Time for my favorite part of the week, ICYMI!!!

ICYMI ₊♡₊˚ 🍒・₊✧ ₊

Happy Sunday Angels

It feels so good to be back in Los Angeles after London. Katie’s coming this week before Lucky #3 returns, so we’re locking in some serious steps forward—and I’ve got three incredible female founder interviews that practically fell into my lap. You’re going to love them.

London gave us 7 days of pure sunshine and—miraculously—no stolen phones. Adjusting to travel is always tough, especially 10 days post-op, but that didn’t stop me from soaking it all in (and making the most of my one outfit)! When have you ever seen me push a product so hard, you need these pants!! I just ordered 2 more colors in a size 1 for reference.

My Top 10% moments:
♡ Hosting an HSR London meetup
♡ Getting my Neko Health scan (see below!)
♡ Tearing up at Bryony & Kaspar’s wedding
♡ Indulging in amazing food
♡ Cozy nights in with my bestie—a must whenever I’m in town.

♡ Introducing the HSR Global WhatsApp Community Channel ♡ This is something we’ve been working on for quite a while, but that we’ve moved up in the launch calendar (after our HSR London meetup), is the HSR Global WhatsApp channel. This is a community zone by you, for you. It’s peer-led, community-driven, and built on the energy of ambitious, like-minded women. Whether you’re here to make new friends in your city, share podcast recs, find a business co-founder or just know where the best Pilates class is this week in your city—this is where it will all happen. To sign up, download WhatsApp and join here.

Being in London meant missing Expo West for the first time in three years—which also happens to be where Lucky #3 and I finally met in person last year. Expo West is always a pulse check on what’s trending in food, packaging, and consumer habits, so I tapped my dear friend (and former colleague!) Nikki Gryll—who runs the leading emerging food & bev PR firm, Knack PR—to take us with her. She’s this week’s guest feature—and her insights are so good that they’re in the paid section only 💸. Plus I’m including the long awaited follow up to The Price of Being Cool with Paige Rowin from Bilt.

This Week’s Mood Board

The Investing in Creators Episode

Investing $60M to Find the Next Mr. Beast—The Future of Influencers, Creators, and Venture Capital with Megan Lightcap

In this episode of Hot Smart Rich, I sit down with Megan Lightcap, Partner at Slow Ventures, one of the leading venture capital firms backing content creators and digital-first businesses. With a $60M seed-stage fund, Megan and Sam Lessin are betting big on the creator economy, where social media platforms, personal brands, and original content are shaping the future of digital entrepreneurship.

The Consumer Behavior Trends I Gossiped
About The Most This Week

♡ The unbundling of IG Reels: I’m guilty of overthinking what I post on IG—yet here, on this newsletter, TikTok, or the podcast, I write, post, and yap about whatever I want like it’s my personal diary. This week on TikTok, I broke down the only successful business formula you need to know—because the idea of unbundling and bundling kept coming up in conversation. It’s clear this is IG’s next move, but will it work? Only time will tell and not if Michael Grimes has something to say about (see below).

♡ I’m8health: If you hadn’t heard of I’m8health before this past week and you’re chronically online, you likely have now—thanks to the sheer number of IG ads they’re running. They’re featuring subject-matter experts (like @JamesDiNicolantonio and @bengreenfieldfitness) who are selling out—I mean, buying into—the longevity of David Beckham. To be clear, I haven’t looked into the science but with this many ads running simultaneously at one time, you can’t help but think something must be up…

♡ Consumer is not dead- just ask Unilever Ventures - While Lucky #3 and I were at their London offices this week, we had a deep dive on how consumer is very much alive. In fact, according to Bloomberg, the global wellness industry is now worth $6.3 TRILLION—for reference, the global pharmaceutical industry sits at just $1.6 TRILLION. So while everyone is obsessed with funding and building in ai, just keep calm and carry on with your silly little consumer businesses (that is sarcasm if it doesn’t read right).

♡ The Future of GP Visits is Here, It’s Called Neko Health and It’s Already Worth $1.8B- Prepare to be sick of me talking about Neko Health—but sorry, not sorry—because I’ve never experienced healthcare like this. In just 10 minutes, 70 sensors collected 50 million data points on my health—for just £299. No wonder the Swedish-founded company— by Spotify’s Daniel Ek—has a 100,000-person waitlist (which I was able to bypass thanks to Lucky #3). The scan checks moles, metabolic conditions, stroke and heart attack risk factors, blood fats, blood sugars, pre-diabetes risks, skin cancer, and blood abnormalities—all in minutes. With more young adults being diagnosed with cancer than ever before (according to TIME), preventative, early detection will be the next big thing. It’s no surprise that Neko Health has raised $325M with just five investors since launch.

♡ Michael Grimes & TikTok- the former Morgan Stanley tech investment banker who did Uber’s IPO and Twitter’s Takeover (both very difficult assignments) who you’ll start to become familiar with, solely because he’s just been tasked with leading a US Sovereign Wealth Fund to support Donald Trump’s effort to give the US a stake in projects he considers critical to national security buy TikTok.

♡ Canada vs. the USA (and not the fun kind, like hockey) – Writing this on the plane back from the UK, so by the time you read this, Trump may have flip-flopped again and tariffs could be delayed yet again but either way, Canada is the U.S.’s 2nd biggest trading partner, and everything from your favorite beauty brands (MAC Cosmetics, Ilia Beauty, Deciem, Nudestix), to aluminum, to cars, and yes, even maple syrup will be affected. In the words of Jenn Harper, CEO and Founder of Cheekbone Beauty to BOF, “This will kill small businesses, absolutely, 100 percent. This is doing nothing for the economy. It is just creating more inflation and making all of our goods, no matter who we are — in Canada or the US — just cost more.”

Consumer News

♡ the brands, people, places, things that have captured my attention ♡

♡ Women’s Health & Beauty ♡

• Millie maternity clinics raise $12M in Series A funding – from TechCrunch

• Summer Fridays launches Jet Lag Eye Patches, hydrating and de-puffing hydrogel patches – from Instagram

• Taylor Swift-loved viral makeup patch brand Fazit lands at Target – from Beauty Independent

• Louis Vuitton enters the beauty space with a new luxury makeup line – from Harper’s Bazaar

• Katy Perry’s non-alc brand, De Soi (HSR portfolio company), gets a boost from its 29-year-old CEO with a nonlinear career path – from Forbes

• Nikki Lee Joins Wella Professionals as Global Ambassador - via Instagram

♡ Media, Entertainment & Creator ♡

• Maggie Sellers shares her travel hacks, routines, and preferences with Luxury Travel Consultant- Atelier Le Monde

• Skims debuts its latest swimwear drop with a 60-foot Kim Kardashian balloon in Times Square – from Instagram

• Emily Oberg, founder of Sporty & Rich, launches Sensual Sport, a new sexual wellness brand – from Instagram

• Serena Williams becomes the newest owner of Toronto Tempo, marking her latest move in sports investment – from Instagram

♡ E-Commerce, Retail & Social ♡

• Year of Ours taps SZA’s stylist for a Super Bowl-inspired capsule collection – from WWD

• Sofia Richie Grainge launches Sofia for Tommy, a capsule collection with Tommy Hilfiger – from WWD

• Australian sun care brand Naked Sundays expands in North America, now at Ulta and Shoppers Drug Mart – from Instagram

• PrettyLittleThing unveils a major rebrand, aiming to redefine “accessible luxury” – from Instagram

♡ Tech, Business & Investing ♡

• MrBeast sets his valuation at $5B – from Yahoo Finance

• Jennifer Garner’s Once Upon a Farm weighs IPO - from Yahoo Finance

• De Soi, HSR portfolio company, is going Nationwide with Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits - from Wine Business

• Women-founded mezcal brand Doce Mezcal secures investment from Pronghorn and announces a New York distribution deal with Blueprint Spirits/Union Beer – from Instagram

The Pulse on Consumption: Inside Expo West

By: Nikki Gryll, founder of Knack Public Relations (@knack_pr)

For 3 days, 70,000+ people put on their comfiest sneakers and custom swag to walk the endless aisles of better-for-you food + beverage products. Over 3,000 brands set up a booth to show off + sample their newest creations. It’s truly a celebration of CPG innovation + a sneak peek at your future favorite grocery finds.

You encounter big brands like Chobani and Kodiak Cakes and emerging brands you’ve never heard of before. You sample actually innovative products like cocoa bone broth and pasta chips. You fangirl equally as hard over the founders of your pantry essentials as you do Cravings Founder Chrissy Teigen.

In fact, there are so many star-studded brands now that you might think the C in CPG stands for celebrity! Vanessa Hudgens, Jay Shetty and Jennifer Garner handed out samples at their brands’ booths while Diplo walked the floor looking for hot products.

The pressure is on to be memorable at Expo West, and brands get creative with activations and giveaways. Ithaca Hummus gave away sleep masks and had a harpist performing to create peak dreamy vibes.

BelliWelli brought in the iconic Booth by Bryant photo booth and handed out friendship bracelets. Tony’s Chocolate had a classic claw game to make you feel like you’re at the arcade. The Only Bean had a slot machine where hitting the jackpot meant going home with an edamame fanny pack.

Expo West is a time for brands to show off their new products and to debut their fresh, new looks too! The snack industry is competitive, and you need to look GOOD to pop on the shelf and quickly convey your — as I like to call them — knacks. I went undercover for Hot Smart Rich to bring you my trend observations and the best bites + sips. Straight from the trade show floor to your inbox, let’s get into it!

Hot Honey was hot, hot, hot! Get your taste buds ready for a steamy kick. Brands with this ~spicy~ flavor include:

Bezi Labneh, Lil Bucks’ Clusterbucks, Nufs Crackers, El Nacho Tortilla Chips, Sauz pasta sauce

Nothing dull about Dill Pickle. You could host a pickle-themed party with all of the brands launching a pickle flavor:

Hippeas, Caulipower pizza, Nuts for Cheese cashew dip, Churn Butter, Sunny Fine Foods dressing

We’ve reached peak protein. I lost track of how many brands claimed protein as a hero ingredient. Protein pretzels, protein pasta, protein pasta SAUCE, protein iced coffee, protein soda, protein puffs, protein ice cream… there’s no excuse not to get your gains on!

Supplement that makes you hot: BelliWelli’s fiber supplement powders

Snack that makes you smart: MOSH’s protein bars made for your brain

Sip that makes you rich: Olipop… did you see that recent valuation!? 

Get to know my taste buds. My favorite finds: 

- Date Better Peppermint Bark

- Cravings Key Lime Cake Mix

- Hiyo’s Passion Fruit Tangerine seltzer

- Ithaca’s Olive Oil & Sea Salt Hummus (made in partnership with Graza)

- Mila’s Spicy Dan Dan Noodles

- De Soi’s Spicy Margarita

Let’s put our HSR hats on for a sec here: Behind all of the fun branding and delish snacking is a P&L that needs to impress investors like Maggie. The reality is that the CPG industry is tough! So it’s important to make meaningful connections with buyers from key retailers, mingle with the right investors, and convert Expo goers from newbie to loyalist status – all in just 72 hours! A fast and furious 3 days in Anaheim can change a company’s trajectory for the year ahead. 

I hope you enjoyed this peek into my snacky world! If you’ll need me I’ll be reorganizing my pantry to fit all of the samples I brought home! 

You can sign up for Knack’s monthly newsletter here!

The Price of Being Cool With Paige Rowin

♡ Tell us about yourself!

PR: When it comes to crafting a brand moment, I believe in going beyond the expected. For the 2025 BILT Originals Induction, my team and I orchestrated a secret dinner—no location, no details, just an invite and a promise. Black cars arrived to whisk guests away, revealing the address only upon arrival. The destination? WSA—the lower Manhattan creative sanctuary rewriting the rules of downtown real estate.

Beyond hosting star-studded events, WSA has become the go-to backdrop for culture, influence, and the It-crowd. And BILT was right at home. I sat down to share my strategy, execution, and the impact of this brand-defining moment.

♡ What is the first step to dreaming up a key brand moment for the year?

PR: I'd say that the first step is to deeply understand your brand's current cultural resonance and relevance… where do you authentically fit into people's lives right now? Before dreaming up moments, you need to identify the intersection between what your brand genuinely stands for and what matters to your audience at this point in time. Resist the temptation to hop onto marketing trends that may drive quick, cheap buzz but not actually be meaningful or ownable to your brand. And generally, I’d say be curious… talk to as many different kinds of people as you can about your brand and your mission, gather perspectives, seek out commentary good and bad. I often find that inspiration is sparked in the most unexpected places when I’m not deliberately looking for it.

♡ For true brand marketers, there’s no better marriage of venue and brand so we have to talk about the WSA Building. Why and how!?

PR: It’s funny you ask this because we typically transform residential spaces for our events to tie back to Bilt’s mission of the home. So a retro office building is off the beaten path for us. But once we saw the cafeteria space, we were completely sold. It was too perfect for the school theme we’ve developed for the Bilt Originals program. We also loved that we could activate multiple, totally different spaces and bring people on an adventure throughout the building as the night unfolded. As you know, we had 3 different floors activated simultaneously, all with different vibes to offer. We’re really big on not just hosting a dinner where the energy peaks and then dissipates as the meal ends. We wanted to make sure we gave people the opportunity to continue their night beyond dinner, which the space perfectly enabled.

♡ When putting together the event on the 11th, what were the most important details to nail?

PR: In short, personalization drove our details. We came up with the concept of twice yearly induction dinners to establish a tradition that welcomed our new classes of creators, included our alumni classes, and made everyone feel special and connected on a personal level. A few examples of this included hand-doodling each person’s name on the table, personalizing the CD mixes given for the car ride with more Sharpie doodles, using photos of each person’s favorite people and things in their personalized lockers, and creating a headshot wall. These are staples for the events that drive home the theme while making each inductee feel known and special.

♡ Are you comfortable sharing any numbers to what an experience on the 11th cost (can be rough)?

PR: Love you, but have to plead the fifth on this one!

♡ How do you track ROI to a program like the BILT Originals or to an event like you threw this last week?

PR: Ha! Well first of all, thank you. We chose to center this program around people doing things differently, with an intentional focus on recruiting creators who we believe are breaking the mold in some way. When Bilt was first introduced, people thought our founders were crazy because they were relooking at (and ultimately innovating) the housing and rental industry in a way that no one ever had. We set out to capture people who reflected that essence back at us.

♡ You’re probably one of the few Brand Directors in NYC who isn’t choosing to work with the standard group of creators we see at everything. Why and how do you gain the confidence to go against what a lot of other brands are doing to do your own thing?

PR: Ha! This is a fun question. The amount of board meetings I’ve been in as the only woman… wild. And I’ve absolutely lost out on jobs, roles, and opportunities for having opinions, being different, and using my platform to be bold and uncomfortably honest. Being agreeable can get you far, but being bold can get you where you truly want to go. What good is success if you don’t like the person you are? Sometimes you’ve just got to own the room, pitch it with passion, and trust that your bold moves will pay off—or at least, reroute you to the path you’re meant to be on. 

♡ What’s one piece of advice to get hotter?

PR: If you want a really literal answer here, gua sha and Tan Luxe drops. I am convinced these two together can change your entire face.

♡ Smarter?

PR: Listen to a podcast in the morning as or before you start your day. Your focus and memory retention will be at an all-time high. You’ll start your day on a curious (and hopefully positive) note.

♡ Richer?

PR: Don’t make me say it but… get Bilt. I haven’t paid for a flight in over a year.

♡ Gain confidence at work?

PR: 1) Fake it till you make it. I spent many years limited by my imposter syndrome. The realization that there were people with less experience/intelligence going further than me solely because they had the confidence to pursue opportunities, speak up, step in, etc… I stopped holding back. BUT don’t mistake confidence for arrogance, huge difference here.

2) Build relationships with people (your coworkers, clients, partners). When you understand them as humans and establish a rapport, you will be able to approach every situation with more confidence.