Consumer VC takes a look into early-stage consumer investing and venture capital. If you are interested in learning about consumer trends, have a b2c business and interested in learning about the fundraising process at the early stage, you have come to the right place.
Mike interviews some of the top venture capitalists in the world that focus on B2C and consumer type companies or have a deep track record investing in these categories such as marketplaces, SaaS, social, CPG and non-tech subscription.
Mike also interviews founders that are building some of the most disruptive consumer facing companies in the world. The conversation usually includes the insight the founder discovered, fundraising strategy, and the pitch.
This podcast also includes bonus episodes. Each bonus episode dives into a particular subject that might not have to due with the fundraise or venture capital, but still would be helpful to founders. For example, a bonus episode on brand strategy or how to construct a board of directors. All bonus episodes will be clearly labeled.
For all episodes, please visit www.theconsumervc.com. For updates, you can follow @mikegelb on Twitter.
Consumer VC takes a look into early-stage consumer investing and venture capital. If you are interested in learning about consumer trends, have a b2c business and interested in learning about the fundraising process at the early stage, you have come to the right place.
Mike interviews some of the top venture capitalists in the world that focus on B2C and consumer type companies or have a deep track record investing in these categories such as marketplaces, SaaS, social, CPG and non-tech subscription.
Mike also interviews founders that are building some of the most disruptive consumer facing companies in the world. The conversation usually includes the insight the founder discovered, fundraising strategy, and the pitch.
This podcast also includes bonus episodes. Each bonus episode dives into a particular subject that might not have to due with the fundraise or venture capital, but still would be helpful to founders. For example, a bonus episode on brand strategy or how to construct a board of directors. All bonus episodes will be clearly labeled.
For all episodes, please visit www.theconsumervc.com. For updates, you can follow @mikegelb on Twitter.
This episode is brought to you by Highbeam.
Highbeam is the all-in-one banking and cash management platform built for consumer brands – https://www.highbeam.co/capital?partnerId=consumervc
In this episode of The Consumer VC, Mike Gelb sits down with Chris Kirby, founder of Ithaca Hummus, to uncover how he turned a local farmer’s market stand into a $50M+ premium food brand — without traditional VC funding.
Chris shares:
Why he left fine dining to build a CPG brand
How Ithaca Hummus was born at a student farmer’s market
Selling without brokers & scaling through scrappy growth
Why they said NO to VCs and focused on unit economics & velocity
How packaging and taste-first branding drove national expansion
Strategic partnerships that led to explosive revenue jumps
🔥 If you're a CPG founder, emerging brand, or curious about bootstrapping a premium product, don’t miss this.
🕒 Timestamps
00:00 - Opening Quote: The Magic of Farmer’s Markets
03:24 - From Fine Dining to Culinary Burnout
06:36 - Discovering a Gap in Ithaca’s Food Scene
10:46 - Launching Ithaca Hummus from a Camp Kitchen
13:54 - The Addictive Energy of Farmer’s Markets
19:15 - No Brokers: Selling to Co-ops Door-to-Door
24:33 - Sampling, Promotions & Retailer Education
28:10 - $1M to $3.5M: Strategic Investment from Co-Man
33:50 - Saying No to VCs: Building Without External Pressure
37:17 - What Strategic Actually Means in CPG
41:50 - Branding, Packaging & the Power of “Owning Taste”
45:33 - Creating Viral Flavors (e.g. French Onion Hummus)
47:59 - Graza x Ithaca: Strategic Co-Branded Launch
50:00 - Long-Term Vision: Legacy, Not Liquidity
53:50 - Lightning Round: Books, Beliefs & Brands
#venturecapital #consumervc #vcfunding
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