Show Notes:
The market for health-centric consumer packaged goods (CPGs) is both vast and confusing. Some products claim wellness, yet lack basic clinical evidence. Other products are genuinely healthy but struggle to curate messaging that resonates with consumers.
Today’s guest Daniel Faierman—GP of Vitality Ventures and Director of Finance at Forum Brands—reveals what he looks for when investing in CPGs.
A collegiate tennis career at Yale first catapulted Daniel into health and wellness investing. He now operates and invests in three main categories: health tech, sports tech, and consumer health—spending most of his time searching for the next big CPG brand.
In today’s episode, we talk about CPG 1.0 versus CPG 2.0, making wellness more accessible, and what Daniel looks for when investing in CPG brands. Plus, Daniel gives his take on plant-based meats, celebrity-led brands, and opportunities in human health outside of food and beverage.
About Vitality Ventures: Vitality Ventures is an early-stage venture capital syndicate that invests Seed through Series B in the future of human health and performance.
About Forum Brands: Forum Brands acquires and grows early-stage businesses at the intersection of consumer brands and wellness.
Timestamps:
[0:53]: Collegiate Tennis
[5:56]: Why Daniel chose Consumer Health
[7:43]: Subscribing to Wellness
[8:53]: Investment Criteria for CPG Brands
[12:52]: Backing the Science
[14:48]: CPG’s Target Demographic
[16:52]: Ozempic Changing Brand Messaging
[17:32]: CPG 1.0 (better-for-you) vs. CPG 2.0 (good-for-you)
[20:54]: Plant-Based Meats
[22:55]: Impact of Celebrity Brands
[26:59]: Making Wellness More Accessible
[32:00]: Opportunities in Personalized Wellness + Recovery
[35:01]: Opportunities in Aging
[36:07]: Closing Remarks
Resources:
Companies mentioned: Elo Health, Gruns, Edge Theory Labs, Bold, Meati, Actual Veggies
Ep. 15: Daniel Faierman of Vitality Ventures and Forum Brands Unpacks the World of Health & Wellness CPGs