# Oddball's Path From Idea to Funding a Nationwide Target Launch

- Show: [The Startup CPG Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast)
- Published: 2026-07-11
- Length: 32m
- Episode: 338
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-07-11-oddballs-path-from-idea-to-funding-a-nationwide-target-launch
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/a04cd16c

## Summary

Sophia Cheng, Founder and CEO of Oddball, details her unconventional path from management consulting and Bridgewater Associates to launching a fruit snack brand inspired by her childhood in Singapore. She explains how she validated the product through benchtop formulations at farmers markets and pitch competitions before securing funding, ultimately achieving a nationwide launch at Target. Cheng discusses the specific challenges of fundraising as a first-time, minority woman founder in 2023, emphasizing the mental shift from convincing investors to finding aligned partners, and her strategy for managing a cap table with approximately 20 investors in her first round.

## Outline

1. Introduction: Sophia Cheng and Oddball's Origin Story
2. Sophia Cheng's Career Path: Bridgewater and Estée Lauder
3. Validating Oddball: Benchtop Formulations and Retail Validation
4. The Fundraising Reality: 2023 Market Conditions and First-Time Founder Challenges
5. Investor Strategy: Cap Table, Incentives, and Springdale Ventures
6. Scaling Oddball: Target Expansion and Future Growth

## Topics

- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Oddball (product)
- Target (company)
- Bridgewater Associates (company)
- Estée Lauder (company)
- Springdale Ventures (company)
- Sprouts (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Perfect Snacks: Bill and Leigh Keith](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-06-09-perfect-snacks-bill-and-leigh-keith) (How I Built This)
- [M.M.LaFleur: Sarah LaFleur (2020)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-01-10-m-m-lafleur-sarah-lafleur-2020) (How I Built This)
- [Advice Line with Ariel Kaye of Parachute Home](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-08-29-advice-line-with-ariel-kaye-of-parachute-home) (How I Built This)
- [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)
- [nutpods: Madeline Haydon](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-05-13-nutpods-madeline-haydon) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

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