Episode Summary

Sydney Sykes is an investor, entrepreneur and nonprofit leader who is passionate about the direct consumer space, ecommerce, and venture capital. After graduating university with a psych major, Sydney was drawn to the world of startups and venture capital and joined NEA as an early consumer investor. During her time at Dollskill, Sydney grew and strategized the company's native brands while also angel investing and doing scout investing for Lightspeed. Sydney later joined Lightspeed as a Partner to focus on commerce, future shopping and ecommerce enablement for early stage companies. She is now committed to making an impact in the venture capital space by increasing diversity and furthering innovation in the industry.

Episode Notes

Episode brought to you by Trend & Finaloop.

On this episode of DTC POD, Sydney Sykes of Lightspeed Venture Partners joins Blaine & Ramon to talk about the current state of direct-to-consumer brands and e-commerce. Sydney shares her experience in venture capital and growing direct-to-consumer brands, and offers advice for founders seeking investment. We also dive into various topics including circular fashion to generative AI and SEO, and how they are transforming the modern e-commerce landscape. We also discuss how to create unique demand and distribution advantages, the importance of networking, and which businesses are best suited for vc funding.

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Episode Highlights

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Timestamps

[00:01:37] From psychology major to venture capitalist.

[00:04:52] Investing in direct-to-consumer brands evolution.

[00:13:10] Diversity in venture capital is important.

[00:16:00] Women can bring good returns to VC.

[00:18:10] Ways to reach investors and get funded.

[00:20:53] Common mistakes made by founders.

[00:23:59] Investment in unique brands with advantages.

[00:28:32] Exciting times for brands due to enablement tools and AI.

[00:34:48] Importance of content and personalization.

[00:38:23] Circular fashion's growing market and benefits.

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Episode brought to you by Finaloop, the real-time accounting service trusted by hundreds of DTC Brands. Try Finaloop free - no credit card required. Visit finaloop.com/dtcpod and get 14 days free and a 2-month P&L within 24 hours.

Past guests & brands on DTC Pod include Gilt, PopSugar, Glossier, MadeIN, Prose, Bala, P.volve, Ritual, Bite, Oura, Levels, General Mills, Mid Day Squares, Prose, Arrae, Olipop, Ghia, Rosaluna, Form, Uncle Studios & many more.

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Sydney Sykes - Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners
Ramon Berrios - CEO of Trend.io
Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Seated

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