Shows
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsHow Ithaca Hummus Scaled to $50M Without Venture Capital? Mike Gelb with Chris Kirby | Consumer VCThis episode is brought to you by Highbeam.Highbeam is the all-in-one banking and cash management platform built for consumer brands – https://www.highbeam.co/capital?partnerId=consumervcIn this episode of The Consumer VC, Mike Gelb sits down with Chris Kirby, founder of Ithaca Hummus, to uncover how he turned a local farmer’s market stand into a $50M+ premium food brand — without traditional VC funding.Chris shares:Why he left fine dining to build a CPG brandHow Ithaca Hummus was born at a studen...2025-05-0256 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsMike Hirshland (Resolute Ventures) - The state of pre-seed & seed investingOur guest today is Mike Hirshland, co-founder of Resolute Ventures. Resolute Ventures is a lead seed and “pre-seed” investor focused on backing and connecting a community of Founders who share an entrepreneurial spirit and energy. Some of their investments include Bark Box, Clutter, and Lumen. We discuss what pre-seed and seed investing is today, the opportunity within Web3, and how he builds conviction within founders. Without further ado, here’s Mike.
Some of the questions I ask
How did you enter venture capital?
What were some of the learnings from that
How did Resolute come together?
What g...2022-10-1124 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsMike Senackerib (Dewey's Bakery) - How a 90-year old bake shop turned into a CPG powerhouseOur guest today is Mike Senackerib, CEO of Dewey’s Bakery. Dewey’s Bakery was founded in 1930 in Winston-Salem and was famous regionally for their baked goods. Fairly recently they opened a CPG line with lots of treats. Their cookies are incredibly delicious, not just saying that because Mike came on the show. We discuss the history of Dewey’s, why they decided to start a CPG line, approach to baking and manufacturing, brand positioning and how Mike became the CEO.
Some of the questions I ask –
Why did a bake shop decide to create a CPG bran...2022-10-0631 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsMike Mayer (Windmill) - Building the smart AC Unit that's eye candy for your windowOur guest today is Mike Mayer, Co-CEO of Windmill. Windmill is the smart, quiet AC unit that looks nice. As you can imagine, we discuss the wonderful world of air conditioning. How he co-founded Windmill with his brother if he had any intention of getting into the air condition business, his approach to getting Windmill off the ground, fundraising, new revenue streams, and releasing new products.
Some of the questions I ask:
Did you always want to be an entrepreneur and start a business with your brother?
Competing clothing brand called Peaches
What was the insight...2022-10-0429 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsMike Asem (M25) - Why the midwest the perfect place to launch and invest in consumer startups, diversity report insights and creating a VC board gameOur guest today is Mike Asem, General Partner of M25. M25 is an early-stage venture firm based in Chicago, investing solely in companies headquartered in the Midwest. We discuss what movie got intrigued by venture capital, what’s misunderstood about investing in the midwest and the consumer landscape in that region, and his learnings since publishing M25 diversity report. Without further ado, here’s Mike
What was your attraction to entrepreneurship and venture capital?
How did you found M25? What’s your thesis?Was in the nano space
Purdue research foundation
Worked with portfolio companies
Angel portfolio
Established yourse...2022-08-0231 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsAmy Lacey (Cali’flour Foods) - How she created a cauliflower pizza dough that exploded online and the changes she had to make for retailOur guest today is Amy Lacey, founder of Cali’flour Foods. Cali’flour makes craveable comfort food that’s always low carb. With simple fresh ingredients and no fillers. That includes pizzas, crusts, flatbreads, crackers and full on entrees. We discuss why Amy became an entrepreneur, how she created a cauliflower pizza recipe that wasn’t brittle and didn’t fall apart, even with incredible ecommerce sales, why she decided to partner with a retail-minded investor as opposed to an ecommerce minded one, their approach to packaging when they entered stores and much more.
What was your attraction...2022-05-2446 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsMichael Duda (Bullish) - How to invest in brands that can appeal to the early majority, the two ways to win as a brand, and why all consumers are liarsOur guest today is our second second time guest, Mike Duda. Mike is the General Partner at Bullish. Bullish is a consumer only venture capital fund and creative agency. Some of their investments include Sunday, Spark Grills, Hu, Care/of. I mention these brands specifically because all the founders of those companies have been on the podcast but they’ve also invested in Peloton, Harry’s Warby Parker. If you want to learn the founding story of how Mike founded Bullish, highly recommend his first episode in 2020. In this episode we focus on his process to identifying a consumer insi...2022-04-2837 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsMike Smerklo (Next Coast Ventures) - What it was like working for Ben Horowitz, How he set up a search fund and bought a company, Why he invests in consumer when he comes from enterpriseMy guest today is Mike Smerklo, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Next Coast Ventures and author of Mr. Monkey and Me. Next Coast is investing in a new generation of entrepreneurs building disruptive companies in big markets. We discuss why Mike invests in consumer when his operational experience is in enterprise as well consumer trends he’s passionate about, How he organized a search fund and purchased a company and ran it, and his SHAPE formula and how entrepreneurs could think about mental toughness.
Here are the questions I ask him:
What was it like being re...2022-02-1034 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsWalker Drewett (NuBrakes) - How He Started a Mobile Brake Repair Company with No Automative ExperienceThank you Mike Ghaffary for the introduction to our guest today, Walker Drewett, CEO and founder of Nu Brakes. We want to make the brake repair process simple and frustration-free. We discussed why Walker always had his heart being an entrepreneur, the inspiration behind helping people with their cars even though he didn’t come from an automotive background, approach to scale and hiring being a first time CEO.
What was your attraction to entrepreneurship?How did you become interested in cars? How did this lead to Nu Wash?
What was the day-to-day operations? How did you approach growth?
How di...2022-02-0830 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsMike Ghaffary (Canvas) - What’s next after the iPhone, Unpacking Web3, Metaverse and Remote First Products, and Is this the time to be investing in B2C or B2BMy guest today is Mike Ghaffary who is a partner at Canvas Ventures, a firm that specializes on leading Series A. Some of their investments include Flyhomes, Nubrakes, and Zola. This is Mike’s second time on Consumer VC and is our first second time guest. His first appearance we went deep on how to evaluate and invest in marketplace businesses. On this episode, we discuss what is the next big thing in consumer after the iPhone? Is it web3, metaverse, remote work applications or something completely different?
Questions I ask Mike:
When we spoke a co...2022-01-1141 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsGabby Etrog Cohen & Tehmina Haider (Harry's) - Building Harry's Portfolio of BrandsThank you Mike Duda for the intro to our guests today, [Gabby Cohen](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabby-etrog-cohen-b91a635/) and [Tehmina Haider](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tehmina-haider-9081614/). Gabby is the Global head of intergrated marketing at [Harry's Inc](https://www.harrys.com/en/us). and Tehmina is Head of Harry's labs. It was amazing learning about the evolution of Harry's from a razor and shaving company, developing products in new categories and creating a portfolio of brands by both building and acquiring other consumer brands. In this episode you'll learn their approach brand development, the types of...2021-09-2837 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsMark Gainey (Strava) - Building the social network for athletesThank you Mike Ghaffary for the introduction to our guest today, Mark Gainey, the founder of Strava. Strava is the #1 app for runners and bikers and is the destination to record any activity. In this conversation we talk about how Mark's passion for sports compelled him to Strava, what focus really means as a founder and Mark has some amazing examples of that, we also talk about scaling and his approach to building community. Without further ado here's Mark.Some of the questions I ask MarkThe first company you founded was in...2021-05-2043 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsMercedes Bent (Lightspeed) - The State of Series A, Future of EdTech, and Evolution of Investment ProductsMy guest today is Mercedes Bent, who is a Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners and is on their consumer investing team. Lightspeed Venture Partners's mission is to serve the world’s most extraordinary people who are building tomorrow’s companies today. Some of her portfolio includes Forage, Stori Card, Outschool and Flockjay among other amazing companies. Mercedes is primarily focused on investing in edtech/future of work, fintech, and consumer products. We talk about how consumer businesses are building new models that involve ownership for consumers, parts of edtech where there is opportunity, and how she thinks about optimism.2021-03-0440 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsSteven Wolfe Pereira (Encantos) - Teaching Kids 21st Century Skills, Building a Direct to Learner EdTech Company, and Overlooked Opportunities That Make Real ImpactThank you Samara Hernandez for introducing me to today's guest, Steven Wolfe Pereira, co-founder and CEO of Encantos, an award-winning edtech company that believes kids learn best through play while teaching kids 21st century life skills. We discuss some of the learnings of working at technology companies and communication companies, the inspiration and insight behind Encantos and how he introduces new brands. Without further ado, here's Steven.You can follow Steven on Twitter @wolfepereira. You can also follow your host, Mike @mikegelb.The Consumer VC Summit: February 23-252021-01-2837 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsMatthias Metternich (Art of Sport) - Building the Nike of Body Care, The Power of the Athlete, and How to Build a Compelling Story for RetailMy guest today is Matthias Metternich, one of the co-founders and CEO of Art of Sport. Art of Sport is a complete line of daily essential body and skin care products made for athletes. Some of the things we spoke about were his approach to building a world class skincare business, how he partners with Athletes, and his thoughts around fundraising and investing in CPG businesses.A couple books that inspired Matthias - Arrow In The Blue by Arthur Koestler and American Colossus by W.H. Brands.You can follow Matthias on Twitter Here. You...2020-12-0850 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsVincent Diallo & Joseph Sartre (Interlace Ventures) - Why ecommerce is boring, Why is China at the Forefront of Retail Tech, and Headless Commerce ExplainedOur guests today are Vincent Diallo and Joseph Sartre, founding partners of Interlace Ventures. Interlace is a seed stage fund that invests in founders that are re-inventing commerce and retail for better consumption. We focus this conversation on their learnings in innovation when they both worked in China, opportunities in future of retail they are focused on in the United States, and how we can make venture capital more inclusive.Highly recommend following them on Twitter @Vincent11D and @josartre. You can also follow your host, Mike, on Twitter @mikegelb. You can also follow...2020-12-0139 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsMichael Barlow (Fernish) - The Advantage of Not Knowing, His Approach to Building a Rental Furniture Supply Chain, and The Biggest Hurdle When FundraisingThank you Anna Barber for the intro to today's guest, Michael Barlow, founder and CEO of Fernish. Fernish offers premium furniture rentals that feel like home, delivered and assembled in a week. We discuss how Michael approached validating his idea of furniture rental, figuring out the supply chain, and how they adjusted to shifts in demand for certain products during COVID.A book that inspired Michael is Against The Gods by Peter L. Bernstein.I highly recommend following Michael on Twitter @mleebarlow. You can also follow your host, Mike...2020-11-2437 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsSamara Hernandez (Chingona Ventures) - Why Chicago, How Diverse VC Teams Lead To Investing In Markets That Are Overlooked, and Some of the Differences When Investing In Consumer vs. EnterpriseMy guest today is Samara Hernandez, founder of Chingona Ventures. Samara invests at the preseed and seed stages on industries that are massively changing and founders whose backgrounds uniquely position them to create businesses in growth markets that are often overlooked. We discuss how she analyzes overlooked opportunities, some of the differences when investing in consumer vs. enterprise, and Chicago.A book that inspired Samara is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.You can also follow your host, Mike, on Twitter @mikegelb. You can also follow for episode announcements @consumervc.2020-11-1946 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsElizabeth Edwards (H Ventures) - Why Some DNVBs Don't Work On Shelf, Different Customer Insights You Receive in Retail vs. DTC and Demystifying Corporate Venture CapitalMy guest today is Elizabeth Edwards, the founder and Managing Partner of H Venture Partners. H Ventures invests in brands that are disrupting billion-dollar categories and changing the way we live our lives. She was an early investor in Peloton , Roots, Freshly to name a few. Previously, Elizabeth was a partner with Maywic Select Investments and West Ventures. We discuss what makes a brand compelling, the mystery of corporate venture capital, and how to increase diversity in the venture and startup ecosystems.A couple books that inspired Elizabeth are Pretty Good Advice by Leslie...2020-11-1750 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsTaylor Nieman (Toucan) - Browser Extension Businesses, The Power of Partnerships, and Her Unique Approach to FundraisingOur guest today is Taylor Nieman, founder of Toucan. Toucan is a free chrome extension that helps you learn a language without even trying. It's pretty cool, I've been using it for the past few months and The Consumer VC owns the word "episode" on the platform. We discuss the opportunity in browser chrome extension businesses, the insight she had when founding Toucan and all her different monetization avenues, which I must say are pretty amazing and wide ranging.You can follow Taylor at @taylor_nieman. You can also follow your host, Mike, on...2020-11-1233 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsNikhil Basu Trivedi (Next Big Thing) - Why Investing in Consumer Subscription Businesses Has Become The Next Big Thing, and The Reasons Physical Goods and Software Businesses Aren't That DifferentThank you Ezra Galston for the intro to today's guest, Nikhil Basu Trivedi. Nikhil previously was the managing director of Shasta ventures and writes The Next Big Thing, which is an awesome online publication. Some of his investments include Literati, Tally, Canva, Farmer's Dog and The Pill Club. His focus has been on consumer, particularly consumer subscription businesses, which was the main focus on today's conversation.Check out Nikhil's three part series about consumer subscription - Consumer Subscriptions, 10 Factors To Consider When Evaluating Consumer Subscriptions, and The Farmer's Dog: A Consumer Subscription Case Study.2020-11-1030 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsYury Lifshits (Openland) - How to Build a Community, The Hard Pivot, and Minimizing FrictionOur guest today is Yury Lifshits, founder and CEO of Openland. a modern social platform for communities. Yury is a serial entrepreunor, founding Zonaspace, Blended Labs and Entangled Solutions. On this episode we talk about Openland, how he thinks about the future of online social, how he thought about friction when downloading a new app, and pivots.You can follow Yury @yurylifshits on Twitter. You can also follow your host, Mike, on Twitter @mikegelb. You can also follow for episode announcements @consumervc.Some of the questions I ask Yury...2020-10-0840 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsBonus: Jordan Odinsky (Ground Up) - Cult Brands, Launch Strategies and the Importance of Celebrating The FailuresMy guest today is Jordan Odinsky, investor and head of platform at Ground Up Ventures. GroupUp is an early stage venture capital firm investing in pre-seed and seed stage startups in the United States and Israel. Some of their investments include Fast, Shapeshift Gaming, and Neighborhood Goods. In this episode, we discuss cult brands and unique product launches.I highly recommend following Jordan on Twitter @jordanodinsky You can also follow your host, Mike, on Twitter @mikegelb. You can also follow for episode announcements @consumervc.Links to Jordan's articles mentioned...2020-09-2234 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsWayne Wu (VMG) – His Ecosystem Approach, How He Builds Community In CPG, and Advice for Founders Located in Secondary MarketsOur guest today is Wayne Wu, General Partner at VMG. VMG focuses on investing and building iconic consumer brands. They've invested in some incredible companies like Kind Healthy Foods, Justin's, Drunk Elephant, Health Warrior, Quest Nutrition.Disclaimer: This is the opinion of Wayne Wu, and does not necessarily reflect the opinions and thoughts of VMG Partners. Any opinions, projections, forecasts and estimates contained in this production are based on certain assumptions and may change without notice. This is not an offer to buy or sell any investments.Here's what...2020-09-1632 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsMaya Horgan Famodu (Ingressive Capital) - Investing in Sub-Saharan Africa, What She Looks For When Entering New Countries, How to Build Startup Ecosystems in Frontier MarketsThank you Soraya Darabi for the intro to our guest today Maya Horgan Famodu. Maya's the partner and founder of Ingressive Capital. Ingressive Capital is an early venture capital fund located in Nigeria and invests in founders and companies in sub-saharan Africa. Some of her investments include Paystack, AWA Bike, and Vesicash.I highly recommend following Maya on Twitter @mayahorgan. You can also follow your host, Mike, on Twitter @mikegelb. You can also follow for episode announcements @consumervc.Excited to announce The Consumer VC Summit: October 13-15. It will...2020-09-1144 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsNate Cooper (Barrel Ventures): Lessons Learned from Founding Two Companies, The Beauty of Chicago and Investing in Markets that are OverlookedOur guest today is Nate Cooper, partner at Barrel Ventures. Barrel is seed stage fund based in the heart of the midwest. Some of their investments include Haus, Olipop and Clove. Previously, Nate founded L3 Hospitality Group and Wise Apple.If you want to keep up to date on him, follow him on Twitter @Nrcoope. You can also follow your host, Mike, on Twitter @mikegelb. You can also follow for episode announcements @consumervc.Excited to announce The Consumer VC Summit: October 13-15. It will be three days of discussions, talks about investing...2020-09-0925 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsSarah Kunst (Cleo Capital) - The Future of Work, Complicated Consumer and How to Have a Diverse PortfolioThank you Soraya Darabi for the intro to today's guest Sarah Kunst, managing director of Cleo Capital. Cleo Capital is an an early stage VC fund focused on the preseed & seed stages. Some of their investments include 42 Birds, Athena and Lovewellness. She's also a contributing editor at Marie Claire Magazine and previously served as a senior advisor to Bumble.A couple of book that Sarah recommends is Attached by Amir Levine and Daring Greatly by Brene Brown.Click here to sign up for Lunchclub....2020-09-0340 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsSunny Dhillon (Signia Partners) - Grocery Store Technology, Why Beauty Brands Are Great To Invest In, and Changes in RetailOur guest today is Sunny Dhillon, one of the Managing Director of Signia Ventures. Signia invests at the seed & series A stages in great entrepreneurs that are applying new technologies and innovative business models to old industries. Sunny's investments include Manscaped, Boxed, and MomentFeed.Previously Sunny cofounded Barstool, one of the first dating apps in the App store.Feel free to follow Sunny on Twitter @sundhillon. You can also follow your host, Mike, on Twitter @mikegelb. You can also follow for episode announcements @consumervc....2020-09-0133 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsHilary Quartner (Hilma) - Creating The "Clinical Herbal" Category, Her Fundraising Strategy, and The Decision Making Process with Two CEOsOur guest today is Hilary Quartner, one of the founders and Co-CEOs of Hilma. Hilma creates natural remedies for your medicine cabinet that are backed by science. Previously Hilary worked at The Wonderful Company, FIJI Water and was part of the founding team at Jet Black.You can Hilary on Instagram @hilarykquartner and Hilma @hilma_co. You can also follow your host, Mike, on Twitter @mikegelb. You can also follow for episode announcements @consumervc.A book that inspired her professionally is Competing Against Luck by Clayton Christensen and two books that inspired her personally are...2020-08-2720 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsAlix Peabody (Bev) - From Producing Events to Founding a Wine Company, The Challenges When Raising Capital, and How She Thinks About OpportunitiesThank you Fernando Gentil for the introduction to today's guest, Alix Peabody, CEO and founder of Bev. Bev is a wine company that is breaking down barriers in the heavily male dominated alcohol space.Feel free to follow Alix on Instagram and Bev @alixpeabody and @drinkbev. You can also follow your host, Mike, on Twitter @mikegelb. You can also follow for episode announcements @consumervc.One book that inspired Alix personally is The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz and one that inspired her...2020-08-2530 minThe Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsOffice Hour 2. David Goldberg (Corigin Ventures)This episode is part of a live recording Office Hour / AMA with David Goldberg.David Goldberg is a General Partner at Corigin Ventures. Corigin Ventures is a New York based venture capital firm leading seed stage investments in the founders defining the future of daily living. Some of their investments include Perch Interactive, The Inside, Classpass and Imperfect Foods. If you enjoy this episode, check out David's proper podcast episode #35.You can follow David on Twitter @davidrgoldberg. If you are a founder and working on something inn...2020-08-2417 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsJiake Liu (Outer) - How Outer Became The Fastest Growing DNVB In The US, His Approach to Showrooms, and Why You Can't Rely On "Build It and They Will Come"I'd like to thank Adelle Archer for introducing me to today's guest, Jiake Lu, CEO of Outer. Outer is an extraordinary company that is reengineering outdoor furniture. Business Insider named them the #1 fastest growing DTC brands. I chat with Jiake about how he went from founding a B2B business to B2C, his really unique showroom strategy.And there you have it, lots of fun chatting with Jiake about outdoor furniture. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @jiakeliu. You can also follow your host, Mike, on Twitter @mikegelb. You can also follow for episode announcements...2020-08-2053 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsDan Gluck (Powerplant) - The Opportunity He Saw After Reading "Born To Run" and His Inspiration Behind Investing in Plant Based ProductsOur guest today is Dan Gluck, Managing Partner of Powerplant Ventures a growth equity fund investing in emerging consumer food, beverage, and foodservice companies leading disruptive plant-centric brands. Some of their investments include Beyond Meat, Thrive Market, and Veggie Grill. Previously, Dan co-founded Health Warrior, which was acquired by PepsiCo in 2018. This was fantastic conversation and Dan discusses what attracted him to investing at young age, his insight that led him to founding Health Warrior and why he is so focused on better for you and plant based foods.One book that inspired Dan is The Choice...2020-08-1849 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsAlex Levitt (Yellow) - Inside Snap Inc.'s Launchpad for Startups, Building Products On Top of Social Platforms, and Her Diligence ProcessOur guest today is Alex Levitt, one of the heads of Yellow. Yellow is Snap Inc.'s ecosystem to serve companies at the intersection of creativity and technology with its Accelerator Program, Collabs Program, and Community Programming.Yellow is currently accepting applications through Sunday, August 23rd for its inaugural Collabs Program. If you're interested in integrating your product into the Snap Platform through Snap Minis, Snap Kit Dynamic Lenses, Scan, SnapML or more, visit YellowLA.com to apply and learn more.You can follow Alex on Twitter @alexmlevitt. You can also follow...2020-08-1333 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsBetsy Fore and Sofia Laurell (Tiny Organics) - Delivering The Healthiest Food to Babies, Approaching a Co-CEO Partnership, and Their Unique Way of Approaching Organic GrowthThank you Will McClelland for the introduction to today's guests Betsy Fore and Sofia Laurell, the co-founders and co-CEOs of Tiny Organics. Tiny Organics delivers organic, fresh, nutrient-rich baby and toddler meals created by their Infant Nutritionist. Their goal is to help every parent feed their baby and toddler the healthiest food. Previously, Betsy worked and created product lines for Mattel, Hasbro and MindCandy (Moshi Monsters). She was also the Founder and CEO of Wondermento, creators of the WonderWoof BowTie dog activity monitor. Sofia is a marketing and PR veteran, most recently at Ascend Foundation helping elevate women and...2020-08-1127 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsMitch Hayes (Los Sundays) - Building a Tequila Brand for the Millennial, Focusing on Generating Demand, and a Taste of the Beverage IndustryThank you Joe Tonnos for the introduction to today's guest, Mitch Hayes, founder and CEO of Los Sundays Tequila. Los Sundays is the tequila for the millennial and founded on the principles of Quality, Originality and Style.One book that inspired Mitch personally is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho . One book that inspired him professionally is Damn Good Advice by George Lois.You can follow Los Sundays on Instagram @los_sundays. You can also follow your host, Mike, on Twitter @mikegelb. You can also follow for episode announcements @consumervc.2020-08-0632 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsSasha Astafyeva (Atomico) - Growing a Real Estate Tech Company in Brazil, Series A Consumer Landscape in Europe, and How She Thinks About International ExpansionOur guest today is Sasha Astafyeva, Partner at Atomico. Atomico invests in Europe’s most ambitious tech founders at Series A and beyond. Some of their investments include Farmdrop, Habito, and teatime games. Sasha leads new investments in consumer. Previously, she was a Principal at Felix Capital and VP of Finance and Business Intelligence at VivaReal.A couple of books that inspired Sasha personally and professionally are The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy and Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson.You can also fo...2020-08-0440 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsNick Mindel (Amberstone) - Differences Between Trends and Fads, The Opportunity He Saw Investing In Consumer Brands, Why He's Bullish On Founders Located In Secondary MarketsOur guest today is Nick Mindel, Partner at Amberstone. Amberstone invests at the early stages in entrepreneurs building breakthrough consumer companies. Some of their investments include Daily Harvest, Juneshine, Bev and Honey Mama's. Previously, Nick worked at Piper Sandler and a co-founder of Trail Post Ventures. Thank you Justin Gordon for the introduction!A book that he recommends that inspired him personally is A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean. A book that inspired him professionally is Principles by Ray Dalio. A series that he's thoroughly enjoyed is The Red Rising Series by...2020-07-3039 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsEzra Galston (Starting Line) - Benefits of Chicago, Managed vs. Lightly Managed Marketplaces, and Consumer for the 99%Our guest today is Ezra Galston, Founding partner of Starting Line, a seed stage consumer tech focused fund based in Chicago. Previously he was a Principal at Chicago Ventures. Some of his investments include Cameo, Flyhomes, and Spothero.One book that inspired Ezra personally is The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. One book that inspired him professionally is Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown.I highly recommend following Ezra on Twitter @EzraMoGee. You can also follow your host @mikegelb.S...2020-07-2837 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsCoulter Lewis (Sunday) - Introducing D2C & Environmentally Friendly Lawn Care, and Lessons From a Serial EntrepreneurThank you Jordan Nof for introducing me to today's guest Coulter Lewis, founder and CEO of Sunday. Sunday provides nutrient and soil health plans for garden and lawn care. Previously, Coulter founded Quinn Snacks, the successful farm to bag snack company. But in this episode we focus on Sunday and lawn care. We talk about pesticides, why lawn care is an overlooked massive category, and Coulter's journey as a successful serial entrepreneur.One of Coulter's favorite books is Traction by Gino Wickman.Here are a few questions that I...2020-07-2326 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsAdam Cohen-Aslatei (S'more) - Bringing Inclusivity and Honesty to Online Dating, and How He Successfully FundraisedOur guest today is Adam Cohen-Aslatei, founder and CEO of dating app S'More, the dating app that is built for relationships. Adam has had an extensive career working in the online dating industry and the advertising world. He walks us through why S'More is different, how he thinks about bringing inclusivity to online dating and how he successfully fundraised.You can check out S'more here and follow them on Instagram here.A few books that inspired Adam personally are Freakonomics by Steven Levitt, Getting To Yes by Roger Fisher...2020-07-2130 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsJesse Draper (Halogen) - Why Investing In Female Led Businesses is Such a Massive Opportunity, Los Angeles Consumer Tech Scene, and Consuming Meaningful ContentOur guest today is Jesse Draper, Founding Partner of Halogen Ventures. Halogen Ventures is a Los Angeles, California based Venture Capital fund focused on investing in early stage consumer technology startups with a female in the founding team. Some of their investments include Hop Skip Drive, Clover Letter, and Binti. Previously, Jesse was an actress and founded/hosted The Valley Girl Show, where she interviewed some of the biggest names in business, entertainment, government, and technology.One book that impacted Jesse personally is To the End of June: The Intimate Life of American Foster...2020-07-1639 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsSoraya Darabi (TMV) - The Care Economy, Where Change Needs to Start In VC, and How to Approach Market SizingOur guest today is Soraya Darabi, General Partner at Trail Mix Ventures where she focuses on the future of living well. Previously, she worked at the New York Times, co-founded Foodspotting (acq. by OpenTable) and Zady. Some of her investments include Classtag, The Wing, and Alleyoop. Lots of insights on this episode as Soraya shares her amazing experiences both as a founder and investor, so without further ado, here's Soraya.And there you have it. It was really great chatting with Soraya, I highly recommend following her on Twitter @sorayadarabi. You can also follow your host, Mike...2020-07-1445 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsMeera Clark (Obvious Ventures) - How COVID led to a Crossroads in Healthy Habits, Milestones at Series A, and How She Thinks About Sustainability and Consumer CentricThank you Sumeet Shah for the introduction to today's guest, Meera Clark, Senior Associate at Obvious Ventures. Obvious Ventures invests in startups that combine profit and purpose for a better world. Some of their investments include Beyond Meat, Carezone, Goodeggs and Medium.I highly recommend following Meera on twitter @itsmeeraclark. You can also follow your host, Mike, on Twitter @mikegelb. You can also follow for episode announcements @consumervc.A book that inspired Meera is Setting The Table by Danny Meyer.Here are a few...2020-07-0934 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsEric Paley (Founder Collective) - Why Most Successful Companies Struggle To Convince VCs of Their Market Size, The Biggest Risk After Finding Product-Market Fit, and Why Pro-Rata Only Benefits Investors, Not FoundersI would like to thank Adelle Archer for introducing me to today's guest, Eric Paley, who is one of the Managing Partners at Founder Collective. Founder Collective's mission is to be the most aligned VC for founders at seed. Eric is a pretty legendary seed stage investor, some of his investments include Uber, CoverWallet, Seat Geek, Whoop, Thred Up and so many other incredible companies.One book that inspired Eric is Fooled By Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.You can follow Eric on Twitter @epaley. You can also follow...2020-07-0748 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsOffice Hour 1. Jason Shuman (Primary Ventures) - Recorded Live June 9th*Please note Office Hour episodes are not edited and the sound quality will not be as good as other episodes as they are recorded on one track.*Office Hours are opportunities for listeners to ask past guests questions themselves. We will be releasing the recorded versions each Saturday.This Office Hour with Jason Shuman was recorded live on June 9th. Jason Shuman is a Principal at Primary Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital firm responsible for backing NYC’s most promising founders. Some of their investments include Ticketfly, Jet, Deliveroo, and...2020-07-0416 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsAlex French (Bizzy Coffee) - The Cold Brew Competitive Landscape, Becoming #1 on Amazon, and Some of The Differences Raising from VCs and Family OfficesOur guest today is Alex French, founder and CEO of Bizzy Coffee, the #1 seller of cold brew coffee on Amazon. We discuss Alex's initial approach to entrepreneurship, how they've been able to maintain #1 Best Seller on Amazon, how he approached fundraising and was able to raise, and COVID's effects on Bizzy. Without further ado, here's AlexA couple books that inspired Alex are The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris and How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.Here are some of the questions that I asked Alex -...2020-07-021h 37
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsPippa Lamb (Sweet Capital) - Why Consumer Habits Developed During COVID Are Here To Stay, 99% Execution & 1% Vision, and Defining A Founder's Unfair AdvantageThank you Alex Pattis for the introduction to today's guest Pippa Lamb who is a partner at Sweet Capital. Sweet Capital in an early stage investment fund built by the founders of King.com (Candy Crush), following their sale to Activision Blizzard in 2015. Pippa focuses on early stage consumer technology investments ranging from software and next generation social communities to fintech. This is was fun and fascinating conversation as we talked about gamification in social, why she splits her time in LA and London, how she evaluates opportunities and her focuses.I highly recommend following her on...2020-06-3038 minThe Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsAnnouncement: New Full Episodes Tuesdays & Thursdays, Will Also Release Recorded Versions of AMAs on SaturdaysNew episodes will be now released on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I will also be releasing the recorded versions of the AMA / Office Hours with past guests on Saturdays. The next one is this Wednesday with Gautam Gupta, Partner at M13 and founding CEO of Naturebox. Here's the link to RSVP - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfJ9-rmz3OIBs7n03T--Sf2gHEFn8AE_YskddbI72UU0VI5Ag/viewform?usp=pp_url&entry.1511698299=Mike+Gelb&entry.808060663=AMA+with+Gautam+Gupta+on+July+1st+at+12pm+PT
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands2020-06-2900 minThe Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsCompilation: Fundraising from the Founder PerspectiveThis is a compilation episode about fundraising from the founders perspective. Some of their tactics, strategies when evaluating investors and how they reached out to investors. The founders featured are Kate Boyle, who is the founder of Banjo Robinson, Nadine Habayeb from Bohana, Adelle Archer from Eterneva, George Milton from Yellowbird Sauce, an amazing hot sauce company, and Jessica Rolph and Rod Morris, co-founders of Lovevery. 2020-06-2632 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsDan Graham (Springdale Ventures) - How He Scaled buildasign.com to over $100 million, The Opportunity He Saw Investing in CPG in Austin, and the Differences Analyzing DTC and Retail BrandsI'd like to thank Adelle Archer for introducing me to today's guest Dan Graham, one of the co-founders and General partners of Springdale Ventures. Some of their investments include Eterneva, Literati, and Beatbox beverages. Previously, Dan co-founded BuildASign.com in 2005 and grew it to an over $100 million dollar CPG, Ecommerce business that was purchased by Cimpress (VistaPrint) in 2018 for $280M. This episode we talk all things Austin and CPG - the opportunity he saw to form Spingdale, why he didn't need to fundraise when building Buildasign.com and how he thinks about brand in relation to ecommerce and retail.2020-06-2247 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsJessica Rolph and Roderick Morris (Lovevery) - Building Toys For Different Stages of a Child's Development, Advice When Co-Founding A Company, and Their Approach to FundraisingHello and welcome to The Consumer VC. I am your host Mike Gelb and on this show we talk about the world of venture capital and consumer facing startups.Thank you very much Natalie Dillon for the intro to today's guests, Jessica Rolph and Rod Morris, the co-founders of Lovevery, Staged-based play essentials designed by experts, built for babies and toddlers up to age 3. Previously, Jessica co-founded and served as COO of Happy Family, an extremely successful organic baby food company. Rod previously was the Senior Vice President at Opower. Going into this episode...2020-06-1845 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsGeorge Milton (Yellowbird Sauce) - Becoming The Hot Sauce Guy While Playing Gigs in Austin, Early Distribution Growing Pains, Getting into National RetailI'd like to thank Fernando Gentil for introducing me to today's guest, George Milton, co-founder and CEO of Yellowbird Sauce, Spicy condiments crafted to take you on a fiery–fresh food adventure. This is a conversation all about things hot sauce, which I really enjoyed. George takes us through his journey from playing music gigs to becoming known as the hot sauce guy in Austin Texas and eventually scaling his condiment business nationally.You can follow George on Twitter at @geemilton. You can also follow your host, Mike, on Twitter @mikegelb. Yo...2020-06-151h 00
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsTyler Handley (Inkbox) -Tattoos, Defining and New Market, and Why Stickiness Lies Within The TechnologyI'd like to thank Natalie Dillon for introducing me to today's guest Tyler Handley, co-founder and CEO of Inkbox, the tattoos for now. These are temporary tattoos that last for 1-2 weeks and fade as your skin naturally regenerates. We talk about the state of the tattoo market - both temporary and permanent, opportunity he saw at the early stages, how he was able to fundraise and scale. I'll be honest, before our conversation, I knew nothing about the tattoo market before this conversation, so this was certainly an eye opener for me and an insightful conversation.2020-06-1154 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsKanyi Maqubela (Kindred Ventures) - Why There's Been an Explosion in Seed and Late Stage Funds, Diversity Amongst Investors & Market Risk, and Why he's interested in Learning Why Something Is Not FundableWe have a few Office Hours / AMAs coming up -> https://theconsumervc.com/events/Kanyi Maqubela is a Managing Partner at Kindred Ventures. Kindred Ventures is a seed-stage venture capital fund, whose mission is to back visionary and dedicated founders who want to solve the most important problems and vastly improve people’s lives around the world. Some of their investments include Uber, Poshmark, Otis and Blue Bottle Coffee.Prior to Kindred, Kanyi was a Partner at Collaborative Fund and co-founded Heartbeat Health. He previously ran growth at One Bl...2020-06-0852 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsCatharine Dockery (Vice Ventures) - Cannabis, Alcohol, Nicotine, Gambling and Everything ViceOur guest today is Catharine Dockery founder of Vice Ventures. Vice Ventures is a seed-stage venture capital fund conquering stigmas and striving towards superior returns by investing in good companies operating in "bad" industries. Investments include early stage startups from non-traditional verticals including, cannabis, alcohol, CBD, e-sports, addiction recovery, sextech, and others. Some of her investments include Recess, Lucy and Player's Lounge. It was great chatting with Catharine about vice categories since we haven't covered too much of those categories, so without further ado, here's Catharine.You can follow Catharine on Twitter @vice_ventures. You can also...2020-06-0423 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsCompilation: One Piece of Advice Investors Have for B2C FoundersThis is my first compilation episode. I typically ask every guest what is one piece of advice he/she may have for B2C founders? I've pulled together a few that hopefully can be helpful to folks that are founders or are looking to found. Below are the investors featured and the minute marks on the episode when they share their thoughts if you'd like to jump around.Kiva Dickinson - 1:45Gautam Gupta - 4:10Nicole Quinn - 4:47Rishi Garg - 5:44David Wu - 6:28Charles...2020-06-0320 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsNadine Habayeb (Bohana) - The Future of Superfood Healthy Snacks, How Eastern Traditions Have Migrated West, and Finding Product-Market FitOur guest today is Nadine Habayeb, CoFounder & CEO Bohana. Bohana is a popped water lily seed snack brand that believes in a free-spirited snacking.Thank you Madeline Keulen for the introduction!You can follow Nadine on Twitter @Nadinodxb. You can also follow your host, Mike, on Twitter @mikegelb. You can also follow for episode announcements @consumervc. For all episodes, please visit www.theconsumervc.comOn book that inspired her personally is Sell Your Specialty Food: Market, Distribute, and Profit from Your Kitchen Creation by...2020-05-2844 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsDaniel Gulati (Comcast Ventures) - Execution vs. Network Type Business, How To Think About Winning a Category, and Evaluating Blue Ocean OpportunitiesOur guest today is Daniel Gulati. Daniel has spent the last 6 years at Comcast Ventures, a financially-focused venture capital firm with a 20 year history investing in consumer, enterprise, and frontier technology companies. He joined as Entrepreneur in Residence, and worked his way up the ranks to Principal, Partner and Managing Director at the firm. His seed stage portfolio includes D2C company Away (now worth $1.4B), sports media company The Athletic (reportedly worth over $500M) and digital health company K Health (also worth $500M according to Pitchbook). He recently became Founding Partner of Forecast, an early stage consumer fund.2020-05-261h 34
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsByron Ling (Canaan) - Analyzing Teams, Why It Might Be Harder to Raise a Series A vs. Seed during COVID, and Why Distribution is as Important as ProductThank you again Courtney Nelson for introducing me to our guest today, Byron Ling.Byron is a partner at Canaan. Canaan is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in visionaries with transformative ideas. Byron invests in consumer companies that are reinventing the way we shop, entertain and educate ourselves. Some of his investments include Roman, Papa, and Bravo Sierra. He was previously an investor at Primary Venture Partners and, prior to the venture world, was an early operator at Gilt Groupe. It was great chatting with Bryon about his diligence process and the...2020-05-2135 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsClaire Fauquier (Highland Capital Partners) - Purchase Behaviors of SMBs, Stretching Consumer and Sourcing at the Series AOur guest today is Claire Fauquier a Principal at Highland Capital Partners. Highland Capital Partners is one of the oldest venture capital funds that invests primarily at Series A and focuses on the early growth stage. Some of their investments include Harry's, Rent the Runway, and Clearbanc. In this episode we explore some of the differences and milestones companies typically have at the seed and series A stages. explore the milestones at Series A for technology startups and the purchase behaviors of small-medium businesses.One book that inspired Claire professionally is Radical Candor by...2020-05-1835 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsAnna Whiteman (Coefficient Capital) - Bold Marketing Using Non-Standardizing Channels, When a DNVB Should Think About Omnichannel, and Milestones for CPG Companies at Series AAnna Whiteman, Vice President at Coefficient Capital. Coefficient Capital is a new venture capital fund that leads early growth investments in fast-moving consumer goods, typically investing in Series A and B rounds. So far they've invested in Just Spices, NomNom, Hydrant and Personal Care. Anna also founded Rad Ladies, a private network of female founders. Previously Anna worked at VMG on investments including Health Warrior and Vermont Smoke and Cure, and also at Tribeca Venture Partners and Credit Suisse.One book that inspired Anna professionally is Stress Test by Ian Robertson. One book that...2020-05-1453 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsAdelle Archer (Eterneva) - From Ashes To Diamonds, A New Way To Honor Loved Ones and Experience InnovationAdelle Archer is the founder of Eterneva, which celebrates remarkable lives by making diamonds from Ashes. Eterneva was featured on Shark Tank, in which Mark Cuban joined other incredible angels and VCs as an investor. This episode focuses in the end of life space.You can follow Adelle on Twitter @adellearcher. You can also follow your host, Mike, on Twitter @mikegelb and for episode annoucements, you can follow @consumervc.A couple books that inspired Adelle are Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss and Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin...2020-05-1141 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsBonus: Sasha Strauss (Innovation Protocol) - Brand Strategy, Not Making Brand Too Personal, and Importance of PositioningSasha Strauss is the founder and Managing Partner of Innovation Protocol, a full-service strategic brand consulting and design firm based in Los Angeles, with a presence in San Francisco and New York. Some of his clients include Google, Doordash, Nestle, Paypal, and Concur Endurance Group. Sasha also teaches Brand Strategy to MBAs at UCLA, USC and UC Irvine.Highly recommend Sasha's TED Talk if you are looking for more resources about the power of brand and want to be inspired.One book that inspired Sasha professionally is Positioning: The Battle For Your Mind by Al...2020-05-0744 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsMichael Duda (Bullish) - Why TAM Is Overrated, Empathize But Don't Listen, and DTC 3.0Michael Duda is the Founder and one of the Managing Partners at Bullish.Bullish is a creative agency and a pre-seed fund, investing in early stage consumer companies. Some of their investments include Warby Parker, Peloton, Casper and Birchbox. Prior to founding Bullish, Mike spent 13 years at Deutsch Inc., where he became the youngest Partner in the company’s 35-year history overseeing business development, marketing and corporate strategy.You can follow Michael on Twitter @mikeduda You can also follow your host, Mike, on Twitter @mikegelb. You can also follow for episode announcements @co...2020-05-0452 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsJoe Tonnos (Ketch Ventures & Mistral Equity Partners) - Cricket Protein, Tequila and Investing in SustainabilityJoe Tonnos is a Principal at Mistral Equity Partners and a Co-Founder of Ketch Ventures. He invests across the consumer spectrum from seed/pre-series investments at Ketch to growth equity, private equity buyouts and even some public market investments at Mistral Equity Partners. Joe is also a Venture Partner at Natureza – a newly formed consumer VC focused on Series A investments. Some of his investments include Los Sundays, byCHLOE, and Oros.In this episode we discuss -What attracted him to investing and venture capital? What attracted him specifically to consumer How does he...2020-04-3042 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsBonus: Arie Abecassis (ICONYC Labs) - The Board of DirectorsArie Abecassis, is the founder and partner of ICONYC Labs and was the chairman of the board at SeatGeek. ICONYC labs is a business and funding acceleration platform customized for early-stage Israeli tech startups looking to accelerate growth and cut time to market. SeatGeek is the largest internet event ticket search engine. Arie also is a venture partner / mentor at DreamIt Ventures and has over twenty years of experience in building technology companies as an operator, advisor and venture capital investor.A book that inspired Arie personally and professionally is Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull....2020-04-2738 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsKate McAndrew (Bolt) - Distributed Teams, Fundraising Outside the Major Hubs, and Impact of COVIDKate McAndrew (Bolt) - Distributed Teams, Fundraising Outside the Major Hubs, and Impact of COVID2020-04-2347 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsBonus: Brian Wang (Dashing Leadership) - Why A Founder Might Need A Coach and a Conversation About Curiosity, Judgement and CultureBrian is an executive coach and owner of Dashing Leadership. He helps early-stage founders grow into more effective leaders. Previously he started and ran Fitocracy, one of the largest fitness social networks of its time, and sold it in 2015. Afterwards, he joined 500 Startups as a venture partner and later led major product initiatives at Credit Karma and Eaze.If you’re interested in learning more about how coaching can help you perform better as a leader, please schedule an introduction call at www.dashingleadership.com If you want to keep up to date on Br...2020-04-2046 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsBonus - Zac Dearing: Paycheck Protection ProgramThis episode explores the Paycheck Protection Program as it relates to venture backed small businesses. Zac Dearing is a J.D. Candidate at Harvard Law School and Venture Fellow at AlleyCorp. Zac has a deep appreciation for start-ups and small businesses starting when he was 12 when he founded and ran his own computer assembling business. He has gone on to have quite the career in consulting, finance, and technology.Here is a link to Zac’s tool for companies to understand how much government assistance they could expect to receive from PPP.2020-04-1624 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsRishi Garg (Mayfield) - Consumer Distrust, Curated Experiences, and What’s Next For Social MediaRishi Garg is a partner at Mayfield. Mayfield global venture capital firm with a people-first philosophy of investing. Mayfield invests primarily in early-stage technology companies in the enterprise and consumer sectors. Some of Rishi’s investments include Grove Collaborative, Oliver Space and Projector.Rishi backs consumer focused entrepreneurs and has been a longtime executive and entrepreneur at some of the world’s most innovative companies. He’s held senior positions at Twitter, Square, Google, MTV, co-founded FanSnap,a leading venture-backed live event ticket search company acquired by Nextag, Inc. It was great speaking with Rishi...2020-04-1348 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsDavid Goldberg (Corigin Ventures) - The Sharing Economy, Consumerization of Enterprise Software, and Distribution**This episode is brought to you by WeStock.io. WeStock streamlines the product request process and helps your brand get on retail shelves faster. Learn more at WeStock.io and when scheduling a demo, use promo code ConsumerVC for 25% off for your first year.**David Goldberg is a General Partner at Corigin Ventures. Corigin Ventures is a New York based venture capital firm leading seed stage investments in the founders defining the future of daily living. Some of their investments include Perch Interactive, The Inside, Classpass and Imperfect...2020-04-0932 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsNatalie Dillon (Maveron) - Subcultures, Sustainability, and The Differences Between Gen Z & and Millennials*Please note this episode was recorded back in January before the global pandemic.*Natalie Dillon is a Principal at Maveron. Maveron is a premier consumer focused fund that invests in seed and Series A companies that empower consumers to live on their terms. Some of their investments include eBay, Everlane, and AllbirdsPrior to Maveron, Natalie was at Susa Ventures, a premier seed-stage fund in San Francisco. At Susa, Natalie worked with the team to source and help diligence several investments, largely in the consumer space. Before Susa, Natalie...2020-04-0637 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsKiva Dickinson (Selva Ventures) - Best Time To Start A Brand, Why First Mover is So Important in CPG, and Why VCs are Scared of Getting it Wrong*This episode features two conversations I’ve had with Kiva*Kiva Dickinson is the managing partner at Selva Ventures. Selva Ventures invests in emerging brands that make their consumers’ lives better. Some of their portfolio includes Haus, Mud Water, and Three Wishes.Prior to founding Selva Ventures Kiva was a Partner at CircleUp, where he joined during the launch of the Company’s first discretionary equity fund CircleUp Growth Partners. While at CircleUp Kiva led Series B investments in Nutpods and Liquid I.V., working closely with both companies followi...2020-04-021h 21
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsMadeline Keulen (Victress Capital) - Knowing Your Why, Analyzing Contrasting Trends, and Building Brands*Please note that this episode was recorded before the coronavirus global pandemic*Madeline Keulen is Vice President at Victress Capital. Victress Capital is an early stage venture capital firm that provides visionary and diverse founding teams in the consumer space with capital and resources for growth. Victress has backed 21 innovative companies led by tenacious founders including Alyce, Daily Harvest, Harper Wilde, Rae, and Summersalt. Prior to Victress, Madeline developed her consumer expertise as an operator, experiencing first-hand the importance of customer-centric values while working at Apple and The Walt D...2020-03-3030 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsLogan Langberg (Imaginary Ventures) - DTC 2.0, Multiple Channels of Distribution, and Paid vs. Organic Growth*Please note that this episode was recorded before the coronavirus global pandemic*Logan Langberg is a Principal at Imaginary Ventures. Imaginary is a Venture Capital Fund that invests in early–stage opportunities at the intersection of retail and technology in Europe and the US. Some of their investments include Everlane, Glossier, and Daily Harvest.Logan was previously an investor at Alliance Consumer Growth, a leading consumer growth equity fund, where he invested in and supported Harry’s, LOLA, Honest Kitchen among other innovative consumer companies. It was a blast talk...2020-03-2645 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsCharles Hudson (Precursor Ventures) - The State of Seed Investing, The Early Stage Ecosystem, and Why Consumer Has Been Out Of Favor with VCsCharles Hudson is the Managing Partner and Founder of Precursor Ventures. Precursor Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on investing in the first institutional round of investment for the most promising software and hardware companies. Some of their investments include The Athletic, Goodr and Co-Star.
Prior to founding Precursor Ventures, Charles was a Partner at SoftTech VC and Co-Founder and CEO of Bionic Panda Games, an Android-focused mobile games startup. He also was the VP of Business Development for Serious Business (acq. Zynga) and Director of Business Development at Gaia Interactive.
You can...2020-03-2340 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsBonus - Coronavirus: Feat. Robert Gelb (HeySummit) - How early stage investors are thinking about the current landscape?I reached out to all past investors that came on the show and future investors that will be coming on and asked them the following questions pertaining to the impact of corona:
* Are you shifting strategy away/towards companies/verticals?
No. We're long term, early stage investors so we look at companies with a 5-10+ year time horizon. While we take the health, economic, and societal impacts of COVID-19 very seriously, especially in the next few months and quarters, our expectation is that over the long run the broad societal and economic impact will be...2020-03-2029 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsLaura Chau (Canaan) - The Five Pillars of Social Media, Moving Towards Status and the Power of GritLaura Chau is a Principal at Canaan. Canaan is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in visionaries with transformative ideas. Some of her current investments include Coterie, Curtsy, and Jumpcut. At Canaan, she focuses on consumer technology. She previously worked in Deloitte’s Strategy and Operations practice. She has also worked in sales and marketing functions within Kabam (acq. by Netmarble), Branch Metrics and Greenhouse, as well as working closely with Marie Kondo to launch the author’s product business.
Thank you Caitlin Strandberg for the introduction!
In this episode, we focus on Laura’s chap...2020-03-1628 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsEthan Austin (Techstars) - Punched in the Face with a Problem, Analyzing Teams and EQEthan Austin is the Managing Director of Techstars Western Union Accelerator. Techstars Western Union Accelerator is the premier program for global startups shaping the future of money movement. Companies participating in the program gain direct access to the world's best fintech execs, founders and investors covering everything from customer development, global go-to-market strategy, access to capital and biz dev opportunities. You can currently apply Here to be part of their summer cohort. The application deadline is April 5th, 2020.
Previously, Ethan co-founded Giveforward, the world's first medical crowdfunding platform which was acquired by gofundme, and Deal Gooder, an E...2020-03-0548 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsLee Hower (NextView Ventures) - Making Good Decisions Fast, Going With Your Gut and Why Trust at the Early Stages Is VitalLee Hower is the Co-Founder and Partner of NextView Ventures. NextView is a high-conviction hands on seed-stage VC firm that invests in founders who are redesigning the everyday economy. Some of their investments include Grove Collaborative, Skillz, Plastiq, Attentive, LetGo and TapCommerce. Previously, Lee was an early employee at Paypal and served as the Director of Financial Services. He then went on to co-found LinkedIn and serve as a Principal and Venture Partner at PJC.
Thank you Gautam Gupta for introducing me to Lee!
One of Lee’s blog posts that we discuss on the sh...2020-03-0253 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsBonus - Matt Hirst (West): Brand and Marketing - What is Brand?, How to Hire at the Early Stages, and Trusting Your Gut vs. Data DrivenMatt Hirst is the Managing Partner at West. West is a venture studio, a team of market and brand experts with investor discipline. Since 2011, West has partnered with some of the world’s most innovative companies and founders to maximize their opportunity and make impact including Impossible Burger, GofundMe, Square and Twitter.
Matt joined West 4 years ago after serving as the Global Head of Brand Experience at Google. Prior to Google, Matt spent 10 yrs at Red Bull as head of Sports, Events and Culture and the Director of Culture Marketing.
One book that inspired Matt pe...2020-02-2744 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsElizabeth Yin (Hustle Fund) - Investing When There’s No Traction and How To Mitigate Risk When FoundingElizabeth Yin is a co-founder and General Partner at Hustle Fund, a pre-seed fund for software entrepreneurs. One of Hustle Fund’s missions is to level the playing field in the world of venture-backed businesses by investing in non-Stanford and non-Ivy League founders.
Previously, Elizabeth was a partner at 500 Startups where she invested in seed-stage companies and ran the Mountain View accelerator. Elizabeth also co-founded and ran an ad tech company called LaunchBit (acq 2014). Her work and writing on startup fundraising have been featured in numerous publications including TechCrunch, Forbes, Huffington Post, BetaKit, and more.
If...2020-02-2430 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsJason Shuman (Primary Ventures) - Payback Period, Market Timing, and The Importance of DistributionJason Shuman is a Principal at Primary Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital firm responsible for backing NYC's most promising founders. Some of their investments include Ticketfly, Jet, Deliveroo, and Package Free.
Jason has been working in New York as a VC for the past four years. In college, Jason launched a direct-to-consumer footwear company that sold hand-sewn boat shoes and driving moccasins. He later went on to work at New York-based seed fund Corigin Ventures, where he invested in several companies including Latch, Loftsmart and Morty.
Thank you Sumeet Shah for the intro.
O...2020-02-2029 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsKate Boyle (Banjo Robinson) - Expanding Into Different Countries, Her Unfair Advantage, and StorytellingKate Boyle is the founder and CEO of Banjo Robinson. Banjo Robinson is a magical cat that writes personalized letters that turn reading, writing and learning about the world into a magical game for 5-8 year olds. Banjo Robinson graduated London Techstars Accelerator fall 2019 and recently raised a pre-seed round led by Collaborative Fund and Sesame Ventures. Previously, Kate worked at William Morris and in screenwriting and script development.
Thank you Eamonn Carey for the introduction!
You can follow Banjo on his journey @banjo_robinson_. To follow along behind the scenes of the show, you...2020-02-1845 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsGautam Gupta (M13) - The Thin Line Between Success and Failure, Board Construction, and Why He Offers Learnings, Not AdviceGautam Gupta is a Partner at M13 and founded and previously was the CEO of Naturebox.
M13 is a venture fund headquartered in Los Angeles that has invested in some of the most innovative consumer companies like Pinterst, SnapChat, Lyft, Bird, and Ring.
Naturebox, a subscription online delivery service that home-delivers all-natural snack foods. Before that, he started his career as an early stage investor at General Catalyst when he was just 18.
If you would like to keep up to date on Gautam, you can follow him @gramblings.To follow along behind the...2020-02-1327 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsTim Katt (TACK Ventures) - How Tech is Disrupting Sports, Media and Advice for Founders in Secondary MarketsTim Katt is the managing partner and co-founder of TACK Ventures, TACK Ventures is an early stage venture capital firm based in Brooklyn and focused on investing in game-changers across sports, media, lifestyle and entertainment. Investments include Overtime, ShotTracker, Roam, Greenfly and .
Tim also Co-Founded the Global Sports Venture Studio (“GSVS”) with R/GA Ventures and the Los Angeles Dodgers. As Managing Director of the GSVS, Tim advised executives at leading organizations in the sports industry including adidas, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Fox Sports, Levy Restaurants, MLB, MLS, the NHL, Octagon and UEFA, on corporate innovation and ventur...2020-02-1035 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsSophie Bakalar (fable & Collaborative Fund) - What is Market Expertise?, Conscious Consumerism, and How She Sensed An OpportunitySophie Bakalar is the founder of Fable, an e-commerce pet store help pets (and their humans) lead healthier, happier lives through better design. She is also a Venture Partner at Collaborative fund, a seed stage fund that focuses on the growth of the creative class and the concept of collaborative consumption. Some of their investments include Reddit, Impossible Foods, Tala, Lyft, and Kickstarter.
Previously, Sophie a credit trader in a hedge fund and started a B2B and founded digit charts, a company specializing in image processing software for charts, which was acquired in 2016.
You...2020-02-0639 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsSumeet Shah (Swiftarc Ventures) - 4th Generation of Retail, Periscope Founders and What is Wrong in VCSumeet Shah is the Portfolio Support Associate at Swiftarc Ventures. Swiftarc Ventures is an early- and growth-stage venture capital firm mainly focused on North America-based consumer brands making major economic and social disruptions.
Prior to Swiftrc, Sumeet was a Principal at Brand Foundry Ventures and has coached hundreds of founders on their investor decks and fundraising strategies. I had so much chatting with Sumeet as we discuss the 4th generation of retail, what is wrong with venture capital, and his due diligence process. I’d like to thank Sumeet personally as well as he has been vital to...2020-02-0346 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsMike Ghaffary (Canvas Ventures) - How to Evaluate Online Marketplaces, Why This is a Contrarian time to Invest in ConsumerMike Ghaffary is a General Partner at Canvas Ventures, one of the premier thesis-driven early-stage venture capital funds in San Francisco that invests in Fintech, Digital Health, Marketplaces, and New Enterprise. Prior to Canvas, Mike was a General Partner at Social Capital and as an angel investor, some of his investments include Strava, Skip Scooters, Pocket, Philz Coffee, Atrium, and Superhuman. He also has 10 years of operating experience as CEO of Eat24, VP Business and Corporate Development at Yelp, Director of Business Development at TrialPay, and co-founder of Stitcher and BarMax. And before that, Mike started his investing career...2020-01-0940 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsWill McClelland (Elizabeth Street) - The Changing of Retail on High Streets, How to Analyze Competitive Advantages, ROI on Consumer CompaniesWill McClelland is the Co-founder and Partner of Elizabeth Street Ventures, an early stage investment firm focused on the digital consumer and next generation brands that improve daily life. He is also the Co-founder of Bambike, a family business that builds bamboo bicycles and operates eco-tourism activities in the Philippines.
One book that impacted Will personally is The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell and one book that impacted him professionally is Pioneering Portfolio Management by David Swensen
You can follow Will on Twitter @data_01. You are also welcome to follow your host @mikegelb and @consumervc for updates.
...2019-12-1955 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsMike Duboe (Greylock) - Learnings as Head of Growth at Stitch Fix & Tilt, The Importance of Saying No, and Analyzing Health of AcquisitionMike Duboe joined Greylock Partners in 2018 and leads investments in commerce, marketplaces, and consumer more broadly. Previously, he led growth at Stitch Fix, Tilt, and others and has created, scaled, led growth teams from Series A through IPO across a span of businesses. Greylock Partners is one of the oldest venture capital firms, founded in 1965. Some of their investments include Facebook, Airbnb, LinkedIn, Instagram, RedFin, Pandora and many many more.
Two books that impacted Mike were Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse and The One Thing by Gary Keller
You can follow Mike on Twitter @mduboe. You...2019-12-1635 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsRick Heitzmann (FirstMark Capital) - The Future of Marketplaces, Why investing in B2C companies is different to B2B companies, Investing in Secondary and Tertiary MarketsRick Heitzmann is a founder and partner of FirstMark Capital and focuses on consumer and enterprise investments. Rick has led investments in market leaders such as Pinterest, StubHub (acquired by eBay), Riot Games (acquired by Tencent), Airbnb, Shopify and much more.
Prior to founding FirstMark, Rick was an entrepreneur including being a founding member of the senior management team at First Advantage which he helped grow and sell to First American. Rick has been recognized by CB Insights and the New York Times as a Top 100 Venture Capitalist globally. He serves on the Board of Directors of t...2019-12-0934 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsSusan Lyne (BBG Ventures) - Why Investing in Women Founders is Still an Untapped MarketSusan Lyne is the co-founder and Managing Partner of BBG Ventures, a fund that invests in visionary entrepreneurs building the next generation of market-defining consumer products and services. Every company in their portfolio has at least one female founder. Some of their investments include Zola, Blueland, Beautycon, and NextGenVest (acq. by CommonBond)
Susan began her career in the magazine industry, where she founded and led Premiere Magazine. She spent almost a decade at Disney, rising to President of Entertainment at ABC. She was the CEO of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia; CEO and then Chair of Gilt.com...2019-12-0533 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsCaitlin Strandberg (Lerer Hippeau) - How To Identify Consumer Pain Points, The D2C Investment Landscape, and The New York EcosystemCaitlin Strandberg is a Principal at Lerer Hippeau, the most active early-stage venture capital fund in New York. The firm has more than 250 active portfolio companies with investments in leading consumer and enterprise companies, including Allbirds, Casper, Guideline, and K Health. Lerer Hippeau invests across all sectors, backing founders with product vision, customer insight, and a keen instinct for brand building.
Previously, Caitlin was an early employee at LearnVest (acquired by Northwestern Mutual) and Behance (acquired by Adobe), as well as served as Vice President of FirstMark Capital.
You can follow Caitlin on Twitter Here...2019-12-0221 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsAjay Kamat (Pear VC) - Clarity of Thought, Future of Audio, and Today's Investing LandscapeAjay Kamat is a Partner at Pear, one of the premier early stage venture capital funds in Silicon Valley. Prior to Pear, Ajay founded Wedding Party, which was acquired by Instacart. Pear was founded by Mar Hershenson and Pejman Nozad, who were early investors in Dropbox, Lending Club, Zoosk, Addepar, Path and many others. Some of Pear's notable investments include DoorDash, Philz Coffee, Instaread, and Memebox.
You can follow Ajay on Twitter Here. If you would like to follow your host, Mike, for updates on the show, you can follow @mikegelb and the show @ConsumerVC
In...2019-11-2628 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsAmit Mukherjee (NEA) - The Gen Z Consumer, How to Evaluate Two Different Competing CompaniesAmit Mukherjee is a Partner at New Enterprise Associates (NEA), one of the premier and global venture capital firms that invests in all stages. Amit focuses on investing in consumer technology. He is a Board Observer for Casper, MasterClass, Brandless, and The Players’ Tribune, and was previously a Board Observer for Jet.com. Amit has led a number of seed stage investments for NEA, including Aquabyte, Holloway, Yumi and PumpUp.
You can follow Amit on Twitter Here, where he posts a ton of great thought-provoking content about consumer and venture capital. If you would like to follow yo...2019-11-1927 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsNicole Quinn (Lightspeed Venture Partners) - Future of Media, Investing in Women, and Thinking BigNicole Quinn is a partner and investor at Lightspeed Venture Capital, a venture capital firm that is engaged in the consumer, enterprise, technology, and cleantech markets. Some of Nicole's investments include Calm, Goop, Rothy’s, Cameo, Brandable, Girlboss, Illumix, Zola, Daily Harvest & Lady Gaga’s Haus Labs.
You can follow Nicole Here on Twitter. If you would like to follow your host, Mike, for updates on the show, you can follow him Here on Twitter.
In this episode, you will learn -
What attracted Nicole to early-stage investing from Morgan Stanley? Why she shifted from a...2019-11-1228 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I BrandsHayden Williams (BrandProject) - Empathy, Investing in Smoothies, and the Fickle ConsumerHayden Williams is a Partner of Investments at Brand Project, a venture capital fund that focuses on consumer investments at the early stage. Brand Project is hyper-focused on adding their operational value to founders as the team collectively has launched 100 new products and services for some of the most iconic companies.
Hayden joined Brand Project this year and previously was an investor at BBG Ventures as well as has experience as a founder of Treatings, the business networking app. You can follow Hayden on Twitter here. If you would like to follow your host, Mike, for updates...2019-11-0531 min
The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing I Brands0. Why The Consumer VCThis is an introductory episode explaining what will be covered and the goals for this podcast "The Consumer VC". For this episode, I recruited my brother Rob Gelb to interview yours truly about the podcast, the range of topics I hope to cover in the coming interview episodes in this podcast. For more information about this podcast, please check out our site or follow on Twitter.2019-10-2204 min