# Investor Spotlight: Elly Truesdell, New Fare Partners

- Show: [The Startup CPG Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast)
- Published: 2026-04-11
- Length: 38m
- Episode: 287
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-04-11-investor-spotlight-elly-truesdell-new-fare-partners
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/5d627ec0

## Summary

Elly Truesdel, founder and Managing Partner at New Fare Partners, discusses her transition from Whole Foods to venture investing, highlighting her fund's focus on seed and Series A food and beverage companies. She details the differences between pitching retail buyers versus investors, emphasizing the need for a broader channel strategy and a partnership-based dynamic rather than a deferential one. Truesdel also outlines New Fare's investment thesis, which centers on premiumization and time collapse, and provides advice on team structure and the balance between sales growth and profitability for early-stage founders.

## Outline

1. Introduction: Elly Truesdel and New Fare Partners
2. From Whole Foods to Venture: Building a Full-Stack Perspective
3. New Fare Fund 1: Structure, Check Size, and Investment Thesis
4. The Venn Diagram: Retail Buyer vs. Investor Diligence
5. Adjusting the Pitch: Retail Partnerships vs. Investor Relationships
6. Founder Traits: Motivation, Conviction, and Pushback
7. Team Structure: Formidable Infrastructure vs. Lean and Fractional
8. Sales Growth vs. Profitability: A Life Stage Dependent Question
9. Consumer Trends: Premiumization and Time Collapse
10. Contacting New Fare and Internship Advice

## 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)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- New Fare Partners (company)
- Whole Foods (company)
- Made by Nacho (product)
- Lucille (product)
- NARA Organics (product)
- Bachan's (product)
- Almanac (company)
- Ensure (product)
- Boost (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Advice Line with Tony Xu of Doordash](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-10-02-advice-line-with-tony-xu-of-doordash) (How I Built This)
- [Advice Line with Scott Tannen of Boll & Branch and Jamie Siminoff of Ring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-12-11-advice-line-with-scott-tannen-of-boll-branch-and-jamie-siminoff-of-ring) (How I Built This)
- [Advice Line with Randy Hetrick of TRX](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-09-25-advice-line-with-randy-hetrick-of-trx) (How I Built This)
- [Advice Line with Andy Dunn of Bonobos](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-04-17-advice-line-with-andy-dunn-of-bonobos) (How I Built This)
- [Whole Foods Market: John Mackey (2018)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2018-11-19-whole-foods-market-john-mackey-2018) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

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