Untold Truth Behind JUUL’s Explosive Growth ft. Alex Cantwell
OCT 7, 202570 MIN
Untold Truth Behind JUUL’s Explosive Growth ft. Alex Cantwell
OCT 7, 202570 MIN
Description
<p><strong>Glimpse</strong> is the all-in-one, AI-powered deductions management platform for CPG brands—automating deduction capture, classification, disputes, and accounting. Recover more revenue while saving time – <a href="https://www.tryglimpse.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.tryglimpse.com</a></p><p><br></p><p>He helped scale <strong>JUUL</strong> from $1M to $1B in just three years. Now, he’s investing in the next generation of consumer brands.</p><p><br></p><p>In this episode, Mike sits down with <strong>Alex Cantwell</strong>, founder of <strong>Cartograph Ventures</strong>, an early-stage technology and consumer fund built by operators for operators. Alex shares what it was really like to scale one of the most controversial startups in the world—and what he learned about <strong>hypergrowth, backlash, regulation, and leadership</strong> along the way.</p><p><br></p><p>You’ll learn: </p><p>✅ How JUUL went from failure to billion-dollar rocket ship </p><p>✅ Why vape shops—not gas stations—became JUUL’s secret weapon </p><p>✅ What founders get wrong about retail expansion </p><p>✅ The dark side of hypergrowth and founder burnout </p><p>✅ Why “disruption” always invites controversy </p><p>✅ How operator-investors think differently about building vs. funding </p><p>✅ The future of vice categories: nicotine, caffeine, and beyond </p><p>✅ Why fiber might be the next big consumer trend</p><p><br></p><p>👉 If you want to understand how to build a disruptive brand, survive a backlash, and think like an operator-investor—this conversation is packed with hard-won lessons.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Timestamps</strong> </p><p>00:00 Intro </p><p>01:00 From Wharton to JUUL: The Accidental Entry Point </p><p>03:00 Why JUUL Failed in Gas Stations </p><p>05:00 Finding Early Adopters in Vape Shops </p><p>07:00 Rethinking Retail & Route to Market </p><p>09:00 The Fallacy of “Instant Scale” with Big Retail </p><p>11:00 Lessons from Hypergrowth Inside JUUL </p><p>13:00 The Psychological Cost of Scaling Too Fast </p><p>15:00 What JUUL Got Right (and Wrong) </p><p>17:00 Should JUUL Have Been Banned? </p><p>19:00 Why Every Disruptive Brand Becomes a Lightning Rod </p><p>21:00 How Operator VCs Think Differently from Traditional Investors </p><p>25:00 The Real Difference Between Operators and Financial Investors </p><p>30:00 Betting on Regulated Categories (and Knowing When to Walk Away) </p><p>33:00 The Nicotine Pouch Boom: Zen vs. JUUL </p><p>36:00 Is Nicotine in a Harm Reduction Era? </p><p>38:00 Nicotine vs. Caffeine: The Mental Shift </p><p>41:00 Why Venture Has Become Hits-Driven </p><p>43:00 The “Cowboy Diet”: Protein, Nicotine & Caffeine </p><p>45:00 The Future of Consumer: Simplicity, Identity, and Less Friction </p><p>48:00 When to Go Deep vs. Broad in Retail </p><p>50:00 What Great Founders Do Differently </p><p>53:00 Why Operator-Led Funds Push Founders Harder </p><p>56:00 The Real Bubble in AI (and What Comes Next) </p><p>60:00 Underrated Categories: Why Fiber Might Be the Next Big Thing </p><p>63:00 Lightning Round: Lessons, Regrets & Fast Food Favorites</p><p><br></p><p>📬 Subscribe for more founder stories & scaling insights: 👉 The Consumer VC Newsletter -<a href="https://www.theconsumervc.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"> https://www.theconsumervc.com/</a> </p><p>Follow Mike Gelb: </p><p>Twitter / IG / TikTok → @mikegelb / @consumervc</p><p><br></p>
