How Top VCs Actually Pick Winning CPG Brands - Chris Wilkerson 51 Ventures

About this episode

Chris Wilkerson discusses the evolving landscape of funding for CPG brands and what investors truly seek.

Most founders think raising more money is the goal. It’s not. In this episode, I sit down with Chris to break down what’s actually happening inside CPG right now — from equity deals that don’t make sense anymore, to why smart brands are shifting toward new financing models to scale faster without giving everything away. Chris went from a college athlete with zero experience to building a 7-figure business, stacking advisory equity across dozens of startups, and eventually launching a VC fund investing in the future of health, wellness, and CPG. We get into: Why most founders misunderstand fundingWhat investors actually look forThe shift from equity → smarter capitalHow brands are scaling retail without getting crushed on cash flowAnd where CPG is heading over the next 5–10 years If you're building a brand, raising capital, or trying to understand how this game really works — this is the conversation you want to hear. Connect with Chris:- https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriswilkerson51/ - chris@51ventures.vc - https://chriswilkerson.beehiiv.com/p/the-first-time-i-have-ever-written-this - https://51ventures.vc/ ✅ Elevate your brand’s Email & SMS marketing…

People in this episode

Host: Mark Milutin

Guest: Chris Wilkerson

Topics covered

• venture capital
• CPG brands
• funding strategies
• equity deals
• business growth
• health and wellness

Keywords

• venture capital
• CPG
• funding
• equity
• business growth
• health
• wellness

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: 51 Ventures

More episodes of The Brand Building Podcast

• We Grew This Brand 5X Without Ads - Pebby Forevee Case Study · April 30, 2026 · 12 min
• What Happens When Marketers Lose All Their Data? - Justin Cowperthwaite Restore.ai · April 20, 2026 · 29 min
• Peptides Just Got a Green Light — Here's What It Means for Telehealth Marketing · April 17, 2026 · 16 min
• Why Telehealth Brands Are Getting Kicked Off Klaviyo · April 16, 2026 · 7 min
• This Klaviyo Update Is a Game Changer for Ecommerce · April 9, 2026 · 13 min
• Inside a Klaviyo x Breadloaf Ecommerce Event (Full Recap) · April 6, 2026 · 6 min