Thursday Founders Dinner: Purpose

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, hosts Daniel Scharff and Patricia Menegoto deliver the definitive preview of Expo West 2026, walking through every Startup CPG event and opportunity during the industry's most important week in Anaheim.

The conversation covers Monday's Grocery Run with Gelson's 2.0 in Venice (bigger venue after last year's sellout), Tuesday's Kickoff Dinner at the Anaheim White House featuring industry leader dinners alongside main networking with buyers from Ahold and Whole Foods, the curated Startup CPG section with 20 brands and 500+ one-on-one buyer meetings, Wednesday's transformed Alley Rally (now 50 brands sampling in grocery run format with the top brand winning a free 2027 booth), and Thursday's Founders Dinner at Poppy and Seed designed for authentic founder-to-founder connections.

Daniel and Patricia emphasize tactical strategies: always bring cold product to events, wear brand swag, apply early for sampling opportunities, and don't be intimidated to come solo. They share Startup CPG's culture of radical welcomeness—team members actively introduce people standing alone, making events feel like "camp reunion" rather than transactional networking. Patricia highlights her favorite section brands (Lupini pizzas, Pisca hot sauce) while Daniel emphasizes that Expo success comes from relationships built, not just immediate sales.

Listen in as they discuss:

• Monday Grocery Run with Gelson's: entire buying team + CEO attending, brands getting distribution on the spot
• Tuesday Kickoff Dinner: 300 attendees, industry leader dinners (ops, sales, e-commerce, finance, foodservice), confirmed retailers
• Startup CPG section: 20 brands, 500 buyer meetings, 30+ retailers scheduling appointments throughout show
• How sampling applications work: retailers pick brands they want to meet, not random selection
• Alley Rally evolution: 1,300+ attendees, expanding from 12 to 50 brands sampling, grocery run format
• Thursday Founders Dinner: intimate evening focused on authentic connections without pitching pressure
• Tactical advice: bring cold product everywhere, wear brand swag, buy tickets early (everything sells out)
• Why founder life is lonely and meeting others facing same struggles creates lasting support networks

Episode Links:

• Startup CPG Events: https://startupcpg.com/events 
• Daniel Scharff LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danscharff/
• Patricia Menegoto LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pmenegoto/

Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For sponsorship opportunities or to join the community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.

Show Links:

• Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (30K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Daniel's Linkedin 
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.com
• Episode music by Super Fantastics