EU-Startups Podcast | Episode 139: Scott van den Berg, founder of HotStart VC

Oct 10, 2025 - 12:00

This week on the EU-Startups Podcast, we sit down with Scott van den Berg, founder of HotStart VC, a venture capital firm specialising in building and investing in celebrity- and creator-led brands.

The team has been involved in over 55 celebrity-founded ventures, including companies created by Selena Gomez, DJ Khaled, Jake Paul, and other notable celebrities. They also co-founded two of the most successful creator-led brands to date: Feastables with MrBeast ($375 million revenue in year three) and The Honest Co. with Jessica Alba ($1.4 billion IPO in 2021). Most recently, HotStart VC welcomed actress Sasha Pieterse and creator Marina Mogliko as venture partners, further strengthening its access and expertise in the space.

In this conversation, we dive into why distribution is the new moat, why product quality (not hype) drives repeat purchases, and how authentic creator–product fit builds trust. Scott also shares how to structure teams around a creator, what most investors miss about the category, and why ownership changes commitment. You’ll learn about distribution as a competitive edge, authenticity over endorsements, metrics that predict revenue, and much more!

Video version of episode 139:

Audio version of episode 139:

Key Takeaways

Distribution is the moat; reach and repeatable channels beat one-off virality.
Product quality drives retention; hype may launch, quality compounds.
Authenticity converts; creator–product fit builds trust and pricing power.
Engagement matters more than follower counts; comments, saves, CTR, and repeat purchases predict revenue.
Ownership matters; real skin in the game changes creator commitment.
The right team, the right roles; brand, operations, growth, and supply should be built around the creator.
Zero to one differs; creators start with an audience but still need to earn product–channel fit.

The post EU-Startups Podcast | Episode 139: Scott van den Berg, founder of HotStart VC appeared first on EU-Startups.