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

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

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This issue is brought to you by Vauban from Carta - the easiest way to launch & run your venture investing.

Hey Friends,

Our guest today is Chaz Flexman, who is the founder & CEO of Starday Foods. Starday is a next-generation food conglomerate that uses data science to predict product-market fit and create food brands.

We discuss:

* Why he left Pattern Brands to head into CPG

* How they rely on data science to launch new brands

* The challenges of building relationships with retailers and getting products into stores

* How they create and launch new products very cheaply & more

This issue is brought to you by Vauban from Carta. Vauban from Carta is the easiest way to launch & run your venture investing. They offer SPVs, and fund vehicles for GPs at all stages of the journey - from your first syndicate to operating a multi-million dollar venture fund. Their end-to-end platform automates your back-office and manual workflows so you can focus on what matters: finding the next unicorn & building investor relationships.

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

This issue is brought to you by Vauban from Carta - the easiest way to launch & run your venture investing.

Hey Friends,

Thank you Daniel Gulati for introducing me to our guest today, Mike Salguero. Mike is the founder and CEO of ButcherBox. ButcherBox delivers 100% grass-fed beef, free-range organic chicken, humanely raised pork, and wild-caught seafood directly to your door.

We discuss:

* How raising $30 million from VCs at CustomMade shaped how he thought about company building

* When to take money from investors vs. bootstrapping

* What he originally wanted ButcherBox to be

* The main levers that accelerated growth

* What he got right about influencer marketing

* The next stage and growth opportunities for ButcherBox & more

This issue is brought to you by Vauban from Carta. Vauban from Carta is the easiest way to launch & run your venture investing. They offer SPVs, and fund vehicles for GPs at all stages of the journey - from your first syndicate to operating a multi-million dollar venture fund. Their end-to-end platform automates your back-office and manual workflows so you can focus on what matters: finding the next unicorn & building investor relationships.

Click Here to Get Started

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

Subscribed

This issue is brought to you by Vauban from Carta - the easiest way to launch & run your venture investing.

Hey Friends,

Our guest today is Jessica Karr, General Partner at Coyote Ventures, which is a VC fund that’s investing in women's health and wellness. Some of the portfolio companies include Maude, The Flex Company, and Wile.

We discuss:

* Why she transitioned from scientist to investor

* Categories that are underserved

* How she raised her first $10 million fund

* Her approach to due diligence and added value

* Why she isn’t currently investing in beauty and personal care companies & more

Thank you for listening.

This issue is brought to you by Vauban from Carta. Vauban from Carta is the easiest way to launch & run your venture investing. They offer SPVs, and fund vehicles for GPs at all stages of the journey - from your first syndicate to operating a multi-million dollar venture fund. Their end-to-end platform automates your back-office and manual workflows so you can focus on what matters: finding the next unicorn & building investor relationships.

Click Here to Get Started

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

This issue is brought to you by Vauban from Carta - the easiest way to launch & run your venture investing.

Hey Friends,

Our guest on today’s episode is the first THREE TIME guest for the podcast. Mike Ghaffary, General Partner of Canvas Ventures. I cold-emailed Mike in 2019 pitching him to come on a show that wasn’t yet a show. He not only accepted but also convinced other VCs to come on the podcast. In his first episode, we discussed how to invest in marketplaces. On his second episode, we asked the question: Could Web3, the metaverse, or remote work be the next big consumer platform? We both realized we didn’t talk about AI as a candidate. So, for this one, focused on AI in a consumer context. Shoutout to James Currier and his episode on The Consumer VC as an inspiration for this episode.

We discuss:

* What is Generative AI?

* Is it closer to the iPhone moment or closer to Tupac’s Hologram moment?

* The different consumer contexts for AI

* Will the innovation come from incumbents or emerging companies?

* What will change within 5 years?

* What could slow down AI & more

Thank you for listening

This issue is brought to you by Vauban from Carta. Vauban from Carta is the easiest way to launch & run your venture investing. They offer SPVs, and fund vehicles for GPs at all stages of the journey - from your first syndicate to operating a multi-million dollar venture fund. Their end-to-end platform automates your back-office and manual workflows so you can focus on what matters: finding the next unicorn & building investor relationships.

Click Here to Get Started

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

This issue is brought to you by Vauban from Carta - the easiest way to launch & run your venture investing.

Hey Friends,

I want to give a HUGE shoutout to Ben Jang, for helping to make this episode happen. Our guests today are Jon Sebastiani and Mark Rampolla. Jon founded KRAVE Jerky, one of the first premium jerky brands, and Mark founded Zico, one of the first coconut water brands in the U.S. It’s very rare for an entrepreneur to sell their business, get a good outcome, AND THEN buy back the business. Jon and Mark each did it.

We discuss:

* The origin stories of KRAVE Jerky & Zico Coconut Water

* The market position of each brand before they were sold

* What happened to the brands when they were acquired by Hershey & Coca-Cola

* Why they each started their own PE firm

* Why Hershey & Coca-Cola wanted to sell KRAVE Jerky and Zico Coconut Water, respectfully

* Their evaluation processes when deciding if they should buy back the brands they founded

* How they determined if there was still brand equity

* The future plans for the two brands & more

Thank you for listening.

This issue is brought to you by Vauban from Carta. Vauban from Carta is the easiest way to launch & run your venture investing. They offer SPVs, and fund vehicles for GPs at all stages of the journey - from your first syndicate to operating a multi-million dollar venture fund. Their end-to-end platform automates your back-office and manual workflows so you can focus on what matters: finding the next unicorn & building investor relationships.

Click Here to Get Started

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

Subscribed

This issue is brought to you by Vauban from Carta - the easiest way to launch & run your venture investing.

Hey Friends,

Our guest today is Elle Lanning, Managing Director at Camino Partners. Camino Partners is a $350m business-building and investment platform helping entrepreneurs create enduring value with values as their compass. It was founded by Daniel Lubetzky, the founder of KIND Snacks. Some of Camino Partners’ portfolio includes Somos, CAVA and Belgium Boys.

We discuss:

* Elle’s time at KIND Snacks

* The three things KIND Snacks got right as they grew

* How Camino Partners came together

* What differentiation means to her in CPG

* CPG macro trends she’s bullish & bearish about & more

This issue is brought to you by Vauban from Carta. Vauban from Carta is the easiest way to launch & run your venture investing. They offer SPVs, and fund vehicles for GPs at all stages of the journey - from your first syndicate to operating a multi-million dollar venture fund. Their end-to-end platform automates your back-office and manual workflows so you can focus on what matters: finding the next unicorn & building investor relationships.

Click Here to Get Started

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

This issue is brought to you by Vauban from Carta - the easiest way to launch & run your venture investing.

Hey Friends,

Our guest today is Bruce Smith, CEO and Founder of Hydrow.  Hydrow is a connected home rowing machine that offers live and pre-recorded fitness content on demand, where the instructors are outside rowing on the water. This was a special episode for me. I first tried the Hydrow at a hotel gym when I was in San Diego and I loved the experience. A week later, Hydrow’s team happened to reach out asking if I’d interview Bruce.

We discuss:

* Why the world needed a rower connected-fitness product

* Prototyping & finding the right manufacturer

* Why it was important to have the instructors on the water rowing

* The ratio between treadmills, bikes and rowers at gyms

* How he met Kevin Hart & became Creative Director

* The current headwinds in connected fitness & much more

This issue is brought to you by Vauban from Carta. Vauban from Carta is the easiest way to launch & run your venture investing. They offer SPVs, and fund vehicles for GPs at all stages of the journey - from your first syndicate to operating a multi-million dollar venture fund. Their end-to-end platform automates your back-office and manual workflows so you can focus on what matters: finding the next unicorn & building investor relationships.

Click Here to Get Started

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

This issue is brought to you by Vauban from Carta - the easiest way to launch & run your venture investing.

Hey Friends,

Thank you Clément Pointillart for the introduction to our guest today, Ken Sadowsky, Beverage Advisor to Verlinvest. Or, as Forbes dubbed him, “The Beverage Whisperer”.

We discuss:

* Growing up in the beverage business

* How he got involved in Vita Coco & Vitamin Water early

* How he evaluates entrepreneurs and his business philosophy

* Beverage trends he’s bearish about

* Where the opportunity is in beverage today

Thank you for listening.

This issue is brought to you by Vauban from Carta. Vauban from Carta is the easiest way to launch & run your venture investing. They offer SPVs, and fund vehicles for GPs at all stages of the journey - from your first syndicate to operating a multi-million dollar venture fund. Their end-to-end platform automates your back-office and manual workflows so you can focus on what matters: finding the next unicorn & building investor relationships.

Click Here to Get Started

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

This issue is brought to you by Vauban from Carta - the easiest way to launch & run your venture investing.

Hey Friends,

Our guest today is Deepak Shahdadpuri, Founder and Managing Director of DSG Consumer Partners. DSG Consumer Partners is India & Southeast Asia's leading consumer-only venture capital fund. Some of their investments are Veeba, Piccolo Organic, and The Golden Duck.

We discuss:

* What makes India an exciting and different consumer market from the U.S.

* His move from investing in the later stages to the earlier stages

* Why Indian premium brands are ripe for growth

* A breakdown of the Indian consumer market

* How to price premium brands in India & much more

This issue is brought to you by Vauban from Carta. Vauban from Carta is the easiest way to launch & run your venture investing. They offer SPVs, and fund vehicles for GPs at all stages of the journey - from your first syndicate to operating a multi-million dollar venture fund. Their end-to-end platform automates your back-office and manual workflows so you can focus on what matters: finding the next unicorn & building investor relationships.

Click Here to Get Started

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

This issue is brought to you by aVenture - venture capital for everyone.

Hey Friends,

Thank you Caroline McMorrow for the intro to our guest today Will Nitze, Founder & CEO of IQBAR. IQBAR is a plant-based protein bar company for your brain and body.

We discuss:

* Why he started a brain food company

* Product formulations and testings

* How he leveraged Harvard and Boston University for his Indiegogo campaign

* How he got into conventional grocery

* Expanding into different sales channels

* His approach to fundraising & much more

Thanks for listening!

This episode of The Consumer VC is brought to you by aVenture - venture capital for everyone.

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Disclosures: aVenture is a San Francisco, California-based financial technology company that permits users to launch, manage and invest in venture funds on its platform aVenture operates independently of any investment advisors on its platform. Certain funds listed on the aVenture platform are provided by independent fund managers and may be registered as investment advisors in the U.S., or qualify for exempt reporting status.