# Investor Spotlight: Alex Borschow, Rocana Ventures

- Show: [The Startup CPG Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast)
- Published: 2025-12-20
- Length: 41m
- Episode: 234
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-12-20-investor-spotlight-alex-borschow-rocana-ventures
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/a5bb6f28

## Summary

Alex Borschow, Managing Partner at Rocana Ventures, explains that the firm targets Series A consumer brands generating $7-25 million in revenue, focusing on food, beverage, and personal care. He details how Rocana evaluates product-market fit through omnichannel traction, emphasizing specific metrics like retail velocity (units per SKU per store per week), Amazon rankings, and DTC retention rates of 30-60%. Borschow highlights the importance of founder traits such as humility, accountability, and a postmortem mindset, using portfolio successes like Olipop to illustrate how mission-driven capital and strategic LP networks support sustainable growth.

## Outline

1. Introduction: Alex Borschow and Rocana Ventures Background
2. Investment Thesis: Series A Focus, Revenue Targets, and Verticals
3. Differentiation: Strategic LPs and Active Partnership Model
4. Defining Product-Market Fit: Omnichannel Traction and Metrics
5. DTC Metrics Evolution: Payback, Retention, and Cohort Analysis
6. Retail Velocity and Club Channel Dynamics (Costco, Sam's Club)
7. Value Creation: The Toothbrush Test and Household Penetration
8. Founder Evaluation: Humility, Accountability, and the Postmortem Mindset
9. Fundraising Advice: Addressing Imperfect Metrics and Transparency

## Topics

- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Rocana Ventures (company)
- Olipop (product)
- Eataly (company)
- Costco (company)
- Sam's Club (company)
- BJ's (company)
- Walmart (company)
- Kroger (company)
- Target (company)
- Publix (company)
- Amazon (company)
- Meta (company)
- BNP Paribas (company)
- MIT Sloan (other)
- Spins (other)

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## Citing this page

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