Personal views. Still evolving. | Investing in the future of food + consumer @barrelventures | ex @S2Ginvestments; @jpmorgan | non-elite runner
Chicago, IL
Joined June 2015
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Thrilled to partner up with @Nrcoope and @BarrelVentures.
We are investing Pre-Seed through Series A in the food & consumer ecosystems. Specifically looking for:
• BFY & disruptive CPG
• Food/ingredient tech
• Supply chain infrastructure
• Vertical AI for CPG/retail
Founders, operators, and investors, please reach out!
Incredibly excited to welcome Michael Krutz to @BarrelVentures as Principal
linkedin.com/posts/nathan-co…
Incredibly excited to add Vaca to the @BarrelVentures portfolio.
Now it’s time to build and get these on a shelf near you!
@Nrcoope
Vaca Chips, a fast-growing purveyor of beef tallow fried tortilla chips, secured $5.6M in equity funding led by Barrel Ventures.
Vanterra Ventures, Amberstone, Habitat Partners, RiverPark Ventures, Air Ventures, and SuperAngel.Fund also participated in the round.
Launched in April 2025 by Brian Gibb and Joshua Haddox, Vaca Chips surpassed $1M in monthly revenue in August and hit a $14M run rate within 16 months.
In July, Vaca Chips closed a $1.5M seed round led by BAM Ventures. Their retail partners include Whole Foods Market, Bristol Farms, Gelson's, and a variety of independent stores.
I have retired from being a Colts fan the remainder of the season and will now dedicate all efforts to creating shareholder value and the Chicago Bears.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Legend of Hospitality and Culture, @dhmeyer
Setting the Table is an all time favorite. Excited to read What Could Possibly Go Right
NACS show recap: pouches everywhere (including urinals).
Saw 10+ brands and sub-brands with nicotine-free supplement pouches, not counting the countless nicotine versions.
I envision pouches becoming the next dominant vessel for supplementation, taking meaningful share from sachet powders over the next few years.
On their path to scale, I don't see them following the typical path of BFY / Insurgent CPG brands. I see it as (ecomm ➡️ C-store ➡️ mass ➡️ club and then maybe natural?)
That raises a question: are C-store shoppers less brand-driven than natural or mass shoppers? My hunch is yes.
I thought this was a fitting recap photo. S/O to @eatrotten_ who I think replaced all the Urinal screens with their own branded ones 😂
@BarrelVentures
2 functional lunatics looking for more #FunctionalLunatics
If you're building something in F&B and have a screw or two loose @BarrelVentures is open for business. #FunctionalLunatics welcome
Bullish on this (jelly sticks) being one of the only formats that will lead to habit formation for Fiber
Physician's Choice just dropped its innovative Fiber Jelly range with three flavors:
🍉Watermelon
🥝Strawberry Kiwi
🍑Peach Mango
Each stick delivers 6g of prebiotic fiber, 600mcg of chromium picolinate (supports metabolism), 30 calories, and only 1g of sugar.
The new line is live on TikTok Shop and will debut in Walmart on October 24th.
The jelly stick format has long been popular across Asia and now appears ready to break out in the west.
Riley Leonard should head back to Notre Dame for his 5th year after that performance – at Chicago, IL
Favorite sample from Newtopia this week: Banagua
This is gonna sell like crazy
*Not an investor, but wish we were – at Chicago, IL
Shoutout @elonmusk
The productivity increase of instant, high quality WiFi pre 10k feet and post landing is meaningful
These are gonna sell like crazy. @WildeChips
Was my favorite sample bite of everything at Expo West earlier this year
Alternating On / Off workouts splitting marathon effort pace are some of the best bang for your buck training volume. – at Chicago, IL
Hoo Hoo Hoo Hoosiers!
First 5-star commit in program history
Here to stay
BREAKING: Five-Star Plus+ WR Monshun Sales has Committed to Indiana, he tells me for @Rivals
The 6’5 210 WR chose the Hoosiers over Alabama, Texas, LSU, and Ohio State
Sales becomes the highest-ranked recruit to commit to Indiana in program history
on3.com/rivals/monshun-sales…
