Five Scroll-Stopping CPG Founders You Should Be Following on LinkedIn
- Nov 13, 2025
- 5 min read
One of my favorite parts of working in CPG is how much founders share with each other.
You’d think the space would be cutthroat, but in my experience, it’s the opposite — people genuinely want to help, and the ones who show up regularly become voices that make the entire industry better.
This week, I’m highlighting five CPG founders you should be following on LinkedIn (plus a few honorable mentions). I never scroll past their posts — and that says a lot about their content!
They’re generous, transparent, funny, and deeply rooted in why they built their brands in the first place.
If you’re building anything in CPG, these are people worth learning from.
1️⃣ Jason Burke – New Primal
Jason is one of those founders who doesn’t just build a brand — he actively shows his work. He shares real stories from The New Primal’s journey, including the messy parts: packaging decisions that didn’t pan out, logistical bumps, and the reality that success didn’t happen overnight.
What I love most is how he’s created resources so other founders can learn from his experience. Any time I see a founder volunteering their time to lift others up, I’m impressed — and Jason sets the standard. The CPG community is incredibly supportive, and he’s one of the people leading that charge.
Also, this is beside the point, but their rotisserie chicken sticks are amazing.
2️⃣ Jia Liao – Hotpot Queen
Jia is building Hotpot Queen in public, and we’re all better for it. She posts videos breaking down some of the most confusing parts of CPG — things like pricing strategy, margin structures, and even “what’s the difference between a distributor and a broker?”
This industry is filled with jargon that can feel overwhelming, especially for new founders. Jia simplifies it in a way that’s generous, clear, and honestly pretty rare. Like Jason, she’s thinking about the whole community, not just her own brand. And that makes her a standout.
3️⃣ Preston Rutherford – Chubbies
Preston technically isn’t a CPG founder, but I’d put him on this list any day. As the founder of Chubbies (and Loop Returns), he’s one of the sharpest voices out there on how to actually invest your marketing dollars.
He talks openly about something we remind our own clients of all the time: ROAS is not your North Star. It’s not a measure of incremental growth, and chasing it often pulls brands into short-term thinking. Preston posts everything from smart breakdowns of marketing economics to tongue-in-cheek “conversations” between CMOs and CFOs that perfectly capture how brands get stuck in the wrong metrics.
What I appreciate is that his advice comes from the brand side — not an agency, not a vendor. It’s refreshing, it’s honest, and it aligns fully with the work we do at Left Hand: helping brands invest in ways that support long-term growth, not just immediate gratification.
4️⃣ Sean Riley – Dude Wipes
I adore Sean’s energy. He keeps things light and humorous in a space that can feel very heavy, and sometimes you need someone who can make the journey feel fun again. But below the humor is a founder who is incredibly supportive of others — he regularly spotlights smaller brands, does unboxing videos, and brings real joy to his platform.
One of my favorite stories he’s shared is from the early Dude Wipes days, when their entire marketing budget was tiny — and they still made the bold call to sponsor a UFC fighter. It cost them around $10K, which was a massive bet for them, and it paid off immediately in searches and brand awareness. It’s such a great reminder that sometimes the best marketing moves are the ones you can’t perfectly track.
He’s educational, uplifting, and he’s building a brand that doesn’t take itself too seriously while taking the work very seriously. I think the industry needs more Seans.
5️⃣ Jake Karls – Mid-Day Squares
I’m a big fan of Jake. His dancing celebration videos make my whole feed happier, and Mid-Day Squares seems to hit a new milestone every month. If you haven’t tried their products, they’re delicious — a refrigerated functional chocolate brand that’s finally gaining the U.S. foothold it deserves.
But what connects me to Jake personally is his openness about mental health. Even though he’s such a positive, high-energy presence, he’s been transparent about the hard parts of entrepreneurship and life. That matters to me. As someone who has faced my own mental-health challenges, I believe strongly in removing the stigma — and Jake does that with honesty and heart.
He also shares the realities of building with family, and I love those stories — like when his sister got sick before Expo West and his mom stepped in to help. It’s such a reminder of how human this journey is. And I appreciate how he talks about staying nimble early on, evolving the product, and not getting stuck in one idea just because it was the first one.
🎖️ Honorable Mentions (Because I Couldn’t Stop at Five)
Dean Packingham – Mike & Jen’s Hot Cocoa
Dean’s story is one of my favorites because it’s so rooted in family. He literally started this brand in his kitchen with his kids — Mike and Jen — after his daughter kept coming in from playing outside and wanting a cup of “real hot cocoa.” As a mom, that kind of origin story hits me in the heart. It feels pure, in the best way.
I also lived in Wisconsin for years, so I deeply understand “Midwest nice.” It’s not just a phrase — it’s a worldview. People look out for each other. They show up. They say thank you. All of that comes through in Dean’s content. You can tell he cares about doing things the right way, not just the fast way.
Watching him celebrate new wins with Mike & Jen's Hot Cocoa — especially as they start gaining more Midwest distribution and landing in places like Costco — feels genuinely joyful. There’s nothing performative about it. I find myself rooting for him every time he posts. And yes, I am absolutely waiting for the day his hot cocoa makes it out West so I can stock up.
Rosa Li – wildwonder
Rosa’s storytelling is some of the most thoughtful and beautiful in the category. She weaves her heritage, her family’s traditions, and her personal mission into the wildwonder brand in a way that feels authentic and artful without ever feeling forced.
What I appreciate is that she doesn’t shy away from talking about the tough parts of scaling a values-driven brand — the supply chain headaches, the category education required, the nuances of flavor and function, the patience it takes to build sustainably. She tells the truth, but she tells it gracefully.
She also has such a calm, steady presence. In a world that rewards loudness, Rosa shows what it looks like to grow with intention. And selfishly, as someone who works with a lot of modern beverage brands, I just love seeing someone represent the category with this level of craft and heart.
wildwonder is a beautiful brand — and it’s beautiful because Rosa pours so much of herself into it.
Are there other CPG founders you should be following on LinkedIn?
Send us a note and we'll add them to our next list! This was originally published on the Left Hand Agency High Five newsletter. Click here to subscribe.
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