Sara Cullen is the founder and CEO of GEM, a pioneering brand creating the first real food vitamins. Sparked by her own health challenges and a frustrating experience in the supplement aisle, Sara took a hands-on approach to nutritional science. Before launching Gem, she was part of the Venture for America Fellowship and previously started Plant Water, a CBD beverage brand.
In this episode, Sara shares how her upbringing on a farm shaped her maker mindset, lessons learned from a failed first startup, and why she believes true founders must be “delusionallyvely optimistic.” She talks candidly about navigating solo entrepreneurship, fundraising over $22M, hiring effectively, and the realities of building a company while raising a newborn.
For a deeper dive into the episode, check out Carly's Substack: https://carlymalatskey.substack.com/
(1:22) Growing up on a farm and childhood influences (5:09) Pivoting majors at Cornell (6:28) Being practical vs. the dreamer (9:14) Joining Venture for America (12:33) The lessons from founding Plant Water (16:25) The health crisis that inspired GEM (19:28) Finding the conviction to launch (22:57) Balancing taste with nutritional function (25:23) Operating as a DTC brand (26:27) The greatest challenges working on GEM (28:49) Remote work challenges and culture trade-offs (33:35) Advice for CPG founders on venture capital (39:36) Juggling motherhood and leadership (41:34) Redefining success
Read Carly's deeper dive in her substack: https://carlymalatskey.substack.com/p/wtf-moments-delusional-optimism-failing?r=jt2na
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