From Garage Startup to Celebrity-Backed Brand ft. Jake Bullock

Glimpse is the all-in-one, AI-powered deductions management platform for CPG brands—automating deduction capture, classification, disputes, and accounting. Recover more revenue while saving time – ⁠https://www.tryglimpse.comWhat if cannabis could become a true social beverage—an alternative to alcohol that delivers the buzz without the hangover?That’s the bet Jake Bullock, co-founder of Cann, made when he left the world of finance to reinvent drinking culture. Today, Cann is the #1 THC-infused beverage brand in the U.S., sold in liquor stores across 30 states, backed by celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Hudson, and changing the way people think about unwinding.In this episode, Jake shares the full story of how Cann went from a garage experiment to a category-defining brand:✅ Why lowering THC to 2mg unlocked cannabis’ social potential ✅ How Cann turned stigma into approachability with smart branding ✅ The brutal challenges of selling drinks through dispensaries ✅ The regulatory pivot that opened up liquor store distribution ✅ Competing head-to-head with alcohol (and winning shelf space) ✅ Product innovation: Grapefruit Rosemary, Lemon Lavender, and Roadies ✅ What celebrity investors really bring to the table ✅ The future of THC vs. non-alcoholic drinks in American culture👉 If you’re curious about the future of social drinking—or want to hear what it really takes to build a disruptive CPG brand—this conversation is a must-listen.Timestamps 00:00 Intro 01:00 Why 100mg Drinks Were a Problem 03:00 Cann’s Insight: Low-Dose, Great Taste 07:00 Unlocking the Social Buzz at 2mg 10:00 Making Cannabis Approachable (Not Premium-Elite) 13:00 Campaigning Against Alcohol Culture 15:00 Breaking Out of Dispensaries 18:00 Regulatory Challenges & State-by-State Growth 22:00 The Big Pivot: From Dispensaries to Liquor Stores 28:00 Winning Shelf Space vs. Craft Beer & RTD Cocktails 33:00 The Rise of Roadies & Naked Highboys 38:00 Flavor Innovation: Grapefruit Rosemary, Lemon Lavender 42:00 Gross Margins & Beverage Economics 45:00 Fundraising & Celebrity Investors 49:00 What Value-Add From VCs Really Means 51:00 Defining Success: Exit, IPO, or Independence? 53:00 Cann’s Mission to Change Drinking Culture 55:00 Lightning Round: Humor, Misconceptions & Mistakes 01:02:00 Book Recommendations📬 Subscribe for more founder stories & scaling insights: 👉 The Consumer VC Newsletter - https://www.theconsumervc.com/ Follow Mike Gelb: Twitter / IG / TikTok → @mikegelb / @consumervc

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