The Startup CPG Podcast · 23 Aug 2025 · 49m · Episode 189
Andrew Montgomery, Partner at Collaborative Fund, explains the firm's investment philosophy, which centers on the 'villain test'—ensuring products are compelling enough for a self-interested user to choose them over incumbents. He details how Collaborative Fund evaluates founders by looking for 'inevitability,' strong community traction (citing Bandit Running), and sticky retention metrics (citing Rhythm Health). Montgomery provides specific guidance on fundraising strategy, advising founders to build momentum through a 'drip campaign' of announcements and to structure their pitch decks to highlight brand, market size, and founder traits while avoiding premature valuation discussions.
early-stage companies
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Parachute Home founder Ariel Kaye joins Guy Raz to advise three founders: Dane Brown of King Brown Pomade on strategic investment for his men's grooming brand; Deanna Dandino of Mindset Tapestry on securing press for her children's emotional health tool without a marketing budget; and Megan Easterhouse of Palm Folly on navigating gender bias while raising capital for her hard seltzer brewery in a male-dominated industry.
Eric Ryan, co-founder of Method and now a venture investor at Graycroft, joins Guy Raz to advise early-stage founders on branding, product differentiation, and fundraising. He discusses his new $15 million consumer fund and the current challenges of investing in CPG, noting that while starting is easier, scaling to $100M+ is harder. Ryan advises callers on building trust for an allergen-free fragrance brand, creating experiential marketing for customizable kids' flip-flops, and determining when to raise capital for a light-up jewelry startup.
Axel Bichara, Co-Founder and General Partner at Baukunst, explains how his engineering background at MIT and experience founding Premise informs his approach to venture capital. He details Baukunst's strategy of acting as 'company builders' rather than passive investors, emphasizing the importance of founding team quality, capital efficiency, and founder-market fit. Bichara discusses specific criteria for investment, such as the preference for multiple founders to share the burden, the necessity of capital efficiency (achieving product-market fit within 12-18 months), and the critical role of open communication and humility in the founder-investor relationship.
Orgain founder and CEO Andrew Abraham joins Guy Raz to advise three early-stage founders on product positioning and growth. Bryn Snyder of Slate Electric Flosser discusses her $79.99 electric flosser and strategies for simplifying complex oral health benefits for consumers. Turner Lewis of 4 Craft Cocktails, a radiologist launching golf-inspired canned cocktails, seeks advice on scaling distribution and finding value-add investors. Catherine Smart of Not Just Co, a pasta sauce brand in 240 Target stores, asks how to secure seed funding despite investor skepticism about her $1 million sales run rate.
Taylor Foxman, founder of The Industry Collective, explains her unique business model of connecting 80 beverage and cannabis CEOs with investors, media, and partners without traditional marketing or a public-facing persona. She details her background in PR for brands like Jameson and Beyond Meat, and how she leverages this network to help underrepresented founders navigate fundraising and brand visibility. Foxman emphasizes the importance of creating 'good news' through consistent press releases and maintaining levity to support founders through the high-pressure CPG landscape.
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