Zach Ranen is the co-founder of David, a protein bar brand which disrupted the market with 50% more calories from protein than any other bar and a groundbreaking dollar-to-protein ratio.

In this episode of the DTC POD, Zach shares David's pre-launch and launch strategies, leading to 1M+ dollars in sales in the first week. This includes engaging with influencers like Peter Attia and Andrew Huberman and giving away 20,000 product samples.

Zach also gives insights into their R&D process, how they built the David brand, their product-led approach to growth, and future plans.

Interact with other DTC experts and access our monthly fireside chats with industry leaders on DTC Pod Slack.

On this episode of DTC Pod, we cover:
1. Pre-Launch and Launch Tactics
2. Product-Led Approach to Growth
3. Product Sampling Marketing
4. Influencer Partnerships
5. Viral Marketing Strategies
6. Brand Development
7. Naming and Visual Identity

Timestamps
00:00 The idea behind David protein bars
05:59 From working in private equity to founding Raize and eventually David
16:55 Balancing taste with nutrition in developing David protein bars
24:22 David as a product-led company
27:52 Brand building for David: name, packaging, launch
35:04 Key lessons on manufacturing, distribution, product launch, and virality
43:53 David’s $10M seed funding, key investors, and influencers
48:10 Next steps for growth, channel allocation, strategy

Show notes powered by Castmagic

Past guests & brands on DTC Pod include Gilt, PopSugar, Glossier, MadeIN, Prose, Bala, P.volve, Ritual, Bite, Oura, Levels, General Mills, Mid Day Squares, Prose, Arrae, Olipop, Ghia, Rosaluna, Form, Uncle Studios & many more.

Additional episodes you might like:

• #175 Ariel Vaisbort - How OLIPOP Runs Influencer, Community, & Affiliate Growth

• #184 Jake Karls, Midday Squares - Turning Your Brand Into The Influencer With Content

• #205 Kasey Stewart: Suckerz- - Powering Your Launch With 300 Million Organic Views

• #219 JT Barnett: The TikTok Masterclass For Brands

• #223 Lauren Kleinman: The PR & Affiliate Marketing Playbook

• #243 Kian Golzari - Source & Develop Products Like The World's Best Brands

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Projects the DTC Pod team is working on:
DTCetc - all our favorite brands on the internet
Olivea - the extra virgin olive oil & hydroxytyrosol supplement
Castmagic - AI Workspace for Content

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Zach Ranen - Co-Founder and President at David
Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic

Corey Vilhauer & Deane Barker - The Web Project Guide