Mark Rampolla — Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Founder Groundforce Capital
Published:
I don’t love admitting this, but I can own the game change — we shifted from building the business to last to building the business to sell. Over the next few years, we built the company to work for Coke, not necessarily to work to last forever. And I can see that now with hindsight… we collectively didn’t build it to last.
What does Mark Rampolla say on The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström?
Mark Rampolla, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Founder Groundforce Capital, says: Mark Rampolla recounts the rise, sale, and reacquisition of Zico Coconut Water to illustrate tensions between entrepreneurial agility and corporate scale. He explains how focusing on a passionate micro-community drove early brand momentum, how a mentality of "building to sell" can erode long-term durability, how large organizations can preserve brand artifacts but lose agility, and why modern brand leadership is stewardship rather than ownership.
From: The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström
Cite as: Mark Rampolla. (2026). On The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström. Retrieved from https://research.agilebrandguide.com/insights/mark-rampolla-i-dont-love-admitting-this-but-i-can-own-the-game-change