Chris Wichert: Building Koio Into a $20M Venture-Backed Brand
Most founders assume raising venture capital will accelerate growth. But in consumer brands, it can dramatically increase risk.
Chris Wichert raised nearly $20M to scale Koio into a luxury sneaker brand. Early traction came from retail pop-ups, celebrity endorsements, and major press features. But when COVID shut down retail stores, and the DTC market collapsed shortly after, the growth model venture capital had funded suddenly broke.
This episode breaks down the reality of scaling a venture-backed consumer brand, from raising capital to navigating market shocks.
Watch the full episode to hear how Chris navigated those challenges and what founders should learn before taking venture money.
👉 Watch the full episode here.
Here’s what you’re in for:
00:00 Meet Koio Founder
00:59 Why Raise Early Capital
04:43 Retail Growth Playbook
08:55 COVID Shock and DTC Reset
15:51 Turnaround and Investor Realignment
29:19 Choosing a Full Sale
30:24 Building the Buyer Universe
33:26 Tariffs Shake the Deal
39:43 Founder Realism Shift
52:43 Capital Traps and Exit Advice
ABOUT Chris Wichert
Chris Wichert is the co-founder of Koio, a luxury sneaker brand focused on bringing traditional Italian craftsmanship to a digitally native generation.
After meeting his co-founder at Wharton, Chris moved to New York and launched Koio with a vision to build a modern luxury brand that blended heritage craftsmanship with direct-to-consumer distribution. The company quickly gained traction, earning features in publications like GQ and Vogue and attracting venture capital from prominent investors, including the Winklevoss twins and Founders Fund.
Chris has since navigated the complexities of scaling a venture-backed consumer company through retail expansion, market shifts, and the post-COVID reset of the DTC ecosystem.
- Check out Commerce Catalyst
- Connect with Chris on LinkedIn
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