We’re incredibly grateful to have Mercedes Bent, Jeremy Liew, and the entire Lightspeed team as partners on this journey. Their belief in our vision, willingness to challenge us, and unwavering support have been instrumental in shaping Honeylove’s success. We couldn’t ask for better partners, and we’re excited for what’s ahead! ??
I love founders who "sweat the details." Contrary to popular belief, founders should be much more than visionaries. Betsie, a former musician, and our portco Honeylove are a perfect example of this. Honeylove has achieved incredible results - it's a Rule of 40 company at hundreds of millions in revenue scale, with software-like margins, where the founders still own the majority of the company. Honeylove is proof that innovation in tech doesn’t only come from software, and that "sweating the details" works. In 2019, Jeremy Liew and I began working with Betsie Larkin and the Honeylove team. Betsie’s a former musician (she's sung at sold out 40,000 audience stadiums) who noticed a gap in the shapewear market. Existing products were frustrating - bunching, rolling down, and lacking the structure she needed to perform onstage. But instead of settling, Betsie built her own solution. She realized there was demand for more structured, reliable shapewear, and she coined the term “innovative intimates” to describe the category Honeylove has now defined: ?? Innovative: Functional products with a clear purpose - providing structure and support, and built with wearability and durability in mind - that actually innovate at a material & construction level ?? Intimates: Starting with shapewear but now expanding into bras, underwear, and other essentials. Fast forward 5 years, and the company is continuing to grow really well. So how do you "sweat the details" at scale? Betsie and Honeylove's success is due to 3 critical factors: 1. "Go Native": Honeylove's team is extremely meticulous when it comes to every aspect of running their business. These founders are in full "founder mode" across every area - from fabric design to factory selection to legal hires to TV spots - they "go native" and identify excellence in every domain. You should ask them about the 100 page presentation on bra-wing construction! 2. Validate, Validate, Validate: Betsie had the problem herself, but didn't stop there. She validated the problem 3 ways: talking to everyone, using her degree in Statistics to run surveys, and testing every product on the market. "I was going to find out if this was actually a real thing and a real need; that I wasn’t the only person.” 3. Left Brain / Right Brain Meld: Betsie says: "All my life I’ve been split between the soft creative world of music and a part of my brain that loves to predict, plan and build....There’s something about musicians that echoes the insanity of startup founders." Performers sweat the details by wanting to get every aspect of the performance right. Betsie credits lessons from her time as a performer to driving her founder success: creativity and details do go together. Congratulations to Betsie, Igor, and the Honeylove team for redefining what’s possible in your category. Your intensity sweating the details, constantly using data, and infusing creativity has opened the door to incredible results.