When Daniel Faierman first connected with Scott 3 years ago, he made one thing clear: he was skeptical about celebrity-founded brands. Fast forward to today, and the Habitat Partners investor has backed Ayo by Molly Baz, Sincerely Yours by Salish Matter, and Elm Biosciences by Martha Stewart. But here's the twist—his skepticism hasn't disappeared. Instead, Daniel has developed a ruthless framework for separating authentic innovation from celebrity hype, and his approach challenges everything most investors think they know about this booming category.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• The morbid but essential question Daniel asks before every celebrity brand investment: "What happens if the celebrity dies tomorrow?"
• Why he believes access matters more than picking ability for early-stage investors—and how Habitat Partners built a unique vantage point through Red Antler's creative agency ecosystem
• The "celebrity friends with benefits" phenomenon that 10X's influencer marketing through network effects most founders never consider
• How Rhode's 9x marketing efficiency ratio (generating $9 for every $1 spent) reveals the hidden economic advantage of celebrity brands—and why it's attracting tech investors to CPG
• Why Daniel walked away from celebrity brands raising at $50M+ pre-launch valuations and the fundamental problem with paying premium multiples at entry
• The three critical variables that determine VC success: access, picking, and value-add—and why most funds get the priority order completely wrong
• How retailers like Target are now taking celebrity brands earlier than traditional startups—creating a distribution advantage that didn't exist five years ago
• Why high gross margin categories like condiments, sauces, and anti-aging serums are more attractive than low-margin plays—and how celebrity can't solve fundamental unit economics problems
• What makes a 15-year-old creator like Salish Matter fundamentally different from an 84-year-old icon like Martha Stewart—and how each brings distinct strategic value to their brands
• The "second wave" of celebrity brands that are product-first, not celebrity-first—and why formulation IP and technology moats are replacing white-label strategies
• His unfiltered take on due diligence: "Send me the co-manufacturing contracts—I want to back into gross margin before I even think about the celebrity"

This information is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional financial advice. Nothing discussed here constitutes investment, legal, or tax advice, and any decisions are your own responsibility. Investing involves risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. Always consult with a qualified professional for advice tailored to your individual circumstances. 

Chapters:

• 00:00:26 Welcome and Introduction to Daniel Fairman
• 00:01:08 Daniel's Journey: From Big CPG to Venture Capital
• 00:03:47 The Habitat Partners Origin Story
• 00:07:47 What It Takes to Win in Early-Stage VC
• 00:10:17 From Skeptic to Investor: Shifting Perspective on Celebrity Brands
• 00:14:52 Deep Dive: Ayo by Molly Baz
• 00:17:33 Deep Dive: Sincerely Yours by Salish Matter
• 00:20:21 Deep Dive: Elm Biosciences by Martha Stewart
• 00:23:43 The Unique Advantages of Celebrity Founder Brands
• 00:27:04 The Risks and Red Flags of Celebrity Brands
• 00:28:57 Comparing Creator Types: Gen Alpha vs Established Celebrity
• 00:32:40 Due Diligence Framework for Celebrity Brands
• 00:34:13 The Valuation Problem: Premium Multiples at Entry vs Exit
• 00:36:20 Building Brand Through Content: The Term Sheet Pitfalls Newsletter
• 00:38:00 What's Next for Habitat Partners
• 00:39:40 Final Advice: The Celebrity Death Test
• 00:40:49 Closing and Where to Find Daniel

HotStart VC

Subscribe to the HotStart VC newsletter: https://hotstart.beehiiv.com/

Become a HotStart Angel and co-invest with us in celebrity-founded brands starting from $5,000: https://www.hotstart.vc/hotstart-angels/

Check out our fund: https://www.hotstart.vc/

Scott van den Berg

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-van-den-berg-22b534150/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottvandenberg_/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@scottvandenberg_

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@scottvandenbergvc

Daniel Faierman

Habitat Partners: https://www.habitatpartners.co/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielfairman/

Term Sheet Pitfalls Newsletter: https://termsheetpitfalls.substack.com/

HotStart VC is a fund that exclusively invests in brands founded by celebrities and creators. We're the go-to platform for celebrities and creators launching brands, providing capital, strategic support, and the infrastructure to scale.

When Katy Perry and master distiller Morgan McLachlan met while both pregnant, they discovered a shared passion for sophisticated non-alcoholic beverages. Now, with Scout Brisson at the helm as CEO, De Soi has become the #1 non-alcoholic cocktail brand at Target and is reshaping how we think about drinking culture. Scout reveals how she went from McKinsey consultant to leading a celebrity-founded beverage empire, why 90% of their customers still drink alcohol, and the surprising ways Katy Perry's involvement goes far beyond just social media posts.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How De Soi went through 50+ product iterations before launch to nail the perfect liquid - and why most brands fail by rushing to market
• The real reason Katy Perry is the perfect face for a non-alcoholic brand (hint: it's not about sobriety)
• Why Scout turned down massive retail opportunities that other brands would kill for
• The hidden "flywheel effect" of celebrity co-founders that goes way beyond marketing
• How a single retail call with Katy Perry wearing sunglasses closed a major distribution deal
• Why traditional influencer marketing is dead and what's replacing it
• The truth about raising capital for celebrity-founded brands and what investors really want to know
• How De Soi built a passionate community that gets early access to test new flavors before launch

From navigating the challenges of educating retailers about a new category to building authentic celebrity-product market fit, Scout shares the unfiltered reality of scaling a beverage brand in partnership with one of the world's biggest pop stars. Whether you're building in CPG, curious about celebrity partnerships, or interested in the booming non-alcoholic space, this conversation delivers actionable insights on what it really takes to build a category-defining brand.

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 Opening: The Celebrity Flywheel Effect
• 00:01:16 Scout Brisson's Journey to CEO
• 00:02:40 The Founding Story of De Soi
• 00:04:44 Why Scout Joined the Mission
• 00:06:58 What Makes De Soi Different
• 00:10:38 Building Flavors That Mirror Alcohol
• 00:13:26 Katy Perry: The Face of Moderation
• 00:15:41 Leveraging Celebrity for Category Growth
• 00:17:45 Katy Perry as Visionary Entrepreneur
• 00:19:21 Evolution of Katy's Role
• 00:23:51 Common Myths About Celebrity Brands
• 00:26:46 Breaking Into Retail
• 00:29:49 The Danger of Going Nationwide Too Fast
• 00:32:07 Influencer Marketing is Dead
• 00:34:19 Building Community Beyond Marketing
• 00:36:05 Fundraising as a Celebrity-Backed Brand
• 00:37:12 What's Next for De Soi
• 00:38:10 Advice for Celebrity-Founder Partnerships

HotStart VC 

Subscribe to the HotStart VC newsletter: https://hotstart.beehiiv.com/ 

Become a HotStart Angel and co-invest with us in celebrity-founded brands starting from $5,000: https://www.hotstart.vc/hotstart-angels/ 

Check out our fund: https://www.hotstart.vc/ 

Scott van den Berg

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-van-den-berg-22b534150/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottvandenberg_/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@scottvandenberg_ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@scottvandenbergvc 

Scout Brisson

De Soi: https://drinkdesoi.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drinkdesoi/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scout-brisson-558674121/ 

HotStart VC is a fund that exclusively invests in brands founded by celebrities and creators. We’re the go-to platform for celebrities and creators launching brands, providing capital, strategic support, and the infrastructure to scale. 

When Haley Pavone's foot was impaled by a stiletto heel at a college sorority formal, she didn't just nurse her wound, she invented an entirely new category in women's footwear. Now, as founder and CEO of Pashion, she's built the world's first fully convertible high heel protected by utility patents in 30 countries. But here's the twist: Haley never set out to be a content creator. She accidentally went viral on TikTok while trying to understand influencer marketing, woke up to 250,000 followers overnight, and turned content into Pashion's biggest growth engine, driving 95% organic customer acquisition and recently hitting her first $1 million revenue month.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• The exact moment a stiletto impalement at a sorority formal sparked the idea for a revolutionary footwear category
• How Haley went from 2,000 to 250,000 TikTok followers in under 24 hours—completely by accident while testing influencer strategies
• Why she walked away from a deal with Kevin O'Leary on Shark Tank and how the show still catapulted the business 450% in one year
• The trunk show AB test that revealed a 100% try-on to purchase ratio when Haley personally demonstrated the product, and changed her entire go-to-market strategy
• How she spends only 2% of revenue on marketing while driving over 10 million free website visitors through organic content
• Why 97% of her followers are her exact target customer (and how that's different from traditional celebrity-founded brands)
• The radical transparency strategy that turned her community into an R&D engine—helping design products a year before launch and eliminating inventory risk
• How one customer spent over $20,000 in nine months and built an entire "Pashion room" dedicated to her heel collection
• Why she's building the "Build-A-Bear of shoes" and reimagining what physical retail could look like for footwear
• The Emmy Combs collaboration that landed Pashion its first New York Times billboard—and why partnering with genuine customers beats traditional influencer deals
• Her unfiltered take on why super HD content fails and authenticity wins: "No one wants to watch an advertisement for five minutes—they want a conversation with their friend"

From spending 18 months and 10 prototype rounds to create patented injection-molded heels, to accidentally becoming an influencer with nearly 1 million followers, Haley shares the unglamorous reality of building a venture-backed hardware company in one of the most traditional industries. Whether you're interested in product innovation, community-driven growth, or turning content into your company's superpower, this conversation reveals what it really takes to disrupt an industry that hasn't changed in decades.

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 Introduction: The Accidental Influencer
• 00:02:11 The Founding Story: From Sorority Formal to Startup
• 00:06:59 What is Pashion: Revolutionary Convertible Heel Technology
• 00:09:32 From Prototype to Product: 18 Months of Development
• 00:11:01 Shark Tank: The Pandemic Pivot and National TV Exposure
• 00:13:32 The Shark Tank Effect: 450% Growth Overnight
• 00:14:59 Discovering the Content-First Strategy
• 00:18:00 Going Viral: The TikTok Explosion
• 00:20:03 Building in Public: Radical Transparency as Strategy
• 00:22:06 The Community as R&D Engine
• 00:22:58 Why the Content Resonates: Authenticity Over Production
• 00:31:47 The Million Dollar Month Milestone
• 00:38:09 The Razor Blade Business Model Revolution
• 00:40:44 Super Fans and the Secondary Market
• 00:44:06 The Emmy Combs Collaboration
• 00:47:30 Dream Collaboration: Taylor Swift and the Eras Tour
• 00:49:01 The Future: Building the Build-A-Bear of Shoes
• 00:51:22 Advice for Entrepreneurs: Be Yourself, Not an Ad

HotStart VC

Subscribe to the HotStart VC newsletter: https://hotstart.beehiiv.com/

Become a HotStart Angel and co-invest with us in celebrity-founded brands starting from $5,000: https://www.hotstart.vc/hotstart-angels/

Check out our fund: https://www.hotstart.vc/

Scott van den Berg

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-van-den-berg-22b534150/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottvandenberg_/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@scottvandenberg_

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@scottvandenbergvc

Haley Pavone

Pashion Footwear: https://pashionfootwear.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pashionfootwear/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@haley_pavone

HotStart VC is a fund that exclusively invests in brands founded by celebrities and creators. We're the go-to platform for celebrities and creators launching brands, providing capital, strategic support, and the infrastructure to scale.

When Gabriella Murray decided to take on the skincare industry, she didn't just want to slap her name on another white-label product. Instead, the content creator with 12 million followers bootstrapped Natics from scratch, created her own formulations, and became a certified B-Corp - all while reimagining how we think about skincare in real life. From cleansing tablets that work without a sink to moisturizers packaged as facial massage tools, Gabriella is building a brand "engineered for chaos" that meets people where they actually are - whether that's in an airport bathroom, a nightclub, or the back of an Uber.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why Gabriella refused to take the easy route of white-labeling and instead spent years developing her own formulations from scratch
• How she's changing consumer behavior by targeting unconventional retail spaces like airline bathrooms, gyms, and nightclub restrooms
• The real reason she bootstrapped the company instead of raising capital early (hint: it's about more than just control)
• Why she brought on fellow creator Alyssa Yago as a co-founder and how having creators with different audiences creates a unique growth advantage
• The childhood story about softball trophies that explains her entire approach to building businesses
• How her battle with hormonal acne and Accutane led to a "back to basics" skincare philosophy that defies industry trends
• Why she believes 12-step skincare routines are unrealistic and how Natics is solving the disconnect between skincare and real life
• The strategic approach to becoming TSA-friendly and why every product will be under 3.4 ounces
• What she learned from studying Rare Beauty and Rhode that influenced her brand building strategy
• Her unfiltered advice for creators thinking about launching brands: "Don't take advice from somebody you wouldn't want to trade places with"

From her early days on Funimate and Musical.ly to building a purpose-driven beauty brand, Gabriella shares the unglamorous reality of being a creator-turned-founder who's betting everything on herself. Whether you're interested in the creator economy, sustainable business practices, or disrupting traditional industries, this conversation reveals what it really takes to build a brand that's authentically different in a saturated market.

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 Introduction
• 00:01:21 The Beginning: From Funimate to Musical.ly
• 00:02:51 Content Evolution Over 7 Years
• 00:05:02 Discovering Monetization Through Brand Deals
• 00:07:08 The Long-Term Vision for Creators
• 00:09:03 Introducing Natics: Skincare for Real Life
• 00:11:35 Revolutionary Product Design: Cleansing Tablets
• 00:14:15 Changing Consumer Behavior & Distribution
• 00:18:35 The TSA-Friendly Advantage
• 00:20:29 Owning Your Formulations vs White Labeling
• 00:21:32 The Trophy Store Mentality
• 00:24:02 Why Bootstrapping Matters
• 00:26:44 Celebrity Brand Inspiration: Rare Beauty & Rhode
• 00:29:45 Building a Creator Collective
• 00:32:55 The Future of Creator-Led Brands
• 00:35:08 What's Next for Natics
• 00:36:14 Final Advice: Just Do It

HotStart VC 

Subscribe to the HotStart VC newsletter: https://hotstart.beehiiv.com/ 

Become a HotStart Angel and co-invest with us in celebrity-founded brands starting from $5,000: https://www.hotstart.vc/hotstart-angels/ 

Check out our fund: https://www.hotstart.vc/ 

Scott van den Berg

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-van-den-berg-22b534150/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottvandenberg_/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@scottvandenberg_ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@scottvandenbergvc 

Gabriella Murray

Natics: https://trynatics.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabbymurrayy/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gabby_murrayy 

HotStart VC is a fund that exclusively invests in brands founded by celebrities and creators. We’re the go-to platform for celebrities and creators launching brands, providing capital, strategic support, and the infrastructure to scale. 

Natalie Barbu's journey with Rella is nothing short of remarkable. After telling investors they'd shut down in January, one viral video changed everything - catapulting them from $3,500 to $21,000 monthly revenue overnight. Now at $2M ARR, Natalie opens up about the brutal reality of pivoting a VC-backed startup, why 98% of creators shouldn't launch companies, and how she transformed from beauty YouTuber to tech founder.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• The exact moment Natalie knew she had to completely scrap her first product after two years of work
• Why she believes most creator-founded businesses fail (and what makes the successful ones different)
• How a single TikTok skit saved her company from bankruptcy and sparked hockey-stick growth
• The uncomfortable truth about taking a step back from content creation to build a tech company
• Why she pivoted from targeting creators to social media managers - and how it unlocked product-market fit
• The unique challenges of raising $1M as a creator founder and the questions VCs really ask
• How she went from filming makeup tutorials on Photo Booth to building a project management platform

Natalie shares candid insights about the unglamorous side of being a creator-turned-founder, including dealing with Reddit critics, watching her engagement plummet, and the decision to reinvent her content strategy entirely around business and entrepreneurship. Whether you're a creator considering launching a company or an entrepreneur looking to leverage content for growth, this conversation reveals the blueprint for building a venture-backed tech company with a creator's mindset.

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 Near-Death Experience and Viral Moment
• 00:00:31 Meet Natalie Barbu: Creator to Tech Founder
• 00:01:25 The Beginning: YouTube in 2011
• 00:03:56 Content Evalution
• 00:05:28 Corporate Life to Full-Time Creator
• 00:08:29 Early Entrepreneurial Experiments
• 00:10:11 Should Every Creator Launch a Company?
• 00:15:24 The Birth of Rella
• 00:18:16 The Critical Pivot That Saved Everything
• 00:22:01 Raising as a Creator-Founder
• 00:26:02 The Personal Cost of Building a Startup
• 00:27:09 Reinventing Herself as a Content Creator
• 00:33:33 The Rella Marketing Strategy
• 00:35:42 Why Creators Choose CPG Over Tech
• 00:40:49 What's Next For Rella
• 00:43:41 Advice for Creator-Founders

HotStart VC 

Subscribe to the HotStart VC newsletter: https://hotstart.beehiiv.com/  

Become a HotStart Angel and co-invest with us in celebrity-founded brands starting from $5,000: https://www.hotstart.vc/hotstart-angels/  

Check out our fund: https://www.hotstart.vc/  

Scott van den Berg

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-van-den-berg-22b534150/  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottvandenberg_/  

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@scottvandenberg_  

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@scottvandenbergvc  

Natalie Barbu

Rella: https://getrella.com/  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliebarbu/  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nataliebarbu/  

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nataliebarbu  

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NatalieBarbu  

HotStart VC is a fund that exclusively invests in brands founded by celebrities and creators. We’re the go-to platform for celebrities and creators launching brands, providing capital, strategic support, and the infrastructure to scale.