Rob

ex-IB & Corp Dev
Food | Culture | Brands
recording thoughts here

[Rob @jumbako]

📌 Lessons:
Don’t scale ops until you see real pull (not just curiosity/vibe revenue)

Use early funding to tighten focus and hone retail execution, not sprawl

PMF isn’t just repurchase, but also velocity, love, habit (especially in CPG).

[Rob @jumbako]

I've been thinking about this since I heard about Meati's sale. I think there are some core reminders around the meaning of funding, PMF, and scaling too early. When capital gets ahead of conviction: 🧵

[Nate Cooper @Nrcoope]

MEATI SELLS FOR $4M after $450M Raised

I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot more of this in the coming years. 'Food-Tech' that in reality was just a cpg product that nobody wanted.

https://t.co/CimEls4SUG

[Rob @jumbako]

💡 A core truth:
VC funding is not product-market fit, nor is it validation. It’s often just a bet that PMF might arrive.

Without pull, money might only forestall an inevitable (and more spectacular) death

[Rob @jumbako]

Said another way: SPACs are not a magic wand, and I think the current activity demonstrates this understanding.

That said, for performing companies in the grey zone between Series D and S-1, SPACs can be a safety parachute, given solid fundamentals.

[Rob @jumbako]

🚨 #SPACs? Back?
After a $160B frenzy, a brutal bust, and regulatory slapdowns, they’re quietly regaining popularity, but in a slightly different form.
What does that mean for #VC, #Startups, and the #IPO markets in 2025?🧵

[Rob @jumbako]

🔑SPACs are M&A🔑 and should be treated as such:
📊 Tighter projections (i.e. no 🏒)
🪨 Lower (or more reasonable) valuation anchoring
🎙️ Founder media training

[Rob @jumbako]

This feels more like an attempt to skip the chasm and hit the early majority directly. WP x Google's wear-all-day, AI-lite proposition is utility over flash. I wonder, though, if the legacy of Ray-Bans is better suited for this approach. What if it were Meta x WP?

[Warby Parker @WarbyParker]

We are excited to announce a new partnership with @Google to develop intelligent eyewear! These AI-powered glasses will be designed for all-day wear and are @Android XR’s first eyewear partnership.

“Since our launch we’ve set out to transform the optical industry by leveraging pioneering technology to design better products and experiences—and over the past 15 years, we’ve done just that,” said Co-Founder and Co-CEO Dave Gilboa. “Looking ahead, we believe multimodal AI is perfectly suited for glasses, enabling real-time context and intelligence to augment a wearer’s surroundings as they move through the world. We couldn’t be more excited to be partnering with Google to bring together the best of AI and the best of eyewear.”

“We're excited to work with Google to develop intelligent eyewear that will enhance our everyday lives. The eyewear we wear and the technology we use are core parts of our identity and our daily experience. Our teams share a commitment to leverage design, utility, and innovation to build products to help customers in every aspect of life,” added Co-Founder and Co-CEO Neil Blumenthal #GoogleIO

[Rob @jumbako]

@altryne Warby for scale and Gentle Monster for cool -- I think this beats Ray Bans on taste and culture by a country mile. How much that can offset function differential... we'll see?