{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Startup CPG Podcast","title":"Founder Fundraising Journey: Frozen One, Alan Chen & Conner Mennig","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2342,"description":"\nIn this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Alan Chen and Conner Mennig, co-founders of Frozen One - a protein ice cream brand built to prove that \"better for you\" doesn't have to mean sacrificing taste. Frozen One delivers 40 grams of protein and under 400 calories per pint, a fraction of what a traditional pint of ice cream contains, and has grown into one of the fastest-rising frozen brands in the country.\n\nAlan and Conner met at UW Madison in 2020 and reconnected in Austin while both stuck in unfulfilling sales jobs. A single gym conversation in January 2025 about the lack of good high-protein options turned into a Ninja Creami machine that same night - and a trademark filed two days later. Together they run a scrappy, relationship-driven operation: Conner focused on operations and finance, Alan on product and marketing, both present at every investor and buyer meeting.\n\nHannah and the co-founders dig into the three fundraising milestones that took Frozen One from a Ninja Creami in an apartment to over 2,300 doors nationwide, including Target, Wegmans, and Central Market.\n\nListen in as they discuss:\n\nHow a single gym complaint in January 2025 turned into a trademark filing two days laterLanding a $250K first check on a SAFE from a local Austin investor Conner met at a house partyThe scramble to close an oversubscribed $2M round after Target asked for 1,500 doors in three monthsSplitting founder responsibilities: Alan on product and ice cream R&D, Conner on operations and financeLanding Central Market by cold-calling the buyer - and how that velocity data fueled investor conversationsBuilding the team: a creative director roommate, a \"head of ice cream,\" an ad-ops hire, and a new COO from Van LeeuwenWhy the current $5.5M round with Brand Foundry is primarily focused on closing the team and bandwidth gapTurning investor \"no's\" into direct, honest feedback conversations instead of walking away quietlyWhat surprised them most...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/pMuUaMpWaAi3tfCEgC2OkLBVzokuLjLsIzwDIbGFqi4/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9hMTFl/MTgxNTNlZTAwZjU1/ZmNmNWM1ZjkwMDg5/NTU4MS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}