Welcome to CPGD’s newsletter for investors.

We started this newsletter because hundreds of our existing 10,000+ subscribers expressed interest in investing in early stage CPG. So we started curating a Deal Flow Portal with vetted, early-access deals. As both our list of investors and deals grew, we decided to expand our offering into a totally separate newsletter.

Each newsletter will feature:

And to introduce myself: hi, 👋 I’m Lucy. I’ve been leading Partnerships at CPGD and and will be curating these founder stories along with my partner Erica. I attended the University of Chicago and am currently an MBA student at Wharton.

Liked our spotlights? Check out our Deal Flow Portal (password = betterforyou) for a full list of vetted CPG startups currently raising! We refresh this portal every month with new brands.

Highlighting 3 amazing Founders who are raising right now…

Untoxicated Skincare

Allergen-free skincare

Raising: $1.5M

Founder background: Annie Stansik, founder of Untoxicated Skincare, is a University of Michigan BBA & University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) MBA who has spent her career building some of the world's largest and most well-known household brands - from Ketel One Vodka and AXE Men's Grooming to SweeTARTS Candies and Vaseline Global Skincare. She has worked across the growth curve, from launching high growth start-ups to scaling private equity backed ventures and leading within publicly owned CPG enterprises.

What was the inspiration behind Untoxicated Skincare? By the time I hit my early 30's, I was experiencing skin issues for the first time in my life. (From decades of harsh personal care products, no doubt!) I was struggling to find effective solutions and motivated by the idea that if someone who is arguably a beauty expert is having a hard time navigating the situation, it is likely a herculean task for the average consumer. So when I was introduced to my now co-Founder, Dr. Martin Smith, a Cleveland Clinic-trained MD, who was also trying to figure out how to address this large and growing pain point, the opportunity to apply my expertise towards something meaningful by democratizing access to a better skincare solution for consumers felt too unique (and meaningful) to pass up! 

What does your company do or what problem does it aim to solve? Untoxicated is on a mission to tackle the quickly growing sensitive skin epidemic through first-of-its-kind skincare solutions backed by a brand that's credible, accessible, and delivers the no-bs information that empowers consumers to achieve greater skin health. While 70%+ of consumers report sensitive skin, very few skincare brands specialize in sensitivity today, and the options that do exist are inadequate. Left untreated, these sensitive skin issues (such as eczema) have been proven over and over again to impede quality of life and negatively impact overall health & wellbeing.

Any exciting initiatives coming up? This summer will mark a number of exciting 'firsts' for us: (1) We're launching our first-ever paid marketing investment via Search, Meta Ads & TikTok Affiliates, (2) We're participating in our first-ever Amazon Prime Day (to capitalize on the incredible growth we've seen on-platform), and (3) We're introducing our fourth item - a much-requested Micellar Water! 

Raise Details: 

Woah Dough

Better for you cookie dough bars

Raising: $1.5M

Founder background: Todd Goldstein, founder of Woah Dough, is an entrepreneur, investor, and loves all things CPG. With a keen eye for innovation and a passion for nurturing ideas, he has made a significant impact in the startup landscape of Northeast Ohio.

In 2008, Goldstein co-founded LaunchHouse with a bold vision: to identify, invest, and nurture promising idea-stage startups within the region. Under his leadership, LaunchHouse has evolved into a cornerstone of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, providing vital support to over 65 diverse companies. The portfolio's success speaks volumes, with cumulative follow-on funding exceeding $30M, solidifying LaunchHouse's reputation as one of the most active early-stage investors in Northeast Ohio.

With a track record of turning ideas into reality and championing the value of intellectual property, Todd Goldstein stands as a beacon of innovation and entrepreneurship, inspiring countless others to pursue their passions and realize their potential.

What was the inspiration behind Woah Dough? Growing up, I loved baking cookies with my grandparents. Like most kids, I was excited for the warm and gooey chocolatey chip cookies fresh from the oven; I always begged to lick the spoon and scrape every delectable drop of cookie dough off the side of the bowl. But unlike other kids, I always felt sick after eating them. And that wasn’t from eating too much cookie dough. It took me decades to be diagnosed with a gluten allergy that wound up being the culprit. 

Food is so much more than just a way to nourish our bodies. It’s an opportunity to connect, to make memories, and to celebrate special events. But for those with dietary restrictions, finding good food can be tough! As a dad to three amazing boys who were all born with the same gluten allergies, I couldn't find good gluten-free products, especially cookie dough. It was then I realized my family’s dietary challenge was just a huge opportunity wrapped up in stomach aches. Enter, Whoa Dough!

What does your company do or what problem does it aim to solve? Currently, it’s estimated that 1 in 4 in the US avoid gluten. Whoa Dough manufactures a line of cookie dough snack bars and ready to bake cookie dough that’s Gluten Free, Vegan, Soy Free, Egg Free, Non GMO and Kosher.

Any exciting initiatives coming up? So many!

Raise Details:

Oddball

Vegan, superfood jellies

Raising: $500K

Founders’ backgrounds: Sophia, founder of Oddball grew up in Singapore and Hong Kong. She aspired to go into investigative journalism and completed internships at publications such as Associated Press and WSJ. Fun fact - when she was 16 she went undercover and worked as an assembly line factory worker in China and even published an article documenting her experiencing. After college, she started her career in management consulting, then joined the world’s largest hedge fund – Bridgewater Associates. Most recently, she was a Strategy Director at Estee Lauder Companies. But now, she’s a traveling jelly saleswoman!

What was the inspiration behind Oddball? This is a complex question! At the most basic level, I truly believe it is a privilege to be an entrepreneur. For me personally, to be an entrepreneur is real freedom – the freedom to pursue what you passionately believe, the freedom to express yourself via the product you bring to the world, and the freedom to decide what impact and legacy you want to leave behind.

On a more concrete level, Oddball started snowballing on its own. This sounds like a cliché, but I created a product because my needs were not met. I loved junk food a little too much, and it was starting to impact my body as I grew older. I wasn’t willing to compromise on taste, so I created something I wanted to eat, and found out that many others wanted it too.

What does your company do or what problem does it aim to solve? Oddball is a snack brand looking to change the way we fundamentally eat by returning to basics. We believe consumers are tired of being catfished by their foods. Clean, true better-for-you eating should be delicious and easily accessible. It shouldn’t be this difficult, or a chore, to make healthier choices for yourself and your family. Our first product lines of jiggly fruit snacks are chef-crafted, real-food based, with no sugar or preservatives.

Oddball sits across two extremely sleepy categories (jelly + fruit snacks) with a combined worth $21B

Any exciting initiatives coming up? We are excited for our DTC launch in 2024, our partnership with our nationwide launch partner, Sprouts, as well as our launch into Target in 2025! We are also currently working on several exciting partnerships.

Raise Details:

Some brands reached out to give an update on how they’re doing. Keep an eye out for these amazing founders!

Daily Crunch

Gluten free, non-GMO, sprouted nut snacks

Laurel Orley from Daily Crunch reached out to give a quick update on nearing the end of their series A fundraise. Daily Crunch stands out in the market as the highest protein nut, packing an impressive 7 grams of protein per ounce. Their recent launch into Target and the upcoming national debut in Whole Foods this Fall mark significant milestones in their growth trajectory of building a snacking platform.

And if you’d like an intro to the founders, feel free to reach out ([email protected])!

-Lucy