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April 2023 FirstLook Brands
Highlights from our April Box, Alumni brand updates, Founder Pro Tips, and more.
FirstLook
July 23, 2023
Welcome to our 28 new subscribers since our last newsletter. I'll try my best to keep this fun, light, and informative. I'm glad you're here.
Geia / γεια! ("Hi" in Greek)
I’m proud to share that FirstLook hit its 3 Year Anniversary in June!
It's a big milestone, and I owe so much of our success to many close friends who supported me along the way. You know who you are. Thank you 🙏
So how has this new innovative way of connecting founders and investors fared? Turns out, pretty damn well! Here are some high-level metrics so far:
Not captured in that pic: 6 brands have been acquired! Not ‘f*ck you money’ exits, but exits nonetheless!
I'll be detailing a deeper analysis of our performance over the coming months. For now, this is a good starting point for "is this working?" - for which the answer appears to be a resounding "YES!"
I think it's also important to highlight what’s NOT captured in those numbers. I take immense pride in working with incredible investors. If consumer isn't their main focus, check sizes are too small, or they aren't helpful to founders... they aren't a fit for FirstLook. Sorry not sorry.
Because of this, there are many examples of FirstLook investors supporting brands in other ways beyond writing checks. Here are a few:
A family office helped plug a brand into The Paper Stores, totaling 86 locations
An investor connected a brand with Tim Tebow, who invested and joined on as a cofounder
An investor plugged a brand in with a distributor who went on to open 300 doors for them
An investor connected a brand with an NBA player who invested
The list goes on and on, including countless examples of investors (1) becoming customers of the brands, and (2) making intros to other investors who end up investing now or in later rounds.
As one investor put it, FirstLook is a "low cost / high reward" opportunity for brands. I couldn’t agree more (which still has me puzzled on why every brand doesn’t apply…but that’s a post for another day).
For founders who are confident in their brand and believe sampling is important, you would be wise to apply to FirstLook. The stronger your brand, the better you do on intros. It’s quite simple really.
If you’re a fan of what I’m building over here, please forward this email to a founder who may be interested in jumping in. I appreciate it. Thanks!
Lastly, shout out to my most loyal newsletter reader, my mom. Hi, Mom!!
FirstLook Alumni MAKING MOVES 🔥
Beverage 🥤
Tally Kids makes it into VegNews’s 3 New Vegan Milk Brands for Kids article, and recently surpassed 100 stores of distribution since their June 2023 launch in KeHE.
Congrats to BUBLUV for getting into Go Puff, and landing 230+ new stores in the Northeast which covers Target store expansion, GoPuff, and a September launch in 100 Wegmans’ doors!
NOCA recently surpassed 100 MILLION VIEWS on their TikTok. Since the launch of TooTurntTea, TooTurntTony has generated 200M+ views of the product, driving consumers to stores.
Buoy achieved 600% DTC sales growth in the last 3 months!
Food / Snacks 🍌
Wunderkeks continues to expand their empire, this time through the creation of their non-profit The Sunday Afternoon Foundation.
Dirty Cookie was just picked up by Disney and will be on QVC in October!
not just co. is launching their pasta sauce set in 240 Super Targets across the country this September.
Chia Smash recently launched squeezable single serve superfood jams which hit Sprouts shelves nationwide.
Daily Crunch launches their newest flavor, Dill Pickle Sprouted Almonds + Pepitas - a collaboration with Cleveland Kitchen, where they use their pickle ends making the flavor upcycled certified.
BelliWelli recently got the green light to launch in Target stores nationwide in September.
Lil Bucks secured placement for their Clusterbucks snacks with Whole Foods National, and recently launched a $1.5M seed round to get ahead of the January launch!
Tech ⌚
Kara Water has now delivered 50% of their pre-orders, many of whom are luxury hotel and spa brands looking to replace plastic bottles and providing alkaline drinking water to their customers.
Luma crosses $100k in gross revenue (with zero paid marketing) after passing 1 full year since selling Luma 1.0 via their private beta last June.
Alcohol / Non-Alc 🍻
Fashion 👗
Home Goods 🏠
ettitude launched their naturally antimicrobial CleanBamboo Hemp bedding line. It’s super soft, and saves 51% of water and 25% of CO2 vs. Belgian Flax Linen.
Anact and Paramount Theatre team up for a groundbreaking sustainability event in Austin.
Naboso was just granted a utility patent for the texture pattern they use on all their sensory-based products.
Beauty, Health, and Wellness 💫
SWAIR was featured on the Today Show during the coveted 9 o’clock hour in the segment “5 Smart Solutions to Help You Solve Annoying Problems,” resulting in a record sales day.
Kiramoon recently hit 977% YOY revenue growth and confirmed distribution of ~1M units in the next 12 months.
Beauty Independent wrote up a great feature on 4AM who sold out in The Routine on Urban Outfitters their first week, and they got a re-order from Revolve in their first 2 weeks of launch there!
FirstLook Alumni CASHING CHECKS 💰
(This is a new section I will be building on going forward)
Congrats to Lauren Sweeney and the Deliver Zero team on closing their recent $3.3M round.
Congrats to Douglas Giampapa and the HealthyCell team on their recent $2M round. Investors include Keen Growth Capital, Ember Fund, and Venture South.
Freestyle closed their $2M seed round at $10m valuation, latest SPINS data shows Freestyle in the Top 3 fastest growing babycare brand nationwide!
JIBBY Coffee just hit over $180k in their crowdfunding campaign!
Smooth Sail, cofounded by international music star Jay Sean, launches their crowdfunding campaign on Republic.
Founder Pro Tip of the Month 💡
If you’re building a brand with a product that already exists, you MUST address in your deck why you are the better bet for investors above all the other similar startups.
Too often I see these brands expound on why their product is superior to the massive incumbents. This is great, but as a founder you are personally competing with other founders in your category for investor dollars.
Address the other startups in the room (investors like to know that YOU KNOW who’s out there), and distinguish how you’ll beat them. Many investors look at a category and decide, “I’m going to bet on a single horse in this category.” So make sure you cover why you’re the right horse to bet on!
Did a friend forward you this email, and now you want to join?
April 2023 Brands 🚀
Investors: 41 → Apply Here | Brands: 7 → Apply Here | Intros: 48
Are you an investor interested in any of the below brands? Email [email protected]
Bud Love
Founded by Roy Lipski, Alastair James, & Shuchi Sarakar | Site + IG + YouTube | 📍San Diego
What made them stand out: I love this brand. As someone who has rolled up a jay or two over the years, this product is genius. BudLove is a “premium Herbal + Mixer designed to be combined with your favorite strains and enjoyed together, like the mixer in a cocktail – only for flower.” Cannabis has become a BIG deal in the U.S.A., and Bud Love giving us the ability to sprinkle in some extra flavor and aromas into a rollup can really take things to the next level. Roy is a multi-time founder who took a previous company he started public, so I trust he’ll do well here.
Goodwipes
Founded by Charlie Siciak & Samuel Marcus | Site + IG + TikTok | 📍 Atlanta
What made them stand out: For starters, their traction is INSANE. They’re consistently outselling competitors and picking up new retail accounts weekly. All that leads to currently being the #1 fastest growing flushable wipe brand in brick & mortar and on Amazon! Charlie and Sam are strong when it comes to efficiency, execution, and hustle. The overall key driver for them, which is essentially their ‘big bet’, is that America will continue to adopt flushable wipes on a similar trajectory as Europe has over the last decade. Across the Atlantic this is a much bigger industry, and so far many indicators point to this trend being replicated in the U.S.A.
KRAM Nutrition
Founded by Ruth Moretton & Austin Fortier | Site + IG + TikTok | 📍 Sacramento
What made them stand out: I really liked KRAM’s differentiation in targeting athletes and adventure seekers who want something healthy and delicious on-the-go. This seems to be resonating well with retailers who have been quite eager to bring KRAM in. With one being Meijer, who is rolling them out nationwide next month. Ruth and Austin are quite the duo who continue to push the brand forward. Things are early, but so far they are trending in the right direction.
Motto Beverage Co
Founded by Tom Olcott & Henry Crosby | Site + IG | 📍 NYC
What made them stand out: Gaaahhdamn is this brand beautiful. I’m obsessed. I’m also obsessed with what’s in their cans, which in the pic above is Motto’s sparkling matcha drink. It took Tom and Henry a while to perfect this recipe, but they nailed it. I usually don’t crave matcha, but with Motto I will crush a can instantly. My body yearns for it. When I first saw this brand, the first thing that came to mind was, “Wow, this could be the Athletic Greens of beverage. Sh*t, maybe Athlete Greens would acquire them?” I am especially excited to watch Motto blossom into something special.
snif
Founded by Bryan Edwards & Phil Riportella | Site + IG + TikTok | 📍 NYC
What made them stand out: First off, Bryan is such a nice guy despite spelling his name with a “y”. He’s the type of person you want to work alongside with, which wouldn’t be a bad idea here considering snif is growing fast. What made me fall in love was the incredible partnerships they’ve created to help grow the brand. This includes collaborations with Prince Tennis, Half Baked Harvest, singer Harry Hudson, and Pharrell’s The Goodtime Hotel, amongst many others. These colabs bring exposure and legitimacy to snif, and legitimacy begets legitimacy. It also helps to have the Kardashians as fans of your brand!
Tigo
Founded by Anita Parikh & Geoff Harris | Site + IG + TikTok | 📍 Miami
What made them stand out: As the RTD cocktail spaces matures, we’ll see continued categorization of brands. In Tigo’s case, they’re catering those who wants a truly premium experience. Tigo is the first brand to use a premium 100% blue agave tequila reposado which is much appreciated by their audience. After just 6 months in market, they signed with top national distributor RNDC and won best new RTD/Seltzer by the WSWA. Nice work! To round things out, I also thought their focus on launching internationally was a big differentiator. This can be challenging, but for those who can execute, it can be a big driver for building brand equity and revenue.
Vice Reversa
Founded by Arthur Mitroulas & Peter Tighe | Site + IG + TikTok | 📍London
What made them stand out: Vice Reversa is leading the way with a unique anti-aging focus leveraging micromasking patches designed by K-Beauty scientists. Say what? They are patches covered with dissolvable MicroCrystal tips which easily bypass the top layer of dead skin cells and deliver rejuvenating skin care actives exactly where they’re needed. Vice Reversa’s targeted solutions connect perfectly with the “Rx” trend for more professional, effective, and concentrated products. This brand is still early, but for consumers with crow’s feet, spots, and fine lines who aren’t finding success with topical skincare routines, VR’s patches might be the smart move.
And that's a wrap. The May box is next. Stop chasing clout and keep on building, my friends.
Founders, sign up here to jump in our boxes —— Investor, sign up here to get a box!
This email was proofread by my lovely wife, Michele. Please buy her stuff here and here. We’re trying to save up to buy our first home together :)