#775: ZICO Coconut Water Founder Mark Rampolla on brand integrity and the courage to make tough decisions

The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström®: Expert Mode Marketing Technology, AI, & CX

The Agile Brand

Business, Marketing

5 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 26 November 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

For most entrepreneurs, the exit is the goal, as well as the end of at least that part of their story. But what if the end is actually a new beginning? Agility requires a deep understanding of your brand's core purpose and the conviction to protect it. This often means having the courage to reverse a decision that was once seen as the ultimate success. Today, we're going to talk about brand integrity, the founder's paradox of building a company to sell, and what happens when you get a second chance to reclaim the brand you created. We'll explore the delicate balance between corporate scale and entrepreneurial soul, and how a brand's purpose can be its most resilient asset. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Mark Rampolla, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Groundforce Capital. About Mark Rampolla Mark Rampolla is a visionary entrepreneur and the founder of ZICO Coconut Water, a brand that helped create the now $8 billion global coconut water category. After growing ZICO into one of the fastest-growing beverages worldwide, Mark sold the company to Coca Cola in 2013. He then transitioned into investing, co-founding PowerPlant Partners, where he played a key role in the plant-based food movement, including the success of Beyond Meat. In 2020, Mark made a bold move by repurchasing ZICO from Coca Cola with a group of investors, including Jesse Itzler and tennis star Naomi Osaka. Now, through GroundForce Capital, Mark manages $500 million in assets, focusing on health, wellness, and sustainability investments. His journey reflects a deep commitment to innovation and positive change in the consumer goods industry. Mark Rampolla on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marksrampolla/ Resources Founder Groundforce Capital: https://www.markrampolla.co/ The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Palm Springs, Feb 23-26 in Palm Springs, CA. Go here for more details: https://etailwest.wbresearch.com/ Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Agile brand.
0:03.0	Welcome to Season 7 of the Agile brand, where we discuss the trends and topics marketing leaders need to know.
0:15.0	Stay curious, stay agile, and join the top enterprise brands and MARTEC platforms as we explore marketing technology, AI, e-commerce, and join the top enterprise brands and Martec platforms as we explore marketing technology,
0:23.1	AI, e-commerce, and whatever's next for the Omnichannel customer experience.
0:27.9	Together we'll discover what it takes to create an agile brand, built for today and tomorrow,
0:32.1	and built for customers, employees, and continued business growth.
0:36.9	I'm your host, Greg Kilstrom, advising Fortune 1,000 brands on Martec, employees, and continued business growth. I'm your host, Greg Kilstrom, advising Fortune 1000 brands on Martec, AI, and marketing operations.
0:43.3	The Agile Brand Podcast is brought to you by Tech Systems, an industry leader in full-stack technology services,
0:49.3	talent services, and real-world application. For more information, go to teK systems.com.
0:56.1	To make sure you always get the latest episodes, please hit subscribe on the app you listen to
1:00.1	podcasts on, and leave us a rating so others can find us as well. And now on to the show.
1:07.6	For most entrepreneurs, the exit is the goal, as well as the end of at least that part of their story.
1:13.4	But what if the end is actually a new beginning?
1:16.1	Agility requires a deep understanding of your brand's core purpose and the conviction to protect it.
1:21.5	This often means having the courage to reverse a decision that was once seen as the ultimate success.
1:27.3	Today we're going to talk about
1:28.3	brand integrity, the founder's paradox of building a company to sell and what happens when you
1:33.2	get a second chance to reclaim the brand you created. We're going to explore the delicate balance
1:37.8	between corporate scale and entrepreneurial soul and how a brand's purpose can be its most
1:42.9	resilient asset.
1:49.0	Tell me to discuss this topic. I'd like to welcome Mark Rampola, co-founder and managing partner at Groundforce Capital. Mark, welcome in the show.
1:51.8	Thanks, Craig. Great to be with you.
	...

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