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

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.

🎧 You can also listen to this episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcast players.

Today’s episode is brought to you by…

Hey there,

Our guest today The Consumer VC podcast is Doug Hudson, founder and CEO of Tend. Tend has reimagined the entire dental experience with transparent pricing, modern studios & no judgment ever. Previously, Doug founded several consumer health companies.

In my chat with Doug we discuss:

* Building companies in regulated sectors

* The moment that led him to realize the opportunity in dental

* Building a buzz before opening a location

* Approach to market expansion

* His fundraising journey

I hope you enjoy it.

Are you looking to invest in a business, or you're considering investment from someone else? How do you actually know if they're legit?

Ferret is the first relationship intelligence tool for savvy investors and CEOs who need to know who they can trust. Running a quick search on Ferret can get you information like past lawsuits, bankruptcy, fraud allegations, news coverage and can also be used to verify past successes that they claim. To get to the front of the line and access Ferret's exclusive beta sign up here.

Gorgias is the #1 helpdesk for Shopify, Magento and BigCommerce stores, and can turn your customer support into a profit center. Brands like OLIPOP, Death Wish Coffee and Steve Madden have reduced their response times and increased efficiencies by using Gorgias.

If you’re looking to increase your retention for your business, mention Consumer VC and get 2 months of Gorgias for free.

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.

🎧 You can also listen to this episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcast players.

Today’s episode is brought to you by…

Hey there,

Our guest today on The Consumer VC podcast is Claire Díaz-Ortiz, who is a venture capitalist and author of 9 books including “Twitter for Good” and “Design Your Day” and is based in Argentina.

She was one of the early employees at Twitter who has been dubbed "The Woman Who Got the Pope on Twitter." She was also named one of the “100 Most Creative People in Business” by Fast Company.

In this conversation we discuss:

* The early days of blogs and the rise of social

* Why women solo founders are overlooked by venture capitalists

* Innovation and opportunity in LATAM

* What is most misunderstood about LATAM

* What she likes to see in a pitch

* Her thoughts on the future of social

Enjoy!

Are you looking invest in a business, or you're considering investment from someone else? How do you actually know if they're legit?

Ferret is the first relationship intelligence tool for savvy investors and CEOs who need to know who they can trust. Running a quick search on Ferret can get you information like past lawsuits, bankruptcy, fraud allegations, news coverage and can also be used to verify past successes that they claim. To get to the front of the line and access Ferret's exclusive beta sign up here.

Gorgias is the #1 helpdesk for Shopify, Magento and BigCommerce stores, and can turn your customer support into a profit center. Brands like OLIPOP, Death Wish Coffee and Steve Madden have reduced their response times and increased efficiencies by using Gorgias.

If you’re looking to increase your retention for your business, mention Consumer VC and get 2 months of Gorgias for free.

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.

🎧 You can also listen to this episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcast players.

Today’s episode is brought to you by…

Hey there,

Thank you Susan Lyne for the introduction to our guest today, Andy Dunn, the founder of Bonobos.

Bonobos was one of the first digitally native brands to exist. In fact, Andy was the one who coined the term “digitally native”. They eventually sold to Walmart for over $300 million.

In this episode we discuss:

* The founding story of Bonobos

* The New York startup scene in the late 2000s

* Why he eventually decided to sell Bonobos to Walmart

* Advice for current digitally native brands starting today

* A sneak peek of what Andy’s up to next

Enjoy!

Are you looking invest in a business, or you're considering investment from someone else? How do you actually know if they're legit?

Ferret is the first relationship intelligence tool for savvy investors and CEOs who need to know who they can trust. Running a quick search on Ferret can get you information like past lawsuits, bankruptcy, fraud allegations, news coverage and can also be used to verify past successes that they claim. To get to the front of the line and access Ferret's exclusive beta sign up here.

Gorgias is the #1 helpdesk for Shopify, Magento and BigCommerce stores, and can turn your customer support into a profit center. Brands like OLIPOP, Death Wish Coffee and Steve Madden have reduced their response times and increased efficiencies by using Gorgias.

If you’re looking to increase your retention for your business, mention Consumer VC and get 2 months of Gorgias for free.

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.

🎧 You can also listen to this episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcast players.

Today’s episode is brought to you by…

Hey there,

Our guest today is Rui Ma, who is the founder of Tech Buzz China and also works with several funds to identify tech investments in both the U.S. and China.

Tech Buzz China is a podcast and a community for those interested in China tech. I've been a fan of Tech Buzz China for a long time and learned so much about the eCommerce innovation that's happening in the east from Rui.

We discuss:

* Why the focus in China has shifted from platforms to brands

* The implications of the C2M model on eCommerce

* How live streaming became a dominant advertising channel in China

* The rise of Chinese crossover brands

* The shift from OEMs to ODMs

I hope you all enjoy!

Are you looking invest in a business, or you're considering investment from someone else? How do you actually know if they're legit?

Ferret is the first relationship intelligence tool for savvy investors and CEOs who need to know who they can trust. Running a quick search on Ferret can get you information like past lawsuits, bankruptcy, fraud allegations, news coverage and can also be used to verify past successes that they claim. To get to the front of the line and access Ferret's exclusive beta head over to ferret.ai and use the promo code: CONSUMERVC.

Gorgias is the #1 helpdesk for Shopify, Magento and BigCommerce stores, and can turn your customer support into a profit center. Brands like OLIPOP, Death Wish Coffee and Steve Madden have reduced their response times and increased efficiencies by using Gorgias.

If you’re looking to increase your retention for your business, mention Consumer VC and get 2 months of Gorgias for free.

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.

🎧 You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast players.

This episode is presented by Ferret. Are you looking invest in a business, or you're considering investment from someone else? How do you actually know if they're legit?

Ferret is the first relationship intelligence tool for savvy investors and CEOs who need to know who they can trust. Running a quick search on Ferret can get you information like past lawsuits, bankruptcy, fraud allegations, news coverage and can also be used to verify past successes that they claim. To get to the front of the line and access Ferret's exclusive beta head over to ferret.ai and use the promo code: CONSUMERVC.

Hey there,

Our guest today is Andrea Hippeau, Partner at Lerer Hippeau. Lerer Hippeau is one of the most active New York based early-stage venture capital fund. Some of their investments include Allbirds, Chubbies, Cotopaxi and Glossier.

In this episode we discuss:

- Opportunities in the pet space

- How she diligences companies

- Why New York is a great place to start a consumer business

- When it makes sense for a digitally native brand to go into retail

- Characteristics of a venture backable consumer brand

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.

🎧 You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast players.

Hey There,

Our guest today is Kevin Campos, Partner and Head of Retail at Fifth Wall.

Fifth Wall manages the largest fund specialized in real estate technology. On the retail side, some of their investments include Allbirds, Cotopaxi and Foxtrot.

In this episode we cover:

- How Kevin’s upbringing in retail helped shape his career

- The advantages of tech-enabled tenants

- When DNVBs should open their own stores

- When it makes sense for a brand to go wholesale

- Retail landscape during COVID

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.

🎧 You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast players.

Hey There,

Thank you Mike Duda for the intro to our guests today, Gabby Cohen and Tehmina Haider. Gabby is the Global head of integrated marketing at Harry's Inc. and Tehmina is Head of Harry's labs.

Harry’s Inc. started as a subscription razer and grooming company and now has expanded to different categories by both building and acquiring brands.

Tehmina and Gabby are at the forefront of this expansion.

We discuss:

- Their approach to brand development

- What makes a brand attractive to acquire

- How they think about different consumer segments

- When is a category ripe for disruption

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.

🎧 You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast players.

Hey there,

Our guest today is Neil Sequeira, co-founder and Managing Director of Defy.

Defy backs exceptional entrepreneurs at the early stages. Some of their investments include Fable, Triller, and Boom Sports. Previously, Neil served as Managing Director of General Catalyst and has been a venture capitalist for the past 20 years.

In this episode we cover:

- Evaluating price in the current investment climate

- What he learned from Jessica Alba and The Honest Company

- The verticalization of social

- Categories that might never get to a Series A

I hope you all 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.

🎧 You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, and other podcast players.

Hey There,

Our guest today is Alexa von Tobel, founder of Inspired Capital and LearnVest.

Inspired Capital is a generalist fund based in New York City that backs early-stage founders with transformative ideas. Some of their companies include Chief, Geneva, Public and Snackpass.

Yesterday, Inspired announced their second fund of $281 million investing in Seed and Series A companies. Alexa also founded LearnVest, which was an American financial planning company which she sold for $250 million.

In this episode we discuss:

* How New York's entrepreneurial and venture capital scene has risen in the past 15 years

* Impact of COVID on emerging entrepreneurial ecosystems

* Investing as a generalist

* Staying price disciplined in this current market

* Why ARR can be misleading

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.

🎧 You can also listen to this episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other podcast players.

Hey There,

Our guest today on The Consumer VC podcast is Andrew Gluck, GP of irrvrntVC. irrvrnt is Andrew’s rolling fund that focuses on investing in NextGen Commerce, DTC, & AdTech.

Some of Andrew's investments include Haus, Caraway, Cadence, Italic, Poppy and Smpl.

Previously, Andrew founded and was the COO of Agency Within, which generated over $5B for brands looking to maximize profitability.

In this episode we discuss:

* How to analyze digitally native brands from a marketing perspective

* Examples of authentic storytelling

* Why Andrew decided to start a rolling fund

* When product innovation matters within brands

* What needs to change within venture capital

Thanks for listening!