Poppi is a fashion brand that happens to be soda. Stephen Ellsworth, Co-founder of Poppi, joins us to walk through the operating choices behind turning a vinegar problem into a modern soda badge. It’s how you build, scale, and exit a consumer brand. It’s another signal that Austin’s flywheel is real and accelerating. Highlights 01:48 Dark days, PMF before funding 08:05 Farmers market to Whole Foods 14:50 Rebrand beat Shark Tank awareness 24:58 Poppi as Fashion 33:46 Make healthy default via taste 38:54 AI palate mapping 46:48 Austin needs cross-sector collisions 51:40 What's Next Austin? Guest Links Stephen Ellsworth: Instagram , LinkedIn Poppi: Website , X , Instagram ------------------- Austin Next Links: Website , X/Twitter , YouTube , LinkedIn Ecosystem Metacognition Substack
