Grit, wit, and fit. Those are the 3 "its" that Kind Snacks founder Daniel Lubetzky looks for erstwhile he invests successful founders.
Lubetzky, who sold Kind Snacks for $5 cardinal successful 2020, is now the laminitis and president of Camino Partners, a $350 cardinal fund he started successful January 2023 that focused its first investments connected consumer-facing brands. Camino intends "journey" successful Spanish; the fund's sanction pairs pinch its attraction connected companies that positively impact consumers' lives.
In an question and reply pinch Entrepreneur, Lubetzky revealed precisely what he is looking for from founders he invests in.
Related: Daniel Lubetzky Took Kind Snacks From Idea to $5 Billion. Here's His Best Advice For Anyone Who Wants to Start a Business.
"I look for bully quality beings [who] person bully values, [and] attraction astir 1 another," Lubetzky said. "When things are not going to activity retired the measurement they were hoping to, you will bask supporting them done the heavy and thin, because successful the life of immoderate entrepreneur, location are going to beryllium ups. There are going to beryllium downs."
Daniel Lubetzky. Credit: Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty Images
Lubetzky said he looks for 3 cardinal traits: grit (the expertise to persevere contempt challenges), wit (the productivity to travel up pinch caller solutions), and fresh (does the laminitis align pinch Lubetzky's values and is the institution a fresh for the existent marketplace).
"When the downs come, you want to make judge that you're aligned pinch people, pinch your values," he said.
Still, the marketplace "ideally" shows that it wants the solution the entrepreneur is proposing, Lubetzky added.
Related: How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome and Start a Business, According to Gary Vee, a Serial Entrepreneur Worth Over $200 Million
For entrepreneurs who are only successful the thought shape of their business, Lubetzky has the pursuing advice: Ask yourself what you attraction about, find that purpose, and instrumentality by it.
"It gives you the substance to beryllium strong," Lubetzky said. "When starting a business, you're [going to] person truthful galore challenges."
Lubetzky will subordinate ABC's "Shark Tank" arsenic a regular formed member for Season 16, which premieres Friday.
He has already made respective notable investments arsenic a impermanent Shark successful anterior seasons, including a $1 million-dollar finance successful hand-woven hammock institution Yellow Leaf Hammocks.