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December 2023 brands
Highlights from our December box, Founder Pro Tips, and more...
FirstLook
April 28, 2024
Welcome to our 55 new subscribers since our last newsletter. I'll do my best to keep this fun, light, and informative.
Szia! (“Hi/Hello” in Hungarian)
Welcome back to another consistently inconsistent newsletter. Let’s get to it.
WOW was I nervous sending the last newsletter shedding light on ways investors pay for deal flow. I try not to rock the boat too much, but it was something I’d been thinking about for so long. I had to get it off my chest and give a very real take on the underbelly of VC. The business of VC is interesting!
Everyday founders face challenges where it feels like, “This doesn’t make any fu*cking sense.” Stubborn founders refuse to keep iterating, while successful founders say, “I’m not sure why this isn’t working. Based on how the world works, this logically should. But for some reason it’s not, so it’s back to the drawing board to get this solved.”
One critique of my last email is I approached the problem from a VERY analytical perspective, as investors are very analytical people who appreciate a straightforward ‘financial’ argument. “If it don’t make dollars, it dont’ make sense!” - Some Guy
However, every good marketer on the contrary would instruct me to approach my pitch from the emotional angle first. Our brains reason with emotion first, and then the Prefrontal Cortex kicks in to validate. Let’s give it a whirl:
“Join FirstLook where you can experience and invest early in brands on route to become the next multi-hundred or even multi-billion dollar companies. By joining FirstLook, you stay ahead of the competition so you’re not left looking at deals already picked over by the insiders.
For only $99 you get a monthly boxes of exciting brands on the bleeding edge of innovation delivered right to your front door. Join today so you can invest in the next Liquid Death and tell all your friends ‘Yeah, I was one of their first investors…’”
….Fun, right?
To wrap up, here is Lori Greiner’s favorite VC scoreboard:
Founder Pro Tip of the Month 💡
Here are things NOT to do when pitching investors or building decks:
Don’t say you have product-market fit. You most likely don’t. Instead, say, “Data, customer feedback, and momentum seems to indicate we’re tapping into something very real here and trending towards PMF.”
Don’t put “Y1” or “Year 1” Y2/Year2, Y3/Year 3…. in financial charts. Instead, just put the actual year. Makes things cleaner and understandable.
Don’t have decimals in dollar values on charts. Having your Y axis increments in $100,000.00, $200,000.00 looks…dumb. Many investors are Type A’s with finance backgrounds so that makes them squirm. Instead, have whole numbers or shorten to $100k, $200k, $300k….much cleaner.
Don’t tell investors the raise deadline is XX. Investors see right through that BS line and will lose respect for you. Exception: you will close your round even if you don’t hit your raise goal. Instead, say, “We’re working towards our round closing by XX which should be the case as investor interest has been strong. If we close earlier, great. If it goes past, we’ll consider cutting things off there with less $ so we can get back to building.”
Don’t make an investor send the calendar invite. Instead, take charge and remove ambiguity by sending the invite. Yeah yeah I get it, it’s a power status game at this moment. But to hell with that. You’ll earn more respect taking charge and demonstrating you’re efficient with your time. If anything, you actually retain the ‘power’ position as you’re the one running the show.
Ok I’ll stop there. Could probably rattle off a dozen more. I’ll continue this in the next newsletter.
Did a friend forward you this and now you want to join?
December Box Brands 🚀
Investors: 47 → Apply Here | Brands: 7 → Apply Here | Intros: 58(!)
Investors interested in a brand below, please email [email protected]
Grüvi
Founded by Niki Sawni + Michael Gurr + Anika Sawni | Site + IG | 📍Denver / Toronto
How We Met Them: They won Brandjectory’s Pitch Slam competition, and I donated a spot in the box as part of the prize package.
One Liner ✍️ — Grüvi produces an unparalleled variety of the highest awarded alcohol free beverages globally.
What made them stand out: I liked Grüvi for two main reasons. First, I think NA drinking options that are alternatives to beer and wine will work better long term than NA options that are just juices. Grüvi’s Golden Ale tastes incredible and I routinely sub it in between beers these days - like I did this past Friday at poker night. The second reason is Grüvi is something DSD distributors are looking for which I’ve noticed from running, Distrobox. Those two reasons make for great momentum.
High Confectionary
Founded by Jenna Goldring Lahcanski + Tim Krometis + Nicole Aaronson | Site + IG | 📍NYC
How We Met Them: I met Jenna through a friend in the cannabis space.
One Liner ✍️ — The High Confectionary is the all-natural, microdosed hemp gummy that believes in building your own buzz.
What made them stand out: I liked HC for a handful of reasons. First, product tastes great. Second, Jenna has some really high-profile business and celebrity types on the cap table. These folks can help with capital on later raises, and they open up (distribution and marketing) doors. Third, I think Jenna is a really strong founder who is incredibly motivated. Lastly, HC is one of the early gummy brands with branding that appeals to the masses. Many edibles I see are dated or polarizing. HC looks beautiful and approachable for everyone. As a bonus, I like HC’s dosing, 1mg / gummy, which makes controlling the experience easier.
Meepo
Founded by Matthew Elonis + Theodore Elonis + Andres Arrocha | Site + IG + Tiktok | 📍Philadelphia
How We Met Them: They applied to FirstLook.
One Liner ✍️ — Meepo makes nutrition fun, easy, and effortless by delivering full meals, high-quality protein, impactful supplements, and all of your daily vegetables in the form factor of delicious candy.
What made them stand out: First, their product lines are quite unique. They carry meal replacement cubes, protein cubes, and creatine cubes. Each are impressively engineered to make the most out of such a small form factor. They’re perfect on the go and have so much potentially both domestically and abroad. The other main reason is that Matthew and team are really talented, efficient, and data driven. Matthew and his brother, Ted, started a meal delivery kit company years back which was eventually acquired. The experience is already paying off with Meepo.
Funding 🤑 : Meepo landed a $50,000 check from a FirstLook Investor!
Original CRUMBS BakeShop
How We Met Them: I was intro’d to Jason from my friend Tom Malengo
One Liner ✍️ — First established in 2003, CRUMBS BakeShop is back with the original founders relaunching this famous brand that pioneered gourmet cupcakes and created the “cupcake craze” that existed for so many years.
What made them stand out: I loved Original CRUMBS because of their legacy. OC originally launched in 2003 as bakeshops around NYC. Things exploded, and they were later acquired. Things didn’t pan out according to plan afterwards, which created an opportunity for Jason to take the brand back, and relaunch it but as a consumer line focused on retail. The built-in brand equity OC, plus Jason and Mia’s experience, made this a no-brainer for including in the boxes.
Discount: use GOLDB3LLYIT for $20 off your first order on GOLDBELLY
Funding 🤑 : Original CRUMBS landed a $50,000 check from a FirstLook Investor!
Seal the Seasons
Founded by Patrick Mateer + Alex Piasecki | Site + IG + Vid | 📍Durham / NYC
How We Met Them: An intro from my bff Nate Rosen of ExpressCheckout
One Liner ✍️ — Seal the Seasons supplies locally grown foods to grocery stores nationwide using a unique regional supply chain system.
What made them stand out: StS’s model, and what they stand for, is at the core of what every consumer wants: Local fresh produce, delivered in a sustainable way, that supports local farmers. That’s the money shot right there. StS’s supply chain is not simple, but Patrick and team are incredible with execution. So far retailers, consumers, and local farmers are loving them as their products wayyy outsell competitors. I honestly don’t have much more to add here. It’s not an easy business, but it’s exactly what Americans want and need which is why I had them jump in the FirstLook.
Spicewell
Founded by Raina Kumra | Site + IG + TikTok + Video | 📍LA
📸 : @scottamacias
How We Met Them: They applied to FirstLook
One Liner ✍️ — The world’s first clean label nutrient dense seasonings.
What made them stand out: I liked Spicewell for three reasons. First, the product makes sense. I think nutrient deficiency is on the rise which is why you’re seeing so many health issues with Americans across the board. Second, Raina previously worked in VC so she understands the game well. Third, Spicewell has quite a loaded cap table with lots of well connected industry folks and celebs. Like High Confectionary, this could open doors for them as they grow!
Toto
Founded by Sydney Webb + Bennett Quintard | Site + IG + TikTok | 📍LA / Scottsdale
How We Met Them: An angel investor in Toto intro’d us.
One Liner ✍️ — Treats that treat you better. Toto is a female focused snack brand with a mission of helping women love themselves from the inside out.
What made them stand out: I liked Toto for a handful of reasons. First, Sydney’s health journey led her to start Toto which means she’s passionate. Investors love founders on meaningful missions. Second, the cookies taste great, which explains how they are already in 2000+ doors across the nation. Overall Toto is strong with creating authentic content that resonates with consumers. Sydney’s journey is so relatable to so many others. In the first few weeks following their Tiktok Shop launch, they had their first viral video which surpassed 500,000 views.
Discount: Use “FirstLook” for 20% off
Wheyward Spirits
Founded by Emily Darchuk | Site + IG + Video | 📍Portland
How We Met Them: Intro from InvestBev
One Liner ✍️ — For the adventurous spirit, Wheyward Spirit offers a 2-bottle spirit solution that enables the creation of any cocktail under the sun, delivering Versatility with Values™.
What made them stand out: Wheyward is unique because it’s a completely new kind of spirit. It’s not a vodka, whiskey, tequila or anything like that. It’s in its own category. Check their About page for a full primer. Emily’s innovation is driven by a proprietary process where instead of using typical grains, grapes, or agave to produce spirits, she uses upcycled whey to make ‘farm-to-flask’ spirits all while preventing food waste. Cool, right? I’m excited to watch Wheyward grow and pioneer an entirely new category. Fun Fact: Wheyward did a collab with Ben & Jerry’s ice cream!
That's a wrap, January box is next. Keep on building my friends.