Rahul Raj

Member Since 2022

Rahul Raj

Founder & CMO

5&Vine

Toronto, Canada Area

I help Challenger Brands win. I started 5&Vine to help build, launch and grow meaningful brands that disrupt categories and better society. To date, our impact has helped our partners close over $1.4B in follow on financing and two have gone public. 5&Vine was born from my time as CMO at ecobee, where I helped transform the brand from relative obscurity into the #2 thermostat brand in North America with a 30% share and developed a playbook on how Challengers could take down industry incumbents. I know what a brand needs to take on Goliath. Prior to ecobee, I ran an incubator for Walmart in San Francisco. After seeing an opportunity to extract more value out of products that already existed, I built a refurbishing infrastructure that turned costly customer returns into a multi-billion dollar revenue stream. For these efforts, I was honoured with Walmart's Innovation Champion Award, a fellowship with the Aspen Institute and by GOOD magazine as 1 of 100 people pushing the world forward. My commitment to bettering the world started when I was young. At the age of 17, I founded and developed Meal Exchange to build healthy, just and environmentally sustainable food systems across Canada. Our work has been recognized by TIME magazine as "revolutionary”. Today, alongside my work at 5&Vine, I'm actively engaged in inspiring and empowering others to make their own positive impact. As well as being on the Design Team of the Aspen First Movers fellowship, I mentor entrepreneurs at First Round Capital, Tech Stars, the American Marketing Association, the University of Toronto’s Venture Mentoring Program, the Presidio Graduate School, and delivered a TEDx talk on the power of Challenger Thinking.


SKILLS

  • Branding
  • Innovation & Growth
  • Go to Marketing Strategy

RECENT CONTENT

March 13th, 2023

Less of the Same: Why Look For Unfiltered Feeds and Diversifying Algorithms

In a world of hyper-personalized For You Pages and self-reinforcing Search Preferences, should social media platforms be responsible for exposing us to different voices and varying perspectives?

February 17th, 2023

When Incumbents Challenge Their Own Legacy

Incumbents can, and must, challenge their own legacy.

January 17th, 2023

AI: A Creative Renaissance or Cultural Stagnation?

AI can work alongside human creativity, but it can never replace it.

September 30th, 2022

The Impact of Covid and Climate Change on the Collectibles Market

Nostalgia is an economic powerhouse.


COMPANY INFO

5&Vine

5&Vine is a full-service marketing agency trusted to challenge incumbents, and win. We’ve collaborated with some of the world’s largest VC’s to accelerate growth for Challenger Brands in their portfolio resulting in +$1.4Bn in follow-on financing, three acquisitions and two IPOs. We empower businesses to win while also being a force for good. 5&Vine is championing an evolved form of capitalism that benefits communities and the planet, alongside shareholders. We support our clients in being profitable and bettering the world around them. Our goal is to show how socially responsible transactions can help businesses make economic strides. We help brave and ethically-minded Challenger Brands achieve the impossible and come out on top. We empower our clients to challenge the status quo, stand up for what they believe in, and confidently take on global challenges.


AREA OF FOCUS

  • Brand Marketing
  • Social Media Advertising
  • Marketing

INDUSTRY

Media