Hey, I’m Jack.
I write ‘business breakdown’ style newsletters on early-stage companies, have a background in strategy and banking, and work with founders on go-to-market, business development, and capital allocation.
Newsletter
Analysis and interpretation of public information to better understand the 'state of play' of early-stage businesses. I couple this with my ideas on how the businesses can expand their top- and bottom-lines.
Maui Nui Venison
“Maui Nui could have kept this — 8,000 subscriptions — internal, but they promote it to create scarcity. By simply introducing scarcity, it allows them to charge a la carte prices for a subscription. Beyond protecting margin, promoting 8,000 is a retention play.”
Thrive Market
“Members shop Costco and Thrive once every two weeks and once every three months, respectively. Imagine if Thrive targeted Trips Per Year and got each member to shop Thrive once more per year. This would result in a 23% increase in revenue.”
Manufactured Homes
“But just like Cover’s floor, wall, and roof panels are akin to a lego piece, what if Samara’s entire ADU unit is akin to a lego piece. If so, hypothetically, the foundation, framing, hallways, etc. of a six-story apartment complex could be built and then each and every Samara unit is then craned into place. This would dramatically increase Samara’s TAM.”
Sweetgreen
“Sweetgreen may be able to increase its market share through the Amazon dual strategy: a better value prop (tailored nutrition) at lower costs to produce (automation) at lower prices to customers, driving loyalty while attracting the fried chicken and burger clientele.”
After starting my career in venture banking, I have spent the last six years in strategy roles, primarily at the a16z-backed Apeel.
I was responsible for evaluating greenfield opportunities, build vs buy scenario analyses, product prioritization, and negotiating and closing enterprise customers.
Here is a Loom video where I share highlights from my background.
Private Equity Financial Model
Two friends and I set out to raise a fund to buy regional, cash flow positive businesses. I built the entire Hold Co / Op Co financial model that was discussed with prospective LPs.
Work Examples
Brand Strategy
Proposed brand strategy for Regen CPG brands where they leverage RXBAR’s ingenuity by flipping the vitamin and mineral label to the front label to feature nutrient density.
Board of Directors Materials
(1) Created pricing bundles, mapped value prop vs incumbents, and synthesized product overview in an Exec Summary deck
(2) TAM, SAM, SOM; customer segmentation mapped to resources
Growth Strategies
(1) Strategy to grow CPG brand from $5m to $76m in revenue
(2) New sales channel to capture more of its TAM and lower CAC
(3) Upsell customers by expanding past insurance reimbursement
Corporate Development
As this startup becomes stickier with customers, can they upsell customers by introducing a new product in an adjacent market? I analyzed the bull and bear cases for this new product.
Capital Requirements Model
I created a financial model from scratch for a startup to understand its CAPEX requirements and positive margin impact across 2x, 5x, 10x growth scenarios.