EP 116: John Fieldly (CEO, Celsius) How He Saved Celsius From Near Bankruptcy to a $10B Company

Many know Celsius as a top energy drink brand today, but few are aware of the tumultuous journey CEO John Fieldly took to get it here. In the episode, John shared how the company nearly went bankrupt multiple times, lost 50% of its revenue overnight and even got delisted from the NASDAQ.

Despite these challenges, John stepped up to rebuild the brand to the nearly $10B company it is today. We discuss how he shifted focus from weight loss to broad-based energy, secured key distribution deals, landed a major partnership with Pepsi, and much more.

(00:00) Intro

(01:34) The Origins of Celsius

(03:30) Going Public: The Early Days

(06:07) Challenges and Lawsuits

(09:17) Rebuilding and Rebranding

(13:18) Strategic Shifts and Market Positioning

(30:40) The Role of Influencers and Social Media

(32:03) John Fieldly's Leadership Journey

(33:34) Reflecting on the Stock Price Journey

(34:12) Navigating Public Company Challenges

(35:25) Distribution Deals and Market Perception

(38:00) Strategic Moves and Competitive Advantage

(44:08) Marketing Strategies and Consumer Engagement

(52:35) Leadership and Company Culture

(01:02:01) International Expansion and Future Goals

(01:06:01) Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Executive Producer: Rashad Assir

Producer: Leah Clapper

Mixing and editing: Sam Dewees and JR Bohannon

Check out Unsupervised Learning, Redpoint's AI Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@UCUl-s_Vp-Kkk_XVyDylNwLA

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About the Show

Logan Bartlett is a Software Investor at Redpoint Ventures - a Silicon Valley-based VC with $6B AUM and investments in Snowflake, DraftKings, Twilio, and Netflix. In each episode, Logan goes behind the scenes with world-class entrepreneurs and investors. If you're interested in the real inside baseball of tech, entrepreneurship, and start-up investing, tune in every Friday for new episodes.