M13 Co-founder Courtney Reum appeared on the Road Untraveled: VC Perspectives podcast with host Brian Hollins to discuss advice for founders who are building a business during a global crisis, specific industries that are thriving in this macro environment, and other predictions for the future.
Courtney’s dual background as both founder and investor informs his perspective on leading with empathy, the importance of transparent yet direct communication, and why wellness and self-care are now more critical than ever. Read a recap of this discussion below, and listen to the full episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
How would you advise someone who is continuing to build a business through COVID-19?
In any time of crisis, the first thing you can do is expand your ecosystem.
Courtney Reum
What are some best practices for founders communicating with investors?
Being entrepreneurs made us better investors, and being investors made us better entrepreneurs.
Courtney Reum
Are there industries in particular that will benefit because of this pandemic?
- Many consumer tech companies have been thriving in this environment. M13 portfolio companies like Daily Harvest, Capsule, Thrive Market, and Heal have seen monumental growth in the last few months, because their business models (in telehealth and healthy food delivery) are perfect for instances where real-life contact must be limited.
- Fitness, health, and wellness are also seeing an uptick, given self-care is now more important than ever and fitness routines have been entirely reimagined.
- Experiential products and services are also a good space to consider for the future. Once the world is able to safely reopen, I think consumers will be eager to experience a variety of offerings after being self-isolated for months.
For those with supply chain elements in their business, what advice do you have for consumer businesses without a ton of visibility into the future?
It’s important to show what your brand is doing as a company to help employees and help their community. Have you seen any best practices that have inspired you in this pandemic?
- When you truly have an opportunity to put humanity ahead of profits, your consumers will notice. I mentioned Thrive Market before but it’s worth another mention here, because they’ve seen great success lately by building trust with their community during COVID. I think they’ve set a great example for how a brand can effectively do this. If you’re doing good things in a time of need, share it with your audience.
- Be loud about your efforts. Social media is an effective way to broadcast what you’re doing.
- But don’t just talk about it be about it. People want to know what a brand stands for, but they also want to ensure the brand can back up what they’re saying. Authenticity is now more important than ever.
You should do well by doing good it’s not about getting credit, but you should broadcast it. it’s easy to find out who’s doing what in the world of maximum transparency.
Courtney Reum
When it comes to navigating this pandemic, Courtney provides insights on what’s down this untraveled road for investors. One of the key themes in this discussion is transparency within your company, with your investors, and with your brand’s audience.
Catch Courtney and Brian’s full conversation on Road Untraveled: VC Perspectives.
M13 Co-founder Courtney Reum appeared on the Road Untraveled: VC Perspectives podcast with host Brian Hollins to discuss advice for founders who are building a business during a global crisis, specific industries that are thriving in this macro environment, and other predictions for the future.
Courtney’s dual background as both founder and investor informs his perspective on leading with empathy, the importance of transparent yet direct communication, and why wellness and self-care are now more critical than ever. Read a recap of this discussion below, and listen to the full episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
How would you advise someone who is continuing to build a business through COVID-19?
In any time of crisis, the first thing you can do is expand your ecosystem.
Courtney Reum
What are some best practices for founders communicating with investors?
Being entrepreneurs made us better investors, and being investors made us better entrepreneurs.
Courtney Reum
Are there industries in particular that will benefit because of this pandemic?
- Many consumer tech companies have been thriving in this environment. M13 portfolio companies like Daily Harvest, Capsule, Thrive Market, and Heal have seen monumental growth in the last few months, because their business models (in telehealth and healthy food delivery) are perfect for instances where real-life contact must be limited.
- Fitness, health, and wellness are also seeing an uptick, given self-care is now more important than ever and fitness routines have been entirely reimagined.
- Experiential products and services are also a good space to consider for the future. Once the world is able to safely reopen, I think consumers will be eager to experience a variety of offerings after being self-isolated for months.
For those with supply chain elements in their business, what advice do you have for consumer businesses without a ton of visibility into the future?
It’s important to show what your brand is doing as a company to help employees and help their community. Have you seen any best practices that have inspired you in this pandemic?
- When you truly have an opportunity to put humanity ahead of profits, your consumers will notice. I mentioned Thrive Market before but it’s worth another mention here, because they’ve seen great success lately by building trust with their community during COVID. I think they’ve set a great example for how a brand can effectively do this. If you’re doing good things in a time of need, share it with your audience.
- Be loud about your efforts. Social media is an effective way to broadcast what you’re doing.
- But don’t just talk about it be about it. People want to know what a brand stands for, but they also want to ensure the brand can back up what they’re saying. Authenticity is now more important than ever.
You should do well by doing good it’s not about getting credit, but you should broadcast it. it’s easy to find out who’s doing what in the world of maximum transparency.
Courtney Reum
When it comes to navigating this pandemic, Courtney provides insights on what’s down this untraveled road for investors. One of the key themes in this discussion is transparency within your company, with your investors, and with your brand’s audience.
Catch Courtney and Brian’s full conversation on Road Untraveled: VC Perspectives.
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