Talk about timing. Two UC Berkeley undergrads launched their beard care venture NewmenCo last spring through the UC LAUNCH Accelerator, just as pandemic beards were becoming a thing.
On Demo Day, John Melizanis (Haas 20) & Jake Lourenco (Poli Sci & Data Science 20) won the Investor’s Choice award as well as kudos for their cheeky approach to serving their “likeminded and hairy brothers”.
Since then, they’ve continued to grow and groom a loyal fan base through social media channels like YouTube, where their Beard of the Week is a breakout hit.
For Melizanis, NewmenCo isn’t his first rodeo. He was part of Predictim (LAUNCH 18, Skydeck Invested Cohort F18) and although the company ultimately failed, the lessons learned have stuck.
Can’t wait to see what they do next!
Scalable Startups@UC Berkeley 
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