Stride Consumer Partners’ Post

📢 Join me next week for Beauty Independent’s Dealmakers Summit from June 17-18th in NYC! Last year’s summit was epic and this year the team is taking it up a notch with a great lineup of speakers, engaging topics and content, and a top notch attendee list. Also check out my co-founder Rich Gersten on his panel which will be kicking off the event on day 1 👏🏼 I’ll be kicking off day 2 with a panel moderated by the one and only Nader Naeymi-Rad on the topic of: EARLY-STAGE INVESTING ORIGINAL ART OR PAINT BY NUMBERS❓ “A decade ago, professional investment firms focused on early-stage beauty dealmaking were practically non-existent. Now, the space is ripe with firms who see the potential of getting in on the ground level of the next stratospheric success story—see K18. At the same time, rising costs and increased competition seem to have narrowed down strategic options for emerging brands—self-fund until seed, launch DTC, raise, enter Sephora/Ulta/Target, raise more, prove traction in maybe one foreign market, then call your favorite banker and hit “exit”. Is there now a proven playbook for early stage investing in beauty or is it still an art form? And if most VCs are essentially funding the same strategy, then how will they differentiate themselves and what does this mean for brands that don’t fit this playbook?” Looking forward to joining my awesome fellow panelists Manica Blain, Anna Whiteman and Diana Melencio ✨ Hope to see you there! True Beauty Ventures Paris Farsad-Roche Jane Carlson Rachel Brown Claire McCormack #beauty #beautyinvesting #VC #beautyindustry

Congratulations to L'Institut Idée and welcome Penelope Fridman, CPC, ELI-MP and Wahn Yoon for being accepted into the enabling ideas® roster of ultra-talented partnering providers! L’Institut Idée revolutionizes the way organizations understand their audiences, unlock team alignment, and uncover unleveraged opportunities for growth. Known as the “GPS for business,” L’Institut Idée's highly trained strategists bring decades of experience from the agency, business, and consulting worlds to guide companies forward with unique, proprietary methodologies. Their transformative approach allows businesses to align leadership, discover their brand purpose, and unlock new revenue streams. Whether it's defining a brand strategy, attracting better investment, or future-proofing an organization, L’Institut Idée empowers clients to reach new heights. Learn more https://lnkd.in/gn63MGAX Fast-tracking the journey. Start-up to Enterprise. enabling ideas® Community of experts is an exclusive fellowship of carefully curated best-in-class firms, contributing to our Venture Acceleration and Enterprise Innovation solutions. To be accepted, our Expert Partners must meet stringent criteria for suitability, including a commitment to excellence.

Last week we organised an impromptu dinner with Fashion & Beauty Tech Founders and Funders (investors) in London, under FaB Fashion and BeautyTech London banner. We talked about: 1️⃣ Sustainability: Founders stressed the importance of integrating sustainable practices into business operations, prioritizing eco-friendly solutions to address environmental concerns. 2️⃣ Power of Networking: Attendees highlighted the value of building meaningful connections and partnerships within the entrepreneurial ecosystem to foster growth and innovation. 3️⃣ Staying Strong Through Hard Times: We heard some truly inspiring tales of resilience and flexibility. These stories highlight just how important it is to keep pushing forward, even when faced with tough challenges and the unpredictable nature of running a business. 4️⃣ Creativity in order to bounce back: a lot of start-up pivot in their 1st, 2nd or 3rd year running after realising a market avenue might be more difficult than anticipate. Sometimes it is better to pivot and stay in the game, rather than giving up altogether. Thank you for those who joined us. Feel free to comment if you want to be part of the next Founders & Funders Dinner. Shivali Jasmine Bennion, Athina Collaro, Brendan Murdock, Nina-Sophia Miralles, shishir singhee, Fiona Mehta, Anna Alexanian, Alexandra Tymann, Tracey Huggett, Nnenna O., Eva Lagarde 🧚🏼♂️ Odile Roujol

First mover advantage—it's not just about being first, it's about being smart. GreyB's insights into patent landscapes and tech scouting can catapult companies to the forefront of their industry. Take the case of QWERTY keyboards or Softsoap. It's not just invention but market creation that cements a company's lead. GreyB's services are a catalyst for this kind of strategic innovation, offering a deep dive into industry trends and hidden opportunities. With GreyB, R&D teams gain access to a tailored stream of data, enabling them to spot early signals of industry breakthroughs. This is the kind of intelligence that transforms a company from follower to leader. The story of Minnetonka Corporation illustrates the power of strategic adoption of existing solutions. GreyB's research can help your company find similar paths to first-mover status. Ready to lead your industry? Check out GreyB's full article on securing the first-mover advantage. #MarketLeadership #StrategicInnovation #GreyB #RnDExcellence #TechScouting 🔗 Lead the pack with GreyB's insights: https://lnkd.in/gUM_fvNt

Final call for innovators: Venture into the🐉 IG&H Dragon's Den. This is a day to channel your entrepreneurial spirit. Pitch your idea to an expert panel for a chance to win a period of free consultation from industry-leading experts. This edition of the IG&H Dragon's Den will focus on Data & Analytics and Organizational Transformation challenges. To equip you for pitching day, you will partner with IG&H consultants. They will guide you through tailored pitch preparation. 📅 When? Wednesday, January 24, 2024, from 17:00 – 19:30 at IG&H Utrecht 📩 How to Participate? Submit your company's challenge before January 15, 2024 and pave the way for a transformative journey. Simply send an email to: [email protected] with a clear description of your challenge. More than a competition, this is your chance to spark innovation. Mark your calendars, sharpen your pitch and get ready to fan that creative fire 🔥 *Please note that we will accept requests on a 'first come first served' basis.

The agenda is here! See you at The Lead Summit 2024, the future of brand to consumer.

The Power of Positioning to Change the World One of the first things I learned in my early years of training as a brand strategist is the importance of positioning a brand, i.e. how essential it is for the success of any brand and how it's done. This applies to any brand, B2C, B2B, commercial, not-for-profit, political, or personal. Normally, this is done behind the scenes in boardrooms and Zoom sessions, where the public only sees the eventual outward. But now, we are getting to see an example of positioning in the form of a very transparent, public exercise that may end up changing the course of history: the Democratic Party and the Harris Walz campaign. Positioning is about framing, and finding the optimal space in the public imagination for your brand. It entails research and data, of course, but most of all requires something that every leader needs to exercise: Intuition. The ability to read the room while understanding what you stand for. By some miracle, the Harris Walz campaign has found a simple but powerful positioning that is resonating with not only the American public but many around the world, that of Prosecutor vs. Felon. And in choosing Walz as her running mate, VP Harris has augmented that primary positioning with the message that the ticket is for and by the people, not the elites. Brilliant. And not a moment too soon. In the next series of posts, we'll be exploring how positioning is playing out in real time in this election and in our current Zeitgeist as a whole. We'll also explore the much touted notion of "memes" and how they can become a viral 'carrier' that replicates a positioning in the market. Much of my career has been devoted to helping brands find their positioning and express it as an inspired statement of purpose. No better time than now for all of us to remind ourselves why and how positioning is the way a brand charts its own destiny in the market.

🌟 At the #DealMaker Summit, beauty investors shared a golden nugget: bringing in a CEO early on can catapult emerging beauty brands to success. 🌟 Intrigued, I turned to none other than @barbaracorcoran, our favorite #SharkTank investor with a track record of savvy #beautydeals. 🦈✨ Curious about her take? Tap to hear her exclusive insights! 🎙️ But wait, I want to hear from YOU! What’s your take if you’re a #BeautyInvestor or #BeautyBrandFounder? 💬👇 #BeautyInvesting #CSuite #BeautyIndependent

Having a strong and clear purpose for your enterprise is more than just a buzzword – it's a strategic imperative.   Challenges are an inherent part of the entrepreneurial journey, but with a purpose-driven mindset, obstacles become stepping stones towards growth.    The commitment to a higher purpose infuses the business with resilience, allowing it to weather storms and emerge stronger on the other side.   When the going gets tough, the purpose serves as a reminder of why we started the business in the first place, reigniting the entrepreneurial spirit to persevere.   Beyond the boardroom, a business's purpose resonates with consumers on a profound level. It becomes the centripetal force that attracts customers and keeps them orbiting around a brand.    In an era where consumers seek authenticity and value alignment, a purpose-driven business stands out.   It creates an emotional connection, fostering loyalty that goes beyond transactions. Consumers become advocates, actively promoting the brand and forming a community around shared values.   Purpose-driven brands are remembered, revered, and recommended.   Building a brand legacy isn't just about profitability; it's about making a meaningful impact that transcends generations. #brandadvocacy #buildingbrands #customerloyalty

While the future is bright for beauty, it's not immune to economic and investment trends. For some, 2023 was a period of reckoning that resulted in a record number of brand closures, bankruptcies, and distressed sales, representing an opportunity for a particular class of investors. The funding environment has become more bearish, and most investors have become more conservative, forcing brands looking for funding to focus on capital efficiency, attractive margins, diversified distribution, innovative products, and a clear path to profitability. For the third year, we've surfaced six of the most active investors based on dealmaking tracked in our BeautyMatter Index, including L Catterton, BOLD, True Beauty Ventures, Unilever Ventures, Fearless Fund, and Silas Capital. Story by Kelly Kovack. #beautybusiness #beautyindustry #beautytrends #investors #finance #dealflow #venturecapital #privateequity