Consumer VC

My guests today are Wendy Tsu who is a partner of new business ventures at AlleyCorp and Susannah Shipton , Head of Platform and investor at AlleyCorp . AlleyCorp was founded by Kevin Ryan and both founds and funds companies in New York. On this particular episode, we're going to focus more on the founding / incubation side of AlleyCorp, which I thought was truly fascinating. Some of the compa...

Thank you Elizabeth Edwards for introducing me to our guest today. Leigh Radford , the Senior Vice President, Founder & General Manager of P&G Ventures . We discuss what is corporate venture capital, how P&G partners with brands, and the advantages for aspiring brands. Without further ado, here's Leigh. Some of the questions I ask Leigh What was your initial attraction to consumer...

My guest today is Carey Smith . Carey is the founder of Big Ass Fans , which in less than two decades he took the company from 0 to $250 million in revenue, without the help of investors. Following the sale of Big Ass Fans, Carey started Unorthodox Ventures , where he partners with extraordinary founders, providing capital and expertise to build companies faster. Their portfolio includes Fit Joy,...

Thank you Katie Shea for introducing me to today's guest Helaine Knapp , founder and CEO of CITYROW . CITYROW is a boutique fitness studio which started in New York City that specializes in a total body, high-intensity, low-impact workout using a water-based rowing machine and strength-training exercises. They have since launched Cityrow go, taking the boutique rowing experience into your home...

Thank you Carlton Fowler for the introduction to today's guests Brandon Schwartz and Lawrence Cisneros, co-founders of DRNXMYTH . DRNXMYTH Makes The Best Cocktails Ever Bottled. I have to say, these are amazing. I tried the product a few weeks ago and think what they are building with DRNXMYTH is very innovative and I hope you'll see that as well. We discuss their origin story of how they...

Thank you Sumeet Shah for introducing me to our guest today Kelsey Moreira , founder and Co-CEO of Doughp . Doughp makes 100% raw cookie dough. As you probably can guess, we talk all things cookie dough as well as why Kelsey moved from Oakland to set up shop in Las Vegas, effects of COVID in her store and ecommerce, her mission and her experience on Shark Tank. And there you have it. It was wonder...

My guest today is Mercedes Bent , who is a Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners and is on their consumer investing team. Lightspeed Venture Partners's mission is to serve the world’s most extraordinary people who are building tomorrow’s companies today. Some of her portfolio includes Forage, Stori Card, Outschool and Flockjay among other amazing companies. Mercedes is primarily focused on in...

Our guest today is Hugh Thomas , founder of Ugly . Ugly is the refreshingly honest sparkling water in a can. No sugar, no calories, no sodium, no sweetners. We discuss his background and how working at Vita Coco impacted him to found Ugly, why he went retail on day one, and his expansion strategy and why being in two markets is like running two different companies. You can follow Hugh at @uglyhugh...

My guest today is Tyler Morgan , Vice President at BFG Partners . BFG Partners invests in entrepreneurs that build exceptional businesses in the better-for-you food, beverage, and consumer products space. Some of their investments include Olipop, Quinn Snacks, and Bear Naked. I really enjoyed my time with Tyler where we discuss his due diligence process, effects of COVID within CPG and the evoluti...

Thank you Sunny Dhillon for the introduction to today's guest, Deborah Benton . Deb is the founder and general partner of Willow Growth Partners . Willow provides early growth capital to entrepreneurs building the next generation of transformative consumer brands and the disruptive technologies that power them. Prior to launching her fund, Deborah held many senior operational positions in comp...

My guest today is Brendan Rogers , one of the co-founders of Wag! and 2 a.m . Wag! is #1 app for pet parents and the leading on-demand dog walking platform. 2 a.m is a venture fund, investing in the next generation of entrepreneurs in India. We discuss the insight that led to the founding of Wag!, how they approached scale, and the opportunity he saw in India as an investor. The Consumer VC Summit...

Thank you Sita for the intro to our guest today, Amanda Groves , one of the partners at PLUS Capital . PLUS Capital is an advisement and venture fund trusted by elite artists and athletes to invest in and build transformative companies. We talk about how to think about analyzing true value from celebrities to brands, what a successful partnership could like it and the most surprising partnership o...

Thank you Samara Hernandez to our guest today, Beatriz Acevedo , CEO and co-founder of SUMA Wealth. SUMA is a revolutionary financial wellness company with the mission to engage, educate, and empower the Latinx community via a holistic approach of Digital Media, Experiences, and FinTech. Previously, Beatriz founded mitu, a digital media company that elevates and celebrates the voices of our multid...

Thank you Samara Hernandez for introducing me to our guest today, Rick Desai , one of the Partners at Listen . Listen is a consumer venture capital fund that backs and builds the brand of tomorrow. Some of their investments include Calm, Factor and Public Goods. Rick is also the founder of Dashfire, which invests in early stage entrepreneurs and provides near-term technical extension and long-term...

Thank you Samara Hernandez for introducing me to today's guest, Steven Wolfe Pereira , co-founder and CEO of Encantos , an award-winning edtech company that believes kids learn best through play while teaching kids 21st century life skills. We discuss some of the learnings of working at technology companies and communication companies, the inspiration and insight behind Encantos and how he int...

My guest today is Jeff Housenbold , Managing Partner of Softbank's Vision Fund , the world's largest technology-focused venture capital fund, with over $100 billion in capital. Some of Jeff's investments are DoorDash, Compass, OpenDoor, and Whoop. Previously, Jeff was the CEO of Shutterfly. We discuss how he approaches investment themes, how he identifies opportunities on the value cha...

Thank you Joe Tonnos for the introduction to today's guest, Michael Nogen , one of the founding partners of Overton VC . Overton Venture Capital invests in early stage companies (Pre Series A) who demonstrate early success through revenue and market validation. Some of their portfolio includes Perch, Stantt and Joy Lux. Previously, he founded Theality, which became a national maternity apparel...

My guests today are Franklin Isacson & Andrew Goletka , Founders and Managing Partners of Coefficient Capital . Coefficient partners with entrepreneurs to build brands, tell stories and engage consumers across the digital and physical worlds, typically at the series A. Some of their investments include Magic Spoon, Hawthorne, Haus and Hydrant. We discuss how they think about omnichannel, insig...

My guest today is Lucy Deland , Partner at Inspired Capital , who back early-stage founders with transformative ideas, brilliant teams, and relentless determination. Some of her investments include Geneva, Habi and Dandy. A couple of books that inspired Lucy: Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker. Here's some questions I ask Lucy: Since you went from investor to founde...

Thank you Sasha Astafiva for the introduction to my guest today, Brian Requarth , co-founder and former CEO of Viva Real . Viva Real is the online real estate marketplace in Latin America. He is also the founder of Latitud , helping build the next generation of iconic tech startups in Latin America. You can follow Brian on Twitter @brianrequarth . You can also follow your host @mikegelb . A few bo...

Thank you Joseph Sartre for the introduction to today's guest Sapna Shah , founder of Red Giraffe . Red Giraffe makes pre-seed investments in start-ups in the retail industry, including retail tech, marketplaces, brands and consumer sectors. Select current investments include: The Wing, FINDMINE, Robyn, and Swoonery. She's also the founder of Retail X Series, an ecosystem for retail startu...

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Ezra Galston. Ezra Galston, is the founding partner of Starting Line. a seed stage, consumer tech focused fund based in Chicago. Previously he was a Principal at Chicago Ventures. Some of his investments include Cameo, Flyhomes, and Spothero. Links: Click here to listen to my full conversation with Ezra Click here on Mobile to join our Communit...

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Natalie Dillon. I'm excited to share highlights from my conversation with Natalie Dillon, Principal at Maveron. Maveron is a premier consumer focused fund that invests in seed and Series A companies that empower consumers to live on their terms. Some of their investments include eBay, Everlane, and Allbirds. Without further ado, here's...

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Anna Whiteman. I'm excited to share highlights from my conversation with Anna Whiteman, Vice President at Coefficient Capital. Coefficient Capital is a new venture capital fund that leads early growth investments in fast-moving consumer goods, typically investing in Series A and B rounds. So far they've invested in Just Spices, NomNom,...

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Charles Hudson. Charles Hudson is the Managing Partner and Founder of Precursor Ventures. Precursor Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on investing in the first institutional round of investment for the most promising software and hardware companies. Some of their investments include The Athletic, Goodr and Co-Star. Links:...