VMG Partners

???Exciting Opportunity for Early-Stage CPG Founders! On International Women’s Day, Nancy Twine launched the Makers Mindset Workshop— a free, 8-course program featuring expert-led sessions and a $15K pitch competition for founders who want to sharpen their strategy, scale their business, and take their brand to the next level. Applications are open now through March 31st?— don’t miss this opportunity! Know a founder who should apply? Share this with your network! To learn more and apply visit the link here:?https://lnkd.in/eAVPUy9S

Last week, Michael Nu?ez at VentureBeat shared VMG Partners’ Series A investment in Auxia, the agentic customer journey builder for B2C enterprises (more info in comments). We got involved because our ecosystem of retail and brand leaders have spoken: they need a way to break the user “reacquisition” treadmill... by leaning into (AI) hyper-personalized customer journeys as the path to loyalty. Sandeep, Ravi, William and Cole came to this problem as practitioners first, but have the technology depth to actually solve it. Excited to be involved and to share Auxia with my #ecommerce and #retail tribe!

Wow—what an incredible night! ? Thank you to everyone who joined us at this year’s Women in Consumer Reception at Expo West. The room was filled with powerful connections that remind us just how impactful this community of women is. ? What once started as a small dinner among industry peers has evolved into a gathering of over 200 incredible leaders in CPG—a testament to what happens when women come together to support and uplift one another. ? A huge congratulations to Katlin Smith, CEO & Founder of Simple Mills, for receiving the 2025 Kara Roell Achievement Award. This award recognizes women who exemplify the leadership, passion, and impact that Kara was known for, and we couldn’t be prouder to celebrate you, Katlin Smith! ? To the ladies who attended, we hope you walked away as inspired as we did! A big thank you to our partners, BraunHagey & Borden LLP, Women On Boards Project, and Anchin for helping make this evening possible!

Who would have thought that Hispanic food would ever unseat Italian as Americans’ go-to favorite cuisine?! The dramatic rise in the US Hispanic population has reshaped the national palate and that is why this year, at Natural Products Expo, we once again gathered the Latino consumer business ecosystem. This year, alongside Lazard and Santatera Capital, we celebrated the third anniversary of our Hispanic Ecosystem Dinner Series and brought together a select group of ~75 Hispanic consumer founders, innovators, business leaders and retailers with the goal of continuing to develop key relationships and build a reliable network within the Hispanic business community. Thank you to Gina Cetina from Lazard and Alejandro Gonzalez from Santatera Capital for co-sponsoring and supporting this initiative with VMG and thank you to Miguel Leal for co-hosting this incredible event with us once again! #ExpoWest2025. ----- Quien hubiera pensado que la comida Hispana le iba a quitar el lugar numero uno a la comida Italiana como la favorita del mercado Americano? El crecimiento de la población Hispana en Estados Unidos ha cambiado el paladar nacional y es por esto que este a?o, durante Natural Products Expo West, volvimos a celebrar esta increíble comunidad y fomentar el desarrollo del ecosistema Latino en la industria de consumo. Este a?o, junto con Lazard y Santatera Capital, celebramos el tercer aniversario de nuestra Cena del Ecosistema Latino, donde juntamos a un grupo selecto de ~75 fundadores, innovadores, líderes y comerciantes con el propósito de continuar desarrollando relaciones clave y una red confiable dentro del ecosistema Latino. ?Gracias a Gina Cetina de Lazard y a Alejandro Gonzalez de Santatera Capital por co-patrocinar y apoyar esta iniciativa con VMG y gracias a Miguel Leal por ayudarnos a organizar este evento inolvidable una vez más!

Quality time with friendlies in the beauty space ?? Surrounded by incredible friends—both old and new—from the beauty and personal care world, sharing ideas and inspiration. There’s nothing quite like being in a room full of passionate people! A huge thank you to Hilda and Jesse in North Beach for hosting us so warmly. Already counting down the days until we’re all together again!

????? Bringing the World Together Through Food ? We’re thrilled to have co-hosted an incredible event with Walmart and PLTFRM, welcoming over 40 companies for Walmart's Global Food Summit! ? A huge thank you to Walmart, PLTFRM, and all the amazing companies who joined us. This event was a true celebration of collaboration and innovation, as we worked together to shape the future of the global food industry! To many more!?

?? Before: A blank canvas, full of potential. ?? After: A room buzzing with energy, ideas, and collaboration! ? This is what happens when you bring the right people together to create an amazing event. A huge thank you to our sponsor and portfolio company, Attentive, and our partners at Commerce Ventures for helping make it all possible! ? Here’s to incredible conversations and connections!???

Company building - and venture capital’s role within that - is fundamentally about supporting talented people. And it's extra special when we get to celebrate our own: We're thrilled to announce that Sam Shapiro has been promoted to Partner at VMG! Sam brings relentless curiosity (and dad jokes) to understand problems facing modern consumer businesses, and how technology can solve them. He builds deep trust with founders that is core to our ethos of being your first call, for good news or bad news. “Working with Sam has been a game changer,” said Sam Obletz, CEO of Claim. “We’ve been problem solving at all hours, and his ability to be a thought partner at both 30,000 feet and ground level has been invaluable." Maisie Devine Sherman of Anheuser-Busch InBev described Sam as "The front-door to the tech innovation that optimizes our operations and enables us to be more efficient and productive. We are always looking for an edge, and love the constant exchange of ideas we have with Sam and VMG." His impact is evident in every aspect of VMG Tech. "We are an investment firm defined by customer-centricity and domain expertise" said Co-Heads of VMG Technology, Carle Stenmark & Indranil Guha. "Sam's empathy, depth of knowledge, and solution-finding mindset make him a great teammate for commerce infrastructure founders and selfishly, for us." We couldn't be more excited for what lies ahead. Congrats, Sam!

VMG wishes you the happiest holidays and a wonderful New Year! ? Our annual company party was filled with laughter, great vibes, and heartfelt reflections on a strong year. A big thank you to Tartine Bakery for hosting us in style and to the local small businesses who brought their magic to our curated holiday bazaar. For anyone planning future team events, here’s a tip: invite small businesses, pre-pay them, and give your team play Monopoly money to “shop” away. It’s a win-win for team fun and supporting the community. ????? Here’s to a team that’s unstoppable, unforgettable moments from this year, and all the exciting possibilities that 2025 holds ??

Today, the VMG team gobbled 'til we wobbled. Nothing brings people together like good food — especially when most of it is homecooked. Our annual Thanksgiving meal featured all the classics (turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing) plus special dishes like kimchi pancakes, lumpia, and kugel. Here’s to team spirit, full hearts, and even fuller plates!