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Hey friends,
A big thank you to Odile Roujol for introducing me to our guest today—Shamin Walsh, Managing Director at BAM Ventures. BAM is an early-stage, consumer-focused venture capital firm based in Los Angeles that’s focused on investing at the pre-seed stage. They’ve backed some truly iconic companies:
Honey
Cotopaxi
NerdWallet
Zola, Away
Thrive Market
The list goes on. Seriously, some of the most exciting consumer success stories out there.
In this episode, we dig into:
03:44 Why She Joined BAM originally & What Makes the Firm Different
07:00 Is Investing in Consumer Still Sexy? (Hint: Yes, If You Do It Right)
10:07 Power Law Returns in CPG & Brand Exits
13:21 Why Fund Size Dictates Strategy
16:10 Balancing Brand, Commerce Infra & Consumer Tech
17:30 What BAM Looks for in Founders
20:15 Case Study: How Thrive Market Nailed Consumer Behavior
23:15 The Danger of False Signals in Consumer Startups
26:00 How BAM Thinks About Reserves & Follow-Ons
28:20 Staying Price Disciplined (Even in the 2021 Hype Cycle)
30:00 Why Founders Pick BAM Over Bigger Funds
32:00 Capital Efficiency ≠ Always Bootstrapping
35:09 Fundraising Strategy & How to Navigate Future Rounds
37:00 What Early Traction Signals Actually Matter
39:10 How BAM Measures Stickiness vs. Trendiness
44:00 Could a New Social Platform Still Win?
46:00 BAM’s View on AI: Not a Strategy, Just a Tool
48:00 ⚡ Rapid Fire Round: Trends, Products, Books
52:00 Why “The Little Prince” Still Inspires Shamin
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