This Week in Startups

E37: “Angel” Podcast: Nicole Quinn, Partner at Lightspeed shares benefits of celebrity founders like Lady Gaga & Gwyneth Paltrow, insights on investing in consumer & power of “Force of Nature” product people

Mar 11, 2020

Nicole Quinn, a Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, shares her insights on investing in celebrity founders like Gwyneth Paltrow and Lady Gaga. Discover how she combines consumer appeal with innovative strategies, like Calm's celebrity endorsements. Quinn explains what attracts her to 'Force of Nature' product people and the challenges of e-commerce profitability. She also discusses the transformative power of voice assistants for user engagement and the evolving landscape of angel investing, emphasizing the significance of community and sustainability.

01:00:28

Creator website

Episode guests

Nicole Quinn

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

Investing in Innovation: The Calm Journey

12min

The Art of Investment and the Power of Celebrity Founders

3min

Navigating Angel Investing and Retail Trends

4min

Rethinking E-Commerce and Sustainability

4min

The Thrill of Exits: Navigating Venture Capital

4min

Investment Strategies and Hiring Insights

3min

Investing in the Voice Tech Revolution

12min

Exploring Celebrity Influence and Innovative Investment Strategies

3min

10.

Celebrities and Wellness Trends

15min

0:53 Jason intros Nicole Quinn
1:59 Nicole & Jason describe their separate Calm investments, will it be the first mental health IPO?
8:00 Calm's I.C.E. celebrity engagement method & how it got them LeBron James
8:54 Investing in Sophia Amoruso & Girlboss: what is it about "Force of Nature" product people that attracts Nicole to invest?
16:03 Investing in Gwyneth Paltrow & Goop: what is Goop's business? What are the most profitable parts of their business?
19:42 Investing in Rothy's, and the inverse correlation between the success of e-commerce companies and how much they've raised
24:34 The magic moment of having shares transfer from private to public when a company IPOs
26:53 Changing her risk-averse mindset going from Wall Street to Venture Capital
33:28 Nicole's current investment interests, why voice assistants are crucial for retention
38:16 Investing in Lady Gaga & HAUS Labs: driving business via new product "drops", understanding how engaged a celebrity is in their business, celebrities as an acquisition channel
45:03 Dealing with Goop product blowback, the Netflix series & understanding the science behind it
50:12 Investing in Cameo & CEO Steven Galanis: celebrity selfie videos as a platform
54:44 What types of Founders does Nicole invest in?
56:54 How is Nicole's portfolio split up by stage?

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