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

Welcome to The Consumer VC, a podcast 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,

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:

* Why this product needed to exist

* How he developed relationships with some of the top chefs in the world

* Addressing the cold-start problem of a marketplace business

* How he thinks about affordability

* What parts in the supply CookUnity needs to own

* Response from the pandemic

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

With aVenture everyone can now invest directly into venture capital funds through our platform while also benefiting from periodic liquidity options. For fund managers, aVenture can help streamline your operations while providing the infrastructure to raise from accredited & non-accredited investors.

aVenture believes this will revolutionize the venture capital industry by unlocking a latent supply of capital from public investors.

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.

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

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

With aVenture everyone can now invest directly into venture capital funds through our platform while also benefiting from periodic liquidity options. For fund managers, aVenture can help streamline your operations while providing the infrastructure to raise from accredited & non-accredited investors.

aVenture believes this will revolutionize the venture capital industry by unlocking a latent supply of capital from public investors.

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.

Hey Friends,

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.

We discuss:

* How he founded his previous businesses EnvoyNow & Know Your VC

* Becoming paralyzed and leading EnvoyNow to a successful exit from the hospital

* How he discovered wine as an alternative asset class

* The underpinnings that became Vinovest

* How he thought about building a marketplace and solving the cold-start problem

* Other alcohol asset classes that have potential to be profitable asset classes

Thanks for listening.

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

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

With aVenture everyone can now invest directly into venture capital funds through our platform while also benefiting from periodic liquidity options. For fund managers, aVenture can help streamline your operations while providing the infrastructure to raise from accredited & non-accredited investors.

aVenture believes this will revolutionize the venture capital industry by unlocking a latent supply of capital from public investors.

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.

Hey Friends,

Our guest today is James Currier, Founder & General Partner of NFX. NFX is a VC firm investing in pre-seed and seed-stage startups. Their investments include Triple Whale, YoEgg, Poshmark and Outdoorsy.

We focus this conversation primarily on investing in A.I. startups. We discuss:

* The difference between how A.I. was viewed in the past and now

* Which layer in the tech stack is the most investible opportunity within A.I.

* Why the language layer may not be the most valuable

* How much opportunity is there for startups vs. incumbents

* How A.I. will change search and other use cases

* His analysis of OpenAI & more

Thank you for listening

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

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

With aVenture everyone can now invest directly into venture capital funds through our platform while also benefiting from periodic liquidity options. For fund managers, aVenture can help streamline your operations while providing the infrastructure to raise from accredited & non-accredited investors.

aVenture believes this will revolutionize the venture capital industry by unlocking a latent supply of capital from public investors.

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.

Hey Friends,

Our guest today is Adam Ross, Founder & CEO of Heyday. Heyday is a skincare establishment that is overhauling the facial experience.

We discuss:

* Why start a retail shop focused on facials

* How he thought about expanding his footprint

* Corporate store model vs. franchise model

* Approach to partnering with franchises

* Heyday’s product business

* What he learned from the pandemic & much more

Thank you for listening.

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

Subscribed

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

With aVenture everyone can now invest directly into venture capital funds through our platform while also benefiting from periodic liquidity options. For fund managers, aVenture can help streamline your operations while providing the infrastructure to raise from accredited & non-accredited investors.

aVenture believes this will revolutionize the venture capital industry by unlocking a latent supply of capital from public investors.

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.

Hey Friends,

Our guest today is Ryan Woodbury, co-founder & CEO 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 started in nutrition

* Why she decided to create a prenatal supplement company

* Spending 3 years in R&D

* Her approach to marketing and partnering with practitioners

* Why she’s purely focused on the DTC channel & subscription

* How she thinks about LTV & more

Thank you for listening

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

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

With aVenture everyone can now invest directly into venture capital funds through our platform while also benefiting from periodic liquidity options. For fund managers, aVenture can help streamline your operations while providing the infrastructure to raise from accredited & non-accredited investors.

aVenture believes this will revolutionize the venture capital industry by unlocking a latent supply of capital from public investors.

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.

Hey Friends,

Our guest today is Lydia Jett, Managing Partner and Head of eCommerce / Consumer Internet at SoftBank Investment Advisers Vision Fund. Some of her investments include Coupang, Fanatics, and Misfits Market.

We discuss:

* Why she took an interest in eCommerce in the mid-2010s

* Investing in companies serving emerging markets

* The evolution of the Vision Fund

* The state of eCommerce aggregators

* What she learned from 2022

* What makes Fanatics an incredible business

* How she thinks about capital deployment in this economic environment

* If it makes sense to buy secondaries in companies

* What it’s like working with Masayoshi Son & more

I hope you enjoy.

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

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

With aVenture everyone can now invest directly into venture capital funds through our platform while also benefiting from periodic liquidity options. For fund managers, aVenture can help streamline your operations while providing the infrastructure to raise from accredited & non-accredited investors.

aVenture believes this will revolutionize the venture capital industry by unlocking a latent supply of capital from public investors.

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.

Hey Friends,

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.

We discuss:

* Why music festivals were the inspiration for founding BeatBox

* Approach to distribution

* Making the change from boxes to Tetra paks / RTD products

* Wine distributors vs. beer distributors

* What was it like going on SharkTank

* How Brizzy and Corkless Wine got started

* Her fundraising process

I hope you enjoy listening.

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

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

With aVenture everyone can now invest directly into venture capital funds through our platform while also benefiting from periodic liquidity options. For fund managers, aVenture can help streamline your operations while providing the infrastructure to raise from accredited & non-accredited investors.

aVenture believes this will revolutionize the venture capital industry by unlocking a latent supply of capital from public investors.

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.

Hey Friends,

Our guest today is Wyatt Taubman, Founder of Vive Organic. Vive Organic is fresh pressed wellness shots from organic superfoods. The company was recently sold to Suja Juice.

We discuss:

* Why he founded FloWater, the water kiosk

* How he discovered immunity shots

* Why he decided to start a CPG business

* Getting into retail & the growth inflection points

* Why they sold to Suja Juice & much much more

Thank you for listening

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

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

With aVenture everyone can now invest directly into venture capital funds through our platform while also benefiting from periodic liquidity options. For fund managers, aVenture can help streamline your operations while providing the infrastructure to raise from accredited & non-accredited investors.

aVenture believes this will revolutionize the venture capital industry by unlocking a latent supply of capital from public investors.

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.

Hey Friends,

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.

We discuss:

* How he became a basketball coach

* How one trip to GNC changed how he thought about nutrition

* Why lemon water

* How he landed on the name “Lemon Perfect”

* How he built a network of investors when he didn’t have one

* His approach to price, margin, and formula

* How he fundraised & scaled nationally

* Why he almost left the company

* Lessons learned from coaching that are applicable to being the CEO

Thank you for listening

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

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

With aVenture everyone can now invest directly into venture capital funds through our platform while also benefiting from periodic liquidity options. For fund managers, aVenture can help streamline your operations while providing the infrastructure to raise from accredited & non-accredited investors.

aVenture believes this will revolutionize the venture capital industry by unlocking a latent supply of capital from public investors.

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.

Hey Friends,

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:

* How she got into nutrition & ended up working at Whole Foods

* How she met Bobby Flay

* #1 issue in CPG supply chains

* What she learned working at a CPG manufacturer

* Founding and launching Made by Nacho with Bobby Flay and his cat

* Why she started a venture capital fund

* How she thinks about investing in food

I hope you all enjoy listening.