Cheryl Kellond

“This team is so impressive. This business feels inevitable. But what pushed me over the edge to do a larger-than-my-normal investment was talking with deal lead Andrew Eil. His vetting process for the startups he works with, and the way he rolls up his sleeves alongside the team, has me sold. If Andrew had a fund, I'd invest in it without a second thought. Until then, I am going to invest in every deal he brings to Play Money.”

“I love cash-flowing investments, and I am super bullish on the upside of Krista and Ingrid's approach.”

“This deal grew on me. What pushed me over the edge was how Erin used her year fighting breast cancer (!!!) to tighten up operations so she can go into this year of partner growth with a rock solid foundation for her Series A + the ability to be "default alive" and control her own destiny through the process. That's the type of founder grit that wins!! Stoked to be along for the ride with so many others on Play Money.”

“This team is so clearly next level. I am giddy that we were able to get access, thanks to the Play Money community.”

“I've been fixated on this deal since Beckett Industries shared it with us. I want to build out the climate/sustainability part of my portfolio, and I love the combination of a real-life revenue-generating business with a data/SaaS/AI upside. Industry and Angels teaming up to fund more deals that fall outside of the "traditional" tech VC mold gets me excited.”

“I gravitate towards teams that just sweep you away with their founder-market fit. The Coca-Cola deal + the Jack in the Box demo had me sold. And this quote was the cherry on top: 🍒 "Every YC company is full of vim and vigor about how they're gonna dominate [this industry] by adding AI on top of existing systems. The technology all these existing systems run on went end of life when those founders were in 2nd grade." They don't even know where to start.”

“The fervor for this brand, both from existing Play Money investors and new folks coming in caught my attention. I had never tried the product before so I bought all 3 flavors + Chamberlin & Blue Bottle RTD options. Three thoughts: 1. This stuff is fantastic!! Instantly hooked. 2. Those others taste like swill. No wonder folks are 🍌🍌 for this. 3. Sahra's platform with Robusta is so much bigger than a single product. Count me in.”

“I am a sucker for investments with IRR and for investing in new asset classes. This is a fun change from pure tech and I am excited to grab a few folks from this community and go see the show when I am in NYC next. That is what makes investing so fun!!”