FirstLook 🤑

FirstLook Brand Spotlight Series: Clean Age Welcome to the FirstLook Brand Spotlight Series - where we spotlight brands and founders, that have partnered with FirstLook, who are shaping the future of consumer products. Today, we are featuring Clean Age, a forward-thinking personal care brand founded by Rachel Peters. Rachel launched Clean Age after a successful career consulting for major CPG companies, where she helped bring over 150 products to market. She has earned recognition as a Walmart Golden Ticket winner, was a finalist with an investment reward at the Bend Venture Conference, and successfully oversubscribed the Clean Age Series Seed round. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Clean Age is redefining personal care with innovation and sustainability at its core. Stay tuned for more incredible brands from FirstLook! #FirstLook #brandspotlight #cpg #founderstories #venturecapital

Congrats to alumni brand Homecourt, and co-founder Sarah Jahnke, on being named to Fast Company's prestigious list of the World's Most Innovative Companies of 2025! https://lnkd.in/g3PpPrXH #MostInnovativeCompanies #CPG #Entrepreneurship #StartupGrowth #Homecourt #FirstLook #Leadership #BusinessInnovation

Here at FirstLook 🤑 we have had the privilege of working with the most innovative and ambitious early-stage brands out there. These founders are building the future of consumer products – redefining categories, challenging norms, and bringing innovation to life. We are excited to spotlight these incredible brands who have jumped in our investor boxes by sharing their stories and what makes them stand out. Stay tuned as we spotlight these great brands! #firstlook #brandspotlight #cpg #founderstories #venturecapital

A Great Growth Story 📖 The biggest miss I see in brands are creative growth strategies Every so often, however, I come across one that really sticks out. Here's one from a call I had a few weeks back: Meet Ofek Arush and George Passantino, founders of Quokka Brew When I first met them in April 2023, they were grinding 90+ hour weeks just trying to keep up. Like most, money was tight and burn out was becoming real This is when they decided to bring on their first virtual assistant to lighten the load. It went amazing, and so they hired another, and then another, and another... Fast-forward to today, they’ve built a full-on machine of 30+ full-time VAs running their lead generation, social media, graphic design, operations, and more. They've 6x revenue and work a fraction of the hours they used to "What are you doing that no one else is doing?" is a question often asked by investors. This answer is also what founders usually share in interviews after an exit. "How'd you do it?!" I've never seen founders embrace VAs like Ofek and George have, but I AM IMPRESSED. If they reach an exit, I imagine we'll be hearing this VA story again But you heard it here first 🤑 #startups #venturecapital #virtualassistant #growth #founders

I wanted to quickly shout out a terrific resource, FirstLook 🤑. Brian Folmer has helped a number of brands connect with relevant angel investors and VC groups including our portfolio companies and RodeoCPG itself. The service is now free for brands so please reach out if you have any questions. In a tough fundraising environment, tools like FirstLook are critical for success.

FirstLook Celebrates Women Founders! This Women’s History Month, we proudly honor the incredible female founders who have participated in FirstLook and the groundbreaking brands they have built. Women are not just driving innovation – they are shaping the future of consumer industries in a big way. With women influencing 80% of purchasing decisions, investing in female-led businesses is not just about representation; it is a strategic advantage.    Yet, despite their undeniable market power, women founders only receive a fraction of venture capital funding. This gap is not only a loss for investors but also a loss for consumers who deserve products designed by those who understand them best. At FirstLook, we are committed to changing that narrative. Today, 49.1% of the brands we have worked with are female-founded, and 38.5% have female CEOs. These visionary entrepreneurs are not only redefining their industries but also inspiring the next generation of women in business. Studies show that female-led companies generate higher revenue per dollar invested. When women have equal access to capital and opportunities, they build businesses that address real market needs, drive economic growth, and create lasting impact. That is why we must continue to uplift and champion these visionary entrepreneurs who are redefining their industries. Their strength, creativity, and drive are not only transforming their industries but also inspiring the next generation of women in business. Let’s continue to support and celebrate their impact – because when women founders win, we all win. #WomenInBusiness #FemaleFounders #Entrepreneurship #FirstLook #Innovation #Empowerment #WomensHistoryMonth #InvestInWomen

Huge congratulations to FirstLook alum David Yi and the good light cosmetics team on this incredible milestone! Expanding into Ulta Beauty is a major achievement! Your mission to redefine beauty standards and champion inclusivity is inspiring – this is just the beginning! Check out Rachel Brown's full story here: https://lnkd.in/gneaTEZd #goodlight #ultabeauty #firstlook #beautyindependent 

We love seeing our FirstLook alums continue to thrive! #firstlook #cpg #mosh #venturecapital

Can you guess which is the real venture capital firm?

At #ExpoWest, FirstLook alumni brands B.T.R. NATION and Whoa Dough unveiled exciting new product line expansions! B.T.R. NATION is expanding its Protein+ line with new bars, each packed with 15 grams of protein and free from sugar, dairy, gluten, and seed oils. Whoa Dough is introducing Brownie Batter, to their collection of allergen-friendly, ready-to-bake cookie dough. Each serving contains 90 calories! A big thank you to Nosh.com for highlighting these amazing brands — we can’t wait to see these products continue to thrive! https://lnkd.in/gMbfEwaB #ExpoWest #CPG #Expo #Retail #FirstlookAlumni #BTR #WhoaDough #ProteinPlus #AllergenFriendly #NewProductLaunch #HealthySnacks #GlutenFree #SugarFree #DairyFree #ReadyToBake #HealthyEating #CleanIngredients #SnackTime #Nosh #FoodInnovation #HealthyLiving #SnackGoals #WellnessJourney #ProteinBars #CookieDough