Briogeo Hair Care: Nancy Twine (2020)

How I Built This · 4 Dec 2023 · 1h 13m

What this episode covers

Nancy Twine, founder of Briogeo, explains how a personal tragedy and her mother's legacy inspired her to launch a natural hair care brand after leaving a career at Goldman Sachs. She details the struggle to find a contract manufacturer willing to formulate products without sulfates or silicones, leading to a pivot from 15 SKUs to 4 core products. Twine describes securing initial funding from investor Phil Palmetto and using a Cosmoprof trade show to secure her first retail order from Urban Outfitters, which eventually led to a landmark partnership with Sephora.

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Product Startup · 53m

    019: Organic haircare products with Susana Stewart & Caroline Maina of Fro Butter

    Susana Stewart and Caroline Maina, founders of FroButter, discuss launching an organic haircare line for curly textures, starting from a cosmetologist-client relationship and developing four functional butters over two years. They detail their pivot from scent-based to function-based product categorization, their strategy of using micro-influencers and organic social media growth, and their decision to keep manufacturing and fulfillment in-house to maintain quality and customer service. The episode highlights their bootstrapped funding, trademarking efforts, and the importance of balancing entrepreneurship with personal wellbeing.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 34m

    Founder Feature: Val Emanuel of Rif Care

    Val Emanuel, co-founder of Rif Care, discusses building a sustainable feminine care brand using hemp fiber, detailing her journey from a talent agency career to securing manufacturing partners overseas. She explains how the company achieved early retail success with Erewhon through direct networking and highlights the critical importance of email capture workflows for DTC growth. Emanuel also shares candid experiences regarding bias in VC fundraising, advocating for grants and accelerators like Techstars and Jumpstart Foundry as viable alternatives for capital and support.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 29m

    Founder Feature: Suzannah Raff of Cleo+Coco

    Suzannah Raff, founder of Cleo+Coco, explains how her background in business strategy and frustration with ineffective natural deodorants led to a two-year R&D process focused on eliminating synthetic fragrances. She details the brand's 'super formula' using charcoal, magnesium, and probiotics to balance the skin microbiome, and describes the five-year journey from garage prototyping to a nationwide Whole Foods Market launch. Raff highlights the critical role of the Startup CPG community and Expo West in connecting with buyers, while noting operational challenges like the UNFI cyber attack that delayed the rollout.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 37m

    Founder Feature: Akua Boakye Okunseinde of Karité

    Akua Boakye Okunseinde, co-founder of Karité, explains how she and her sisters—Dr. Nana Bellachi and a lawyer—bootstrapped the brand from 2013 to 2017, leveraging Dr. Nana’s dermatology practice to formulate clinically tested shea butter products. The company launched with a hand cream, expanded to body cream and lip balm, and secured early retail partnerships with Detox Market while navigating the shift to Amazon and omnichannel distribution. Akua details their ethical sourcing from women-led cooperatives in Ghana, the importance of clinical efficacy data, and their strategy of using micro-influencers and direct retailer education to drive growth.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 41m

    Founder Feature: Veena Krishnan and Whitney McElwain of Daybird

    Veena Krishnan and Whitney McElwain, co-founders of Daybird, discuss their 'anti-beauty' brand and its flagship product, the 4-in-1 Serum Skin Tint, which combines skincare, SPF 50, and sheer tint. They explain their strategy of targeting non-traditional beauty consumers through retail partners like Urban Outfitters and preparing for the Natural Products Expo West (Naturally Source) trade show. The founders also share insights on managing influencer attrition, the importance of community support for founders, and prioritizing self-care in the early stages of building a CPG company.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by How I Built This. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.