Ryan Lewendon

I love this! Thank you to Rachel Brown from Beauty Independent to kick-off this exchange with Andrew Ross' provocative thesis and have us all react to it. I truly enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts on the topic of the shortening lifecycle of beauty brands. Here is a snippet of mine: "Because beauty brand lifespans are shortening, it is important that we are able to differentiate brands with staying power from brands that will end up being a flash in the pan. There are much more of the latter than the former in the market right now, and if a brand is not well-positioned, it will be challenging for that brand to survive over the long-term. That’s why we focus on understanding each brand’s differentiators and long-term relevance." See more here: https://lnkd.in/esVbwnu2 and you will discover what Kevin Murphy, Odile Roujol, Rich Gersten, Tina Henry Bou-Saba, Oliver Nordlinger, Claire Chang, Manica Blain, Sonya Brown, George Birman had to say. #beautyindustry #beautyinvesting Stride Consumer Partners

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Should be an interesting event for growth stage climate companies thinking about using debt.

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In the second issue of my newsletter (dropping tomorrow), Founder’s Tea, I break down the implosion of IRL (the start-up that raised $170M and then crashed after it was revealed they faked their metrics). (Obviously, you won’t fake your metrics, but it’s instructive even to those of us who are honest). I also share practical lessons on projections and metrics that every founder should know. Subscribe here to make sure you get the next issue sent to your inbox: https://lnkd.in/dBHcDhEP #startup #founders #entrepreneurship

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CRV's recent decision to return $275M from its later-stage Select Fund highlights the growing caution around inflated valuations. As capital becomes more selective, this move signals a recalibration, especially for late-stage startups where liquidity is tighter and exits are delayed. While this news centers on a later-stage fund, we may also see new early-stage funds raising less capital going forward. With a more conservative approach across the board, founders at all stages should expect increased scrutiny and a more measured funding environment in the near term. https://lnkd.in/grG7u_KK

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Worth checking out for any companies at the right stage.

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For founders looking to take on venture capital investors, what if they tell you that you’re not the best person to run the company? Do you take their advice or solicit other opinions? What you do depends on knowing yourself, which is one of four key elements that all founders should be considering when they talk with VC firms. Brad Hickey shares some great big-picture details in our latest DE Insight. #seriesfunding #businesslaw #businesslawyer #corporatelaw #corporateattorney #venturecapital #DEinsights

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Navigating pre-seed funding? Check out some quick tips from leading investors and Fenwick’s Al Cooper 👇 #startups #NYTechWeek #VentureCapital

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At this year’s 2024 RILA Retail Law Conference, Hogan Lovells joined forces with preeminent retail industry counsel from REI and Under Armour to co-host a panel focused on state consumer protection enforcement trends, emerging legal challenges, and best practices for retail counsel to effectively navigate the evolving consumer protection landscape in the states. This article features our key themes and takeaways from the panel that every retailer should know.

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This resonates and is a terrific introspective piece by Andre Menezes. Love that he ends on an ambitious note: 🌱🍽️ "By focusing on addressing genuine consumer needs, fortifying health claims, and cultivating sustainable demand, the plant-based food industry can chart a course toward resilience and resurgence." 👉🏽As an early investor in both wins and losses in this space, I believe there is much more to come for alt proteins, and a resurgence is around the corner. #AlternativeProteins #Sustainability #FoodInnovation #FutureOfFood #ClimateAction #GlobalFoodSecurity https://lnkd.in/g8FwTivt

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Data and observations on recent trends in VC deal terms. Along with more "structure" (participating preferred, multiples on liquidation preference, and cumulative dividends), pre-money valuations have dropped significantly more and not recovered in later stage deals but early stage deals are much closer to 2022 pre-money values & raise sizes. https://lnkd.in/g2kcxznr

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I had the pleasure of sitting down with Ryan Scheidemantel of the Doescher Group LLC to discuss a topic for many of my clients: the story your numbers tell when selling your business.   Ryan emphasized how important it is to understand and present your financials effectively. Your numbers aren't just stats—they're the narrative of your business journey and potential.   For anyone considering selling their business, this is a must-read! Check out the full blog here:  https://lnkd.in/eCSDBjxk 💼   #BusinessSelling #MossLaw

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As we start summer 2024, let's look at the latest trends in Washington, D.C.'s emerging company and venture capital markets. Private capital markets have grown, with new hubs worldwide, and the VC landscape has changed in the last two years with less available capital. #EmergingCapital #VentureCapital #DistrictofColumbia

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Thanks to Law360 for publishing our article on the new privacy litigation trend in California -- Song-Beverly Credit Card Act claims based on online transactions. And thanks to Desirée Hunter-Reay for helping write it. Hopefully, we can nip this trend in the bud before it turns into another CIPA Pen-Trap situation. https://lnkd.in/gvgyrFMz

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Attended the VentureCrush event by Lowenstein Sandler LLP in NYC yesterday. First off great event 👏 So now the key points for female founders: - Yes funding for female founders is < 2.5% now - Yes funding is tough for all founders currently, but even more so for early-stage female founders But…………….. - Be very diligent about the investor- founder match. Make sure the thesis aligns - Perfect your pitch. If you can’t explain to your grandma its too complicated - Lastly, get ready for rejection. But remember all it takes is one yes to get the round rolling #venturecapital #funding #founders

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In the latest #CMS Deal Deliberations articles we look at some changes to venture investment terms we have been seeing and explore the reasons for these changes. Thanks to Amy Bainbridge for helping co-author. https://lnkd.in/etcuiEaa

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Introducing Pear Consumer Circle: Empowering Early-Stage Consumer Founders We’re thrilled to unveil the Pear Consumer Circle, a dynamic community crafted for early-stage consumer founders who are navigating the unique challenges of building and scaling consumer companies. This initiative is the brainchild of my partner, Warren Shaeffer, a seasoned entrepreneur who has founded three companies and deeply understands the hurdles faced by consumer startups. Our inaugural in-person event will take place on August 21st at Pear Studio in San Francisco, featuring an exclusive fireside chat with Sam Chaudhary, co-founder and CEO of ClassDojo. ClassDojo is a transformative D2C platform that has won the hearts of over 50 million parents and students worldwide. This is just the beginning—future events will spotlight visionary leaders like Eddy Lu, co-founder and CEO of @GOAT, Charlie Cheever, co-founder of Quora, and Vlad Tenev, co-founder and CEO of Robinhood, among others. How to Get Involved: -Join Us on August 21st: If you’re in the Bay Area and believe you’re a great fit for this community, we’d love to have you. Sign up using the link below and be part of a transformative evening. - Online Community: We’re also launching an exclusive online community for consumer founders. Given the focus on quality engagement, space is currently limited to those who have raised a pre-seed round. If you’re interested, please comment below to express your interest. -Explore PearX: For early-stage founders looking for comprehensive support, don’t miss PearX, our boutique accelerator program. Applications open on August 20th, and this year we’re running a dedicated track for B2C and B2B2C founders. Pear VC The Pear Consumer Circle is more than just a network—it’s a launchpad for the next generation of consumer innovators. We’re excited to build this community with you and look forward to helping you scale new heights. Registration page for the in-person event: https://lu.ma/6168bxbf

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OCM has set a deadline for cultivators to submit an annual report and sustainability plan to OCM - August 31, 2025. OCM is launching a free online tool, PowerScore, in the first week of September for cultivators to track electricity and water use, waste and other cannabis production metrics. In anticipation of that, OCM released FAQs for PowerScore. Check them out here and feel free to reach out with any questions! https://lnkd.in/dAKYUwhw #cannabis #cannabiscommunity #cannabisnews #cannabislaw #nycannabis

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New York's ambitious social equity licensing program was designed to prioritize individuals with #cannabis convictions and provide 150 of these #CAURD licensees with support in the form of, essentially, turnkey adult-use retail #dispensaries. But did you know that just 11 of the potential 150 maximum such sites are open? This in-depth, well-sourced reporting by Rosalind Adams takes a look at the documents and efforts behind the funding to secure and build out these dispensaries. It's worth reading in full. It is especially notable that the folks at New York State Office of Cannabis Management raised concerns, on behalf of the #CAURD licensees, about the financial projections being used to induce the licensees to accept certain locations. It is also concerning that some of these licensees are close to defaulting on their agreements, which would be a further kick in the gut to the very people New York State and the #OCM has been trying to help through the #CAURD program. #cannabislaw #cannabisnews #cannabislicensing #DASNY #MRTA Cermele & Wood LLP https://lnkd.in/gmv5GURk

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