Maveron

Exciting opportunity to help us work on our investment theses and shape the future of consumer research function at Maveron!

A few weeks ago, Natalie Dillon and I published our thoughts on the next generation of consumer investing: the Age of Personalization. Today, we're excited to share more on Maveron's focus areas in the Age of Personalization! We see evidence of a few major societal shifts that underpin the Age of Personalization, ranging from health and knowledge to productivity and power redistribution. Each of these represents numerous value creation opportunities today, with more to be revealed as the Age of Personalization evolves. We'll be sharing more content and investment theses around these opportunities moving forward, so be sure to subscribe to Maveron's Medium at the link below. https://lnkd.in/g3Yk8WdQ

The Bell Isn't Ringing. Thoughts on Unicorn mergers as a way to catalyze liquidity. There are no real exit opportunities for the majority of the 736 U.S. based unicorns. 30% are unprofitable with declining sales, and no more than a few dozen will have the TAM, growth and runway to IPO. One high-stakes option emerging for struggling unicorns is to merge with each other. Late last week, Ireland-based LetsGetChecked acquired TruePill for $525M. But does having two poor chefs cooking together lead to a better meal. Usually not - but perhaps these two companies on a combined basis have a better set of ingredients to cook with. For more, read my blog post below: https://lnkd.in/g6p3diTa

It’s rare to see a company that not only disrupts an entire industry but also does so discreetly, profitably, and with minimal venture capital investment. Babylist, founded in 2011, is one such gem. ✅ consistently profitable ✅ growing 40% YoY ✅ surpassed $400M in rev ✅ 1M+ registries created annually ✅ bootstrapped for 7 years ✅ raised $50M total After nerding out, I'm sharing some observations below. Read to learn more about Babylist!

Panelist feature! We're excited to have Jason Stoffer joining our upcoming panel on investor perspectives on consumer trends and sustainable fashion. Jason joined Maveron as a general partner in 2007 and currently serves as chief investment officer to the fund. An investor and board member in an impressive array of successful companies, he focuses on consumer verticals after building a career in the education space. Founded in 1998, Maveron was created by Dan Levitan and Howard Schultz specifically to invest in new consumer ventures led by “non-normal entrepreneurs”. The firm takes a unique approach to assessing investment opportunities, considering the value of brand and incorporating a perspective on human psychology, technology, and consumer behavior intersect to drive change. Register for the panel here: https://lu.ma/pburiyou Dr. Kitty Y. M. Yeung, John Sandoval

"A venture-scalable consumer company to us is one that leverages technology and generates revenue through either direct or indirect consumer purchases, or by relying on consumer spending and engagement. These companies maintain consumers as the crucial stakeholder across product types (hardware, software, CPG) and distribution channels (D2C, B2B2C, B+C), rather than staying in just one product or distribution lane." excited to collab with the amazing Natalie Dillon on sharing Maveron's thoughts on the state of consumer investing today and what we believe is the new generation of consumer investing - the Age of Personalization! expect more content like this from the Maveron team over the coming months - we'll be sharing our thoughts around value creation opportunities and potential investments in the Age of Personalization. please reach out if you're also thinking about the next generation of consumer investing and company-building! https://lnkd.in/eqZpn5nU

Had a lot of fun collaborating on this piece with some investor and founder friends -- have a read and let us know your point of view!

I'm spending more and more time thinking through the rental economy. I believe there are underlying consumer behavior shifts partnered with technology that make this a more attractive space for consumers and investors alike. Let me know what you think!

It may be surprising to hear that philanthropic giving is down in 2023, in part due to inflation and stock market fluctuations. But one shining light is the growth we’re seeing in Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs), which are charitable investment accounts for supporting nonprofit organizations. At Maveron, we look for opportunities to invest in generational companies that empower millions of consumers - and we saw that potential immediately with Chariot. Innovations like DAFpay, which makes it easy to donate online using a Donor-Advised Fund, are a huge step forward for the thousands of nonprofits Chariot works with. Maveron is proud to lead Chariot’s $11 million Series A alongside Spark Capital, SV Angel, and Y Combinator. As part of that investment, I have joined the board of directors. Read our post here on why we invested and what’s next for this team. Thank you to the founders and team for your hard work and your vision—let’s go! 

It may be surprising to hear that philanthropic giving is down in 2023, in part due to inflation and stock market fluctuations. But one shining light is the growth we’re seeing in Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs), which are charitable investment accounts for supporting nonprofit organizations. At Maveron, we look for opportunities to invest in generational companies that empower millions of consumers - and we saw that potential immediately with Chariot. Innovations like DAFpay, which makes it easy to donate online using a Donor-Advised Fund, are a huge step forward for the thousands of nonprofits Chariot works with. Maveron is proud to lead Chariot’s $11 million Series A alongside Spark Capital, SV Angel, and Y Combinator. As part of that investment, I have joined the board of directors. Read our post here on why we invested and what’s next for this team. Thank you to the founders and team for your hard work and your vision—let’s go!