Building a Brand in the Non-Alcoholic Beer Industry

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Exploring the challenges and successes of building a brand in the non-alcoholic beer industry, including finding investors, forming a supportive network, and aligning goals for long-term success. The chapter touches on financial aspects, decision-making processes, and the significance of meaningful relationships within the investment community.

Since 2017, Bill Shufelt (CEO, Athletic Brewing) went from hedge fund trader to the CEO of the leading producer of non-alcoholic craft beer. Unlike the typical tech-focused chats, this one centers around a product many have fallen in love with. In the conversation, Bill tells stories of the unscalable but crucial strategies he used to build a brand, push past rejection, and redefine the non-alcoholic beer industry.

(00:00) Introduction to Athletic Brewing

(00:52) The Early Days and Breakthrough Moments

(01:15) Celebrity Partnerships and Brand Building

(03:16) The Philosophy of Brand and Movement

(07:33) The Non-Alcoholic Beer Market

(10:46) The Entrepreneurial Journey and Personal Sacrifices

(18:22) Scaling the Business and Marketing Strategies

(28:20) Navigating Regulations and Health Trends

(39:07) The Importance of a Tech Co-Founder

(39:31) Home Brewing Beginnings

(40:13) Innovative Brewing Process

(41:13) Food Safety Challenges

(43:24) Raising Funds and Building a Brewery

(44:24) Vertical Integration Benefits

(45:33) Early Sales Efforts

(46:56) Investor Relations and Accountability

(51:14) Long-Term Vision and Focus

(01:00:10) Cultural Differences in Non-Alcoholic Beer

(01:02:35) Health Considerations and Alcohol

(01:10:38) The Sensation of Drinking

(01:12:50) Reflections on the Entrepreneurial Journey

(01:14:46) Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Executive Producer: Rashad Assir

Producer: Leah Clapper

Mixing and editing: Justin Hrabovsky

Check out Unsupervised Learning, Redpoint's AI Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@UCUl-s_Vp-Kkk_XVyDylNwLA

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About the Show

Logan Bartlett is a Software Investor at Redpoint Ventures - a Silicon Valley-based VC with $6B AUM and investments in Snowflake, DraftKings, Twilio, and Netflix. In each episode, Logan goes behind the scenes with world-class entrepreneurs and investors. If you're interested in the real inside baseball of tech, entrepreneurship, and start-up investing, tune in every Friday for new episodes.