- Direct-to-consumer online selling/marketing enabled startups Native (natural deodorant), MVMT (watches), and Tuft & Needle (foam mattresses) to successfully grow and get acquired without venture capital (VC) funding.
- Native founder Moiz Ali says his limited resources ($500K) forced him to focus on effective marketing and profitability early on.
- While non-VC funded startups get acquired for less (Movado-MVMT $200M, Native-Procter & Gamble $100M), the founders maintain large ownership stakes (80-90%) and end up worth more.
- Many consumer startups that receive VC funding fail to meet expectations.
