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+7

Why Celebrities Can't Launch MVPs

Apr 30, 2026

•

7 min read

Why Celebrities Can't Launch MVPs

The Hidden Tax on Fame That No Startup Book Will Ever Tell You About

Scott Van den Berg
Scott Van den Berg

Venture Capital

+7

You Should Date A Celebrity Before Getting Married

Apr 23, 2026

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7 min read

You Should Date A Celebrity Before Getting Married

The 20 Million Follower Trap That Kills Most Celebrity Founder Partnerships

Scott Van den Berg
Scott Van den Berg

Venture Capital

+7

I Just Bet $100,000 on Myself. Here's Why.

Apr 16, 2026

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7 min read

I Just Bet $100,000 on Myself. Here's Why.

How HotStart Accidentally Became the Thing We Invest In, And Why I'm Doubling Down

Scott Van den Berg
Scott Van den Berg

Venture Capital

+7

8 Factors That Predict Which Celebrity Brands Actually Win

Apr 9, 2026

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14 min read

8 Factors That Predict Which Celebrity Brands Actually Win

The HotStart VC Framework for Evaluating Every Celebrity Brand We Invest In

Scott Van den Berg
Scott Van den Berg

Venture Capital

+7

Why Celebrity Brands Are Racing To Open Physical Stores

Apr 2, 2026

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13 min read

Why Celebrity Brands Are Racing To Open Physical Stores

The Counter-Intuitive Strategy That's Turning D2C Success Into Retail Dominance

Scott Van den Berg
Scott Van den Berg

Venture Capital

+7

Why We Invested in The Absorption Company by Ian Somerhalder & Nikki Reed

Mar 26, 2026

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11 min read

Why We Invested in The Absorption Company by Ian Somerhalder & Nikki Reed

The supplement brand solving the problem the industry has ignored for decades

Scott Van den Berg
Scott Van den Berg

Venture Capital

+6

The Five Fatal Flaws That Kill Celebrity Brands

Mar 19, 2026

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14 min read

The Five Fatal Flaws That Kill Celebrity Brands

Why MrBeast, Kevin Hart, and Kristen Bell's Ventures Failed

Scott Van den Berg
Scott Van den Berg

Venture Capital

+7

George Clooney vs. Tom Holland: The Battle for Non-Alcoholic Beer

Mar 12, 2026

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16 min read

George Clooney vs. Tom Holland: The Battle for Non-Alcoholic Beer

Clooney, Holland, Sheen, Mulaney, they're all launching NA beer brands. But who's actually going to win?

Scott Van den Berg
Scott Van den Berg

Venture Capital

+7

Why Celebrities Don't Need Millions of Followers to Build Billion-Dollar Brands

Mar 5, 2026

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12 min read

Why Celebrities Don't Need Millions of Followers to Build Billion-Dollar Brands

How 140K Engaged Followers Beat 60M Random Ones

Scott Van den Berg
Scott Van den Berg

Venture Capital

+7

The Billion-Dollar Celebrity Brands Nobody Knows Are Celebrity Brands

Feb 26, 2026

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14 min read

The Billion-Dollar Celebrity Brands Nobody Knows Are Celebrity Brands

The Ultimate Compliment: When Product Quality Eclipses Fame

Scott Van den Berg
Scott Van den Berg

Venture Capital

+7

Why Mature Companies Are Making Celebrities Co-Owners

Feb 19, 2026

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11 min read

Why Mature Companies Are Making Celebrities Co-Owners

The Strategic Math Behind Late-Stage Equity Deals That's Killing Traditional Endorsements

Scott Van den Berg
Scott Van den Berg

Venture Capital

+7

The Billion-Dollar Language Barrier

Feb 12, 2026

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12 min read

The Billion-Dollar Language Barrier

Why MrBeast can sell chocolate in Tokyo but Anuel AA can't sell anything in Times Square

Scott Van den Berg
Scott Van den Berg
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