Pitch Deck: VO/D Startup Raises $5M to Build Celebrity Brands

Too many celebrities are launching products that consumers don’t really need — or want.

That’s the general thesis that motivated CEO Chris Koch to found VO/D, which helps fund and operate celebrity-led ventures. With VO/D, Koch and his team wanted to flip the script: first build a product that can succeed on its own, then bring in celebrities or creators to help it reach the right audience.

“I think that was a big shift for the business that helped us differentiate as a studio model,” Koch told Business Insider. He said the goal is to have talent serve as an “amplification tool” rather than the only thing drawing a consumer in.

VO/D started with freeze-dried candy before moving into the protein and supplements category, with new products to come next year. Koch said the company is looking to expand into more verticals. To that end, the company announced on Thursday a $5 million Series A funding round led by KarpReilly, a private-equity firm that has invested in brands like Koia, Salt and Straw ice cream, and Sprinkles cupcakes. Other investors included NFL players Saquon Barkley and Odell Beckham Jr.

“They really liked the portfolio approach of our studio,” Koch said of the investors. “So being able to have exposure across multiple brands, and the success that we were having on our first portfolio brand, 1UP, was interesting to them, because they typically invest directly into individual brands.”

How VO/D found success in the candy market

VO/D launched in 2021 and received $2 million in financial backing in 2022 from a friends and family round. Investors in that round included the Tisch family, owners of the New York Giants. With that funding, VO/D invested in the candy industry, combining freeze-dried candy brand 1UP Candy with gaming YouTuber FaZe Rug.

“That was based on a consumer insight that we identified in novelty, experiential candy,” Koch said. “You see it with Mountain Dew or Oreo in terms of innovation and collaborations, but you don’t really see much of it in the candy aisle. And so we wanted to create new and interesting flavors and textures.”

1UP Candy is in over 12,000 retailers across the US, and has grown revenue to over $10 million on a trailing 12-month basis.

VO/D’s next three products will be Frosh, a protein-juice brand for kids; Joose, a fruity protein supplement; and Stealth, protein snacks for kids. VO/D hasn’t yet announced the celebrities who are attached to those brands.

Read a version of the 12-page pitch deck that VO/D used during its $5 million round.