Founder Fundraising Journey: Jesse Konig, Co- Founder & CEO of Jesse & Ben's | Startup CPG Podcast

Описание: In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Jesse Konig, co-founder and CEO of Jesse & Ben's, to explore what it really takes to disrupt a legacy category, raise capital as a first-time CPG founder, and build a fast-growing brand from scratch.

Jesse shares his journey from running a D.C. food truck and launching a burger restaurant—on a 10-year lease, right before COVID—to pivoting into frozen CPG with Jesse & Ben's: clean-sourced frozen french fries made with beef tallow and avocado oil, zero fillers, and a mission to turn junk food into joy food. In their first full calendar year, Jesse & Ben's landed nationwide at Whole Foods and Sprouts, with Target, Kroger, and Costco on the horizon.

The conversation dives into the nuts and bolts of fundraising in CPG—from a rolling friends-and-family SAFE round to a competitive institutional process where their valuation cap changed three times in one week. Jesse breaks down why fundraising is a full-time job (not a side project), how to run a process that creates FOMO, what investors actually respond to (hint: it's velocity and fanatical customers), how to do real back-channel reference checks on potential investors, and how to think about sizing your round so you don't run out of oxygen before you get where you're going.
Whether you're at day one or raising your Series A, this episode is a masterclass in founder fundraising.

Connect with the guests:
Jesse Konig — Co-Founder & CEO, Jesse & Ben's
🔗 LinkedIn:   / jessekonig  
🌐 Website: https://www.jesseandbens.com/
💼 Company LinkedIn:   / jesse-and-bens  
📸 Instagram:   / jesseandbens  
Hannah Dittman — Host, Startup CPG
🔗 LinkedIn:   / hannah-dittman-011b844b  

Key Moments:
00:00 Introduction to Jesse & Ben's and Jesse's Background
02:38 From Food Truck to Burger Restaurant to Frozen CPG
04:27 The COVID Pivot: Starting Over from Scratch
06:28 The Product: Clean-Sourced Fries, Beef Tallow, Avocado Oil, No Fillers
11:28 SAFE Notes 101: What They Are and Why They Used Them
15:13 Vertically Integrating Production: Opening a 6,000 Sq Ft Facility
18:50 Thinking With the End in Mind: Why They Chose to Raise
24:37 Fundraising Is a Full-Time Job — The Biggest Lesson Learned
27:27 How Their Valuation Cap Changed Three Times in One Week
34:11 How to Select the Right Investment Partners
39:09 Slack Q&A: How Do You Size Your Fundraising Round?
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Stay connected:
📸 Instagram:   / startupcpg  
🔗 LinkedIn:   / startupcpg  

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