Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://ar-c.org/video/pDaawMGDXs7.html Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter 24hrs Inside $70M Venture Capital Fund Backing Consumer Startups [OMX8GNqbPt9] Health Updated on August 06, 2026 EDT — Published on August 06, 2026 EDT Get your first month of Granola free: In this episode, I go behind the scenes with Alex Bodney, Chris Aydam and Ryan Springer, the founders of Midnight Venture Partners, an Austin-based venture capital firm focused exclusively on consumer brands. Since launching in 2020, Midnight has raised a $23M debut fund alongside $27M in co-investment capital, and has backed companies including OLIPOP, Jolie, and Recess. Rather than trying to back every type of startup, Midnight has deliberately specialised in consumer brands. The team believes the best venture firms don’t just provide capital. They become true partners to founders, helping navigate fundraising, retail distribution, go-to-market strategy, hiring, and the many challenges that come after an investment is made. That founder-first philosophy has become one of the defining characteristics of Midnight. Consumer venture capital isn’t just about finding great products. It’s about identifying the founders and businesses capable of becoming category-defining companies. This episode explores how Midnight evaluates those opportunities, what they see that others don't, and why one or two investment decisions can shape the success of an entire fund. Inside this episode: - How Alex, Chris & Ryan built Midnight VP - Why Midnight specialises exclusively in consumer brands - How the team evaluates founders beyond the pitch deck - An investment meeting with Rigby, a startup creating human-grade, organic nutrition for dogs - An investment meeting with Rebel Cheese, an artisan dairy free cheese company featured on Shark Tank - Why one or two investments can determine the success of an entire venture fund - Why founder empathy has become one of Midnight’s biggest competitive advantages If the biggest venture returns come from backing just one or two extraordinary companies, how do VCs identify those founders before everyone else does? Check out Midnight VP: Join my founder newsletter: Let’s connect: X: Instagram: LinkedIn: Video Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:50 Gym Session 02:47 Interview with Alex Bodney 05:06 How VC funds work 07:31 Granola, the AI meeting assistant 08:22 Negotiating a term sheet 10:15 Interview with Ben Davis 11:20 Investment meeting with Rigby 12:22 Investment meeting with Rebel Cheese 13:24 Will debrief 14:16 Interview with Chris Aydam 15:00 H-E-B trip 16:40 Midnight's advice to founders U1bnRho456W XzyPT2rozxa GS7wFjnMQon eRQosn3DcSE xvcndAzF6nK
Get your first month of Granola free: In this episode, I go behind the scenes with Alex Bodney, Chris Aydam and Ryan Springer, the founders of Midnight Venture Partners, an Austin-based venture capital firm focused exclusively on consumer brands. Since launching in 2020, Midnight has raised a $23M debut fund alongside $27M in co-investment capital, and has backed companies including OLIPOP, Jolie, and Recess. Rather than trying to back every type of startup, Midnight has deliberately specialised in consumer brands. The team believes the best venture firms don’t just provide capital. They become true partners to founders, helping navigate fundraising, retail distribution, go-to-market strategy, hiring, and the many challenges that come after an investment is made. That founder-first philosophy has become one of the defining characteristics of Midnight. Consumer venture capital isn’t just about finding great products. It’s about identifying the founders and businesses capable of becoming category-defining companies. This episode explores how Midnight evaluates those opportunities, what they see that others don't, and why one or two investment decisions can shape the success of an entire fund. Inside this episode: - How Alex, Chris & Ryan built Midnight VP - Why Midnight specialises exclusively in consumer brands - How the team evaluates founders beyond the pitch deck - An investment meeting with Rigby, a startup creating human-grade, organic nutrition for dogs - An investment meeting with Rebel Cheese, an artisan dairy free cheese company featured on Shark Tank - Why one or two investments can determine the success of an entire venture fund - Why founder empathy has become one of Midnight’s biggest competitive advantages If the biggest venture returns come from backing just one or two extraordinary companies, how do VCs identify those founders before everyone else does? Check out Midnight VP: Join my founder newsletter: Let’s connect: X: Instagram: LinkedIn: Video Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:50 Gym Session 02:47 Interview with Alex Bodney 05:06 How VC funds work 07:31 Granola, the AI meeting assistant 08:22 Negotiating a term sheet 10:15 Interview with Ben Davis 11:20 Investment meeting with Rigby 12:22 Investment meeting with Rebel Cheese 13:24 Will debrief 14:16 Interview with Chris Aydam 15:00 H-E-B trip 16:40 Midnight's advice to founders U1bnRho456W XzyPT2rozxa GS7wFjnMQon eRQosn3DcSE xvcndAzF6nK