lead seed and pre-seed investment focused on backing and connecting a community of founders who share an entrepreneurial spirit and energy. Some of their consumer investments include BarkBox, Clutter, and Lumen.

We discuss:

* The current state of pre-seed & seed investing

* How he builds conviction when meeting founders

* How he thinks about risk and portfolio management

* Approach to investing in consumer-oriented companies

* Ways in which he builds community

* What parts of Web3 are investible

Thanks for listening

Hey Friends,

Our guest today on the podcast is Michael Senackerib, CEO of Dewey's Bakery. Dewey’s is a bakery in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that was founded in 1930. Recently they created a CPG line of their baked goods.

We discuss:

* How Dewey’s became popular in North Carolina

* Why they decided to create a CPG line

* Their approach to building a brand in retail

* How Michael became Dewey’s CEO

* What consumers want from premium quality cookies

* Their growth expansion plans

* And much more

Thank you for listening.

Welcome to The Consumer VC, a newsletter about venture capital and consumer startups delivered straight to your inbox. If you aren’t subscribed, come and subscribe below.

Hey Friends,

Our guest today is Mike Mayer, Co-Founder of Windmill. Windmill is the smart, quiet AC unit that looks great in your window.

We discuss:

* How he co-founded Windmill with his brother

* His approach to design

* How he learned about the AC industry

* How he was able to get into his first retail store & scale

* Raising from angels and VCs

* Approach to new product development & creating a non-seasonal business

* Why software is key to his business model

* And much more

Thank you for listening.

Hey friends,

Our guest today on the podcast is Matt Gibson, co-founder and CEO of New Culture. New Culture makes animal-free dairy products that stretch, melt, and taste like the real deal through fermentation.

We cover:

* What makes cheese, cheese

* What is microbial fermentation

* Difference between New Culture and other vegan cheeses

* Partnering with restaurants and pizza chains

* His launch and go-to-market strategy

* Approach to scaling production

* How he raised money from venture capital firms

Thanks for listening.

Welcome to The Consumer VC, a newsletter about venture capital and consumer startups delivered straight to your inbox. If you aren’t subscribed, come and subscribe below.

Hey Friends,

Our guest today on The Consumer VC podcast is Noah Gray, co-founder and CEO of Onda. Onda is a tequila seltzer brand famously co-founded by Shay Mitchell.

We discuss:

* The origins of Onda

* Why tequila seltzer

* What Onda means as a brand

* How Shay Mitchell became involved

* The intersection of celebrity x consumer brands

* Is there consumer fatigue of celebrity-founded alcohol brands

* Their retail expansion strategy

I hope you enjoy listening!

Hey friends,

Our guest today is Brent Vartan, Managing Partner of Bullish. Bullish is an investment firm and brand agency designed for consumer businesses living early in an S-curve. Some of their investments include Peloton, Harry’s and Warby Parker.

Bullish will be releasing its report “Bullish On Consumer: Operationalizing Demand-Side Themes for Better Outcomes” next week.

As subscribers to this newsletter, you receive all new episodes 1 week before the episode goes live on iTunes, Spotify and the other podcast players.

That said, even though you won’t have access to this report until next week, I think you will appreciate this discussion about how Bullish thinks about cultural trends.

I certainly did.

I hope you enjoy listening.

Hey friends,

Our guest today on the podcast is Cristina Nuñez, Co-Founder and General Partner of True Beauty Ventures. Some of their investments include Maude, Crown Affair, and K18.

We chat about:

* Why she started a fund only focused on beauty and personal care

* Will the future of investing in consumer brands become more specialized by category

* The characteristics a digitally native brand must have in order to expand to brick & mortar

* What to consider in your distribution strategy

* Is go-to-market more difficult in retail today

* Her thoughts on influencers starting brands

I hope you enjoy listening!

Welcome to The Consumer VC, a newsletter about venture capital and consumer startups delivered straight to your inbox. If you aren’t subscribed, come and subscribe below.

Hey Friends,

Our guest today is Alison Cayne, who is the founder of Haven’s Kitchen. Haven’s Kitchen is a cooking school and a sauce brand that creates fresh sauces in easy-squeezy, lightweight pouches.

In this episode we discuss:

* Why she wanted to teach others how to cook

* Founding Haven’s Kitchen in NYC

* Why she decided to launch your own sauce line

* Her approach to packaging and brand positioning

* How she got into retail

* The current fundraising environment in CPG

I hope you enjoy listening!

Welcome to The Consumer VC, a newsletter about venture capital and consumer startups delivered straight to your inbox. If you aren’t subscribed, come and subscribe below.

Hey Friends,

Our guest today is Chuck Newhall, one of the founders of New Enterprise Associates (NEA). NEA is one of the largest and most renowned venture capital firms in the world. The companies he financed have over $400 billion in revenue today. He’s also a Vietnam War veteran and earned many combat decorations including the purple heart and is an American hero.

His latest book “Dare Disturb the Universe: A Memoir of Venture Capital” is an amazing story about the history of investing in innovation and his career in venture capital. I really enjoyed reading it and highly recommend.

I discuss with Chuck:

* The history of venture capital

* When was the moment he knew he wanted to be an investor

* Who gave him the name for New Enterprise Associates

* The NEA model and incentive structure

* How NEA was different to Kleiner-Perkins

* What’s changed in venture capital over the past 45 years

* Why venture capital is different to other financial assets and should be taxed differently

I hope you enjoy listening!