This Life: Volume 4
Consumer startups, breathwork, and a CPG co. we like
…And it ain’t electric so it’s way off. Send it back
Now playing: "E.B.I.T.D.A" (Ft. Pharrell Williams) by The Clipse
Yo,
This week I experimented with using Perplexity AI to discover articles from sources I might never have found otherwise. The results were fascinating.
Instead of my usual rotation of tech blogs and business publications, I stumbled across insights from places like Center Post Dispatch and Insider Inc. that offered fresh perspectives on familiar themes. It’s a perfect example of how AI tools can expand our information diet beyond our typical echo chambers, surfacing quality content from unexpected corners of the internet. Here’s what caught my attention this week at the intersection of investing in tomorrow and improving today.
Mike
This Week’s Stack
How AI Could Solve the Consumer Tech Slump, According to VCs (Insider Inc.) — Venture capitalists are betting big that artificial intelligence will revive consumer tech by powering a new generation of startups dedicated to making everyday life better. While consumer startups faced a downturn recently, funds like Premise Venture Partners and established names such as Andreessen Horowitz are ramping up investments, believing AI can enable companies to scale quickly and unlock new business models. The article dives into fresh subscription and ad-driven models, with examples ranging from AI-powered journaling apps to advanced health wearables. Read ›
Startups are strangely upbeat in 2025: AI may be the reason why (Center Post Dispatch) — Despite economic uncertainty, optimism among early-stage founders is soaring, particularly for companies that have made significant investments in AI. A Mercury survey of 1,500 entrepreneurs found 60% of AI adopters noted major improvements in financial confidence versus 28% for non-AI users. First-time founders and those in financial services are especially bullish, showing how innovation and mindset—fueled by technology—are powering resilience across sectors. Read ›
The great AI commerce startup opportunity, according to Andreessen Horowitz (Fortune) — A16Z partners Alex Rampell and Justine Moore break down the massive opportunity for AI in commerce. Their thesis: generative AI will revolutionize the way consumers shop, with assistants handling everything from routine purchases to complex buying decisions. They highlight how attribution and discovery are becoming battlegrounds for startups and detail why VC firms are patient but optimistic about truly transformative consumer AI businesses emerging. Read ›
Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (YourStory) — This daily roundup covers a wave of new founders building inventive tools and products designed to solve real-world problems and improve daily life. The piece spotlights funding rounds for social impact and life improvement apps—from AI-driven incident management to digital health platforms—underscoring a fresh energy and creativity among founders committed to “better living” at scale. Read ›
CEO of Lovable, one of the fastest-growing startups in history, at Disrupt 2025 (TechCrunch) — Anton Osika, physicist and founder of Lovable, describes building a consumer software startup with the vision to enable anyone to create apps just by talking to AI. Lovable broke records, reaching $100M ARR in under a year and raising at a $1.8B valuation. Osika’s masterclass at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 highlights how rapid scaling, product focus, and category creation is redefining digital wellness and human creativity for a global audience. Read ›
Pro tip: Don’t have a news subscription? Insert the article links into ChatGPT and ask for a summary.
What I Learned This Week
Consumer is back — and AI is the catalyst. After years of consumer tech being declared “dead” or “too hard,” we’re witnessing a renaissance driven by artificial intelligence’s ability to solve fundamental problems that have plagued the space for decades.
What’s fascinating is how AI is addressing the core issues that made consumer businesses challenging: high customer acquisition costs, difficulty scaling personalization, and the complexity of building sticky engagement. The Mercury survey showing 60% of AI-adopting entrepreneurs feeling more financially confident versus just 28% of non-adopters isn’t just a statistic—it’s a signal that founders have found tools that actually work.
But here’s what really caught my attention: we’re not just seeing AI optimize existing consumer experiences, we’re seeing it create entirely new categories. Lovable hitting $100M ARR in under a year by letting anyone build apps through conversation isn’t just impressive growth—it’s proof that AI can democratize creation itself.
My thesis is that “life after AI” will be the golden age for both CPG and consumer tech because AI finally makes mass personalization economically viable. We’re moving from one-size-fits-all products to AI-native experiences that adapt to individual needs, preferences, and contexts in real-time. The Andreessen Horowitz piece on AI commerce gets at this—we’re not just talking about better recommendation engines, but AI assistants that fundamentally change how we discover, evaluate, and purchase everything from groceries to gadgets.
The opportunity ahead isn’t just about making existing products smarter; it’s about reimagining what consumer products can be when they’re built AI-first from day one.
Company I’m Following
Playground — In a moment when everyone seems to be chasing AI, and for good reason, we’ve been meeting some really interesting CPG companies.
One that caught my attention in particular, and that we recently invested in, is Playground; co-founded by Catherine Magee, Sandy Vukovic, and Christina Aguilera.
Catherine and Sandy are the operators—former executives at bareMinerals. They saw a massive gap in sexual wellness: no trusted brand actually built for women’s health across life stages. So they’re building what’s essentially “Hims & Hers, but actually for her.”
To me, what makes this interesting:
GTM unlock. Bringing Christina Aguilera on as Chief Brand Advisor is driving brand awareness and keeping customer acquisition cost low (sub $10).
Category opportunity. Sexual wellness is niche with no real brand leader, especially for women, and the category is moving from taboo to mainstream quickly. Playground is already in 400+ retail locations (Target, Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters), and expanding.
Clinical expansion path. This is where it gets interesting. Playground is piloting clinical partnerships with platforms like Midi Health for subscription-based care. Their Miracle Melts product is moving through FDA 510(k) clearance as a Class II medical device—opening the door to provider protocols and reimbursement. Think Hims & Hers rolling out telehealth: Playground could do the same, embedding into OB/GYN workflows while building a digital experience that ties in health data. The shift from one-off retail purchases to continuous, medically-backed care is the real unlock.
Perhaps an odd thesis, but I think as AI frees up time and mental space, people are going to start investing in wellness even more than they are today.
If you’re interested in investing in early-stage startups, I’m a Partner at Backpocket. You can join our angel investing group get access to our full research report on Playground along with other companies we’ve watching.
Try This On
I’m going to share something that completely changed my daily experience: breathwork.
About a year ago, I started doing guided breathing exercises every day. The results have been significant—measurable improvements to my focus, stress management, and sleep quality. A heads up if you’re starting out: The first few times, my body got hot, then cold, and it felt like anxiety was coming. But I realized my body was letting go of stress and stuck energy. That initial discomfort passes quickly.
I started with 3-part breathwork from a coach, then discovered the Open app. The flexibility makes it sustainable: 5 minutes for a quick refresh, or 45 minutes for something deeper. Short sessions are mood-shifting. Longer ones can be almost psychedelic—you might learn some shit about yourself. The cumulative effects: deeper meditations, better sleep, higher energy. Controlled breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system, literally rewiring your stress response over time.
Check out the Open app—beautifully designed with guided sessions from 3-20 minutes. I think it’s the best for getting started.
Start with just 5 minutes tomorrow morning. Pick a simple “energy” or “focus” session and see how you feel.
