Your Weekly Slice of Consumer Startups 🚀

Hey 👋

Welcome to our first newsletter! Thank you for subscribing and being patient whilst we got up and running. From our weekly newsletter, you can expect to see:

• 📱 From the Feed: A summary of our posts on socials so you never miss them

• 👀 In Case You Missed It (ICYMI): A collation of what consumer brands have been up to that week and why we think it’s important for you to know

• 📌 The Noticeboard: Events, funding, opportunities and things to read/listen to

• 🧠 Too Long; Didn’t Read (TL;DR): A 15 second read to summarise the week’s newsletter if you’re tight on time

As it's our first newsletter, we’re keen to hear your thoughts. Please reply to this email to let us know what you’d like to see from us, what you liked (and maybe what you didn’t).

Anyways, it’s been a week of creator power and clever collabs, from YouTubers launching iced coffee into supermarkets (on day one!) to private chefs linking up with luxury staycations. Everyone’s playing the “get closer to your audience” game, and it seems to be working…. We dive in below and give you our thoughts.

This edition is a 2 minute read, but remember there’s a 15 second TL;DR at the bottom if you’re tight on time!

📱 From the Feed

What we posted on our socials this week:

• 👀 Rodd’s Iced Coffee hit Sainsbury’s on launch day, built by creators with 10M+ followers. How did they pull that off and what can we learn from them? → read here
  

• 🛍️ Raye the Store opened its new pop-up packed with fresh, up and coming consumer brands. We picked out our faves across drinks, food, beauty and wellness → read here
  

• ♻️ Vinted Ventures has been launched by the founders of Vinted, a new venture fund focused on recommerce, signalling a major play in the rise of conscious consumerism → read here

👀 ICYMI: Brand Moves Worth Watching

What UK consumer brands got up to, and why it matters:

• 👨‍🍳 Yhangry x Luxury Cottages teamed up to offer private chefs at high-end stays. Two niche audiences, coming together to provide exceptional experiences. It’s smart brand alignment that benefits both parties and allows them to reach new audiences. Collaborations are still thriving and are a great tactic for increased reach.
  

• 📈 Mous raised £3.4m via Crowdcube, smashing their target by reaching 333% of their funding ask. The phone case and accessory brand is proving that crowdfunding is still a great tool for businesses, providing not just cash but community and free marketing.
  

• 🎉 SULT’s double launch night: One private, one public. Exclusivity and community in one move. The electrolyte brand has been encouraging their audience to be part of the journey and creating strong brand loyalty and awareness. Their brand launch has been a masterclass in showcasing founder-led journeys on social media. They’re one to watch.

📌 The Noticeboard

Your weekly list of things to check out:

📣 Events

Startup 2025 Summit (Bread & Jam, 21st May):
For food & drink brands looking to get into retail, from pre-launch to scaling businesses. Speakers from Borough Broth Co, Gusto, Tesco and Selfridges to learn their strategy, tips and advice. Check out @BreadJamFest on Instagram to get involved.

📚 Read/Listen

Ali Abdaal: If you’ve not heard of him, he’s a productivity wizard, giving book recs, productivity tips and life advice with a very “chat over coffee” vibe. Great for people feeling stuck in the weeds and needing to find their groove again.

→ Know a good opportunity, event or open collaboration? Hit reply to let us know and it could be featured 👀

🧠 TL;DR: This Week’s Takeaways

🔍 Strategic collabs are in. Smart partnerships between startup brands are building real reach and customer trust.

⚙️ Crowdfunding still works, not just for cash, but for audience building and loyalty.

🎈 In-person events are still a useful way to create community for your business and get your customers together, furthering brand loyalty and outreach

📣 Startup 2025 summit is here, join the event to learn from business owners and retailers on how to get listed as a food & beverage company

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