The Startup CPG Podcast

In this special New Year's episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff invites three founders from the Startup CPG community to share their 2026 brand resolutions—offering practical wisdom on focus, authenticity, and strategic growth for emerging CPG brands.

Rebecca Styn, founder of Blind Tiger Spirit Free Cocktails, discusses her resolution to eliminate noise by being more intentional about opportunities. After initially going wide geographically and saying yes to numerous opportunities—from celebrity gifting to event activations—Rebecca shares why she's now focusing deep in her regional markets and being strategic about what aligns with her business goals. She emphasizes the hidden costs of "free" opportunities in beverage, where shipping often exceeds product cost and consumer purchase behavior doesn't support random sampling.

Dava Guthmiller, founder of A Dash of (a taste education platform and curated shop specializing in salt, butter, and chocolate), shares her resolution to step into the spotlight. Despite her passion for interviewing makers and sharing their stories, Dava struggles to apply the same approach to her own brand on social media. She discusses the importance of authenticity, why sharing her personal passion matters for building trust, and how she's working to showcase herself and her story online, not just the products she curates.

Andrew Schundler, co-founder of CH Matcha (a canned ceremonial-grade matcha latte), discusses his resolution to double down on what works in retail. Launching in July 2025, Andrew and his wife Chloe quickly learned that most consumers don't buy heavy beverage online. By focusing on in-person tastings and strategic retail placement—particularly sandwich shops—they've found their formula. Andrew emphasizes going deep rather than wide, learning from data, and knowing when to say "not yet" to opportunities that could stretch the business too thin.

Listen in as they discuss:
Rebecca: eliminating noise, being intentional with opportunities, saying no strategically
The hidden costs of "free" opportunities: celebrity gifting, events, product donations
Why beverage brands struggle with online sales and shipping economics
Dava: stepping into the spotlight and sharing her personal story on social media
The importance of authenticity and putting a face behind your brand
Salt education: terroir, texture, and why single ingredients deserve storytelling
Andrew: doubling down on retail execution and in-person demos
Learning from early data and finding your best-performing channels
The lily-pad growth strategy: leveraging each success to unlock the next opportunity
Going deep versus wide: strategic growth and knowing when to say "not yet"

Episode Links:

Blind Tiger Spirit Free Cocktails:
Website: https://blindtigerspiritfree.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blindtigercocktails

A Dash Of:
Website: https://adashof.co/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adashof/

CHUH Matcha:
Website: https://www.chuhmatcha.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chuhmatcha/

Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com. 

Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (30K+ members and growing!)
Follow @startupcpg
Visit host Daniel's Linkedin 
Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at [email protected]
Episode music by Super Fantastics

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Trevor Rechnitz, Principal at Vanterra Ventures, to explore the realities of fundraising—not just what looks good on paper, but what truly matters to investors. Trevor brings deep consumer investing experience built over nearly a decade, from sourcing and diligence to partner engagement and post-close value creation.

At Vanterra Ventures, Trevor helps evaluate and back visionary teams and companies redefining consumer health, digital health, and enabling technologies across branded products and emerging categories. Vanterra Ventures is the venture and growth equity arm of Vanterra Capital, investing $1-10M checks into seed and Series A rounds across a $6 trillion consumer health category growing 10% year over year—from supplements and functional beverages to digital healthcare and health tech infrastructure.

Throughout the conversation, Trevor breaks down common pitfalls founders encounter during fundraising and diligence processes, what makes an A+ intro call (strong problem-solution articulation and founder-market fit), and why knowing your numbers cold is non-negotiable. He shares practical insights on LTV to CAC dynamics (targeting 3x+ over 2-3 years), why gross margins north of 60-70% matter so much, and how to diagnose weak metrics by breaking them into components—AOV problems, margin problems, or repeat purchase problems (the hardest to fix).

Trevor also discusses the importance of expectation setting with investors (success = results minus expectations), why consistent monthly investor updates are one of the most correlated variables to success, and what revenue ranges typically align with each fundraising round (0M pre-seed, 1-5M seed, 5-15M Series A, 15-30M+ Series B). Whether you're navigating your first fundraising process or looking to level up your investor relationships, this episode offers grounded, practical insights on what investors actually evaluate and how to build with intention from day one.

Listen in as they discuss:

Trevor's background: nearly a decade from PE consulting to Circle Up to Vanterra Ventures
What Ventera is: $175M AUM, $1-10M checks, seed/Series A in consumer health products, services, and tech
Common fundraising mistakes: getting defensive about risks, not knowing numbers cold, failing to interview VCs
What makes an A+ intro call: strong problem-solution-founder fit, doing homework on the fund
Advice for founders: success = results minus expectations, send consistent monthly investor updates
Why high gross margin (60%+) and repeat purchase rate are essential for consumer businesses
LTV to CAC breakdown: targeting 3x+ over 2-3 years and how to diagnose weak metrics
Revenue ranges by round: 0M pre-seed, 1-5M seed, 5-15M Series A, 15-30M+ Series B

Episode Links:

Trevor Rechnitz - Principal, Vanterra Ventures 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-rechnitz-43b72582/ 

Website: https://www.vanterraventures.com/ 

Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.

Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (30K+ members and growing!)
Follow @startupcpg
Visit host Hannah's Linkedin 
Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at [email protected]
Episode music by Super Fantastics

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, Caitlin Bricker welcomes Taylor Espinoza, founder of Unicorn Bites, a fast-emerging better-for-you snack brand known for its 100% date-sweetened, allergen-free mini cookies.

Taylor shares her remarkable journey from practicing law to building a brand that’s redefining indulgence with clean, functional ingredients designed to be school-safe and family-friendly.

Throughout the conversation, Taylor discusses how Unicorn Bites evolved from a farmer’s market concept into a shelf-ready product beloved by parents and kids alike. She reveals the product development process—refining hundreds of recipes, responding to direct consumer feedback, and navigating challenges such as ensuring product consistency and durability during warm-weather shipping.

You will also gain insight into Taylor’s retail and growth strategy, her focus on local market expansion in New Jersey and New York, and her long-term vision of landing partnerships with leading natural retailers like Whole Foods and Erewhon. The episode closes with an engaging discussion on the evolving value of certifications, ingredient transparency, and how modern consumers are reshaping the standards of trust and authenticity in the food industry.

Listen now to learn how Taylor Espinoza turned a weekend baking passion into a purpose-driven snack brand.

Listen in as they share about:
Founder Story & Brand Origins
Product Development & Innovation
Branding & Naming
Retail & Growth Strategy
Managing Costs and Financial Planning
Certifications, Transparency & Consumer Trust
Community & Customer Connection

Episode Links:
Website: https://tryunicornbites.com/
Instagram: @tryunicornbites
 

Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.

Show Links:

Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (30K+ members and growing!)
Follow @startupcpg
Visit host Caitlin's Linkedin 
Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at [email protected]
Episode music by Super Fantastics

In this solo episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, founder and CEO Daniel Scharff shares the tools he actually uses every day to save time and run his business more efficiently in 2026. None of these are sponsors or partners—just genuine recommendations from tools that have made a real difference in productivity.

Daniel breaks down his toolkit into four key buckets: Core Operating System (Superhuman for email management with snippets and reminders, Notion for project management, and Surfe for LinkedIn outreach automation), Back Office Solutions (Calendly for scheduling and Bill.com for invoicing), Content Creation Tools (Riverside.fm for high-quality recordings and ChatGPT for brainstorming and analytics), and Team & Talent Resources (Upwork for finding specialized contractors, LinkedIn Jobs for hiring, and offshore contractors for cost-effective team building).

Whether you're looking to master inbox zero, automate repetitive tasks, create better content faster, or build a lean team on a tight budget, this episode offers practical, tested solutions that Daniel uses at Startup CPG every single day.

Listen in as Daniel shares:

Superhuman: email snippets, automatic reminders, and inbox zero strategy
Notion: project management dashboards and team alignment
Surfe: automating LinkedIn outreach with personalized message templates
Calendly: group calendars and eliminating scheduling back-and-forth
Bill.com: invoicing with automatic credit card fee pass-through
Riverside.fm: high-quality content recording with AI-generated clips
ChatGPT: brainstorming, interview guides, and tighter wording
Upwork: finding specialized contractors for one-off tasks
LinkedIn Jobs: promoting job posts to find quality candidates fast
Offshore contractors: building cost-effective teams in Brazil, Philippines, Argentina

None of these are sponsors or partners of Startup CPG, these are actual tools that we use to save time.

To join our slack community, visit startupcpg.com

Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com. 
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (30K+ members and growing!)
Follow @startupcpg
Visit host Daniel's Linkedin 
Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at [email protected]
Episode music by Super Fantastics

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Brian Bustamante-Nicholson, a partner at Greycroft in the consumer brands vertical, to explore what growth-stage investors actually look for in consumer businesses—and how founders can build with intention from day one.

Brian has spent 15 years working alongside founders building consumer businesses, developing a sharp lens for what actually drives durable growth versus what just looks good in a pitch deck. His experience spans deep e-commerce knowledge and evaluating brands at the earliest stages through to scale, giving him a practical, operator-minded view of how products, teams, and metrics evolve over time. At Greycroft, Brian leads a separate consumer investment strategy alongside founding entrepreneurs Catherine Power (Avaline, Burst, Merit) and Eric Ryan (Method, Olly), investing in exceptional growth-stage consumer businesses at inflection points—typically $5-15M in revenue with strong product-market fit signals.

Throughout the conversation, Brian shares the core pillars he looks at during diligence (velocities, cohort behavior, repeat purchase rate, unit economics, margin structure), why capital efficiency matters more than flashy growth, and how strategics evaluate businesses the same way investors do—making gamesmanship around metrics a losing strategy. He discusses lessons learned from standout portfolio companies like Array (anti-aging hair care), what strong founders consistently get right for long-term success, and how to think about building real defensibility as you grow—particularly the importance of retail distribution as a moat in oversaturated categories like health and wellness, skincare, and beverage.

Brian also shares his perspective on how AI is beginning to meaningfully show up in the consumer space through agentic commerce (AI agents shopping on consumers' behalf), why building digital footprints and distribution today will benefit brands tomorrow, and why being a first adopter in platform shifts creates outsized advantages through better marketplace economics. Whether you're navigating business decisions or fundraising conversations, this episode offers grounded, thoughtful insights on how investors evaluate consumer businesses and what it takes to build enduring brands that compound over time.

Listen in as they discuss:

Brian's background: 15 years investing from Stripes Group to Sonoma Brands to Greycroft's consumer strategy
What Greycroft looks for: $5-15M revenue, strong product-market fit, unit economics, margin structure
Portfolio case study: Array anti-aging hair care and investing at inflection points
Why capital efficiency matters: strategics see through gamesmanship around margins and growth
Retail distribution as a moat: differentiation in oversaturated digital-native categories
How AI is changing commerce: agentic shopping and building trust with AI agents through reviews and digital footprints
Lessons learned: patience, concentrated strategies, and building enduring businesses with strong fundamentals
Fundraising process: relationship-building timelines and how many meetings before closing deals

Episode Links:

Brian Bustamante-Nicholson - Partner, Greycroft
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-b-nicholson-a813372/

Greycroft Website: https://www.greycroft.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greycroft-partners/
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com
Show Links:
Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (30K+ members and growing!)
Follow @startupcpg
Visit host Hannah's Linkedin 
Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at [email protected]
Episode music by Super Fantastics