How To Build In Vice Industries: A VC Perspective

About The Talk

Startups building in “vice” (or “bad”) industries like cannabis, sextech, alcohol, and gambling, have been on the rise recently, and not just because of the coronavirus pandemic. Entrepreneurs and investors have been interested in these industries as they are recession-proof, and as regulations and laws begin to loosen up across states.

However, many still avoid it because of regulatory challenges, and because of stigmas associated with their industries. Building a company is already challenging without adding the complexities of navigating regulatory laws, marketing challenges, and more.

To learn more about what it’s like to build in “bad” industries, we’re excited to chat with Catharine Dockery, Founding Partner of Vice Ventures, a venture fund investing in early-stage vice companies. Catharine has invested in startups like Plant People, Player’s Lounge, and Maude.

Join us as we discuss best practices for building a vice company, and what she looks for in potential investments.

Our Guest

Catharine Dockery

Founding Partner of Vice Ventures

Catharine Dockery is the Founding Partner of Vice Ventures, a venture fund investing in early-stage vice companies. While interviewing with traditional consumer venture firms, she continually brushed against vice clauses in investment pitches, with this friction culminating in the idea for Vice Ventures. Prior to launching the fund, Catharine was an early member of the digitally native vertical brands M&A team at Walmart, working as an analyst in the e-commerce division. Catharine was the president of her class at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where she studied a self-directed major on the intersection of neuroscience and finance.

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