How Sommer Ray Is Disrupting the RTD Space With Tempted | Yoni Bierig, Co-Founder

Yoni Bierig is the co-founder of Tempted, a wine-based ready-to-drink Shirley Temple cocktail co-founded with influencer, DJ, and entrepreneur Sommer Ray, whose previous company Imarais Beauty was just acquired. Yoni had no experience in the beverage industry when he started Tempted. But when he met Sommer at dinner in Atlantic City and they both ordered Shirley Temples, the idea clicked. What started as a childhood favorite became the foundation for a brand generating a quarter million likes and millions of views in 30 days without spending a single dollar on ads. Tempted is a 7% ABV, four grams of sugar, 150 calorie wine-based RTD with a full ingredient label on the can, something most alcohol brands still refuse to do. Unlike most celebrity brands that lead with the famous face, Yoni built the brand around the product first and introduced Sommer gradually. His philosophy is simple: the celebrity should be the fuel, not the ship. Because if the ship is the celebrity and something goes wrong, the whole business goes down with it. Yoni breaks down why he turned down national expansion opportunities because the brand wasn't ready, how Sommer's DJ tours create built-in distribution opportunities where clubs pay to stock Tempted before she even arrives, and why he posts the good, bad, and ugly of building the company every single day on LinkedIn as a public journal. He explains: Why the RTD space is on a rocket ship while the broader alcohol industry is on a downward spiral Why being wine-based allows Tempted to be placed in distribution channels other RTD brands cannot access Why investors have a bad taste in their mouth about celebrity brands and how Yoni navigates that uphill battle Why he believes the VC space has turned into private equity and what that means for early stage founders How building in public on LinkedIn turned followers into super customers who buy the product and give honest feedback His number one advice for founders working with celebrity co-founders: focus on the product and let the celebrity be the fuel, not the ship Chapters: Chapters

00:00:00 Introduction: From Summer Rae to Building Tempted 00:00:51 The Founding Story: When a Shirley Temple Sparked a Business 00:02:20 First-Time Beverage Founder: The Advantage of Naivety 00:04:43 What is Tempted: Wine-Based RTD with Full Transparency 00:08:32 Celebrity Product Market Fit: Why Summer Rae is the Perfect Partner 00:10:57 Leveraging Celebrity Platform: From Social to Retail Strategy 00:13:03 Summer Rae the Entrepreneur: Beyond the 20 Million Dollar Exit 00:15:34 Distribution Strategy: Staying Focused and Avoiding National Too Soon 00:17:53 Building in Public: The Power of Transparency on LinkedIn 00:22:33 Celebrity Brand Inspiration: From Skims to Finnish Long Drink 00:26:13 The Celebrity as Fuel Not Fire: Strategic Brand Positioning 00:28:03 Raising Capital: The Honest Truth About VC Skepticism 00:31:57 Survive Until You Thrive: Advice for Struggling Founders 00:32:35 What's Next for Tempted and Final Founder Advice

HotStart VC Subscribe to the HotStart VC newsletter: https://hotstart.beehiiv.com/ Become a HotStart Angel and co-invest with us in celebrity-founded brands starting from $5,000: https://www.hotstart.vc/hotstart-angels/ Check out our fund: https://www.hotstart.vc/ Scott van den Berg LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-van-den-berg-22b534150/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottvandenberg_/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@scottvandenberg_ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@scottvandenbergvc Yoni Bierig LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanbierig/ Tempted: https://drinktempted.com/ HotStart VC is a fund that exclusively invests in brands founded by celebrities and creators. We're the go-to platform for celebrities and creators launching brands, providing capital, strategic support, and the infrastructure to scale.