John Coogan, EIR at Founders Fund, Founder of Soylent & Lucy
Sourcery
Navigating Complexity in CPG Business Growth
This chapter explores the intricate challenges of establishing and expanding a consumer packaged goods company. It emphasizes the need for strategic decision-making and focusing on core competencies to manage operational complexity effectively.
In this episode, Molly O'Shea talks to John Coogan, EIR at Founders Fund and co-founder of Lucy and Soylent. They cover topics such as his role as an EIR at Founders Fund, his journey from starting Soylent & going through YC, becoming a successful YouTuber (over 430K subscribers & over 8M views), as well as his insights into the history of nicotine & tobacco with his company Lucy.
John dives into all of the complexities of startup entrepreneurship, the importance of really good storytelling in marketing, working in a regulated industry, as well as shares some hot takes in the VC/tech world.
Learn the misconceptions about nicotine, the realities of “big tobacco,” the future of nicotine replacement therapy, and his business journey building & marketing Lucy. Lucy was founded to help adult tobacco users who are looking to try high-quality alternatives to cigarettes and traditional tobacco products, without the carcinogens.
Nicotine is an addictive chemical, use responsibly.
Follow on Twitter https://x.com/MollySOShea https://x.com/johncoogan
Check out: John Coogan: https://www.johncoogan.com/ Founders Fund: https://foundersfund.com/ Lucy: https://lucy.co Soylent: https://soylent.com/
Subscribe to Sourcery: https://www.sourcery.vc/
Sponsor: Archer Archer's Midnight is a piloted four-passenger aircraft designed to perform rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights. Learn more about how Archer is set to open up a new world of opportunity for passengers by providing safe and efficient access to people, places, and events across the communities they live, visit https://www.archer.com/
Companies mentioned:
Helium: https://www.helium.com/
Coinbase: https://www.coinbase.com/
Flexport: https://www.flexport.com/
Varda: https://www.varda.com/
SpaceX: https://www.spacex.com/
Palantir: https://www.palantir.com/
Zyn: https://www.zyn.com/ph/en/home.html
Juul: https://www.juul.com/
Altria: https://www.altria.com/en
Nicorette: https://www.nicorette.com/
Dollar Shave Club: https://us.dollarshaveclub.com/
Warby Parker: https://www.warbyparker.com/
Red Antler: https://www.redantler.com/
Swedish Match: https://www.swedishmatch.com/
General Snus: https://www.generalsnus.com/
Newport: https://www.newport-pleasure.com/
TiVo: https://www.tivo.com/
Vita Coco: https://vitacoco.com/
Pepsi: https://www.pepsi.com/
Casamigos: https://www.casamigos.com/en-us
Teramana: https://teremana.com/
Rabbit R1: https://www.rabbit.tech/
Rizz: https://rizz.app/
Tinder: https://tinder.com/
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) The Origin Story of Lucy
(00:41) Introducing John Coogan
(01:20) What does an EIR at Founders Fund do?
(04:22) The Birth of Soylent
(08:31) The Viral Success of Soylent
(10:50) Challenges in the Nutritional Supplement Space
(12:40) The Regulatory Landscape of Nicotine Products
(14:46) Sponsor: Archer
(16:42) The Juul Phenomenon
(22:59) The Complexities of Tobacco Regulation
(36:25) Debunking Nicotine Myths
(37:38) Nicotine as a Stimulant
(39:33) The Smoking Epidemic
(40:31) Regulatory Challenges and Big Tobacco
(42:48) Building a CPG Company
(47:30) Marketing and Storytelling
(55:46) Tech Hot Takes and AI Gadgets
(59:38) The Future of AI in Consumer Products
(1:07:23) Closing Thoughts and Reflections
Recommended Podcast: What separates the most enduring and generation-defining venture firms? Turpentine VC talks to Ben Horowitz, Vinod Khosla, Alfred Lin, Mike Maples, Roger Ehrenberg, and more to find out. Subscribe: https://link.chtbl.com/TurpentineVC
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
