Ben Matthews is a general partner at Night Ventures, an early-stage consumer VC fund, focused on culture, community, and creators. They have partnered with some of the most famous people on the internet including Mr. Beast, Kai Cenat, and Hasan Piker.

In this episode of DTC Pod, Ben and Blaine discuss:

• Lessons from incubating and investing in early-stage consumer companies
• The key elements of successful talent-driven brands, including audience fit and long-term commitment
• Choosing the right business opportunities based on market potential and operational feasibility
• Structuring effective partnerships between creators, operators, and investors
• The future of TikTok and emerging monetization avenues for content creators

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. Business Launch and Growth
2. Talent-Driven Brands
3. Challenges in Creator Partnerships
4. Creator-Audience Relationship
5. Employment Trends and AI Impact
6. Content Commerce Trends
7. TikTok’s Future and Market Impact
8. Elements of Business Success
9. Incentive Structure in Partnerships
10. Importance of Having an Audience
11. Monetization Opportunities for Creators

Timestamps
00:00 Ben Matthew’s background and Night Ventures
06:05 Building business with talent: the case of Mr. Beast
10:54 What works in creator-brand partnerships
15:25 Picking the right talent to represent a brand
19:42 Picking the right business and products
23:01 Incubating early-stage consumer companies
30:07 Investing in early-stage consumer companies
33:03 Future trends in the creator-commerce space
35:19 Future trends in the content creator landscape

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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Ben Matthews - General Partner at Night Ventures
Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic