What do you want to be when you grow up?

Hi, 

When I was a kid, my first-grade teacher gave us a classic assignment:
What do you want to be when you grow up?

It’s a question that sticks with you. A simple prompt that somehow never stops evolving. Back then, I think I wrote down “astronaut” or “professional basketball player.” Wild dreams fueled by cartoons and recess-day ambition.

But something funny happens between childhood wonder and adult reality. You live a little. You stumble. You grow.

By my mid-20s, I had launched Populace Coffee, gotten married, and was expecting our first child. I thought I had it all figured out. I was charging forward. Opening cafés, hiring, dreaming of big houses and bigger success. I was obsessed with the now. Not in a mindful, spiritual sense, but in a tunnel-vision way that made it hard to see the full picture of the life I actually wanted.

I lacked humility. I thought belief in myself was enough.

Now in my late 30s, I’ve been humbled in the best way possible. Not through failure exactly, but through clarity. Faith, family, and time have taught me something that no early win in business ever could: it's okay not to have all the answers.

But that question "what do you want to be when you grow up?" came back. Not with fear, but with peace. I’ve embraced it fully. And here’s my new answer:

I want to invest in others.

I want to take everything I’ve learned, the wins, the bruises, the instincts honed in nearly two decades in food and beverage and pour it into founders. Especially founders who are building products that matter in the CPG space. Not just trendy, “disruptive” stuff, but meaningful brands with purpose.

Founders who have vision and grit. Founders who show up on camera to tell their story. Founders who are building for impact and reach, not just revenue.

This vision is becoming real through a new project: The Thirsty Friends Venture Fund. It’s not open yet, but the goal is to raise $3–5M over the next year and invest that capital into pre-seed and seed-stage consumer brands. It’s not just about money, it’s about time, storytelling, and creating value in public.

I want to build this in public. That means sharing the process of raising, deploying, and partnering. I want to tell real stories, not Shark Tank pitches, but the gritty, hopeful, and inspiring ones that exist off-camera every day in this industry.

Populace isn’t going anywhere. It’s still my heartbeat. But this new chapter is calling. And for the first time in a long time, I feel like I truly know what I want to be when I grow up.

And if you made it this far, I’d love to hear what you think.
Really.

Let’s build something meaningful together.

—Andrew