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$56M in funding for female founders, Mormon moms, and the best in beauty – my top consumer stories this week: ♡ Women’s Health & Beauty ♡ - Seen raises $9M Series A - Helaina raises $45M Series B to bring human lactoferrin to market - Allure announces the Best of Beauty 2024 winners - Elle's September beauty launches they’re obsessed with ♡ Media, Entertainment & Creator ♡ - Zuck makes WhatsApp Meta’s crown jewel -LinkedIn ranks #1 as the most important social platform for CEOs - Eva, an entertainment booking platform, raises $2M and expands to more cities ♡ E-Commerce, Retail & Social ♡ - 'Mormon Wives’ Puts Momfluencers’ Selling Power in the Spotlight - BoF introduces the BoF 500 Class of 2024 ♡ Tech, Business, & Investing ♡ - VC has a sexual harassment problem. One woman has a plan to change it - LinkedIn reveals the top startups of 2024 in the US - KPMG shares their Q2 2024 M&A Trends in consumer and retail report - Millionaires can afford their dream homes. They’re renting instead You can read more in this week's issue of ICYMI: https://lnkd.in/gE9aRWwp #consumernews #litrendingtopics

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Insightful look into bioplatform strategy, and what it takes to raise a Series A from my partner, Omri Amirav-Drory: https://lnkd.in/dFv7GbF6

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🚀 Exciting update from my recent sessions on Intro: I've had the privilege of mentoring some incredible minds, including a diverse group of founders and executives in the intersection of tech and talent-led brands. From fine-tuning fundraising approaches to navigating industry nuances, our conversations have been nothing short of inspiring. Here are my key takeaways from these enriching sessions: 1. Visionary Leadership: The clarity and vision showcased by these leaders have been truly impressive, setting a high bar for industry innovation. 2. Authentic Dialogue: What sets these sessions apart is the transparent and authentic conversations we've had. I believe in sharing hard truths and industry nuances, and it's heartening to see that resonate with those I mentor. 3. Value-Driven Collaboration: Every interaction has been a two-way street of learning and growth. I've been able to offer tailored strategies and insights, and the feedback has been immensely positive. Looking ahead, I've opened up my schedule for next week. Let's connect and explore how I can support your journey: intro.co/baminuzzi Drop a comment below with "interested," and I'll pick one person for a complimentary 15-minute call. Let's unlock new possibilities together! 💡

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At SignalFire, it's long been our thesis that the next decade of healthcare will follow the trends of how the ecommerce industry evolved in the past decade - increasingly using big data to hyper personalize and target its audience. Isn't it crazy that our healthcare industry is reactive? If you are reading this post, then you are likely one of us - privileged and educated to be proactive about our health. Most Americans aren't. They show up at a doctor's office only when they need help. And that's where things start breaking down - months of wait times, big out of pocket costs, and a frustrating experience all around. Companies like One Medical and Praia Health are fundamentally redefining what proactive healthcare means - engaging patients exactly the way each person wants for the best outcomes. Excited to have been featured on Healthcare Rap Podcast with Jared Johnson to jam about the future of consumer healthcare at length! #healthcare #healthcaretech #innovation https://lnkd.in/gFpmmu6y

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Who will be the next supply chain consolidator? From 2011 to 2021, XPO scaled up from $70M to $20B, fueled by a combination of organic growth and 18 acquisitions. The model was extremely successful. But the supply chain ecosystem remains extremely fragmented. There is plenty of room for new consolidators to emerge as winners. In the food supply chain software arena, one emerging acquiror is GrubMarket Inc. They have built a network model to help food suppliers automate their relationships with their customers. GrubMarket has acquired over 100 companies to date. They are expecting to exceed $2B in annualized revenue. And they just announced their latest purchase: Butter 🧈, a SaaS platform to automate food distribution. Kudos to Mike Xu, Winston C., and all involved! #logistics #supplychain #consolidation https://lnkd.in/emY4wpsy

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Loungewear, lattes, and... probiotics? At HSR, we’re tracking how female-focused products are diversifying portfolios and transforming health and beauty trends. Here is our weekly digest featuring all things consumer: ♡ Women’s Health & Beauty ♡ • Fitness platform, FORM makes a bold move into loungewear • Arrae is challenging the norm in women’s supplements with its holistic approach ♡ Media, Entertainment & Creator ♡ • From actor to founder, Tom Holland, makes his debut with non-alcoholic beer brand, Bero • Locker named #5 on The Information's “Top 50 Most Promising Startups of 2024” ♡ E-Commerce, Retail & Social ♡ • Veronica Beard partners with the NFL to bring a fresh twist to fanwear • High-end groceries are now a status symbol for Gen Z • Welcome to chaos packaging ♡ Tech, Business & Investing ♡ • Perplexity AI is on track to double its valuation to $8B • Goldman signals that the “golden age” for the S&P 500 could coming to an end You can read more in this week’s issue of ICYMI:  https://lnkd.in/giAhuDjm

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If you’re looking for a distraction from political content this week… look no further… allow me to introduce: VC podcast content :) I was so excited to finally be on Minnie Ingersoll and TenOneTen Ventures’ LA Venture Podcast. She grew this platform massively while I was on the operating side and it was such an honor to have this be my first interview since returning to VC. Minnie and I chatted poolside in her backyard in Pasadena and covered a lot of ground: - 🚀Why I think distribution and GTM is potentially a greater early moat than product in an AI-native world - 1️⃣ Is first mover advantage still a thing?! -🕵🏽‍♂️ How I think about channel vs integrated product partnership dynamics and why most of them dont work! -💰 What is (and isn’t) exciting to me and Fika Ventures in marketplaces, supply chain, commerce enablement, and more - 🧐 Why we love investing in subject matter and domain experts at Fika more than technology experts learning new domains - 🤝 What makes our partnership and team special at Fika Ventures and how we think about working with founders - 🪢 and finally, why Pejman Nozad and I have more in common than I do with most VCs! Shout outs to friends and colleagues like Tianxiang (TX) Zhuo, John Chen, Gabriella Brignardello, Route, Michael Tam, Troy Henikoff, and more in this one. And most importantly, thanks for having me, Minnie Ingersoll!

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Participating in Cohort 14 of the VC Lab has been an energizing experience so far. I am learning so much about the ins and outs of being an emerging fund manager and how to succeed in this space. Today they hosted a panel for Women in VC that provided some real world advice from some fantastic panelists. The curriculum is rigorous for sure, but rewarding. If you are curious about why this is such an exciting area check out this article. #venturecapital #vc #investing https://lnkd.in/gMMM_mwp

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What Laurel Mintz and Fabric VC are doing to change the current and long-standing suboptimal standards of venture capital is truly inspiring. The VC industry has historically been dominated by a narrow demographic, often overlooking the incredible potential that diverse founders bring to the table. Laurel's work is a breath of fresh air, showing that by supporting a wider range of voices and perspectives, we can achieve more innovative and successful outcomes. Her dedication to fostering an inclusive environment where all entrepreneurs have the opportunity to thrive is not just admirable, but necessary for the future of business. As a woman entrepreneur myself, I understand the challenges that come with navigating a landscape that hasn't always been welcoming or equitable. That's why I am so grateful for leaders like Laurel, who are not just talking about change but actively making it happen! #DEI #Entrepreneurship

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"But I think consumer is actually a great place to be building and investing. Whenever something is out of favor, that’s a sign it’s probably a good place to spend time: this is an industry built on being contrarian, not built on following the herd. We’re entering a compelling few years for consumer entrepreneurship. Big consumer wins compare favorably to big enterprise wins—relative to Snowflake’s market cap, Uber is ~3x in size, Airbnb is ~2x in size, and DoorDash is roughly equal. (Snowflake is the biggest enterprise IPO of the last decade.) The last few years produced a windfall of consumer outcomes, yet investors today almost write off the category." https://lnkd.in/gNR-Wwcn

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After nearly 5 life-changing years, as Walnut enters its next growth phase, I sought my investors’ blessing to find a U.S.-based leader for the company and to continue supporting the company in a supportive board role. Today, we’re very humbled to welcome San Francisco-based Eric Anderson, former President and executive of top GTM companies, as the company’s new CEO. Being the Founder/CEO of a startup that took off within a couple of months with a waitlist of 700 companies, and evolved into a whole new tech category, where dozens of companies have raised hundreds of millions in venture capital and was rapidly adopted by hundreds of enterprise customers, has been the wildest ride of my life. We also saw an online movement explode, and built a brand inspiring people to make a change —all amidst COVID lockdowns, bank crashes, global wars, and a heartbreaking situation in Israel which has just entered its second year with no resolution. I couldn’t have navigated the business without the best team a founder could possibly ask for 🩷 , and I’ll be very lucky to get to work with any of them in my future endeavors. I’ll continue supporting Eric in leading Walnut for the foreseeable future, and I’m incredibly grateful to our board for supporting the company through this transition. (NFX, Eight Roads, Felicis, Gigi Levy-Weiss, Eyal R., Jake Storm, Viviana Faga, Yair Amit). P.S. - I will, of course, forever be a prospect. First, off to get a new shirt. #WeAreProspects

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Have a story to tell... Use Narratize AI Co-Authoring platform to tell your stories in an impactful manner. Katie Trauth Taylor, PhD and the entire team is committed to helping you in becoming amazing storytellers. Check out their impressive work at https://lnkd.in/gnNYHSSX Start telling your stories with Narratize AI as your co-author. #generativeai #storytelling #innovation #aicoauthoring #innovators #researchers #impactstories #startups #problemsolvers #AI #AIStartup

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I’m thrilled to be announcing that Notion Capital is leading the $15m Series A investment in Cogna today. In the industry, we like to think that software has been eating the world. But when you look at the data a better description would be more of a nibble. Depending on what source you look at the software industry represents between 5-8% of global GDP. Contrast that with the services industry that represents between 60-70% of GDP and worth around $25 trillion on a global basis. Most services have been out of reach for the software industry. They have either been too complex or too specialized for off the shelf software to access in any economically viable way. But that’s beginnning to change with GenAI leading to the emergence of ‘service as a software.’ Cogna is at the forefront of this opportunity - building precision software at scale and delivering huge productivity gains for traditional industries. We know Ben Peters & Lars Mennen well having backed their previous company Five AI that was acquired by Bosch in 2022. And we’re very excited to be backing them again together with Hoxton Ventures & Chalfen Ventures Read my full blog post on why we invested here. Radu Bozga Ben Peters Lars Mennen Bryan G. Mike Chalfen Hussein Kanji Kirsten Connell https://lnkd.in/eh8mhcJb

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Amongst the most successful VCs in consumer in the past decade has been Kirsten Green at Forerunner So I asked her all about how startups can navigate the 70% reduction in consumer investing & why now might be the best time for VCs to look harder at the category. I loved this discussion. I always learn something from Kirsten. Click below to watch / listen https://lnkd.in/g3kiMPD5

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From fashion collabs to shifting beauty standards, the future of consumer goods is all about reinvention. At HSR, we are spotlighting the biggest moves in health, entertainment, and business. Check out our latest weekly digest: ♡ Women’s Health & Beauty ♡ - Emergency contraception sales spiked more than 930% in some states following the election ♡ Media, Entertainment & Creator ♡ - SKIMS just released a limited edition collaboration with Dolce & Gabbana - Influencer-turned-entrepreneur, Danielle Bernstein’s new women’s fragrance is expected to land in Ulta in 2025 ♡ E-Commerce, Retail & Social ♡ - McKinsey’s eighth annual “The State of Fashion” report is out - from Business of Fashion - Gen Z’s obsession with “swicy” ingredients may signal a growing opportunity in consumer food - Ulta Beauty is cracking down on its return policy ahead of the holiday season ♡ Tech, Business, & Investing ♡ - The $8.5 billion merger between Tapestry and Capri was called off - Athleisure brand, Vuori, reaches a $5.5 billion valuation following its recent $825 million investment You can check out more in this week's HSR ICYMI: https://lnkd.in/g5QncktG

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Such an honor to be interviewed by Kat Garcia, the female founder behind Ground to share my takes on BFCM strategies, what DTC brands must do to win, my journey into angel investing and my predictions on the future of AI in consumer tech and more all packed into 21 minutes!! #BFCM #podcast #consumer #startup https://lnkd.in/g2Q7_2EE

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🛍️ Retailers: you can say goodbye to excess inventory headaches! Ganas Ventures is proud to invest in LiquiDonate, the tech that makes it happen, in community. Disney Petit, MBA, and the LiquiDonate team are transforming how retailers manage returns and inventory sustainably. Get in touch with Disney to learn more. #circulareconomy

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If you believe that #Diversity and #Inclusion matter, specifically in times like this, join us on October 30th. We will discuss the challenges and success stories of promoting Diversity in 2024. With me you will find industry leaders who were able to pull it off (!) 💥💥💥 Dorit Dor, Hasan Abasi, Vered Raviv Schwarz, Gal Shaul Guesty, Augury, HAAT Delivery, Check Point Software Power in Diversity Glilot Capital Partners Poalim Tech, Meitar | Law Offices, ESOP - Phoenix, Microsoft, Calcalist כלכליסט #nomatterwhat

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In a startup's early days, founders often skip detailed compensation planning, instead choosing round numbers and moving on. This is an admirable sentiment. But over the long term, founder compensation design can matter a lot to the company, so it's worth taking some time to think this through. Here are some benchmarks and suggestions for founder compensation across: 1. Salary 2. Equity Split 3. Vesting https://lnkd.in/gcDXehXx

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