This is part three of my three-part Consumer Takes All Series. See part one here and part two here.
At the start of each year, I like to consider which types of companies will be the ultimate winners –publicly traded companies six to 10 years post-launch– of the future. I then spend the rest of the year focusing all of my time connecting with and supporting the founders and consumers within those categories. This series outlines where I’ll be investing my time and capital in 2024.
The next multi-billion dollar consumer companies will allow consumers to achieve at least one of the following:
A rich, utilitarian life beyond screens (decline of the attention economy)
The ability to gain more knowledge and learn new skills in cheaper and more flexible ways (education, upskilling, reskilling)
More efficient and delightful connections with one another (consumer social)
If you’re a consumer founder, I’d love to chat. Reach out at tcburning@gmail.com or DM me @tcburning.
Winning the very best deals requires brute force, decisiveness, learning from founders, and a relentless hunger for success.
How to Win Deals
As a VC, I resist the idea that this job can be systematized. I learned early on that the most important work –winning the very best deals– requires brute force, decisiveness, learning from founders, and a relentless hunger for success. I do this by cold DMing, showing up at events, writing business plans and product reviews, doing competitive diligence, answering calls at 3am… in short, I show up. And in the background, I try to proactively work on the following :
Building a strong community with operators: The computer science student and product manager in me will never die! My favorite people to spend time with are founders and builders – not investors. I’ve spent my career intentionally (and unintentionally) building community –through events, the internet, late nights –with people that are at the forefront of building the next big, medium, or small thing. It brings me joy and it helps strengthen my reputation as an investor.
Preempting rounds: I like to invest in founders before the VC FOMO-frenzy begins. I’ve only ever preempted founders for all of my institutional investments and aspire to keep it that way.
Creating a clear and contained fundraising process: This industry is filled with waiting-to-sees and what-ifs. Decisiveness –honestly and clearly explicated– is rare. I pride myself in creating clear processes, timelines, and action items as I move through diligence and decision-making processes. My goal is to be the clearest and most reasonable option for founders.
If you’re a consumer founder –especially if you’re seeking an investment partner as I’ve outlined— I’d love to chat. Reach out at tcburning@gmail.com or DM me @tcburning.