How Jenna Lyons & Jonny Bauer Build "Forever Brands" That Actually Last

Jenna Lyons and Jonny Bauer have spent their careers helping brands break through. Lyons shaped the identity of J.Crew and brought storytelling into every stitch of the brand. Bauer spent years at Droga5, then brought brand strategy into private equity as Global Head of Brand at Blackstone.

Now, through their agency, FundamentalCo, they're applying brand thinking to venture-backed startups and mature companies alike—and making the case for why brand is one of the most important signals investors should watch for in the private markets.

Here's what they shared on Culture & Capital, a SoFi podcast and a Cashmere production.

→ Stream this episode on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

Brand is a tool for internal clarity and external consistency

Brand is a system for alignment, according to Bauer. For investors less familiar with the tenets of marketing, think of it this way: "Brand is an organizing idea that is useful to everyone within the company," he says. That definition allows a brand to guide decisions, reinforce consistency, and scale with purpose. "It's how the thing works, how the teams work together, and how everyone stays on message."

For investors, this kind of alignment might serve as an indicator of operational discipline, especially in early-stage or fast-scaling companies.

Founders who lack clarity risk building incoherent brands

 "If the concept upstream isn't held together well, no marketer can market that," she says. For investors, inconsistent branding can signal confusion around positioning, product, or leadership focus. "You can tell when there's a lack of cohesion," she says. "It shows up in the product, the communication, the hiring."

Passion and precision go hand in hand

When evaluating whether a founder can build a lasting brand, Lyons asks herself: "Do I believe in this person's ability to stay passionate?" That passion, she says, must be paired with discipline. "Are they just relentless in that pursuit of [brand] protection?"

Brand authenticity doesn't happen by accident

For Bauer, authenticity is operational. "You have to take the luck out of authenticity. You have to define it with clarity and then propagate that clarity… otherwise, what you end up with is accidental consistency." When companies rely on instincts alone, they risk losing alignment. "If you don't do that, you see the cracks show up externally."

Trust is what turns attention into loyalty

"Customers spend their money based on trust," Lyons said. That trust is built over time, across every brand interaction. And if at any moment that’s broken, they go somewhere else.” Emotional consistency, she notes, can be more durable than any one product or price point. This kind of brand-driven loyalty could potentially support premium pricing, reduce churn, and increase lifetime value—key metrics for investors looking at consumer businesses, in particular.

Strategic investors look for brand clarity

Investors may overlook branding, but  smart branding can be an important indicator of  long-term success, according to Bauer and Lyons. Branding often reflects  (or reveals)  how aligned—or misaligned—a team truly is.

Listen to Culture & Capital on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you listen.  

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