In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Anabel González, founder of Good Bacteria, and Hayden Williams, Partner at BrandProject, for the podcast's first-ever founder and funder episode—a behind-the-curtain look at what the investment process actually looks like from both sides of the table.
Good Bacteria is the first rotating probiotic system delivering a new blend of prebiotics, probiotics, and a postbiotic each week. Dr. formulated with clinically studied ingredients, it's designed to expose your body to different microbes over time to build up gut resilience—a smarter, science-backed approach to gut health that actually fits into your daily routine. BrandProject is an early-stage consumer fund partnering with founders building standout consumer-first brands, investing pre-seed and seed with check sizes of $500K–$3M and a hands-on, operator-minded approach.
Anabel shares how a postpartum healing journey led her to a Johns Hopkins doctor via cold LinkedIn outreach, over 200 investor cold emails, and ultimately a pre-launch investment from BrandProject—a fund she had specifically targeted because of their portfolio. Hayden walks through what drew him to Good Bacteria before there was even a product in hand, how he validated the science, and why Anabel's personalized cold outreach stood out in a sea of generic pitches.
Together, they cover:
- How a postpartum healing journey became the founding story of Good Bacteria
- Why Good Bacteria was originally a beverage—and how it pivoted to a rotating probiotic system
- What 200+ investor cold outreaches actually looks like, and how the BrandProject introduction happened
- What BrandProject looks for in pre-launch founders when there's nothing but a deck and a story
- Why Anabel invested in brand and story before product—and why that was the right call
- The diligence process: validating the science, the market, and the founder's operating instincts
- The "sense of inevitability" principle—and why the best founders make investors feel the train is leaving the station
- What a healthy founder-investor relationship actually looks like day to day
- How many people from a company should be involved in fundraising—and who
- Good Bacteria's product roadmap: four products coming, a master brand in the making
Whether you're a founder preparing to raise, trying to build the right cap table, or just want to understand what investors are really evaluating before they write a check, this episode is essential listening.
Episode Links:
Anabel Gonzálezon LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/anabelg
Good Bacteria: https://www.itsgoodbacteria.com
Good Bacteria on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/goodbacteria/
Hayden Williams on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/howillia/
BrandProject: https://www.brandproject.com
BrandProject on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brandproject-lp/
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Show Links:
- Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
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- Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.com
- Episode music by Super Fantastics
