Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I Brands | Technology

Mike Gelb
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Dec 21, 2022 • 39min

Holiday Highlights: Jason Karp (HumanCo)

This was our first LIVE episode, which we recorded at Cosmic Coffee & Beer Garden in Austin, TX during SXSW. I chatted with Jason Karp, Founder of Hu Kitchen, Hu Chocolate and CEO of HumanCo. HumanCo is a holding company that’s invested in healthy living. We’re going to learn more about their brands Snow Days, Against the grain and Cosmic Bliss. We discuss the rebrand of Coconut Bliss to Cosmic Bliss and question if there is a current bifurcation within the better for you movement. Without further ado, here’s Jason.
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Dec 18, 2022 • 32min

Holiday Highlights: Nagraj Kashyap (SoftBank Investment Advisors)

Today’s highlight episode features Nagraj Kashyap, Managing Partner of SoftBank’s Vision Fund one of the world's largest venture capital firms, with over $100 billion in capital. Nagraj leads their consumer investment practice for north America. It was amazing chatting with him about how Vision Fund 2 is different from fund 1, his thesis around the future of healthcare the ecommerce stack and how he thinks about scale for non-tech consumer businesses. WIthout further ado, here’s Nagraj.
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Dec 15, 2022 • 58min

Sarah Foley (SWAT Equity Partners) – Investing in Consumer vs. Tech

Thank you Anna Whiteman for the introduction to our guest today, Sarah Foley, Partner at SWAT Equity Partners. SWAT Equity Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on investing in emerging consumer brands across various product, service, and commerce sectors. Some of the investments include Supergoop!, Banza, and Mad Rabbit.We discuss:Why invest in consumer right nowDifference when investing in consumer vs. techConsumer macro trends she’s bullish vs. bearish onThe balance between retention and growthHer due diligence process and how she measures tractionThanks for listening.
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Dec 13, 2022 • 50min

Brigette Wolf (Mondelēz) - Inside Mondelēz's Innovation Hub

Our guest today is Brigette Wolf, VP and Global Head of SnackFutures at Mondelēz International. Mondelez International is an American multinational confectionery, food, and beverage holding company. Some of their brands include Oreo, Cadbury, Chips Ahoy, Ritz, and Tate’s Bake Shop. SnackFutures is Mondelez’s innovation and venture hub.We discuss:When to partner with a corporate venture capital fundHer investment criteria and stageHow tightly SnackFutures is tied to Mondelēz’s core businessThe ultimate goal when SnackFutures makes an investmentWhat value add meansSnack trends
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Dec 8, 2022 • 33min

Ashley Hartman (Bluestein Ventures) - Investing in The Future of Food

Our guest today on the podcast is Ashley Hartman, Managing Partner at Bluestein Ventures. Bluestein Ventures is one of the premier family-backed venture capital fund in the food industry whose mission is to transform the food system into a better, more nutritious, and sustainable world. They invest at the Seed to Series A rounds and some of their investments include Factor, Meati, and Foxtrot.We discuss:Why she became an investor in foodOpportunities throughout the food value chainThe difference in investing in food tech vs. brandsWhen to vertically integrateHow founders should approach their cap tableThe future of food
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Dec 6, 2022 • 44min

Vijen Patel (The 81 Collection & Pressbox) - Why building & investing in hardware is overlooked

Our guest today is Vijen Patel, who is the co-founder of Pressbox (now Tide Cleaners) and The 81 Collection. Pressbox was a 24/7 dry cleaning and laundry service that Vijen bootstrapped to a very successful exit to P&G. The 81 Collection is a VC fund that focuses on the hard industries.We discuss:Why he had no choice but to bootstrap his dry cleaning tech businessHis approach to scale and expanding to multiple citiesHow P&G tried to destroy his businessWhy he eventually sold to P&G and became CEO of Tide CleanersThe founding story of The 81 CollectionWhy investing in hardware is underrated
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Dec 2, 2022 • 38min

Ty Haney (Outdoor Voices, Joggy, TYB) - Why she left Outdoor Voices, how brands can leverage crypto, and creating a CBD line

This is a recording of a live interview I did with Ty Haney last month in Austin, TX. Ty is most famous for founding Outdoor Voices, the technical apparel brand whose on a mission to get the world moving. My apologies in advance, we had a lot of technical issues on the day and the quality of the recording is not great. I really appreciate Ty for being incredibly open about her journey.We discuss:The origin of Outdoor VoicesWhy she left OV and what went wrongHer introduction to cryptoHow she founded Joggy, a plant-based / CBD brand for activityHer platform TYB and why community-led brands are the futureScaling a digitally-native brand today & much more
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Nov 30, 2022 • 37min

Jesse Pujji (Gateway X) - How Brands Should Approach Performance Marketing Today, When To Raise Equity vs. Boostrapping & How He Incubates Companies

Our guest today on The Consumer VC podcast is Jesse Pujji, Founder of Gateway X and Ampush. Gateway X is a venture studio and holding company founded by Jesse Pujji. Ampush is a growth marketing partner that crafts holistic strategies and executes throughout the funnel.We discuss:Why he left Goldman Sachs to start a performance marketing companyWhy he was bullish on Facebook ads early onHow early brands should approach social media marketing todayThe biggest mistakes companies make in customer acquisitionWhat is a venture studioHis process for incubating companiesWhen to raise money vs. bootstrapFuture of performance marketing
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Nov 22, 2022 • 32min

Marcos Gonzalez (VamosVentures) - Why he left PE to start a VC fund that invests in minority-led businesses

Our guest today is Marcos Gonzalez, Founder & Managing Partner of VamosVentures. VamosVentures is committed to creating a pipeline of diverse VC investors. Their investments include Stix, DRNXSMYTH, and Suma.We also discuss:How he invests in both software and consumer businessesApproach to portfolio constructionHow to increase the number of diverse founders who are venture-backedHis diligence processWhy he’s bullish about Los AngelesLatin American products that will be adopted by the U.S. & much moreThank you for listening.
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Nov 15, 2022 • 46min

Steve Case (AOL, Revolution & Rise of the Rest) - Why He's Optimistic About Innovation in Secondary and Tertiary American Cities

Thank you Tige Savage for the introduction to our guest today, Steve Case. Steve is the co-founder / former CEO of AOL. He also founded Revolution & Rise of the Rest. Revolution focuses on early-stage venture capital investments in technology-enabled businesses in the growth, venture and seed stages.Rise of the Rest is a nationwide bus tour to work with entrepreneurs in emerging startup ecosystems. We focus this conversation around his latest book “The Rise of the Rest”.We discuss:What Steve did after he left AOL in the early 2000sThe origin of Revolution VenturesWhat inspired him to found a bus tourThe most surprising lessons he’s learned when visiting non-obvious startup ecosystemsHow Rise of the Rest’s seed fund is structured and how it’s performedWhy he’s optimistic about innovation in AmericaWhat leads to a vibrant entrepreneurial community & and much much moreThank you for listening.

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