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May 2024 Box
4 years of observations on the investor side + highlights of the May box brands
FirstLook
August 04, 2024
Welcome to our 12 new subscribers since our last newsletter. I'll keep this fun, light, and informative. Did a friend forward you this? Subscribe here.
Geia! (“Hi/Hello” in Greek)
Welcome back to another consistently inconsistent newsletter. Let’s jump in.
Funding Announcement 🤑
Congrats to Alison and Chloe, founders of SAYSO, on landing a $25K check from a FirstLook investor! SAYSO was in this May box so more on them below.
Below are some interesting learnings and observations on all things investors since starting FirstLook. As I wrote this newsletter, I realized I could have written so much more. For the sake of time, here are only a handful of observations. Expect future newsletters to go even deeper on these topics among others.
BUT First, One More Point on the Startup Side
In my last newsletter I covered the startups side of FirstLook, but one more thing came to mind after I sent it that I want to highlight: Social capital.
Social capital is the weight a person’s name brings to an interaction, and more importantly, to sharing deals. To give perspective: Person A shares 2 deal a year with you. Person B shares 200 deals a year with you. Whose deals will you look at more carefully and take more seriously?
It sometimes feels that founders believe sharing a deal is as simple (and free) as sending an email. It is not. There is a very real social capital cost, which is arguably the most important currency in VC. For all the founders out there, please take this into consideration. Building social capital takes a ton of time and effort.
My Lens for Context
Over my six year VC career, I’ve been fortunate to review over 2500 pitch decks and talk to even more founders. Launching FirstLook has given me a very unique seat at the founder-investor table. Here I see both sides bicker talk it out.
I chat with investors of all types daily, work closely with, and even sometimes invest alongside them. So let’s talk about 4 years of building FirstLook and working with these folks…
Mad Respect
First and absolutely foremost, I have immense respect to anyone writing VC checks. They’re essentially spending tens of thousands of dollars on a lottery ticket. You have to be pretty insane brave to get into this line of work.
That being said, CPG investors are different from most other groups of investors. Everyone and their mother thinks they have the intelligence to invest in this space. “I’ve been watching brands and holding products in my hand since as long as I can remember! How hard can this be?!” - many CPG investors
CPG is a tough category to invest in, but because many wealthy folks don’t understand other VC industries (like Deep Tech, for example) CPG can be their starting point. This means CPG VC has many more novice investors. And with novice investors come tourist investors. These are folks who dabble when times are good - aka money is flush aka the market is up - but quickly disappear when times are bad.
Furthermore, tourist investors typically write smaller checks and love the idea of ‘playing investing.’ The lure of throwing that “Angel” title on their Linkedin is stronger than the song of a Siren.
Investors Aren’t as Graceful as We’d Like
There’s no shortage of founders with stories on how irritating investors are when it comes to passing on their round. The truth is, investors never really want to ‘close the door’ on a relationship. If that founder ends up blowing up, they want the ability to jump back. Thus investor reasons for passing can feel vague and open-ended. “You’re too early” is the most classic. This blog post by Kyle Harrison (my favorite writer in VC) is a stunning read on this topic.
Going deeper, investors never want to let it be known that they aren’t actively investing. Why? Because then they fade into irrelevance, and the most important aspect of their job - sourcing deals - goes with it. By keeping their ‘deal flow engine’ in idle and passing in vague ways, when the money does flow again they don’t have to restart it.
“What Trends Are You Seeing?”
That’s a question I get often, and the short and maybe frustrating answer is…there isn’t an abundance of obvious trends. The future is quite unpredictable so the trends funnel is wide. Many of the investors I work with seem to have their own ideas of what the world will look like over the next 10 years.
What I do notice in trends, however, are the qualities of founders that end up winning over investors. This typically includes a well designed deck with a strong story line, a great product consumers will love, and an overall vibe that the founding team that has their act together. I can’t control the founder’s product, but I certainly help them with the first and third parts.
Investors like founders who’ve done their homework, respect the game, and are well buttoned up.
Not the Cattle Most Seem to Claim
“Are investors herd animals?” …in my opinion, not as much as others claim. It helps to have strong investors on your cap table as their value-add can help a startup win. But overall I’d have to say many of the FirstLook investors are independent thinkers and place bets accordingly. I admire that a lot in them.
In this vein, I’d say VCs are a bit more herd-esque than Angels, which is mostly who make up the FirstLook community. This makes sense as it’s a tad more digestible for an LP when a fund manager loses their money in a deal everyyyyyone thought would be a winner. No comment on FOs (family offices), haven’t worked with enough of them yet. Are you a FO? It’d be great to meet you.
“You Get the Cap Table You Deserve”
The unfortunate part of capitalism is it can bring the worst out in people. VC isn’t immune. There are plenty of genuine investors out there. I’d argue every investor with FirstLook is one.
I’ve also come across my fair share of crummy investors too. They’re usually easy to spot. They’re rude, poor communicators, and you quickly get the vibe that you’re just a pawn in their journey to make money.
They can also sometimes be the ones that cause the most trouble for founders. For the founders reading this: no matter how desperate you may be for capital, DO NOT TAKE THEIR MONEY. I’ve heard too many horror stories from founders with sh!t investors on their cap table. They will make your life miserable and it’s not worth it. You get the cap table you deserve.
The Investor Spectrum is Wide as we Compete ‘in the Arena’
Like founders, investors come in all shapes and sizes. And starting points. I love this tweet from Matt Turck of First Mark Capital, and this meme that was in the subtweets:
It’s been fun to meet other investors and learn/observe where they are in their journey. I won’t claim anything here in terms of where I stack up to others, however, I will say it can sometimes be quite noticeable when you meet an investor who is simply crushing it.
Some of those who I admire include: Harry Stebbings who started the 20VC podcast (best podcast ever imo), Ben Zises who started Super Angel Fund, Alex Pattis who started Calm VC and Riverside Ventures, and Mike MacCombie who started Generous Ventures. If you’re someone just breaking into VC, these are the people to study.
Let’s Wrap it Up
It’s been an rewarding journey meeting and learning from so many great investors. Investing in consumer goods is hard. Like any other industry, the VC asset class is competitive once you’re in it. What I thought VC was versus what I think it is now has dramatically changed, and will change a ton more as I grow.
Some investors are great, and I love working with them. Others I bump into along the way not so much.
My biggest learning on the investor side to date: It’s imperative you work with genuine people who want to work with you.
To wrap up, here is Sara Blakely’s favorite VC scoreboard:
Founder Pro Tip of the Month 💡
In the CPG Whatsapp Group I run with about 180 founders, someone asked a great question, and the replies were incredible. Here are copy/pastes from that convo:
Founder Question: “Curious how founders generally handle investor inbound when you’re not actively raising…I get a fair amount of inbound but fairly often I can tell it’s not immediately relevant (ex their revenue threshold for investment is higher than current revenue). I’ve generally been inclined to take a call since you never know who might be helpful in the future but feel like since we’re not actively raising, I don’t always feel properly prepped for meetings or have some grand story to tell. I also wonder if it’s the best use of my time….curious if others have a philosophy on this.”
My Favorite Replies (in order they came in):
“Create an external stakeholder update email sent out monthly so they can track what you are willing to share. Schedule one day a month, maybe a Friday afternoon etc where you set aside time for investor meetings. If none schedule in time, take it for yourself and wait until the following month. Gives you structure and an abundance mindset.”
“It is also a relationship that can start to form. If it is the junior associate, not worth the call, but if it is the VP or partner, it is worth your time just telling them the story and getting to know them. Lastly, the investors are people, and they mostly back their friends. Becoming their friend is easy and worth the time.”
“People invest in lines not dots—form those relationships now (as they come up) but be direct that you’re not actively raising.”
“I think it’s totally appropriate to respond clearly and say we’re not actively raising but happy to informally build the relationship if you’re interested and/or if you don’t want them on updates without meeting first, ask to catch up X months from now when you think you might be raising and they’ll put you in their CRM to reach back out later.”
V Interesting stuff. I personally am in the camp that building relationships is imperative, but also be cognizant of who you’re talking to and the direction the relationship is headed. Lots of time saps out there!
Did a friend forward you this and now you want to join?
May Box Brands 🚀
Investors: 48 → Apply Here | Brands: 6 → Apply Here | Intros: 39
Investors interested in a brand below, please email [email protected]
Bask
Founded by Michael Huffstetler + Brittany Stone | 📍Miami - Shop / IG / TikTok / Linkedin
How We Met Them: Via my friend James Graham at Amberstone VC
One Liner ✍️ — Bask makes the greatest feeling and best looking sunscreen products you will ever wear.
What made them stand out: Bask is one of those all-around solid companies that’s doing everything well. They are profitable, have experienced 10x revenue growth since year one, and are pacing for 3X YoY growth due in large part to a growing retail presence (over 1,200 doors). I also like this brand because due to regulatory and supply chain moats, suncare is very hard to enter. Bask, however, has a strategic production and R&D partnership with a top 5 sunscreen manufacturer in the world. Mike put a lot of time and effort into creating their products, specifically the texture, feel, and efficacy. His hard work is paying off as Bask has a repeat purchase rate that’s 4x the industry average. All around strong brand, founders, and product. Bask could go far.
The Coconut Cult
How We Met Them: Via an Intro from my friend Sivan Gompers!
One Liner ✍️ — Our coconut yogurt is specially fermented to ensure our living probiotics can thrive, because happier probiotics means a happier gut.
Discount Code: use “FirstLook” for 20% site wide!
What made them stand out: I love this brand for a handful of reasons. First, gut health is SO in right now. I think America is finally waking up to the concept that a healthy gut is the root of a healthy body (and mind!) overall. Second, CC did it right by building a ‘cult’ following early. Noah has been sharing his journey with others since day one which today as accumulated in over 142K+ followers on IG, plus a blog/newsletter that gets tons of reads with each post. This is similar to how Truff got started. Lastly, Ari’s past lends incredibly well here as he built Once Upon A Farm into a massive business before joining CC. Safe to say he knows how to scale. Overall CC is making all the right moves. They’ve grown their store count by over 60% YoY and are now found in over 2100 doors, including a successful rollout in Whole Foods Nationally. This is yet another brand I think has all the ingredients to go the distance.
Fungies
Founded by Rob Kaufman + Stacy Kaufman | 📍Sunrise, FL - Shop / IG / TikTok / Linkedin
How We Met Them: Via their signup on the FirstLook.vc
One Liner ✍️ — Making Mushrooms Mainstream
Discount Code: use “FirstLook20” for 20% of site wide!
What made them stand out: Fungies is growing like a weed mushroom to say the least. In 2 short years they secured distribution in over 12,000 retail doors. Their previous experience in the sports nutrition space gives them a competitive advantage in product development and marketing initiatives, plus their network of friends and family gives them access to current and retired professional athletes who become brand ambassadors. Mushrooms are continuing to trend up, and I hope that stays as I think the benefits are there. Fungies gummies form factor makes it super easy to incorporate mushrooms into your diet. Plus they are super tasty! They recently launched in 2900+ Walmarts and will be available chainwide at Fresh Thyme this August.
Mela
Founded by Dominic Purpura | 📍LA — Shop / IG / Linkedin
One Liner ✍️ — The juiciest watermelons on earth, in a can.
What made them stand out: Mela is another brand that’s been on an absolute tear. They’ve achieved 4X revenue growth for 3 years straight and are expecting another 3X in 2024. They have very strong margins, little to no competition, and it’s a drink the entire market can enjoy (aka they can become a massive brand aka reach a massive exit). Dominic is a beast of a founder who has relentlessly grown this brand. He recently struck a partnership with 7-Eleven for a national roll out. Beverage is a tough space no doubt, but from time to time you come across a brand that’s simply ‘got it’. They’re operationally strong, aggressive but not overly aggressive where they get ahead of their skis, and they have a product that everyone seems to love.
Primi
Founded by Paolo Internicola + Janine Shea |📍Washington D.C. — Shop / IG / Linkedin
How We Met Them: Via my friends at Loft Growth Partners
One Liner ✍️ — Primi is a revolution in convenient food.
What made them stand out: This is one of those brands you simply have to try, which of course our investor base had the opportunity to do so (and for those not getting our boxes, apply here). Primi’s noodles taste incredible, literally just like an incredible chef at a top tier Italian restaurant would prepare. This isn’t by mistake though. Primi uses patented technology to create a revolutionary, premium pasta (that’s made in Italy!) that’s ready to go in only 3 minutes. All consumers need to do is add water and microwave. Primi’s pasta cups are non-GMO, preservative-free, contain 9g of protein, and are under 300 calories. What gets me most excited about Primi is their ability to introduce pasta during lunch. Traditionally this has been almost exclusively a category enjoyed at dinner. With Primi though, they now let consumers enjoy pasta for lunch which should/will significantly expand the pasta market’s size overall.
SAYSO
Founded by Alison Evans + Chloe Bergson | 📍NYC - Shop / IG / TikTok / Linkedin
How We Met Them: Via their signup on the FirstLook.vc
One Liner ✍️ — SAYSO is the first-ever craft cocktail or mocktail in a tea bag - just infuse in cold water and spirits for a minute to make a full-flavor, low sugar, low calorie, restaurant caliber drink at home or on-the-go.
Discount Code: use “FirstLook for 15% off site wide!
What made them stand out: SAYSO is disrupting the mixer category in a big way by introducing the first-ever cocktail and mocktail tea bag. It’s the first of its kind on the market. They use real ingredients, are low sugar/calorie, and most importantly… foolproof. Their product is lightweight which is great for their margins, and portable with a 20x lower carbon footprint than liquid competitors which is great for consumers. Traction is strong too as they 6xed revenue from 2022 to 2023 and are projecting $1.3M in revenue in 2024, only 2.5 years after launch. To top things off, these ladies are a force to recon with. Chloe was a management consultant in Accenture before going to Harvard Business School, while Alison worked at Macy’s Merchandising Group in Product Dev and Marketing Strategy prior to attending HBS (which is where they met). The future is bright here as SAYSO will be launching in all Hannaford and Fred Meyer doors this September!
That's all she wrote folks. June box is next. Keep on building my friends.