CEO

Functional Beverage Disruptor

Location: Wherever culture is happening ( Hybrid / US )
Stage: Early, fast, and funded
Category: Functional wellness / alcohol alternatives

What We’re Building

We’re not launching another drink. We’re building a ritual replacement.

A brand for people who still want the feeling—connection, edge, unwind—but without the crash, the hangover, or the compromise. Think functional ingredients, mood elevation, and social currency in a can.

Our audience doesn’t want “better-for-you.” They want better, full stop.

The Role (Not Your Typical CEO Gig)

We’re looking for a founder-minded CEO who understands that in 2026, the CEO is also:

  • the brand voice

  • the cultural antenna

  • the growth engine

  • and sometimes… the face of the damn thing

You’ll build a company that moves at internet speed and scales like a modern CPG machine.

What You’ll Actually Do

Build a Cult Brand (Not Just Awareness)

  • Create a brand people identify with, not just consume

  • Turn functional wellness into something desirable, social, and shareable

  • Make “not drinking” feel like a flex, not a sacrifice

Drive Breakout Growth

  • Crack the code on DTC + retail + community-led growth

  • Build loops, not funnels (virality > paid dependence)

  • Obsess over velocity, not just distribution

Own the Product Vision

  • Lead the charge on functional benefits (calm, focus, uplift, adaptogens, nootropics)

  • Stay ahead of trends before they’re trends

  • Ship fast, iterate faster, kill what doesn’t hit

Live Where Your Customers Live

  • Deep in social (TikTok, IG, emerging platforms)

  • Creator-first, not campaign-first

  • Turn customers into creators, creators into stakeholders

Raise & Tell the Story

  • Pitch a vision that feels inevitable

  • Bring investors into the movement, not just the cap table

  • Balance burn with boldness

Build the Team & Culture

  • Hire builders, not bureaucrats

  • Keep it lean, hungry, and allergic to corporate fluff

  • Create a culture people brag about being part of

Who You Are

  • You’ve scaled something real (CPG, beverage, wellness, or culture-driven brand)

  • You understand that this category is emotional, not just functional

  • You’re fluent in internet culture, not just marketing jargon

  • You know why people are drinking less—and what they actually want instead

  • You can switch between brand, numbers, and ops without losing the plot

  • You’re comfortable being visible (or even polarizing)

What Makes You Dangerous (In a Good Way)

  • You don’t believe legacy alcohol or CPG brands can win this space

  • You think most “functional beverages” are boring—and you’re right

  • You understand that taste gets trial, but identity gets loyalty

  • You’d rather build something iconic than “safe and scalable”

  • You move before you feel ready

The Opportunity

  • Build the next-generation alternative to alcohol

  • Define a new category at the intersection of wellness, nightlife, and culture

  • Create a brand people bring to parties, not hide in their fridge

  • Actually change behavior—not just shelf space

Compensation

  • Meaningful equity (this only works if you think like an owner)

  • Competitive salary

  • The upside of building something that could become a category leader

Final Note

If you’re looking to “manage a business,” this isn’t it.
If you want to build a movement disguised as a beverage company, let’s talk thru prasad@purplelove.social