Highlight in-home consumer testing experience Founders of many emerging brands often depend upon friends and family to provide feedback on their products. While that can be helpful – and cost effective – in the beginning, it has its shortcomings. Unfortunately, many of those closest to us may tell us what we want to hear rather…
read more
SKU mentor team meeting Mentoring for SKU is something special. It’s a transformative experience that positively impacts the mentors as much a the founders. I started mentoring for SKU Track 7. After selling my TextureMedia (NaturallyCurly), I was attracted to the idea of mentoring other entrepreneurs – sharing the dos, and possibly just as important,…
read more
Nada Moo! One of the questions we get most often at SKU from our founders is about how to successfully launch a new product. Although there’s no magic bullet, there are some tactics that have worked for many emerging brands. We talked with Austin marketing guru Chris Kocek from Gallant Branding to get some of…
read more
A year ago, the folks from DFW CPG came to us with a proposition: They wanted to bring SKU to the DFW area to help create the same positive and nurturing environment for CPG startups that we created in Austin, New York and the Twin Cities. We launched in August with six amazing companies: All…
read more
ASKU Founders Clayton Christopher, Shari Wynne Ressler and Scott Jensen A decade ago, Austin was known for tech, live music and great barbecue (and our mighty Texas Longhorns). But a dynamic, fast-growing consumer-products industry was bubbling up under the radar, with larger brands as well as a wide range of emerging brands springing to life.…
read more
Many people may have heard of Patrick Schwarzenegger because of a last name that brings to mind his famous father, Arnold. But in the CPG world, he’s gained a reputation for being a savvy investor and entrepreneur in the space – a person other investors are watching closely. Patrick started his own investment company back…
read more