116. Courtney Reum, Co-founder of M13

Today I'm joined by Courtney Reum, co-founder of M13 — a brand development and investment company.

In this episode, we discuss the shifting venture capital ecosystem, trends in health and wellness, and the firm's investments in companies like Tonal, Headspace, and ClassPass. Plus, Courtney shares his frameworks for evaluating potential investments.

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More from Courtney

Courtney Reum is an innovator whose goal is to create impact towards global change. In April 2016, Courtney co-founded M13, a Los Angeles based brand development and investment company that accelerates businesses at the nexus of consumer products, technology, and media. M13 focuses on building emerging entrepreneurial businesses, and will directly invest more than $100 million of investments over the next 5 years.

Courtney began his career as an Investment Banker at Goldman Sachs in New York, working with such brands as Procter & Gamble, Under Armour, and Vitamin Water. In 2007, following his career at Goldman Sachs, Courtney and his brother Carter Reum established VEEV Spirits with the goal of creating "a better way to drink". Originally offering a first of its kind vodka alternative, VEEV Spirits quickly grew to be one of the fastest-growing independent brands in the country and later, with the addition of VitaFrute™ Cocktails by VEEV, the first line of organic ready-to-drink cocktails. VEEV has been honored as the winner of the Technomic Fast 50 Award and by Inc. Magazine as one of the 500 Fastest-Growing Companies in the U.S. (#7 in the food & beverage category).

While growing VEEV, Courtney & Carter began investing and providing guidance as advisors and board members to emerging businesses. Some of their select early investments include Bonobos, Birchbox, Warby Parker, Pinterest, Lyft, Kevita, and Krave Jerky. In 2016, Courtney & Carter sold a majority stake of VEEV Spirits to a multi-national strategic buyer, allowing them to found M13 and focus on their entrepreneurial stewardship of consumer brands. M13 currently has investments in 100+ companies spanning consumer brands, media, and technology.

Courtney holds a B.A. with distinction from Columbia University in New York and is an alumni of Harvard Business School. He is also an active member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and has served as the President of the Bel-Air Chapter. Courtney was appointed as one of Mayor Eric Garcetti's Commissioners for the Los Angeles Convention Center & Tourism Authority and is philanthropically involved as a Board Member of the Los Angeles Opera and City Year, which helps underserved schools.

Courtney was named one of the 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs of both 2014 and 2015 by Goldman Sachs at its annual Builders + Innovators Summit, featured in Inc's "500 fastest growing private companies in America," and included in the Forbes "30 Under 30" list. Courtney serves as a contributing writer for Inc magazine and is featured in best-selling books such as Richard Branson's "Screw Business as Usual" and Blake Mycoskie's (TOMs Shoes) "Start Something that Matters."

Finally, Courtney and his brother are the authors of the national bestseller Shortcut Your Startup, which was published by Simon & Schuster in January 2018 and aimed to share their insights and empower the next generation of entrepreneurs.