Here's What It Takes to Land an Investment From the Founder of Kind Snacks, Who Sold His Company for $5 Billion Daniel Lubetzky leads a $350 million fund — here's his investing philosophy.

By Sherin Shibu Edited by Melissa Malamut

Key Takeaways

  • Kind Snacks founder Daniel Lubetzky looks for grit, wit, and fit from founders.
  • In a new interview with BIZ Experiences, Lubetzky said that the most important elements he looks for are good human beings and good values.

Grit, wit, and fit. Those are the three "its" that Kind Snacks founder Daniel Lubetzky looks for when he invests in founders.

Lubetzky, who sold Kind Snacks for $5 billion in 2020, is now the founder and chairman of Camino Partners, a $350 million fund he started in January 2023 that focused its first investments on consumer-facing brands. Camino means "journey" in Spanish; the fund's name pairs with its focus on companies that positively affect consumers' lives.

In an interview with BIZ Experiences, Lubetzky revealed exactly what he is looking for from founders he invests in.

Related: Daniel Lubetzky Took Kind Snacks From Idea to $5 Billion. Here's His Best Advice For Anyone Who Wants to Start a Business.

"I look for good human beings [who] have good values, [and] care about one another," Lubetzky said. "When things are not going to work out the way they were hoping to, you will enjoy supporting them through the thick and thin, because in the life of any BIZ Experiences, there are going to be ups. There are going to be downs."

Daniel Lubetzky. Credit: Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty Images

Lubetzky said he looks for three key traits: grit (the ability to persevere despite challenges), wit (the creativity to come up with new solutions), and fit (does the founder align with Lubetzky's values and is the company a fit for the current marketplace).

"When the downs come, you want to make sure that you're aligned with people, with your values," he said.

Still, the market "ideally" shows that it wants the solution the BIZ Experiences is proposing, Lubetzky added.

Related: How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome and Start a Business, According to Gary Vee, a Serial BIZ Experiences Worth Over $200 Million

For BIZ Experiencess who are only in the idea phase of their business, Lubetzky has the following advice: Ask yourself what you care about, find that purpose, and stick by it.

"It gives you the fuel to be strong," Lubetzky said. "When starting a business, you're [going to] have so many challenges."

Lubetzky will join ABC's "Shark Tank" as a regular cast member for Season 16, which premieres Friday.

He has already made several notable investments as a guest Shark in prior seasons, including a $1 million-dollar investment in hand-woven hammock company Yellow Leaf Hammocks.

Sherin Shibu

BIZ Experiences Staff

News Reporter

Sherin Shibu is a business news reporter at BIZ Experiences.com. She previously worked for PCMag, Business Insider, The Messenger, and ZDNET as a reporter and copyeditor. Her areas of coverage encompass tech, business, strategy, finance, and even space. She is a Columbia University graduate.

Want to be an BIZ Experiences Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Starting a Business

These Brothers Started a Business to Improve an Everyday Task. They Made Their First Products in the Garage — Now They've Raised Over $100 Million.

Coulter and Trent Lewis had an early research breakthrough that helped them solve for the right problem.

Franchise

How to Prepare Your Business — And Yourself — For a Smooth Exit

After decades of building your business, turning it over to someone else can be emotional. But with the right mindset and a strong plan, it can also be your proudest moment.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for BIZ Experiencess to pursue in 2025.

Franchise

10 No-Office-Required Businesses You Can Start for as Little as $5,000

With strong Franchise 500 rankings and investment levels starting under $5,000, these brands are ready for new owners to hit the ground running.

Business News

Here Are the 10 Jobs AI Is Most Likely to Automate, According to a Microsoft Study

These careers are most likely to be affected by generative AI, based on data from 200,000 conversations with Microsoft's Copilot chatbot.