Mike Solow - 99 Proof Partners - Craft Spirits Investment Firm

09/22/22 • 31 min

Three Tier is hosted by Jacob Gluck and Taylor Foxman.
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Mike Solow is a Partner at 99 Proof.
99 Proof Partners (“99 Proof”) is an investment firm that organizes and manages investments in the craft spirits space. We work with individuals and family offices that desire to invest in private deals for exceptional returns without the high fees and infrastructure costs often associated with traditional private equity funds.
99 Proof organizes and manages direct investments in early stage, growth stage, and established businesses with high-caliber teams, attractive valuations, clear growth paths, and lucrative exit opportunities.

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Kevin Wong of LUNAR: First Asian Craft Hard Seltzer

Three Tier is hosted by Jacob Gluck and Taylor Foxman.
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Kevin Wong is the Co-Founder of Lunar.
Asian Americana.
In a can.

Award-winning craft hard seltzer made
with real fruit from Asia. Pair with a
K-town night out or mom's cooking.
REAL, PREMIUM FRUITS FROM ASIA

Just like us, the fruits and ingredients that flavor each can of Lunar are brought over from the motherland.

And that's also why our products have real colors, real calories, and a touch of real sugar.

That also means no artificial flavors and chemicals that other brands use, which our mothers would shy away from as well.
UNCOMPROMISED TASTE & QUALITY

With over 300+ recipes tested, each can is deliberately designed and crafted with the best ingredients (see above) and uncompromised quality to deliver an experience—one of home, of memories, and of pride.
WE'RE BUILDING A MOVEMENT

Lunar is more than just a delicious beverage; we're building a movement.

With the alcohol industry being 93%+ white, we're aiming to take ownership of our narrative and share the stories of our community.

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Andrew Merinoff - DisPact Ventures: Disrupting Industries Through Impact Investing

Three Tier is hosted by Jacob Gluck and Taylor Foxman.
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ANDREW MERINOFF is the Founder of DisPact Ventures.

A seasoned industry leader and advisor, Andrew Merinoff has spent his career building and refining his skills as a growth strategist and brand development expert. Merinoff’s extensive experience spans multiple sectors and industries, most notably in F&B, Wine & Spirits, Hospitality, Investing, and Marketing.

Merinoff founded DisPact Ventures in 2015 with the goal of disrupting industries with impact investing. What started off as a small fund to assist his close friends and confidants eventually grew into a 16 venture portfolio. Currently, the portfolio companies have operations in 12 countries with visibility in over 60. The most recent success stems from SevenRooms which raised $50M in April 2020 at a $250M pre-money valuation. DisPact maintains ownership of the company whose co-investors are AMEX, Amazon Ventures, MGM Grand, Comcast Ventures, and many others.
Most recently, Merinoff worked to develop intuitive spirit branding for premium spirits importer Proximo Spirits, where his focus centered around creating added value and brand development for the company’s current portfolio.
Along with brand development, Merinoff was also responsible for developing a complete greenfield product, from creating the liquid to building the overall business, visitor experience, four separate restaurants and bars, and a distillery in Manhattan.
Merinoff’s passion for building companies, particularly in the Wine & Spirits space, has led him to invest in disruptive spirits brands ranging from the world’s first-ever shelf-stable fresh fruit liqueur, called Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur (which he co-founded), a rum called Coconut Cartel in Guatemala, a distillery in Copenhagen run by two Ex-Noma founders, a brand development distillery and innovation lab in Long Island, as well as an RTD, called The Long Drink, which is on track to reach $40M in their third year and currently holds some of the largest stocks of premium Japanese whiskey and Sochu in the world (launching in 2021).
Investment firms ASM Ventures LLC and Tequity: Capitol and Communications were founded when Merinoff was in college. He began using his skills as an industry disruptor and innovator to develop market strategies and advise on business plans, networking, key needs, priorities, and efficiencies. He co-founded these companies and collectively raised over $25M in funding and exited several companies to various entities including Fortune 500’s before graduating and moving back into the food and beverage industry.