From Dollar Shave Club to Liquid Death, some of the most disruptive consumer brands of the last decade have one thing in common: they were built inside Science Inc., the venture studio led by today’s guest.
In this episode of the eCom Ops Podcast, Norbert talks with Michael Jones, General Partner at Science Inc., about how he’s helped create and scale companies worth over $6 billion, why brand differentiation matters more than ever, and how AI is rewriting the rules for consumer products.
About
Michael Jones is the General Partner at Science Inc., a Los Angeles–based venture studio and fund. Over his career, he’s led companies to more than $6 billion in exits, including early investments in Scopely and Goodreads.
Previously, he served as CEO of MySpace during its turnaround and as SVP at AOL. At Science Inc., he has helped launch and scale companies like Dollar Shave Club, Liquid Death, and PlayVS. His passion is partnering with founders to build bold consumer-facing businesses that impact millions.
Science Inc. is a venture studio and fund that backs and builds consumer internet companies from the ground up. Based in Los Angeles, the firm combines capital, operational expertise, and hands-on company building to turn early ideas into category leaders.
Since its founding, Science has helped launch household names like Dollar Shave Club, Liquid Death, PlayVS, and DogVacay/Rover, with exits totaling more than $6 billion.
The Key Takeaways
Obsession Beats Traction
- Michael stressed that the best founders are obsessed with solving a specific problem. This obsession often leads to deeper insights and disruptive products, but it only works if the market is big enough.
Building Companies from Scratch
- At Science Inc., about two-thirds of new companies come from founders’ pitches, while one-third are concepts the studio creates internally. In both cases, the goal is to prove feasibility fast and then partner with the right CEO to scale.
TikTok Shop as a Growth Engine
- TikTok Shop is currently one of the most powerful revenue drivers for early brands. Michael noted that reaching $1M/month in sales across DTC, TikTok, and Amazon is often the milestone before expanding into retail.
The Venture Studio Advantage
- Unlike a traditional VC, a venture studio becomes a true extension of the team, filling gaps in strategy, execution, and operations. If it works well, founders trade a bit of early equity for faster growth, easier fundraising, and higher valuations later.
AI is Everywhere
- From product prototyping to marketing, customer feedback, and data intelligence, Michael sees AI as a technology that reduces costs, speeds up launches, and improves decision-making across every stage of building a business.
Resources Mentioned
- Science Inc. (Venture Studio & Fund)
- Dollar Shave Club
- Liquid Death
- PlayVS
- Rover (Dog boarding marketplace)
- Shopify
- TikTok Shop
- Amazon, Walmart, Target
- Dimension Studios (TikTok Shop scaling)
- MySpace
- AOL
- Scopely
- Goodreads
- LegalZoom (mentioned via Brian Lee’s background)
- Apple Watch / Whoop (for real-time health data)
Conclusion
Michael Jones has seen it all, from early-stage startups to billion-dollar exits. His conversation with Norbert is a masterclass in what it takes to build disruptive consumer brands today: an obsession with the problem, bold brand differentiation, trust in founder–investor relationships, and the smart use of new channels like TikTok Shop.
For founders and operators, this episode is a reminder that the fundamentals never change, but the tools and timelines do. And with AI accelerating creativity and execution, the opportunities to launch the next breakout brand have never been bigger.
The No.1 eCom Operations hack
“A smaller portion of a bigger company is typically a better outcome than a larger portion of a smaller company.”
See You on the Show!
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