- FirstLook Newsletter
- Posts
- August 2023 FirstLook Brands
August 2023 FirstLook Brands
Highlights from our August box, Founder Pro Tips, and more...
FirstLook
December 18, 2023
Welcome to our 36 new subscribers since the last newsletter. I'll do my best to keep this fun, light, and informative. Glad you're here.
Ahoj! (“Hi” in Czech)
Welcome back to another consistently inconsistent newsletter. Please bear with me as play catch up to get back on schedule for 2024.
FUNDING NEWS 🤑: We recently learned an investor intro made to Esker Beauty in Sept 2022 eventually turned into a $200K check! Congrats to Shannon Davenport, founder of Esker. This is a great example of why building relationships is important, and how investors invest “in lines, not dots.”
One of the leaky buckets I’ve dealt with since day one is keeping track of investments over time. Founders can forget where intros came from, and investors can lose track as investments can sometimes take months or years to materialize. Makes me wonder how many others are out there…probably in the 100’s of millions of dollars. jk.
But seriously, the long tail value of FirstLook for founders is strong, which is why every brand should apply. The “low cost / high reward” opportunity that is FirstLook can pay serious dividends for founders who jump in.
In other news, the Founder Horror Stories newsletter is set to go live in January. If you are a founder and would like your story featured, please share it here! I’ll do my best to get eyeballs on your brand while you emotionally pull readers into your journey.
Lastly, I recently created an Alumni Brands Raising Portal for FirstLook Investors. There they can review past brands that are raising new rounds and take intros. Yet another perk of joining FirstLook as an investor.
At this point anything else is just me rambling so I’ll cut if off here and finish on a snapshot of Kevin Hart’s favorite scoreboard:
Useful Links 🤓
CPG Industry Master Calendar- Free calendar used by 1000+ people in CPG VC
FirstLook Merch Shop- Grab some swag! It would be a great support.
Distrobox- Helps bev, snack, and beer brands get into DSD distributors
Express Checkout- my bff Nate’s newsletter that everyone in CPG loves
Past FirstLook Newsletters- Study the brands from previous months boxes
Founder Pro Tip of the Month 💡
Every founder prays their pitch deck never lands in enemy inboxes. But that’s impossible to prevent so instead build your deck with the mindset that it’s a marketing tool.
Design it so you’re sharing enough to get an investor interested and take an intro, but NOT enough where you’re giving away all your juicy secrets.
This can be tough, I’ll admit it, but it’s possible. Decks are simply a means to get to an intro. The best thing you can do is build a deck that goes wildly viral so you increase your odds of meeting the right investors. In that vein, many rounds get filled by investors sharing a brand with their inner circle who trusts their judgement.
Build a deck that gets shared. Fundraising is a numbers game to find the right people who love what you’re building. "You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your handsome prince."
Did a friend forward you this and now you want to join?
August Box Brands 🚀
Investors: 44 → Apply Here | Brands: 7 → Apply Here | Intros: 44
Investors Interested in brands below, email [email protected] for decks.
Cellular Farms
Founded by Arash Amini | Site | 📍Charlotte
What made them stand out: Cellular Farms appears to have cracked the code on building more operationally efficient and productive vertical farms. Because of this, instead of growing salads/produce like the majority of existing vertical farms, they are instead focusing on whole plant supplements for which the price/pound is significantly more lucrative. If Arash executes well, the upside here is significant, which is why I had them jump in.
Compostic
What made them stand out: compostic landed in 1100+ doors within the FIRST YEAR of launch which tells me this is very on trend for what retailers and consumers want. I also really loved Jon’s strong grasp on his numbers this early on, and his deep experience with supply chain in Asia provides a moat as they build in North America. Great metrics and founder aside, the world NEEDS more brands dedicated to sustainability like compostic to exist. I pray this brand goes the distance.
good light
Founded by David Yi + Michael Engert | Site + IG + TikTok | 📍NYC
What made them stand out: This founding team is strong and has a track record of building. David launched verygoodlight.com during Covid which has turned into a leading beauty and grooming destination for Generation Z and young Millennials. Having this editorial asset creates trust and connection with consumers which is evidenced by their strong, early success in Ulta. I also really loved their partnership with Netflix’s Heartstopper which you can learn about here, and shop the collab here!
Homiah
Founded by Michelle Tew | Site + IG | 📍NYC
What made them stand out: Michelle. That’s your answer. Within 5 mins of meeting her I immediately had that “she gets it” feeling which is a feeling ALL investors hope to feel before they pull out their checkbook. Michelle aside, Homiah is America's first Southeast Asian Nonya pantry (Malaysian/ Indonesian/ Singaporean cuisine) with authentic, ready-to-eat sauces and condiments based on family recipes. I can confirm everything tastes incredible. Michelle’s strong cap table which includes founders from prominent adjacent brands will help her avoid mistakes, move quick, and truly blossom. Congrats to Michelle on successfully closing her round at her target raise amount!
Lightly
Founded by Dominique Olowolafe | Site + IG | 📍LA
What made them stand out: Lightly has a unique model taking advantage of “revenge travel” where customers are expecting more from their hotels. Lightly offers hotels a means of distinguishing themselves by supporting guests with baby kit essentials (diapers, creams, powders, etc). Lightly is also now officially international after having added Half Moon Jamaica and St. Regis Toronto to their growing hotel portfolio, and was recently selected as Official Event Partner for the 2024 Forbes Travel Guide Summit Event. Things are looking bright this coming year!
Personal Fav
Founded by Hannah Hutton + Stephanie Elias | Site + IG + TikTok | 📍NYC
What made them stand out: Hannah and Stephanie are passionate founders which is a great start. What I really liked here is Personal Fav’s hyper focus on creating the absolute cleanest sexual wellness products on the market. So much so that it landed them in this recent academic journal Consumers are waking up to harmful chemicals quicker than ever, and that tribe is growing in size. If they can continue building their core customer group, many others will fall in line.
Discount Code 🎟️ ➜ FAVDT for 20% off sitewide
Plink!
Founded by Max Luthy + Luke Montgomery-Smith | Site + IG + TikTok | 📍Burlington, VT
What made them stand out: Plink! is playing in a quickly growing space: Hydration. Americans are seeing its importance, and are taking action. Because of this, we’re seeing categorization which is Plink!’s opportunity. Their tabs are fun, convenient, and planet friendly compared to competitors. Their strong cap table tells me other smart minds are seeing the writing on the wall as well. Max and Luke are the ultimate duo with the chops to take things far and keep us all hydrated.
Discount Code 🎟️ ➜ “FIRSTPLINK” for 30% off sitewide
And that's a wrap. The September box is next. Keep on building my friends.