195. Kiva Dickinson, Founder & Managing Partner of Selva Ventures

Today, I’m joined by Kiva Dickinson, founder & managing
partner of Selva Ventures, a VC firm dedicated to CPG brands in
health, wellness, and self-care.


Backing brands like MUD\WTR, Mid-Day Squares, Kinship, Native
Pet, and more, Selva Ventures invests in concepts that make their
consumers' lives better. After closing $34M for its second fund,
Kiva and team continue to seek out brands with better
ingredients, better function, and greater connection to the
consumer.


In this episode, we discuss megatrends across health &
fitness. Plus, Kiva shares his framework for investing in CPG
brands and hints at plans for Selva’s second fund.


In this episode, you’ll learn:


• Kiva’s investing philosophy that led him to starting Selva
Ventures
• Investor insights from its first fund and promising trends to
follow
• About the importance of building a team with varied
professional and personal interests


Subscribe to the podcast https://insider.fitt.co/podcast
Subscribe to our newsletter
https://insider.fitt.co/subscribe
Follow us on LinkedIn https://linkedin.com/company/fittinsider


Selva Ventures Website: https://selvaventures.com
Kiva’s LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kiva-dickinson
Kiva’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/kivadickinson
Kiva’s Medium: https://kivadickinson.medium.com


-


The Fitt Insider podcast is brought to you by Jack Taylor, our
exclusive PR partner. More than just PR, they’re creative
storytellers and brand builders who actually understand the
health and wellness industry. Learn more and get in touch at
https://JackTaylorPR.com/Fitt


Chapters:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:22) Kiva’s background 
(03:36) Founding Selva Ventures
(08:37) Frameworks and metrics Selva uses to analyze CPG
brands
(10:02) 5M framework: Megatrend, Matter, Management, Momentum and
Market 
(13:59) The best investments are never obvious
(15:12) Selva’s decision making model
(16:54) Conviction in the investment process
(20:17) Learnings from the book Crossing the Chasm
(26:20) Investing in companies that make healthier living more
accessible
(28:56) Creating products people self identity with
(32:29) Similarities between first and second fund
(34:45) Differences between first and second fund
(37:08) Future roadmap
(42:46) Challenges faced by entrepreneurs
(44:00) Important KPI’s for CPG brands
(45:03) Health & wellness market sentiment
(49:23) Conclusion