# Founder + Funder: Anabel González, Founder of Good Bacteria and Hayden Williams, Partner of BrandProject

- Show: [The Startup CPG Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast)
- Published: 2026-05-09
- Length: 43m
- Episode: 306
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-05-09-founder-funder-anabel-gonzalez-founder-of-good-bacteria-and-hayden-williams-part
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/a6a500ea

## Summary

Anabel González, founder of Good Bacteria, and Hayden Williams, Partner at BrandProject, discuss the investment journey of Good Bacteria, a rotating probiotic system. González explains how a postpartum health journey led to a pivot from a beverage to a rotating supplement, validated by cold outreach to over 200 investors and a referral to BrandProject. Williams details how BrandProject invested pre-launch based on the founder's story, scientific validation, and a 'sense of inevitability,' highlighting the importance of founder-investor fit and trust in early-stage consumer goods funding.

## Outline

1. Introduction: Anabel González and Hayden Williams
2. Founding Story: Postpartum Healing and Gut Health Science
3. Product Pivot: From Beverage to Rotating Probiotic System
4. Fundraising Strategy: 200+ Cold Emails and BrandProject Referral
5. Investment Diligence: Validating Science, Brand, and Founder Fit
6. Founder-Investor Relationship: Trust, Communication, and Support
7. Lessons for Founders: Fundraising, Team Involvement, and Narrative

## Topics

- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Good Bacteria (product)
- BrandProject (company)
- Johns Hopkins (company)
- Parsons (company)
- BBG Ventures (company)
- Novo Nordisk (company)

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- [Advice Line with Eric Ryan of Method returns](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-04-23-advice-line-with-eric-ryan-of-method-returns) (How I Built This)
- [Health-Ade Kombucha: Daina Trout](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-09-28-health-ade-kombucha-daina-trout) (How I Built This)
- [Advice Line with Andrew Abraham of Orgain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-05-16-advice-line-with-andrew-abraham-of-orgain) (How I Built This)
- [Happy Family Organics: Shazi Visram (2020)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-07-04-happy-family-organics-shazi-visram-2020) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

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