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  • #309: Annelise Hillmann, Co-Founder and CEO of FRONTMAN, on Reimagining The Men’s Grooming Industry, Cultivating Authenticity in Brand Building, and Designing for Behavior Change

#309: Annelise Hillmann, Co-Founder and CEO of FRONTMAN, on Reimagining The Men’s Grooming Industry, Cultivating Authenticity in Brand Building, and Designing for Behavior Change

Annelise Hillmann is the co-founder of FRONTMAN, the Gen Z self-care brand for men creating a new grooming category. A story teller at heart, Annelise is an art director and designer focusing on brand identity and marketing strategy for early stage companies. She has a Harvard degree in economics and psychology and lives in Brooklyn. She co-founded FRONTMAN with Nick Bunn in 2018, and also does freelance for companies still in stealth and others post-IPO.

Topics Covered by Annelise Hillmann in this Episode

  • What FRONTMAN is and how Annelise and her co-founder Nick Bunn came up with the idea

  • Developing the product itself and how they navigated contract manufacturing for cosmetics

  • Using a product consultant

  • Designing for behavior change and creating the brand for FRONTMAN

  • Utilizing nostalgia to cultivate authenticity in brand building

  • FRONTMAN’s go to market strategy, and what has and hasn’t worked to target Gen Z

  • How they’ve kept their team small so far

  • Raising a $150K pre-seed and working with Recharge Capital

  • FRONTMAN’s fundraising journey and Annelise’s advice on raising capital

  • How Annelise invests in her own health and wellbeing as a founder

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