LARQ: From reinventing the water bottle to being acquired by BRITA

Description

Our latest guest is Justin Wang, who, back in 2017, decided that the way we drink water could use an upgrade. Justin left a successful corporate career to tackle an everyday problem all of us face at some point: icky water bottles. He is the co-founder & CEO of LARQ, the company behind the world's first self-cleaning water bottle that it says can eliminate up to 99.9% of harmful bacteria and is meant to ensure you're not worrying about how clean the water is when you're traveling.  What started as a crowdfunded product quickly turned into a multinational brand, earning a spot on Shark Tank, where he walked in with the highest valuation seen in the show's history, and most recently, being acquired by BRITA.  Prior to LARQ, Justin served as president of FOREO, the beauty tech company, and earlier as an investor with L Catterton, one of the world's top PE firms. In this interview, we get into:  | 00:00:00 — Introduction | 00:01:27 — Early beginnings that shaped Justin's resilience | 00:03:45 — Working with people who share your vision | 00:05:16 — Tackling 100 investor conversations to close their Series A back in the day | 00:06:04 — How a cabinet full of dusty bottles sparked the concept | 00:11:21 — What it really takes to launch and 10x a Kickstarter campaign | 00:16:35 — How to make it in a hardware business | 00:18:30 — Existential crisis during COVID | 00:23:52 — What it's really like to pitch on Shark Tank — and tips for fellow entrepreneur | 00:28:52 — Breaking into dream stores, from MoMA to Target to Apple | 00:29:35 — Knowing when your startup is truly ready for retail | 00:34:39 — Manoeuvring tariffs and supply chain chaos | 00:37:36 — Justin's best day: the rush when your Kickstarter campaign goes through the roof | 00:38:36 — Leaving behind the so-called "golden handcuffs" to build something new | 00:45:54 — How a cold email led to LARQ's acquisition by BRITA | 00:47:59 — Long-term vision | 00:49:04 — Where LARQ is headed next | 00:49:57 — Competition: BRITA vs. BRITA | 00:55:20 — Audience question