Patient Capital & Smart Scaling with Scarlett Leung | The Scaing Podcast EP 22

Sep 10, 2025

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Scarlett shares her journey from Deloitte and L'Oréal to launching multiple startups, including her latest venture Pretty Tasty. This conversation dives deep into the realities of fundraising, choosing the right investors, and why patient capital often beats private equity timelines. Entrepreneurs will hear tactical lessons on scaling, risk, and building businesses that last.

Intro & premise — 00:00:00:00–00:00:31:00

Founder & company intro (Pretty Tasty) — 00:00:31:02–00:01:06:18

Career background: Deloitte → Philip Morris → L'Oréal → AllSaints → FreshDirect — 00:01:06:20–00:03:01:19

First startups: egg freezing clinic → Sugar Break (venture-backed) & lessons — 00:03:01:21–00:03:57:21

Capital philosophy: family office backing, investor belief, flexibility vs. PE timelines — 00:03:57:23–00:05:26:21

Beverage model realities: capital intensity, scarce acquirers, ops co-founders — 00:05:26:21–00:07:22:21

Play to strengths + fundraising approach (strategic raises, no pressure to VC ladder) — 00:07:22:23–00:09:06:17

Product thesis & origin: collagen iced tea, authenticity, food-as-medicine roots — 00:09:06:17–00:10:47:11

Formulation & launch: zero sugar, stevia tuning, Expo West, 'Best New Beverage' — 00:10:47:13–00:12:55:14

Distribution mechanics: 2 major distributors, buyer sell-in, stocking dynamics — 00:13:21:06–00:14:40:14

Retail rollouts & door count (CVS, Sprouts, West Coast, NYC; ~2,000 doors) — 00:14:40:14–00:16:03:02

Founder-led sales & relationships (store tours, end caps, signage, sampling) — 00:16:03:02–00:17:11:08

Scale path vs. Poppy; margins reality; iterate fast on-market — 00:17:34:22–00:20:12:18

Packaging & messaging iteration (readability, flavor color, 'daily collagen', 10g protein) — 00:19:40:03–00:22:12:18

Marketing & education: social, local influencers, retail activations, Sephora demos — 00:23:58:15–00:26:32:08

DTC vs. retail models: AG1, Starbucks placement, Costco for awareness; when to add big influencers — 00:26:32:08–00:30:12:09

Operator lessons: 'fail fast'; in-person sampling beats surveys — 00:32:30:15–00:34:38:21

Scaling life: systems at home, childcare help, energy tradeoffs — 00:39:56:08–00:41:13:11

Support network, rest habits, cooking & crafts, meditation — 00:41:13:11–00:44:24:22

Team plan: shared resources now → build in-house marketing/community — 00:44:24:22–00:45:20:09

Exit route & timeframe (sell to strategic; 5–10 years) — 00:45:43:04–00:46:31:20

Hiring a CEO; resource allocation as top CEO trait; founder identity shift — 00:46:31:22–00:57:30:13

Franchising & international: Middle East/LATAM partners; legal complexity; negotiation & cultural fit — 00:59:27:20–01:05:13:17

Closing founder advice: it's hard/lonely; know your 'why'; grit; swing big — 01:05:57:20–01:07:29:09

Outro & where to find — 01:07:29:11–01:07:52:11