# Investor Spotlight: Greer Tessler and Luke Goldstein of Simple Food Ventures

- Show: [The Startup CPG Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast)
- Published: 2025-08-02
- Length: 50m
- Episode: 177
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-08-02-investor-spotlight-greer-tessler-and-luke-goldstein-of-simple-food-ventures
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/71d7e318

## Summary

Greer Tessler and Luke Goldstein, Managing Partners at Simple Food Ventures, discuss their early-stage CPG investment strategy, which focuses on 'better-for-you' grocery staples and leverages a strategic partnership with Albertsons to help portfolio companies scale into retail distribution. They outline their investment criteria, noting a shift toward higher check sizes ($500k–$2M) in their second fund, and emphasize the importance of founders demonstrating strong operational and financial fundamentals, such as cash flow management and realistic valuation expectations. The conversation covers the diligence process, the value of transparency in founder-investor relationships, and specific advice on navigating fundraising stages from pre-revenue to Series A.

## Outline

1. Introduction and Founder Backgrounds
2. Simple Food Ventures Investment Thesis and Albertsons Partnership
3. Fundraising Strategy and Check Size Evolution
4. Defining Seed Stage and Valuation Dynamics
5. Founder Evaluation and Operational Expertise
6. Diligence Process and First Meeting Dynamics
7. Pitching Guidance and Business Fundamentals
8. Valuation, Dilution, and Investor Selection
9. Pre-Revenue Funding and Founder Wellbeing
10. Contact Information and Closing

## Topics

- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)
- [Hiring & workforce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/hiring-and-workforce)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Simple Food Ventures (company)
- Albertsons (company)
- ao (product)
- Pet Plate (product)
- Smalls (product)
- Ready Basics (product)
- Startup CPG (company)

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## Citing this page

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