Mercedes Bent

  • Consumer Products and the Utility v. Entertainment Tradeoff: Be Fun, Be Essential, or Be Nothing

    I constantly see really smart people launch consumer products, get little to no reception, and wonder why. There are a ton of possible culprits.  One common one I see is that their product lacked a captivating hook that chooses a side: to be singularly entertaining or provide extreme utility.  It is my strong belief that…

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  • The Screens are Marching Closer: How Tech Interfaces Evolve

    I’ve long had a thesis that “The Screens are Marching Closer.” The screens are marching closer means each successive iteration of tech interfaces will prioritize ease and intuition by bringing the screens closer to our face (and one day inside them with brain-computer interfaces). It’s what has me so convinced that typing into a chatbot…

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  • How AI is changing the rules of Consumer Engagement

    AI is changing the rules of consumer engagement. Many formerly dependable tactics for building consumer tech products are changing. Operators will need to “re-learn” how build consumer tech in the world of AI. Across our consumer portfolio companies and externally, here’s a snapshot of where I’m seeing key areas of change: 🔹 **Acquisition**– Who the…

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  • The House of LR&C — a house of love, fashion, and sustainability

    Congrats on your $7M round [Originally posted Jan 11, 2022] When we first met Ciara, Russell and Christine, we were floored by not just their passion and drive to build a large fashion brand, but their operational capabilities. As a two year old company, they were already doing eight-figures in revenue and had launched two…

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  • Creator coins & the future of income

    It’s a well-worn cliche in the venture world that we don’t really invest in startups, we invest in people. We place bets on founders whom we believe have the drive and determination to realize their visions and create a successful company. But with the rapid growth of the creator economy, the idea of investing in…

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  • Omnichannel Social: How the Pandemic Transformed Social Products

    Social startups understand that consumers desire products where the memory of an experience is the product itself. Companies like Soulcycle, The Nudge, Museum of Ice Cream, Rosé Mansion and Drybar focus on delivering not just a service, but a memory. 15 months ago, I outlined my focus on startups who had excelled at building physical-first…

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