Why Retail Vacancies Create A Massive Opportunity For The Experience Economy

Will McClelland had his first taste as an investor when he supported his brother’s efforts to launch a bike company in the Philippines that was manufactured out of bamboo. That experience, including their bikes being a gift to President Obama from the Philippines government, led Will to focus on investing in consumer startups.  Today, Will is the cofounder and partner at Elizabeth Street Ventures. We sat down to talk about the 30+ investments he has had made, why the intuition of the entrepreneur is what he looks for the most, and the broad aperture they use at Elizabeth St to define consumer.

Dave Knox: Your journey into venture capital and consumer start-ups began with a bamboo bicycle. How did that come about?

Will McClelland: I`m a dual citizen as a Filipino American. My mother is first generation Filipino and my younger brother actually lives in the Philippines. About 10 years ago, my younger brother pitched me this idea that he had of starting a bamboo bicycle company....