Andrew Gluck is the founder of IrrvrntVC, a firm that invests in early-stage companies. With a background in economics and psychology, he transitioned from working in marketing to becoming an angel investor and advisor, eventually starting his own firm and raising a $10 million fund.

In this podcast, Gluck discusses the challenge of creating brands with generational opportunities and their path to profitability. He suggests it's possible to control a brand's destiny with little funding by setting realistic LTV numbers and payback periods. One key advice he gives to founders is to understand how much of the market big brands in your space have been able to capture and how they've done so.

Listen to the rest of the conversation with Andrew Gluck.

In this podcast, Ben Tregoe interviews Nick Allen, the founder and CEO of Geologie, a personalized skincare company that started out just for men but has expanded to all genders and even added hair and body care lines.

Nick talks about his background experiences in investment banking, equity research, and his entrepreneurial start in the ride-sharing business. He also walks though Geologie’s journey as a company, why they chose a subscription model, and how they’ve evolved their marketing efforts.

Tune in as Nick shares the importance of product-market-founder-fit - where an entrepreneur needs to have a good idea, a market worth pursuing, and be the right person to execute the plan - and how fellow DTC founders can thrive in today’s environment.

On this episode we welcome Dave Wardell, brand president of Chubbies Shorts, an apparel and fashion brand that has seen huge success in the DTC space over the past few years. Wardell talks about his experience building up his career, continuously reinventing and reevaluating the work he did and the kinds of companies he worked with. He also talks about the Chubbies employee team and how their unique priorities and work helped them rise to success and get acquired by Solo brands.

Ben Zises, angel investor and founding general partner at SuperAngel.Fund comes on the podcast to talk about his journey and the experiences that made him fall in love with investing.

After many trips around the “founder flywheel” himself, Ben developed a passion for championing other founders to accomplish their goals, mission and vision. Now with over 100 total portfolio companies and almost a decade of experience, Ben Zises shares his story and expert advice for both founders and investors.

Dive into this episode with Ben Zises and hear his unique take on the VC world as an investor with unrivaled founder empathy.

From private investigator to analyst, Dylan Carden tells us about his experience as what he refers to as a “life-long researcher”, and how his career led to where he is now, working as an equity analyst at William Blair. Carden describes the unique work of a sell-side analyst and the business model behind what they do for different brands and companies. Listen in as he walks through the strategies that individual companies like Aritzia, Abercrombie, and Nike used to increase their growth and continue to build their brand.

Nina McKinney is the Chief Strategy Operator of Oats Overnight, a convenient and nutritious breakfast solution that comes in a wide variety of flavors and ‘types’ to fit the lifestyle of everyone. On this episode, Nina discusses the unique attributions that caused her to fall in love with the Oats Overnight brand and talks about customer bases and the importance of customer feedback. Listen in as she shares insights into the journey of transforming Oats from a good brand to a great brand.

Rachel Liaw, co-founder of Fuse Inventor talks about how her career as a software developer turned into working in supply chain management, which resulted in her starting Fuse Inventory. Fuse Inventory was founded as a solution to the several everyday problems that companies face regarding inventory management, helping companies not only keep track of their inventory but make the smart decisions regarding inventory in order to optimize their business’ success. Listen in as she shares insights into using inventory management as a key ingredient in the recipe for success.

Starting as an investor at Mud\Wtr and now investing in over 20 startups, Paul DeJoe talks about how a collegiate career planned around ice hockey developed into a love for investing in companies he believes in. He tells the story behind his contribution to Mud\Wtr, the specific aspects that made the company so successful, what to look for when seeking an investor, and his passion for helping founders tackle their psychological baggage.