Mark Rampolla — Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Founder Groundforce Capital
Published:
We really found our home in yoga studios. And at the time, hot yoga was the rage… Zico was the perfect post-workout recovery beverage. And so that became our calling card… having a reason to be in a very specific value proposition to a very specific audience and a very specific use occasion became really the thing that helped us break through over the next decade.
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-we-really-found-our-home-in-yoga-studios-and-at-the-time-h