The Logan Bartlett Show

EP 106: How Bill Shufelt (CEO, Athletic Brewing) Built Athletic Brewing - Every Plot Twist Along The Way

May 31, 2024

Bill Shufelt, CEO of Athletic Brewing, shares the journey from hedge fund trader to leading non-alcoholic craft beer producer. Topics include unscalable brand strategies, celebrity partnerships, market challenges, personal sacrifices, innovative brewing processes, and cultural differences in the non-alcoholic beer industry.

01:15:20

Creator website

Episode guests

Bill Shufelt

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Highlights

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Athletic Brewing embraced unscalable strategies to build a non-alcoholic beer brand.

Strategic partnerships with celebrities helped shape Athletic Brewing's authentic brand image.

Innovative approaches like tunnel pasteurization address regulatory challenges in non-alcoholic beer production.

Deep dives

Introduction of Athletic Brewing Co. and Journey into Entrepreneurship

Athletic Brewing Co., spearheaded by co-founder and CEO Bill Schufeldt, showcases an unconventional path as it delves into the beer industry as a non-alcoholic alternative. Bill's background at 0.72, Steve Cohen's hedge fund, highlights the pivotal moment he identified a gap in the market for non-alcoholic beer. Embracing unscalable methods, they founded Athletic Brewing, emphasizing breakthrough moments in the business and the future outlook.

Building a Brand Relationship with Influencers

01:25

Building Brand Loyalty through Personal Interaction

01:22

Building a Strong Network for Fundraising Success

01:31

Introduction

2min

Authentic Brand Building and Partnering with Influencers

5min

Navigating Health Trends and Entrepreneurship in the Alcohol Industry

11min

Shifting Perceptions of Non-Alcoholic Beer

20min

Navigating Challenges in Non-Alcoholic Beer Production

3min

Crafting Beer with Precision and Innovation

2min

Building a Brand in the Non-Alcoholic Beer Industry

18min

The Rise of Non-Alcoholic Beer in the US

12min

Entrepreneurial Reflections and Passion in Business

3min

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

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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 of The Logan Bartlett Show, we sit down with the people behind today’s most important startups and extract the tactics, lessons, and frameworks they’ve learned the hard way. Conversations span hiring to GTM, product, growth, fundraising and everything in between - collectively forming the ultimate playbook to make you a better CEO, investor or board member.

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The Logan Bartlett Show

EP 106: How Bill Shufelt (CEO, Athletic Brewing) Built Athletic Brewing - Every Plot Twist Along The Way

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Introduction of Athletic Brewing Co. and Journey into Entrepreneurship

Building a Deep and Meaningful Brand Through Partnerships

Navigating Regulatory Challenges and Technical Brewing Innovations

Quality Control and Flexibility in Production

Building a Strong Investor Network and Business Philosophy

Building a Brand Relationship with Influencers

Building Brand Loyalty through Personal Interaction

Building a Strong Network for Fundraising Success

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts