Episode Summary: Rachel Hirsch – Managing Partner, Wellness Growth Ventures

Podcast: The Investor With Joel Palathinkal
Host: Dr. Joel Palathinkal
Guest: Rachel Hirsch (Managing Partner, Wellness Growth Ventures)
Date: September 4, 2025

Overview

This episode features a rich conversation between host Dr. Joel Palathinkal and Rachel Hirsch, Managing Partner at Wellness Growth Ventures. Rachel shares her journey from an early fascination with finance to building a purpose-driven venture fund focused on consumer wellness and women's health. The discussion covers Rachel's career trajectory, key learnings from high-caliber firms like UBS and Tiger Global, her thesis and approach at Wellness Growth Ventures, the nuances of investing in consumer brands (especially those tailored to women), and insights into the evolving landscape of health and wellness investing.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Rachel Hirsch’s Career Path & Motivation

• Early Aspirations & Entry into Finance

  • Rachel humorously recounts her childhood ambition to be a bond salesman, inspired by family members in New York finance circles.

    "As a child, I really wanted to be a bond salesman. I don't think I really knew what that was, but I was dead set on it." — Rachel (01:41)

  • Progressed from UBS to Tiger Global, starting in public markets and then blending into the private side.
  • Time at Tiger Global expanded her exposure and passion for consumer-centric investment.

• Business School & Introduction to Venture

  • Attended business school in London, where she deepened her interest in early-stage ventures; discovered the unique energy and impact of working with startups.

    "...working with these early stage companies, when I was in business school, I was obsessed, quite frankly. The impact you can have on these early stage founders...vastly different energy..." — Rachel (01:52)

Insights from Experience at Tiger Global

• Deal Velocity & Process Discipline
  • Rachel praises Tiger’s excellence, structured processes, and how that rigor provided a foundation for starting her own fund.

    "I feel lucky to have had any time there...it really impacted me into building Wellness Growth Ventures..." — Rachel (08:37)

  • Notes Tiger’s use of external consultants to facilitate due diligence and scale deal-making at high velocity.

Key Learnings for 2024

• Conviction in Consumer Investment

  • Despite market sentiment, Rachel remains steadfast in consumer-focused investments, emphasizing the enduring relevance of consumer spending.

    "2024 was an interesting year where consumer was almost like a dirty word. And I put my pushback. I feel such conviction...consumers exist. That's what we do every single day." — Rachel (11:17)

  • Advocates for sticking to one's conviction despite shifting cycles.

• Importance of Learning and Community

  • Emphasizes constant learning, the willingness to pivot, and the strength of maintaining relationships — both with rejected founders and peers.

Origin & Thesis of Wellness Growth Ventures

• Genesis and Ideation
  • Originated during her time balancing business school and an operational role at Exponential Fitness.
• Investment Focus & Rationale
  • Invests in better-for-you CPG (Food, Bev, Beauty) and women’s health — sectors where women make the vast majority of purchasing decisions.
  • Highlights the demographic shift: “By 2030, women are going to have over $30 trillion in assets.” (13:40)
  • Focuses on female founders, leveraging trends in purchasing power and generational wealth transfer.

Portfolio Highlights & Approach to Founder Relations

• Not Burning Bridges: The Go Nanas Story
  • Rachel recounts their eventual investment in Go Nanas — after initially passing, staying in touch, and investing when it became a fit.

    "No is not a forever no and no is not something to burn a bridge over because you really never know where it will lead." — Rachel (15:15)

  • Stresses the importance of maintaining open communication and community amongst founders and investors.

Investment Criteria & Founder Qualities

• Screening & Soft Skills
  • Seeks founders with grit, creativity, thoughtfulness, and strong team rapport.
  • Two standout examples are Becca (Fish Wife) and Katie (Belly Welly), both praised for business acumen and profitability.

    "Becca...is a killer. She is going to be studied. There will be a Harvard business case study on her. Undoubtedly. She is brilliant. She is gritty, she is kind, she is thoughtful, she is creative." — Rachel (21:17)

  • Looks for intentional market research, financial discipline, and the capability to pivot.
  • Typical Stage and KPIs: “Late Stage seeds...a couple million top line revenue...the company is going to have to pivot dozens of times.” (22:51)

Sales Approach & Relationship Building

• Educate Before the Pitch
  • Joel: "The education I feel, starts like much, much, much earlier in the marketing....That final meeting is really kind of the close." (18:23)
  • Rachel agrees, noting young founders often need guidance on this front, but she values excitement and is always betting on founder growth.

Trends & Future of Health & Wellness Investing

• Health Extension and Women's Health
  • Rachel is focused on the menopause space— "Every single woman goes through menopause...by 2030, 50% of the female population will be in menopause." (24:57)
  • Highlights the lack of research and solutions in women's health (excluding oncology) and calls it a nascent but critical area.

    "...if you take out oncology, 2% of research historically had been spent on women's health...we're really in the infancy stages of finding these efficacious solutions...But what an exciting time then for us all to be investing in it and learning about it." — Rachel (26:14)

  • Importance of weightlifting and maintaining muscle/bone density for women, especially as they age.
  • Encourages more investment and innovation in this sector.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Numbers have always been sort of like my love language." — Rachel (01:41)
• "There will be cycles, things will ebb and flow. But if I have conviction and if I have the data...then I need to keep investing..." — Rachel (11:17)
• "No is not a forever no...you really never know where it will lead." — Rachel (15:15)
• "Both her and Becca are profitable companies, which is incredibly rare for an early stage founder in the consumer space." — Rachel (22:05)
• "Every single woman goes through menopause and I think the NIH estimates by 2030, 50% of the female population will be in menopause." — Rachel (24:58)
• "If you take out oncology, 2% of research historically had been spent on women's health." — Rachel (26:14)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:45 — Rachel shares her gratitude for supportive communities and early education
• 01:41 — Rachel’s childhood aspiration, family influence, and journey to Wall Street
• 03:01 — Host asks about Rachel’s motivations and early influences
• 04:34 — The breadth of roles in finance and evolving opportunities for entrants
• 08:37 — Experience at Tiger Global and its lasting impact
• 11:17 — Lessons from 2024, importance of conviction in consumer investment
• 12:44 — Origin story of Wellness Growth Ventures
• 15:15 — Portfolio highlight: Go Nanas, the importance of founder-investor relationships
• 18:23 — Discussion on sales process and timing of education for investors
• 21:17 — What Rachel looks for in founders; examples of Fish Wife and Belly Welly
• 24:52 — Discussion on the difference between life extension and health extension
• 24:58 — Rachel’s focus on menopause and the lack of solutions in the market
• 26:14 — Underinvestment in women’s health and the sector’s potential

Conclusion

Rachel Hirsch’s journey is a case study in adaptability, rigorous learning, and conviction-driven investing in underserved but vital sectors. Her emphasis on supporting founders, building community, and advancing women's health and consumer wellness reveals a venture approach rooted in both data and values. This episode offers pragmatic insights for investors, founders, and anyone interested in the evolving landscape of wellness and impact-driven venture capital.