How Top VCs Actually Pick Winning CPG Brands - Chris Wilkerson 51 Ventures

Inside the 2026 Triple Whale Whaleys: MobyTwo, AI Search, and the Future of D2C Attribution

Most D2C brands think they know where their customers are coming from. They don't. I just got back from the 2026 Triple Whale Whaleys in LA and the biggest takeaway was this — if you're not using a single source of truth for attribution, you're making budget decisions based on lies. Google is overclaiming. Meta is overclaiming. And the brand is paying for it. In this episode I'm breaking down everything that came out of the Whaleys this year, including the official launch of MobyTwo — Triple Whale's next-generation AI analyst that's changing how we run attribution and make media buying decisions across every brand at Bread Loaf. What we cover: — What MobyTwo is and why it's a game changer for   agencies and D2C brands — Why Google over-reports attribution and how Triple   Whale exposes the real customer journey — How we use Moby to find which platform is actually   driving new customer acquisition — Triple Whale's new AI search ranking tool and what   it means for LLM visibility — Why cross-platform attribution is the hardest problem   in D2C advertising right now — The best conversations and takeaways from the floor If you're running paid media without this kind of clarity, there's a lot of money being wasted. ✅ Elevate your brand's Email & SMS marketing: https://breadloaf.typeform.com/to/rotiGDm7?typeform-source=www.youtube.com 🚀 Discuss your growth strategy: https://calendly.com/markmilutin/retention-audit-kick-off?month=2025-02

Inside Klaviyo Connect LA: What D2C Brands and Agencies Need to Know

I've been a Klaviyo partner for over 10 years. Platinum Elite status. On the 2026 Partner Advisory Board. I've seen this platform evolve more than almost anyone. Last week I attended Klaviyo Connect LA — their first regional event series in years — and I'm breaking down everything that came out of it. Klaviyo is making a big move. They're not just an email platform anymore. They're pushing hard to become the definitive B2C CRM — combining marketing, service, and analytics into one ecosystem. In this episode I'm sharing my honest take on where the platform is heading, what's actually worth paying attention to, and what it means for D2C brands and retention marketers right now. What we cover: — Klaviyo's three core verticals and where they're   placing their biggest bets — Customer Hub and Case Service — what they are and   whether they're worth it for your brand — WhatsApp as a retention channel for international   audiences — The social integration and how we're using it to   drive email and SMS opt-ins for our clients — MCP server integration with Claude for smarter   campaign strategy — What the agentic shopping conversation means for   e-commerce in 2026 No fluff. Just what I actually took away from the room. ✅ Elevate your brand's Email & SMS marketing: https://breadloaf.typeform.com/to/rotiGDm7?typeform-source=www.youtube.com 🚀 Discuss your growth strategy: https://calendly.com/markmilutin/retention-audit-kick-off?month=2025-02

10 Years of Bread Loaf: The Wins, The Losses, and What's Next

10 years ago I started Bread Loaf as a freelancer. No team. No office. No guarantee it would work. Today we're a seven-figure agency with a global team — and I'm just getting started. In this episode I'm sharing the unfiltered story of what the last decade actually looked like. The early burnout. Losing equity I earned. Selling my truck to buy out my co-founder. Launching a team in Ukraine weeks before COVID hit. And the faith that kept this business alive through all of it. I'm also laying out exactly where Bread Loaf is going over the next 10 years — $100M, a venture arm, global expansion, and acquisitions. If you're building an agency or a service business for the long haul, this one is for you. ✅ Elevate your brand’s Email & SMS marketing: https://breadloaf.typeform.com/to/rotiGDm7?typeform-source=www.youtube.com  🚀 Discuss your growth strategy: https://calendly.com/markmilutin/retention-audit-kick-off?month=2025-02

We Grew This Brand 5X Without Ads - Pebby Forevee Case Study

Most brands are obsessed with acquisition. Paid ads, influencers, SEO… chasing the next new customer. But what happens when retention becomes the main driver of growth? In this case study, I’m breaking down exactly how we helped a DTC apparel brand grow from 51% to over 82% of total revenue coming from retention marketing — while scaling the business 5X in the process. We’re talking email, SMS, push notifications, and direct mail — all working together as a single system. No theory. No fluff. Just real numbers, real timelines, and the exact playbook behind it. If you’re running an e-commerce brand and your retention program isn’t doing this kind of heavy lifting yet, there’s a lot of revenue sitting on the table. LINK TO PEBBY FOREVEE TAPCART CASE STUDY:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mul1GEM_XEk&t=7s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mul1GEM_XEk&t=7s]  ✅ Elevate your brand’s Email & SMS marketing: https://breadloaf.typeform.com/to/rotiGDm7?typeform-source=www.youtube.com [https://breadloaf.typeform.com/to/rotiGDm7?typeform-source=www.youtube.com]  🚀 Discuss your growth strategy: https://calendly.com/markmilutin/retention-audit-kick-off?month=2025-02 [https://calendly.com/markmilutin/retention-audit-kick-off?month=2025-02]

How Top VCs Actually Pick Winning CPG Brands - Chris Wilkerson 51 Ventures

Most founders think raising more money is the goal. It’s not. In this episode, I sit down with Chris to break down what’s actually happening inside CPG right now — from equity deals that don’t make sense anymore, to why smart brands are shifting toward new financing models to scale faster without giving everything away. Chris went from a college athlete with zero experience to building a 7-figure business, stacking advisory equity across dozens of startups, and eventually launching a VC fund investing in the future of health, wellness, and CPG. We get into: Why most founders misunderstand funding What investors actually look for The shift from equity → smarter capital How brands are scaling retail without getting crushed on cash flow And where CPG is heading over the next 5–10 years If you're building a brand, raising capital, or trying to understand how this game really works — this is the conversation you want to hear. Connect with Chris: - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriswilkerson51/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriswilkerson51/]  - chris@51ventures.vc [chris@51ventures.vc]  - https://chriswilkerson.beehiiv.com/p/the-first-time-i-have-ever-written-this [https://chriswilkerson.beehiiv.com/p/the-first-time-i-have-ever-written-this]  - https://51ventures.vc/ [https://51ventures.vc/]  ✅ Elevate your brand’s Email & SMS marketing: https://breadloaf.typeform.com/to/rotiGDm7?typeform-source=www.youtube.com [https://breadloaf.typeform.com/to/rotiGDm7?typeform-source=www.youtube.com]  🚀 Discuss your growth strategy: https://calendly.com/markmilutin/retention-audit-kick-off?month=2025-02 [https://calendly.com/markmilutin/retention-audit-kick-off?month=2025-02]