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Mar 19, 2025 · 42m · startup-ideas

Build the next POPPI ($1.95B exit to Pepsi)

Ashwinn Krishnaswamy · 27m spoken Greg Isenberg · 10m spoken
0:00 / 0:00
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gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

Branding expert Ashwin and host Greg Isenberg demonstrate how modern entrepreneurs can leverage SEO analytics, e-commerce data tools, and autonomous AI agents to validate market demand and build differentiated consumer brands. The masterclass breaks down actionable frameworks for packaging design, demographic targeting, and reverse-engineering distribution channels across both CPG and software startups.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Greg holds 28.2% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Greg as informed peer 5.0 Guest teaching 5.2 Guest disagreement 0.2 Greg pushing back 0.8
05100:0015:0030:000:49–3:31 · Greg as informed peer 4/10 Ashwin's Background and Reverse-Engineering Consumer Brands Greg sets the stage by praising Ashwin's taste and framing distribution and taste as ultimate moats. Ashwin explains his background launching physical and software brands and the need to reverse-engineer demand.3:31–8:09 · Greg as informed peer 6/10 Using Ahrefs to Analyze Category Demand and Market Opportunity Ashwin walks through Ahrefs keyword volume and ranking difficulty using electrolytes as an example. Greg makes a sharp analytical observation looking at global search breakdown, deducing an opportunity for an 'Element for Germany'.8:10–12:38 · Greg as informed peer 2/10 Sponsor Break: Startup Empire Membership Following the mid-roll mention, Ashwin recounts how an SEO operator identified 8.5M monthly searches in solitaire and built an organic cash cow by out-ranking legacy sites.12:39–14:56 · Greg as informed peer 5/10 Analyzing Trend Drivers: The Shift from CBD to Delta-9 Greg notes that users must act like analysts and ask 'why' behind trend data. Ashwin demonstrates this by explaining how the 2018 Farm Bill drove CBD's peak before demand shifted into Delta-9 THC.14:59–18:38 · Greg as informed peer 4/10 Using Particle, TikTok Shop, and Amazon for E-Commerce Data Ashwin shares Particle to reveal competitor SKU volumes and flavor sales concentrations. Greg contributes by inquiring about TikTok Shop data visibility and Amazon's monthly purchase badges.18:40–20:53 · Greg as informed peer 5/10 The Case and Challenges of Physical Product Businesses Greg presses Ashwin on why any founder would choose a physical product business over software given inventory and supply chain headaches. Ashwin concedes it is brutal but argues it is the bleeding edge of marketing skill acquisition.20:53–25:24 · Greg as informed peer 5/10 Product Differentiation and Packaging Strategies in CPG Ashwin examines Amazon search results for magnesium glycinate, contrasting commodity medical packaging with Moon Juice and Lemme's custom aesthetic. Greg notices the saturated focus on female-targeted branding.25:25–28:26 · Greg as informed peer 7/10 Untapped Demographics: Designing CPG for Older Adults Greg clarifies his core thesis: launching premium-designed CPG products targeting older adults (65+). Ashwin validates this, detailing how millennial and Gen Z founders create blind spots by only building for peers.28:27–33:39 · Greg as informed peer 6/10 Bootstrapping Brand Design vs. Agency Investment Greg asks whether early-stage founders can bootstrap packaging design without huge agency budgets. Ashwin outlines when DIY/Fiverr works versus high-stakes aesthetic categories like wine, while Greg pitches a 'v0 for CPG' concept.33:40–36:38 · Greg as informed peer 3/10 Relentless Competitive Research in CPG and SaaS Ashwin details his agency's competitive auditing process for non-alcoholic wine and translates the methodology to SaaS founders checking 1-star reviews and visiting local practices.36:39–39:44 · Greg as informed peer 8/10 Live AI Market Research Demo with Manus Greg leads a live screen-share demo using Manus AI to automate market research, competitive scraping, and product conceptualization for an elderly pimple patch brand, leaving Ashwin impressed.0:49–3:31 · Guest teaching 3/10 Ashwin's Background and Reverse-Engineering Consumer Brands Greg sets the stage by praising Ashwin's taste and framing distribution and taste as ultimate moats. Ashwin explains his background launching physical and software brands and the need to reverse-engineer demand.3:31–8:09 · Guest teaching 5/10 Using Ahrefs to Analyze Category Demand and Market Opportunity Ashwin walks through Ahrefs keyword volume and ranking difficulty using electrolytes as an example. Greg makes a sharp analytical observation looking at global search breakdown, deducing an opportunity for an 'Element for Germany'.8:10–12:38 · Guest teaching 6/10 Sponsor Break: Startup Empire Membership Following the mid-roll mention, Ashwin recounts how an SEO operator identified 8.5M monthly searches in solitaire and built an organic cash cow by out-ranking legacy sites.12:39–14:56 · Guest teaching 6/10 Analyzing Trend Drivers: The Shift from CBD to Delta-9 Greg notes that users must act like analysts and ask 'why' behind trend data. Ashwin demonstrates this by explaining how the 2018 Farm Bill drove CBD's peak before demand shifted into Delta-9 THC.14:59–18:38 · Guest teaching 5/10 Using Particle, TikTok Shop, and Amazon for E-Commerce Data Ashwin shares Particle to reveal competitor SKU volumes and flavor sales concentrations. Greg contributes by inquiring about TikTok Shop data visibility and Amazon's monthly purchase badges.18:40–20:53 · Guest teaching 6/10 The Case and Challenges of Physical Product Businesses Greg presses Ashwin on why any founder would choose a physical product business over software given inventory and supply chain headaches. Ashwin concedes it is brutal but argues it is the bleeding edge of marketing skill acquisition.20:53–25:24 · Guest teaching 6/10 Product Differentiation and Packaging Strategies in CPG Ashwin examines Amazon search results for magnesium glycinate, contrasting commodity medical packaging with Moon Juice and Lemme's custom aesthetic. Greg notices the saturated focus on female-targeted branding.25:25–28:26 · Guest teaching 6/10 Untapped Demographics: Designing CPG for Older Adults Greg clarifies his core thesis: launching premium-designed CPG products targeting older adults (65+). Ashwin validates this, detailing how millennial and Gen Z founders create blind spots by only building for peers.28:27–33:39 · Guest teaching 6/10 Bootstrapping Brand Design vs. Agency Investment Greg asks whether early-stage founders can bootstrap packaging design without huge agency budgets. Ashwin outlines when DIY/Fiverr works versus high-stakes aesthetic categories like wine, while Greg pitches a 'v0 for CPG' concept.33:40–36:38 · Guest teaching 6/10 Relentless Competitive Research in CPG and SaaS Ashwin details his agency's competitive auditing process for non-alcoholic wine and translates the methodology to SaaS founders checking 1-star reviews and visiting local practices.36:39–39:44 · Guest teaching 2/10 Live AI Market Research Demo with Manus Greg leads a live screen-share demo using Manus AI to automate market research, competitive scraping, and product conceptualization for an elderly pimple patch brand, leaving Ashwin impressed.0:49–3:31 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Ashwin's Background and Reverse-Engineering Consumer Brands Greg sets the stage by praising Ashwin's taste and framing distribution and taste as ultimate moats. Ashwin explains his background launching physical and software brands and the need to reverse-engineer demand.3:31–8:09 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Using Ahrefs to Analyze Category Demand and Market Opportunity Ashwin walks through Ahrefs keyword volume and ranking difficulty using electrolytes as an example. Greg makes a sharp analytical observation looking at global search breakdown, deducing an opportunity for an 'Element for Germany'.8:10–12:38 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Sponsor Break: Startup Empire Membership Following the mid-roll mention, Ashwin recounts how an SEO operator identified 8.5M monthly searches in solitaire and built an organic cash cow by out-ranking legacy sites.12:39–14:56 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Analyzing Trend Drivers: The Shift from CBD to Delta-9 Greg notes that users must act like analysts and ask 'why' behind trend data. Ashwin demonstrates this by explaining how the 2018 Farm Bill drove CBD's peak before demand shifted into Delta-9 THC.14:59–18:38 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Using Particle, TikTok Shop, and Amazon for E-Commerce Data Ashwin shares Particle to reveal competitor SKU volumes and flavor sales concentrations. Greg contributes by inquiring about TikTok Shop data visibility and Amazon's monthly purchase badges.18:40–20:53 · Guest disagreement 1/10 The Case and Challenges of Physical Product Businesses Greg presses Ashwin on why any founder would choose a physical product business over software given inventory and supply chain headaches. Ashwin concedes it is brutal but argues it is the bleeding edge of marketing skill acquisition.20:53–25:24 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Product Differentiation and Packaging Strategies in CPG Ashwin examines Amazon search results for magnesium glycinate, contrasting commodity medical packaging with Moon Juice and Lemme's custom aesthetic. Greg notices the saturated focus on female-targeted branding.25:25–28:26 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Untapped Demographics: Designing CPG for Older Adults Greg clarifies his core thesis: launching premium-designed CPG products targeting older adults (65+). Ashwin validates this, detailing how millennial and Gen Z founders create blind spots by only building for peers.28:27–33:39 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Bootstrapping Brand Design vs. Agency Investment Greg asks whether early-stage founders can bootstrap packaging design without huge agency budgets. Ashwin outlines when DIY/Fiverr works versus high-stakes aesthetic categories like wine, while Greg pitches a 'v0 for CPG' concept.33:40–36:38 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Relentless Competitive Research in CPG and SaaS Ashwin details his agency's competitive auditing process for non-alcoholic wine and translates the methodology to SaaS founders checking 1-star reviews and visiting local practices.36:39–39:44 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Live AI Market Research Demo with Manus Greg leads a live screen-share demo using Manus AI to automate market research, competitive scraping, and product conceptualization for an elderly pimple patch brand, leaving Ashwin impressed.0:49–3:31 · Greg pushing back 0/10 Ashwin's Background and Reverse-Engineering Consumer Brands Greg sets the stage by praising Ashwin's taste and framing distribution and taste as ultimate moats. Ashwin explains his background launching physical and software brands and the need to reverse-engineer demand.3:31–8:09 · Greg pushing back 1/10 Using Ahrefs to Analyze Category Demand and Market Opportunity Ashwin walks through Ahrefs keyword volume and ranking difficulty using electrolytes as an example. Greg makes a sharp analytical observation looking at global search breakdown, deducing an opportunity for an 'Element for Germany'.8:10–12:38 · Greg pushing back 0/10 Sponsor Break: Startup Empire Membership Following the mid-roll mention, Ashwin recounts how an SEO operator identified 8.5M monthly searches in solitaire and built an organic cash cow by out-ranking legacy sites.12:39–14:56 · Greg pushing back 1/10 Analyzing Trend Drivers: The Shift from CBD to Delta-9 Greg notes that users must act like analysts and ask 'why' behind trend data. Ashwin demonstrates this by explaining how the 2018 Farm Bill drove CBD's peak before demand shifted into Delta-9 THC.14:59–18:38 · Greg pushing back 0/10 Using Particle, TikTok Shop, and Amazon for E-Commerce Data Ashwin shares Particle to reveal competitor SKU volumes and flavor sales concentrations. Greg contributes by inquiring about TikTok Shop data visibility and Amazon's monthly purchase badges.18:40–20:53 · Greg pushing back 3/10 The Case and Challenges of Physical Product Businesses Greg presses Ashwin on why any founder would choose a physical product business over software given inventory and supply chain headaches. Ashwin concedes it is brutal but argues it is the bleeding edge of marketing skill acquisition.20:53–25:24 · Greg pushing back 1/10 Product Differentiation and Packaging Strategies in CPG Ashwin examines Amazon search results for magnesium glycinate, contrasting commodity medical packaging with Moon Juice and Lemme's custom aesthetic. Greg notices the saturated focus on female-targeted branding.25:25–28:26 · Greg pushing back 2/10 Untapped Demographics: Designing CPG for Older Adults Greg clarifies his core thesis: launching premium-designed CPG products targeting older adults (65+). Ashwin validates this, detailing how millennial and Gen Z founders create blind spots by only building for peers.28:27–33:39 · Greg pushing back 1/10 Bootstrapping Brand Design vs. Agency Investment Greg asks whether early-stage founders can bootstrap packaging design without huge agency budgets. Ashwin outlines when DIY/Fiverr works versus high-stakes aesthetic categories like wine, while Greg pitches a 'v0 for CPG' concept.33:40–36:38 · Greg pushing back 0/10 Relentless Competitive Research in CPG and SaaS Ashwin details his agency's competitive auditing process for non-alcoholic wine and translates the methodology to SaaS founders checking 1-star reviews and visiting local practices.36:39–39:44 · Greg pushing back 0/10 Live AI Market Research Demo with Manus Greg leads a live screen-share demo using Manus AI to automate market research, competitive scraping, and product conceptualization for an elderly pimple patch brand, leaving Ashwin impressed.

speaking balance: gold is Greg, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Greg 61.5% · guest 38.5%0:00 · Greg 61.5% · guest 38.5%3:00 · Greg 20.8% · guest 79.2%3:00 · Greg 20.8% · guest 79.2%6:00 · Greg 50.1% · guest 49.9%6:00 · Greg 50.1% · guest 49.9%9:00 · Greg 0% · guest 100%9:00 · Greg 0% · guest 100%12:00 · Greg 25.4% · guest 74.6%12:00 · Greg 25.4% · guest 74.6%15:00 · Greg 7.3% · guest 92.7%15:00 · Greg 7.3% · guest 92.7%18:00 · Greg 26.2% · guest 73.8%18:00 · Greg 26.2% · guest 73.8%21:00 · Greg 7.1% · guest 92.9%21:00 · Greg 7.1% · guest 92.9%24:00 · Greg 50.1% · guest 49.9%24:00 · Greg 50.1% · guest 49.9%27:00 · Greg 20.3% · guest 79.7%27:00 · Greg 20.3% · guest 79.7%30:00 · Greg 14.1% · guest 85.9%30:00 · Greg 14.1% · guest 85.9%33:00 · Greg 18.8% · guest 81.2%33:00 · Greg 18.8% · guest 81.2%36:00 · Greg 47% · guest 53%36:00 · Greg 47% · guest 53%39:00 · Greg 49.5% · guest 50.5%39:00 · Greg 49.5% · guest 50.5%42:00 · Greg 25.2% · guest 74.8%42:00 · Greg 25.2% · guest 74.8%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 25:25 Clarifying demographic target premise

Ashwin momentarily misunderstands Greg's thesis on female product saturation, prompting Greg to firmly correct the premise and re-steer to the 65+ demographic.

 Hardest push from Greg ▶ 18:40 Challenging the physical product thesis

Greg directly challenges Ashwin to justify why any entrepreneur should choose a physical product business over software given inventory, cash flow, and supply chain complexity.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 13:10 Farm Bill regulations and Delta-9 cannibalization

Ashwin educates Greg on the regulatory mechanics of the 2018 Farm Bill and how hemp-derived Delta-9 THC cannibalized organic search demand from CBD.

 Greg holds their own ▶ 36:44 Live autonomous AI market research demo

Greg takes full control of the screen to execute a live Manus AI prompt that automates competitor analysis and demographic research, visibly impressing Ashwin.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicGreg as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementGreg pushing backWhy
Ashwin's Background and Reverse-Engineering Consumer Brands 4300 Greg sets the stage by praising Ashwin's taste and framing distribution and taste as ultimate moats. Ashwin explains his background launching physical and software brands and the need to reverse-engineer demand.
Using Ahrefs to Analyze Category Demand and Market Opportunity 6501 Ashwin walks through Ahrefs keyword volume and ranking difficulty using electrolytes as an example. Greg makes a sharp analytical observation looking at global search breakdown, deducing an opportunity for an 'Element for Germany'.
Sponsor Break: Startup Empire Membership 2600 Following the mid-roll mention, Ashwin recounts how an SEO operator identified 8.5M monthly searches in solitaire and built an organic cash cow by out-ranking legacy sites.
Analyzing Trend Drivers: The Shift from CBD to Delta-9 5601 Greg notes that users must act like analysts and ask 'why' behind trend data. Ashwin demonstrates this by explaining how the 2018 Farm Bill drove CBD's peak before demand shifted into Delta-9 THC.
Using Particle, TikTok Shop, and Amazon for E-Commerce Data 4500 Ashwin shares Particle to reveal competitor SKU volumes and flavor sales concentrations. Greg contributes by inquiring about TikTok Shop data visibility and Amazon's monthly purchase badges.
The Case and Challenges of Physical Product Businesses 5613 Greg presses Ashwin on why any founder would choose a physical product business over software given inventory and supply chain headaches. Ashwin concedes it is brutal but argues it is the bleeding edge of marketing skill acquisition.
Product Differentiation and Packaging Strategies in CPG 5601 Ashwin examines Amazon search results for magnesium glycinate, contrasting commodity medical packaging with Moon Juice and Lemme's custom aesthetic. Greg notices the saturated focus on female-targeted branding.
Untapped Demographics: Designing CPG for Older Adults 7612 Greg clarifies his core thesis: launching premium-designed CPG products targeting older adults (65+). Ashwin validates this, detailing how millennial and Gen Z founders create blind spots by only building for peers.
Bootstrapping Brand Design vs. Agency Investment 6601 Greg asks whether early-stage founders can bootstrap packaging design without huge agency budgets. Ashwin outlines when DIY/Fiverr works versus high-stakes aesthetic categories like wine, while Greg pitches a 'v0 for CPG' concept.
Relentless Competitive Research in CPG and SaaS 3600 Ashwin details his agency's competitive auditing process for non-alcoholic wine and translates the methodology to SaaS founders checking 1-star reviews and visiting local practices.
Live AI Market Research Demo with Manus 8200 Greg leads a live screen-share demo using Manus AI to automate market research, competitive scraping, and product conceptualization for an elderly pimple patch brand, leaving Ashwin impressed.

Statements from this episode (3)

Opinion
Isenberg: An 'LMNT for Germany' is a viable localized startup opportunity
“That this is really big in English-speaking Western countries, but electrolytes seems to not be a thing in other places. So there's probably an opportunity to build, like, an element for Germany, for example.”
Greg Isenberg Mar 19, 2025 ▶ 7:50
Opinion
Isenberg: Designing modern CPG branding for older adults is a major whitespace
“I think that there's probably a lot of opportunity in doing this style branding for older adults, not young females.”
Greg Isenberg Mar 19, 2025 ▶ 25:46
Opinion
Isenberg: Building a 'v0 for CPG' is a $100M startup opportunity
“There's probably a hundred million dollar startup idea in the, I want to create V zero for CPG. Like that in itself, I think is a huge opportunity for someone to run with as a startup idea.”
Greg Isenberg Mar 19, 2025 ▶ 31:39
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