Podcast · 37 episodes
The HotStart VC Podcast
by Scott van den Berg · English
Breaking down how celebrities and creators build billion-dollar brands — hosted by Scott Van den Berg.
Latest episodes
What a Consumer Investor Actually Looks For in Celebrity Brands | Brian Folmer, FirstLook VCHow FirstLook VC founder Brian Folmer evaluates celebrity/creator consumer brands, what due diligence looks like, when to invest, and why many celebrity products fail (often due to misaligned…2 Sep 2026 · 28 min
How These Twin Creators Turned 450K Followers Into an AI Startup Fighting LonelinessTwin creators Julius and Fabian discuss how they used content to build a combined 450K followers and launch Joyner, a WhatsApp-native conversational AI that fights loneliness by matching users to…19 Aug 2026 · 31 min
How This Creator Built an AI Startup to Protect Creators From Bad Deals | Kameron BucknerKameron Buckner explains how she built Social Docket, an AI legal platform for creators to review and negotiate brand contracts faster and with better protections.5 Aug 2026 · 33 min
All episodes
What a Consumer Investor Actually Looks For in Celebrity Brands | Brian Folmer, FirstLook VCHow FirstLook VC founder Brian Folmer evaluates celebrity/creator consumer brands, what due diligence looks like, when to invest, and why many celebrity products fail (often due to misaligned…2 Sep 2026 · 28 min · 12 chapters
How These Twin Creators Turned 450K Followers Into an AI Startup Fighting LonelinessTwin creators Julius and Fabian discuss how they used content to build a combined 450K followers and launch Joyner, a WhatsApp-native conversational AI that fights loneliness by matching users to…19 Aug 2026 · 31 min · 12 chapters
How This Creator Built an AI Startup to Protect Creators From Bad Deals | Kameron BucknerKameron Buckner explains how she built Social Docket, an AI legal platform for creators to review and negotiate brand contracts faster and with better protections.5 Aug 2026 · 33 min · 14 chapters
How This Creator Entrepreneur Is Disrupting Hormonal Wellness | Giselle Orentas, BalangyGiselle Orentas explains how she went from 20+ years of monthly hormonal migraines and mood swings to founding Balangy, a body oil for hormonal wellness, and how her long-running health-content…29 Jul 2026 · 33 min · 10 chapters
How This Creator Turned 400K Followers Into an AI Job Search Startup | Ford Coleman, RunwayFord Coleman explains how he built Runway, an AI job-search startup for college students and recent grads, by turning 400K+ career-advice followers into users.15 Jul 2026 · 28 min · 10 chapters
How the Firm Behind Conor McGregor's $600M Exit Builds Companies With Elite FightersParadigm Sports’ athlete-advocacy model for building long-term businesses with combat-sports stars, arguing “fame is distribution, not the business model,” and explaining how/when to venture-build…8 Jul 2026 · 31 min · 9 chapters
How Sommer Ray Is Disrupting the RTD Space With Tempted | Yoni Bierig, Co-FounderYoni Bierig (Hot Start VC podcast) discusses launching Tempted, a wine-based RTD “Shirley Temple / Dirty Shirley” (7% ABV, 4g sugar, 150 calories) co-founded with influencer/DJ Sommer Ray, and how…1 Jul 2026 · 35 min · 12 chapters
Why This Investor Is Skeptical of Celebrity Brands But Still Backs Them | Deborah BentonDeborah Benton, founder of Willow Growth Partners, explains why she’s skeptical of celebrity and creative-founder consumer brands yet still invests in them.24 Jun 2026 · 30 min · 11 chapters
How This Creator Entrepreneur Used Legal Horror Stories to Build an AI Startup Doing $400K in ARRKristina Subbotina explains how she built Lexi, an AI “legal operating system” for startups and investors, using legal horror stories as creator-led marketing.17 Jun 2026 · 31 min · 12 chapters
How Actress Jennifer Garner and John Foraker Built a $724M Baby Food Brand That Just IPO'dJohn Foraker (Once Upon a Farm) and Jennifer Garner discuss how the baby-food brand—built as a mission-driven public benefit corporation—grew to a $724M IPO valuation, how they used Garner’s…10 Jun 2026 · 29 min · 11 chapters
How This Creator Built an AI Hiring Platform Used by the World's Biggest YouTubers | Sherry WongSherry Wong explains how she built Roster, an AI hiring platform for the creator economy, to solve creators’ hiring bottlenecks (finding editors, thumbnail designers, producers, writers, camera…3 Jun 2026 · 36 min · 14 chapters
How This Creator Turned 400K Followers Into an AI Startup | Ghita El Haitmy building EliGhita El Haitmy (Rita) explains how her TechBible tech-content audience (400K+ followers) led to building Eli, an AI platform that recommends and manages software tools by detecting a company’s…27 May 2026 · 32 min · 7 chapters
How Haven Lough Turned 5 Million Followers Into a Skincare Brand That Sold Out in 24 HoursHaven Lough’s path from viral creator (5M+ followers) to building Haven skincare, a sensitive-skin brand that sold out 1,000 units in 24 hours; plus lessons on creator entrepreneurship and AI…20 May 2026 · 32 min · 18 chapters
How The European Kid Is Building a New Currency | Aris Yeager StorytimeAris Yeager explains how his “European rich kid” character (Louis) built a 3M+ follower, 3B+ view audience and how he used that creator credibility to found Storytime, a hyper-local marketplace that…13 May 2026 · 28 min · 13 chapters
How Jay Fujiwara Leveraged 13M Followers to Build Bigbean, an AI Language Learning AppJay Fujiwara explains how he used viral English-teaching content to build Big Bean, a visual AI language-learning app, and shares lessons on virality, monetization, and founder/content balance.6 May 2026 · 32 min · 16 chapters
How Peaky Blinders Actor Matthew Postlethwaite Is Disrupting the Beverage Industry With ProdaMatthew Postlethwaite (Peaky Blinders actor) co-founded Proda, a protein soda, and explains how he built it from a family health problem into a retail product now in Sprouts.29 Apr 2026 · 39 min · 8 chapters
What an Investor Actually Looks For in Celebrity Brands | Genevieve GilbreathHow Hot Start VC’s guest, Genevieve Gilbreath (Springdale Ventures), evaluates celebrity/creator-founded consumer brands—treating celebrity as an “accelerator,” not the business model.21 Apr 2026 · 31 min · 12 chapters
The VC Backing Snoop Dogg, Kris Jenner and the Future of Celebrity Brands | Jackie Fast, Sandbox StuHow celebrity brands work as VC investments, what Sandbox Studios looks for, and how celebrity “distribution advantage” drives first-time customers and retail/CPG growth.15 Apr 2026 · 37 min · 17 chapters
How Tayla Cannon Turned 170K Followers Into a VC-Backed Startup Disrupting Physical TherapyTayla Cannon’s path from chronic back pain and physiotherapy to founding Rebuilder, a VC-backed platform shifting physical therapy from reactive, in-person-only visits to asynchronous continuous care…8 Apr 2026 · 29 min · 20 chapters
Why This VC Is Investing $60M Into Creator Entrepreneurs | Megan Lightcap, Slow VenturesMegan Lightcap (Slow Ventures) explains Slow’s $60M creator-investing fund, why it invests in creator holding companies (not just single products), how it evaluates creators, and how it thinks about…31 Mar 2026 · 35 min · 21 chapters
How Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed Are Disrupting Supplements | Zeke Bronfman The Absorption CompanyThe Absorption Company’s mission to fix supplement ineffectiveness by engineering for bioavailability/absorption, and how celebrity co-founders Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed are used as amplifiers…25 Mar 2026 · 32 min · 16 chapters
Why London Lazerson Ditched 10M Followers to Build Final Boss Sour, the Most Viral Sour Candy BrandWhy London Lazerson Ditched 10M Followers to Build Final Boss Sour, the Most Viral Sour Candy Brand18 Mar 2026 · 35 min · 17 chapters
How Hannah Williams Built a 3M-Follower Media Brand Around Salary TransparencyThis episode explores how Hannah Williams built a media platform focusing on salary transparency, driven by her own experience of being underpaid.11 Mar 2026 · 39 min · 19 chapters
How Ben Guez Turned 800K Followers Into a Language Learning AppIn this episode, Scott Van den Berg interviews Ben Guez, an entrepreneur who transitioned from tech founder to content creator.4 Mar 2026 · 24 min · 11 chapters