Today, we’re thrilled to welcome Elle Lanning, President of Investments at Camino Partners.

At Camino, Elle leads investment strategy and execution across asset classes, with a focus on the firm’s direct investment platform. A former KIND executive who helped scale the brand from $20 million to over $1 billion in sales, Elle brings an operator’s lens to investing. Under her leadership, Camino has partnered with standout brands like Belgian Boys, SOMOS, LiveWell, and Barry’s — helping founders grow with purpose and impact.

In today’s episode, we explore her journey from scaling KIND into a global powerhouse to leading investments at Camino Partners — diving into what makes purpose and margins truly defensible, how consumer investing has evolved, and the lessons from building brands that last.

‍