Mike Gelb

Consumer VC

Business EN ↓ 411 episodes

Consumer VC takes a look into early-stage consumer investing and venture capital. If you are interested in learning about consumer trends, have a b2c business and interested in learning about the fundraising process at the early stage, you have come to the right place. Mike interviews some of the top venture capitalists in the world that focus on B2C and consumer type companies or have a deep track record investing in these categories such as marketplaces, SaaS, social, CPG and non-tech subscription. Mike also interviews founders that are building some of the most disruptive consumer facing co...

Author

Mike Gelb

Episodes

Holiday Highlights: Samara Hernandez, Founding Partner Chingona Ventures 28.12.2020 25:21

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Samara Hernandez. My guest today is Samara Hernandez , founder of Chingona Ventures . Samara invests at the preseed and seed stages on industries that are massively changing and founders whose backgrounds uniquely position them to create businesses in growth markets that are often overlooked. We discuss how she analyzes overlooked opportunities...

Holiday Highlights: Eric Paley, Founding Partner at Founder Collective 27.12.2020 26:07

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Eric Paley. Thank you Adelle Archer for introducing me to today's guest, Eric Paley , who is one of the Managing Partners at Founder Collective . Founder Collective's mission is to be the most aligned VC for founders at seed. Some of Eric's investments include Uber, CoverWallet, Seat Geek, Whoop, Thred Up and so many other incredibl...

Holiday Highlights: Soraya Darabi, Founding Partner TMV 26.12.2020 23:39

This is a highlight from my conversation with Soraya Darabi. Soraya is one of the Founding Partners of TMV, where she focuses on the future of living well. Links: Click Here to Listen to Full Episode with Soraya Darabi Click Here on Mobile to Join Our Community

Holiday Highlights: Rishi Garg, Partner at Mayfield Fund 25.12.2020 24:41

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Rishi Garg. Rishi Garg Rishi is a partner at Mayfield. Mayfield is a global venture capital firm with a people first philosophy of investing. Links: Full Episode with Rishi Garg Click on Mobile to Join Community

Holiday Recap: Jiake Liu, CEO of Outer 18.12.2020 16:44

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Jiake. Outer is an extraordinary company that is reengineering outdoor furniture. Business Insider named them the #1 fastest growing DTC brands. If you enjoy this episode, click here to listen to my full conversation with him.

Holiday Recap: Jessica Rolph & Rod Morris, Co-CEOs of Lovevery 17.12.2020 20:42

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Jessica & Rod. Jessica Rolph and Rod Morris , the co-founders of Lovevery , staged-based play essentials designed by experts, built for babies and toddlers up to age 3. If you enjoy this episode, click here to listen to my full conversation with Jessica & Rod

Holiday Recap: Michael Barlow, CEO of Fernish 16.12.2020 15:15

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Michael Barlow, CEO of Fernish. Thank you Anna Barber for the intro to today's guest, Michael Barlow , founder and CEO of Fernish . Fernish offers premium furniture rentals that feel like home, delivered and assembled in a week. If you enjoy this episode, click here to listen to my full conversation with XXX

Holiday Recap: Betsy Fore & Sofia Laurell, Co-CEOs of Tiny Organics 15.12.2020 11:27

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Betsy Fore & Sofia Laurell, Co-CEOs and Founders of Tiny Organics. Tiny Organics delivers organic, fresh, nutrient-rich baby and toddler meals created by their Infant Nutritionist. Their goal is to help every parent feed their baby and toddler the healthiest food. If you enjoy this episode, click here to listen to my full conversation with...

Holiday Recap: George Milton, CEO of Yellowbird Sauce 14.12.2020 19:18

This episode are highlights from my conversation with George Milton. George Milton is the co-founder and CEO of Yellowbird Sauce , Spicy condiments crafted to take you on a fiery–fresh food adventure. If you enjoy this episode, click here to listen to my full conversation with George

Holiday Recap: Coulter Lewis, CEO of Sunday 13.12.2020 10:35

This episode are highlights from my conversation with Coulter Lewis. Coulter Lewis is the founder and CEO of Sunday . Sunday provides nutrient and soil health plans for garden and lawn care. Previously, Coulter founded Quinn Snacks, the successful farm to bag snack company. If you enjoy this episode, click here to listen to my full conversation with Coulter

Holiday Recap: Adelle Archer, CEO of Eterneva 12.12.2020 11:23

This episode are highlights from my episode with Adelle Archer. Adelle Archer is the founder of Eterneva , which celebrates remarkable lives by making diamonds from Ashes. Eterneva was featured on Shark Tank , in which Mark Cuban joined other incredible angels and VCs as an investor. This episode focuses in the end of life space. If you enjoy this, click here to listen to Adelle's full episode...

Holiday Recap: Kate Boyle, CEO of Banjo Robinson 11.12.2020 18:30

Kate Boyle is the founder and CEO of Banjo Robinson . Banjo Robinson is a magical cat that writes personalized letters that turn reading, writing and learning about the world into a magical game for 5-8 year olds. Banjo Robinson graduated London Techstars Accelerator fall 2019 and recently raised a pre-seed round led by Collaborative Fund and Sesame Ventures. Previously, Kate worked at William Mo...

Annoucement: Consumer VC Holiday Schedule 10.12.2020 1:18

Hey Everyone! For this holiday period, I'll be releasing an episode every morning of Hanukkah (starting tomorrow) that will be some of the best moments from my conversations with founders over this past year. I'll also be releasing an episode everyday during the twelve days of Christmas that will be some great moments with investors on this show during 2020. Click this link on your mobile...

Matthias Metternich (Art of Sport) - Building the Nike of Body Care, The Power of the Athlete, and How to Build a Compelling Story for Retail 08.12.2020 50:13

My guest today is Matthias Metternich , one of the co-founders and CEO of Art of Sport . Art of Sport is a complete line of daily essential body and skin care products made for athletes. Some of the things we spoke about were his approach to building a world class skincare business, how he partners with Athletes, and his thoughts around fundraising and investing in CPG businesses. A couple books t...

Aaron Fu (Catalyst Fund) - The Biggest Misconception When Investing In Emerging Markets, Difference Between Selling to SMBs and Consumers, and the Effects of Mobile First 03.12.2020 33:21

Our guest today is Aaron Fu , Head of Growth at Catalyst Fund . Catalyst Fund is an inclusive fintech accelerator that is focused on investing in companies located in different parts of Africa, India and Mexico. They support innovative startups building affordable, accessible and appropriate solutions to reach the world's 3 billion underserved, while accelerating innovation ecosystems across e...

Vincent Diallo & Joseph Sartre (Interlace Ventures) - Why ecommerce is boring, Why is China at the Forefront of Retail Tech, and Headless Commerce Explained 01.12.2020 39:20

Our guests today are Vincent Diallo and J oseph Sartre , founding partners of Interlace Ventures . Interlace is a seed stage fund that invests in founders that are re-inventing commerce and retail for better consumption. We focus this conversation on their learnings in innovation when they both worked in China, opportunities in future of retail they are focused on in the United States, and how we...

Michael Barlow (Fernish) - The Advantage of Not Knowing, His Approach to Building a Rental Furniture Supply Chain, and The Biggest Hurdle When Fundraising 24.11.2020 37:48

Thank you Anna Barber for the intro to today's guest, Michael Barlow , founder and CEO of Fernish . Fernish offers premium furniture rentals that feel like home, delivered and assembled in a week. We discuss how Michael approached validating his idea of furniture rental, figuring out the supply chain, and how they adjusted to shifts in demand for certain products during COVID. A book that insp...

Samara Hernandez (Chingona Ventures) - Why Chicago, How Diverse VC Teams Lead To Investing In Markets That Are Overlooked, and Some of the Differences When Investing In Consumer vs. Enterprise 19.11.2020 46:57

My guest today is Samara Hernandez , founder of Chingona Ventures . Samara invests at the preseed and seed stages on industries that are massively changing and founders whose backgrounds uniquely position them to create businesses in growth markets that are often overlooked. We discuss how she analyzes overlooked opportunities, some of the differences when investing in consumer vs. enterprise, and...

Elizabeth Edwards (H Ventures) - Why Some DNVBs Don't Work On Shelf, Different Customer Insights You Receive in Retail vs. DTC and Demystifying Corporate Venture Capital 17.11.2020 50:19

My guest today is Elizabeth Edwards , the founder and Managing Partner of H Venture Partners . H Ventures invests in brands that are disrupting billion-dollar categories and changing the way we live our lives. She was an early investor in Peloton , Roots, Freshly to name a few. Previously, Elizabeth was a partner with Maywic Select Investments and West Ventures. We discuss what makes a brand compe...

Taylor Nieman (Toucan) - Browser Extension Businesses, The Power of Partnerships, and Her Unique Approach to Fundraising 12.11.2020 33:15

Our guest today is Taylor Nieman , founder of Toucan . Toucan is a free chrome extension that helps you learn a language without even trying. It's pretty cool, I've been using it for the past few months and The Consumer VC owns the word "episode" on the platform. We discuss the opportunity in browser chrome extension businesses, the insight she had when founding Toucan and all her...

Nikhil Basu Trivedi (Next Big Thing) - Why Investing in Consumer Subscription Businesses Has Become The Next Big Thing, and The Reasons Physical Goods and Software Businesses Aren't That Different 10.11.2020 30:11

Thank you Ezra Galston for the intro to today's guest, Nikhil Basu Trivedi . Nikhil previously was the managing director of Shasta ventures and writes The Next Big Thing, which is an awesome online publication. Some of his investments include Literati, Tally, Canva, Farmer's Dog and The Pill Club. His focus has been on consumer, particularly consumer subscription businesses, which was the...

Carlton Fowler (Goat Rodeo Capital) - The Changing Landscape In Beverage, Why Beverage is Poised For Ecommerce, and His Thoughts Around Portfolio Construction 29.10.2020 35:47

Our guest today is Carlton Fowler, Managing Partner of Goat Rodeo Capital . Carlton invests in the beverage space with some of his invests including lemon perfect, sourced, and one hope. Previously, he led spirits innovation and brand development at E&J Gallo. In this episode we focus our conversation on the change in beverage during covid, how brands are becoming creative and how he sees valu...

Han Shen (iFly.VC) - How He Thinks About Overlooked Opportunities, Focusing on a Sector Rather Than Becoming Opportunistic, and How One of His Portfolio Companies Was Able to Pivot Successfully 27.10.2020 53:34

Our guest today is Han Shen . Han is the Founding Partner of iFly.vc , an early-stage seed/VC fund based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The fund follows a sector-thesis driven process and aims to build a concentrated portfolio with meaningful value add to entrepreneurs. We discuss the different sectors he's focused in, how he became a VC and how he thinks about uncovered opportunities. And the...

Elaine Russell (Greycroft) - The Future of Retail, How to Choose a Co-Founder, and Running a Single LP Fund 22.10.2020 39:29

Our guest is Elaine Russell , who co-leads Greycroft's Albertsons Fund. Greycroft is one of the premier full lifecycle investors, investing out of both their venture fund and growth fund. Greycroft's Albertsons fund is one of their sidecar funds that focuses on the future of retail. Previously, Elaine was a Partner at PLG Ventures and was the Co-founder / CEO of Little Key in Chicago, an o...

Yury Lifshits (Openland) - How to Build a Community, The Hard Pivot, and Minimizing Friction 08.10.2020 40:40

Our guest today is Yury Lifshits , founder and CEO of Openland . a modern social platform for communities. Yury is a serial entrepreunor, founding Zonaspace, Blended Labs and Entangled Solutions. On this episode we talk about Openland, how he thinks about the future of online social, how he thought about friction when downloading a new app, and pivots. You can follow Yury @yurylifshits on Twitter....