In this episode, I sit down with Bill Shufelt, co-founder and CEO of Athletic Brewing, to discuss his journey from Wall Street to redefining non-alcoholic beer. Athletic Brewing has grown from an idea to a $800M valuation, disrupting an industry and carving out a new market in craft brewing.

We talk about:

- The bold decision to leave a lucrative hedge fund career for entrepreneurship.

- The science and innovation behind brewing non-alcoholic beer.

- Overcoming early rejection and building a loyal community.

- Lessons on scaling, fundraising, and maintaining a strong company culture.

Bill’s story is an inspiring testament to taking calculated risks and staying true to a mission. Whether you're an entrepreneur, craft beer enthusiast, or just curious about the non-alcoholic beverage revolution, this episode has something for you.

Tune in to hear how Athletic Brewing is making waves while staying grounded in community impact.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro

01:32 Leaving Wall Street

02:12 Discovering the Need for Non-Alcoholic Beer

07:28 The Importance of a Strong Support System

10:30 Quitting a Stable Job

15:09 Finding the Right Co-Founder: John Walker

19:11 Launching the First Product

23:55 Crafting Company Culture

26:14 Working With the Right People

27:50 Meeting Investors

31:40 Launching, E-Commerce and Retail Distribution

33:02 The Keys to Building Community

36:40 Sober October, Dry January, Market Timing

41:00 Navigating Fundraising

42:52 Mistakes While Raising

45:29 Scaling Manufacturing

49:38 Advantages of Vertical Integration

51:23 Tackling Supply Chain Issues

53:25 Communicating Effectively With Investors

55:03 Evolving as a CEO

56:20 Hiring the Right People

01:00:06 Expanding Internationally

01:06:28 Giving Back Through Two for the Trails

01:11:13 Evaluating Investments

01:12:32 The Name

01:13:36 Lightning Round

01:18:28 Reflections / Learnings as CEO

01:20:47 Best Advice

01:21:35 Favorite Podcast

01:23:35 Giving Flowers to an Entrepreneur

01:25:11 How Big Can Athletic Be?

Guest: Bill Shufelt

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/athleticbrewing/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-shufelt-650059138/ / https://www.linkedin.com/company/athletic-brewing-company-llc/

Website: https://athleticbrewing.com/

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmastrandrea/

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