Do I Qualify?
Rahul Raj's avatarPerson

Rahul Raj

Founder & CMO5&Vine

Toronto, ON, Canada

Member Since August 2022

Skills

Branding
Innovation & Growth
Go to Marketing Strategy

About

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.

Published content

What Challenger Brands Can Do About Online Hate Speech

article

While big tech figures out how to efficiently curb online hate speech and Bodyguard.ai builds its promising solution for scale, agencies must protect their clients. 

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

article

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?

When Incumbents Challenge Their Own Legacy

article

Incumbents can, and must, challenge their own legacy.

AI: A Creative Renaissance or Cultural Stagnation?

article

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

The Impact of Covid and Climate Change on the Collectibles Market

article

Nostalgia is an economic powerhouse.

11 Effective Ways to Foster a Growth Mindset in Your Team

expert panel

A positive work environment, including one that embraces a growth mindset, starts at the top. In the business world, a "growth mindset" is often prized for its ability to motivate employees and drive them toward success. Leaders and employees who pursue growth and improvement every day tend to give their all so that they can evolve as professionals and as people in general.   As prominent leaders in their respective fields, the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council understand how important it is to encourage and inspire employees to grow. Doing so shows them you are dedicated to elevating their careers and helping them improve professionally. Here, 11 members share some of the ways in which any business leader can inspire their employees to develop and maintain a growth mindset — and how doing so can help improve your business in the long run.

Company details

5&Vine

Company bio

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.

Industry

Media

Area of focus

Brand Marketing
Social Media Advertising
Marketing

Company size

2 - 10

This member is no longer active.

Are you a business founder with a passion for influencing culture?

Click below to learn more about membership and publication opportunities on RollingStone.com.
Check out the CommunityDo I Qualify?
Rolling Stone Culture Council is a vetted professional network of influential business leaders in the music, entertainment, media, food & beverage, fashion, sports, gaming and cannabis industries.