Episode S4 · Ep 395 October 31, 2026 39 min 8s

How a Five-Minute Startup CPG Roadshow Meeting Turned Into an Oversubscribed Pre-Seed Round

From The Startup CPG Podcast Startup CPG

In this Founder + Funder episode, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Lindsay Leopold, Founder and CEO of Joy Supply, and Brandon Alster, Founder and Managing Partner of Sling Ventures, to unpack how the two met at a Startup CPG Founders & Funders Roadshow event and went on to close an oversubscribed pre-seed round.

Lindsay comes from a culinary background that includes pastry at one of Tom Colicchio’s restaurants, the Martha Stewart Kitchen as a recipe tester and food editor, and product development for Martha Stewart, Home Chef, and Sakara. Joy Supply brings back a crisp oat cookie from her great-grandfather’s family bakery, which he opened in Illinois after emigrating from Sweden in 1908. Brandon’s firm, Sling Ventures, invests in active lifestyle, “food is health,” and offline experience businesses, and Joy Supply is its first investment in the cookie aisle.

Hannah, Lindsay, and Brandon dig into what made Joy Supply stand out, how a five-minute roadshow meeting turned into months of relationship-building, what Brandon looks for in diligence, and the fundraising lessons both of them would pass on, from embracing rejection to knowing your investor’s thesis. They also tackle a Slack community case study on what to have ready in a data room.

Listen in as they discuss:

How Lindsay and Brandon met at a Startup CPG Founders & Funders Roadshow, with cookies in hand
Why Brandon looks for the right founder and a category that needs innovation
Why Joy Supply leads with “we’re delicious” before “we’re healthy”
Why the cookie aisle can feel crowded yet stale, and what that means for new brands
How Lindsay funded the first year of R&D and packaging before raising her pre-seed
How a five-minute meeting grew into a coffee, a steady stream of updates, and a close in August
How early retailer enthusiasm and consistent updates built Brandon’s conviction
Why fundraising is “a match, not a prize,” and why researching investors matters
Why Brandon says to embrace rejection and build supporters through regular investor updates
What to have ready in a data room, from a monthly P&L to retailer pipeline and unit economics

Brands and names mentioned in this episode:

Hiring: Lindsay is looking for a content creator or brand marketer in the New York area to work directly with her on activations and content. Sling Ventures is also always looking to meet talented people in social media, operations, sales, and marketing across its portfolio.

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Episode Links:

Lindsay Leopold LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lindsayleopold
Joy Supply LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/joy-supply
Joy Supply Website: www.joysupply.com
Joy Supply Instagram: @getjoysupply
Brandon Alster LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/brandonalster
Sling Ventures LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/slingvc
Sling Ventures Website: www.slingvc.com
Contact Brandon directly: [email protected]

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Show Links:

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Follow @startupcpg
Visit host Hannah’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-dittman-011b844b
Questions or comments about the episode? Email [email protected]
Episode music by Super Fantastics