In this episode, Katie Hotze, President of Crave Ventures, shares her inspiring journey from consulting to founding a tech startup and leading a venture capital firm focused on CPG brands. She discusses her insights on fundraising, evaluating brands, supporting founders, and the importance of authenticity and resilience in the competitive CPG and VC landscape.

In this episode of the Gen Z CPG podcast, we welcome Daniel Berlin, the founder of Dirty Gut, a chocolate brand that incorporates probiotics for gut health. He discusses the challenges of breaking into retail, the importance of branding, some misconceptions around gut health, and the role of social media in building a community.

In this month’s episode, we welcome Anna Zesbaugh, the founder and CEO of Corpse Reviver. We discuss the hydration and functional beverage category, Anna’s path to entrepreneurship, the evolution of the brand and ingredients, along with trends in hydration and functional beverages. 

In this episode of the Gen Z CPG podcast, the hosts discuss significant trends and shifts in the consumer packaged goods industry throughout 2025. The conversation also covers mergers & acquisitions and the hosts’ favorite products of the year. They conclude by discussing CPG trends to look out for in 2026!

In this episode of the Gen Z CPG Podcast, we welcome Danika Lau, an MBA Candidate with a background in R&D in the CPG industry. We discuss the role of R&D in product development, the innovation pipeline, and the importance of cross-functional collaboration.

On this week’s episode of the Gen Z CPG Podcast we welcome the modern day Willy Wonka, Jake Karls who is the Co-Founder of Mid-Day Squares. Jake dives into the power of authentic storytelling & community when building a brand in public. 

From lawyer to CPG entrepreneur, this week’s episode of the Gen Z CPG Podcast features Emily Groden. She is founder of Evergreen waffles & joins us to dive into the journey of landing retail accounts, the importance of balancing taste & health in products & the Good Food Collective.

In this episode of the Gen Z CPG Podcast we welcome Katelyn Pesola & Avery Knoll from Western Michigan University. The WMU Food Marketing Students share their incredible internship experiences, how they set themselves apart & the importance of being an intern! 

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In this episode of the Gen Z CPG Podcast, we welcome Dr. Russell Zwanka, Director of the Western Michigan University Food Marketing Program & Professor of Category Management.  During this episode we explore CatMan, how it has evolved & what it takes to be a leader in this role!

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In this episode of the Gen Z CPG Podcast, we welcome the founders of good girl snacks, Yasaman Bakhtiar & Leah Marcus! During this episode we dive in R&D, marketing, brand strategy & what it takes to be a young female entrepreneur!