The Startup CPG Podcast · 8 Nov 2025 · 50m · Episode 216
Deborah Benton, Founder and Managing Partner of Willow Growth Partners, discusses her investment philosophy and the realities of building consumer brands, drawing on her operational background with Nasty Gal and ShoeDazzle. She outlines Willow’s focus on early-stage, post-commercialization brands in beauty, personal care, and health & wellness, using their investment in Coterie as a case study for successful strategic execution. Benton provides detailed advice on fundraising, emphasizing the importance of understanding fund stages, realistic valuation, and selecting partners who align with long-term, capital-efficient growth rather than chasing high valuations.
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.
Sarah LaFleur, who left a high-pressure private equity job to co-found M.M.LaFleur with designer Miyako Nakamura, explains how she bootstrapped the company with $70,000 and pivoted from failed trunk shows to a successful 'Bento' subscription model. LaFleur details her struggle to raise venture capital, facing repeated rejections from male-dominated VCs who dismissed working women as a 'niche' market, until investor Bob Deutsch helped her secure crucial early funding. She describes the operational nightmare of early inventory management and the breakthrough moment when sending pre-selected clothing boxes to customers tripled revenue, proving product-market fit for professional women seeking tailored, wrinkle-resistant workwear.
Emily Weiss, founder of Glossier, explains how she leveraged her blog Into the Gloss to build a $400 million beauty brand by listening directly to her community. She details the challenges of raising seed funding from a single female investor, Kristen Green, and the process of finding a specialized chemist to develop products bottoms-up. Weiss discusses Glossier's direct-to-consumer strategy, which prioritizes digital connection and community over traditional retail distribution, and her vision for building a digital platform that replicates the social experience of their physical stores.
Fashion legend Norma Kamali joins Guy Raz to advise three early-stage founders: Ahmed Ijaz of Cambridge Spectacle Company, Bob Wilkoff of Sunny Bowls, and Adriana Alvarez of Love Her Shop. Kamali shares insights on balancing creative vision with profitability, the importance of authentic storytelling to attract investors, and the risks of wholesale distribution for DTC brands. The founders discuss specific challenges ranging from naming conventions and brand narrative to product differentiation in crowded markets like eyewear, fast-casual soup, and inclusive activewear.
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