Marketing + Insights + Innovation lens · Chicago · LinkedIn · Active consulting practice (Ghost Tequila, Watershed, Dickel, Proximo, Tatanka)
📌 Summary
Julian Cohen — signed-on as BevGenie advisor (per Shyam's morning brief: "they've already come on board as advisors of ConsumerIQ"). 25-year brand-builder across BevAlc (Beam Suntory VP Global Insights & Innovation, Constellation SVP Business Intelligence + Emerging Categories), Cannabis (Canopy Growth CIO + Chief Growth Officer; key player in Constellation's $4B investment in Canopy via GreenStar), and broader CPG (DDB / Leo Burnett strategic planning for Gatorade, Tropicana, Quaker, Budweiser, Home Depot, Dell). Currently co-founder + COO of FOSH (AI-powered live event discovery, Mar 2025-present) + active BevAlc consulting practice. First formal advisor call today — 3:00 PM ET, ~60 min.
▶︎ Next action (what Shyam does today)
3:00 PM ET today: 60-min voice-of-customer session. Focus on 2-3 specific marketing-innovation decisions Julian ran inside Beam Suntory, Constellation, or Canopy — go deep on how each actually got done. Don't try to cover all 9 questions; pick 4-5.
Within 24 hrs: send Julian a 1-page recap of what you heard + one concrete ask for the next session (e.g., "we'd love to come back next time with a sketch of how we'd approach automating the insights-to-innovation handoff you described — does this match what you saw?"). Schedule a follow-up.
📍 Lifecycle stage — signed-on, first formal session today
Stage 1 · Cold start
✓ Initial outreach
Stage 2 · Getting-to-know
✓ Initial call (he agreed to come on as advisor from this)
Stage 3 · Contract signed
✓ Signed as BevGenie advisor (per Shyam: "they've already come on board")
Series of sessions, demo loop, warm-intro asks around month 1-2
Stage 6 · Post-advisory
TBD — depending on engagement quality, could extend or deepen
🏷️ What kind of advisor is Julian?
Primary: product + market advisor — marketing-innovation lens. Different from Randy's category-management lens. Julian was the senior buyer-of-insights/innovation tools at exactly the kind of supplier orgs BevGenie targets — Beam, Constellation, Canopy.
Strong: buzz partner. 25 years of brand-building + FOSH AI-startup co-founder credibility + Beverage-Digest speaker + Space Racers global distribution (35 languages, 150+ countries) = he knows how to tell a story. UChicago Leadership and Society Initiative Fellow adds credentialing.
Indirect: investor connector. He's actively raising / fundraising for FOSH right now — has live VC relationships. Senior-exec network across 30 years. Not the primary value vector but real.
🎯 What Julian unlocks across our four priorities
If he signs, here's the value across the four strategic priorities. Note he's stronger than Randy on three of four — Buzz, Customers, Investors are all higher. Today's conversation should still center on ④ Product Intelligence.
① Creating buzz · HIGH
25-yr brand-builder. FOSH co-founder (AI startup story). Beverage-Digest 2021 speaker. Space Racers global distribution. UChicago LSI Fellow. He knows how to position a story and has the platforms to amplify.
② Signing customers · HIGH
Active consulting clients RIGHT NOW: Ghost Tequila, Watershed Distillery, Dickel Whisky, Proximo Spirits, Tatanka Spirits. Plus Beam Suntory + Constellation + Canopy alumni networks. Each of those clients is a potential BevGenie customer-prospect.
③ Raising investment · MODERATE-INDIRECT
He's actively raising for FOSH — fresh VC relationships in the AI-startup space. 30-yr senior-exec network. Not the primary value vector, but real exposure to founder-side investor relationships.
④ Product intelligence · VERY HIGH ← TODAY'S FOCUS
Insights → Innovation pipeline at Beam Suntory + Constellation BI + Canopy CIO. He was the senior buyer of tools BevGenie sells. Plus cross-category (BevAlc / Cannabis / broader CPG) gives unusual breadth.
📇 Verified profile snapshot
Full name
Julian Cohen
Current roles
Co-Founder & COO, FOSH (AI-powered local live-event discovery platform, Mar 2025–present, based in Philly with plans to scale) · Managing Partner, Marketing, Noble Land Brands (Tatanka Spirits — Wakpamni of the Sioux Nation, since Jul 2023) · Brand & Business Consultant · Self-employed (Apr 2023–present; clients include Ghost Tequila, Marussia Brands–Watershed Distillery, Sidecar Drinks–Dickel Whisky, Proximo Spirits) · Board Advisor, Plesio Health (Apr 2023–present) · Advisory Board, CannabisBPO (Aug 2019–present, 6+ yrs)
Stated career openness
His About section says: "open to consulting, fractional, and full-time opportunities". So advisor relationship is one of several plausible engagements; treat that signal in our framing.
Constellation Brands · SVP Emerging Categories (Nov 2017 – May 2019) — ran GreenStar Canada, the cannabis subsidiary that executed the historic $4B Constellation investment in Canopy Growth (announced Aug 2018, closed Nov 2018; Harvard Business School case study) · Constellation SVP Business Intelligence (Aug 2015 – Nov 2017) — consumer/shopper insights, business analytics, innovation + sensory research for Corona, Modelo, Robert Mondavi, Kim Crawford, Svedka, High West, Casa Noble
Pre-Constellation
Beam Suntory · VP Global Insights & Innovation (Jun 2008 – Nov 2013, 5 yrs 6 mos) — Jim Beam, Maker's Mark, Knob Creek, Canadian Club, Laphroaig, Sauza, Hornitos, SkinnyGirl, Courvoisier, Cruzan, Pinnacle
Pre-BevAlc
15 yrs in agency-side strategic planning: Leo Burnett · VP Brand Planning Director (Philip Morris + Diageo brands, 2005-06) · Element 79 · SVP Group Planning Director (Gatorade, Propel, Tropicana, Quaker, 2007-08) · DDB · SVP Group Strategic Planning Director (Dell, Home Depot, cars.com, Pep Boys, General Mills, Tyson, Busch Gardens, Henkel, Wilson Golf, Budweiser, 1998-2005)
Side project · scaled
Co-Creator + Executive Producer, Space Racers (Jun 2008 – Aug 2015) — animated TV series teaching preschoolers science, space, teamwork. Distributed in 150+ countries in 35 languages. Demonstrates ability to ship and scale a product end-to-end on the side of a full-time role.
Education
BA Economics, University of Chicago · Creative Writing degree, University of Miami · UChicago Lecturer (1993-95) · UChicago Leadership and Society Initiative Fellow (senior-exec leadership program)
Geography
Chicago, Illinois
About-section self-description
"Brand builder with over 25 years of innovation, insights, strategy, and marketing experience in CPG, beverage alcohol, entertainment, and cannabis." Plus: "I believe words and numbers can live together — I am a strategist, a global insights, innovation, and marketing executive with a passion for applying analytical rigor and creative problem-solving."
Public-voice signal
Speaker at Beverage-Digest Future Smarts 2021. UChicago Leadership and Society Initiative Fellow. Currently advising cannabis + BevAlc startups in Canada and US.
Personal
Father of 3 sons. Fan of music, soccer, whiskey, chocolate. (Whiskey is industry-relevant; could come up naturally.)
🎯 What we want to surface from Julian's experience
Six areas where Julian's specific career arc gives unusually rich answers — and why each matters.
① How marketing + innovation decisions got made at supplier-side orgs
The Beam Suntory insights→innovation cycle. The Constellation BI → product / portfolio decisions. The Canopy R&D → commercial launch path. He's lived the full cycle inside three major BevAlc/cannabis companies.
Why this matters: his function (marketing + insights + innovation) is exactly the buyer persona BevGenie is built for. He's been on the receiving end of insights tools, innovation platforms, brand-analytics dashboards. He knows what was useful vs noise.
② How insights and innovation actually handed off to each other
Headed both functions (Constellation BI + Canopy CIO). The handoff from "we learned X about consumers" to "we'll build Y new product" is famously broken in CPG. He's seen it from both sides.
Why this matters: automating the insights-to-innovation handoff is exactly the kind of high-value workflow BevGenie should consider. His experience tells us where the handoff fails most.
③ How new tools and capabilities got evaluated and bought
At Beam Suntory, Constellation, and Canopy — all three had major insights/innovation tool stacks. He was a buyer of agency partners, sensory research vendors, analytics platforms, R&D capabilities.
Why this matters: this is the same gauntlet BevGenie will run when we sell. Plus he's seen what gets through and what doesn't across multiple corporate cultures.
④ Cross-vertical pattern — BevAlc vs Cannabis vs broader CPG
Why this matters: tells us where the supplier marketing-innovation playbook is BevAlc-specific vs CPG-universal. Big roadmap call (single product across CPG vs vertical-specific BevAlc product).
⑤ Active consulting practice — real-time BevAlc market read
Clients RIGHT NOW: Ghost Tequila, Watershed Distillery, Dickel Whisky, Proximo Spirits, Tatanka Spirits. Each represents a live BevAlc supplier engagement. He knows what these companies are actually struggling with this quarter.
Why this matters: he can tell us what supplier-side marketing-innovation pain points are top-of-mind in 2026 — not what they were in 2020 when he left Constellation.
⑥ Founder-side read on AI tools — FOSH experience
He's co-founding an AI-powered marketplace startup RIGHT NOW (FOSH, Mar 2025–present). He's living the founder experience — fundraising, pricing, GTM. From the other side of the table from where he sat at Beam / Constellation / Canopy.
Why this matters: he can speak to what AI tools actually deliver value vs what's overhyped — from a founder seat, not a buyer seat. Direct positioning calibration for BevGenie.
❓ Questions — grouped by the 4 priorities (today's call = ④ Product Intelligence)
First formal advisor session. Pick 4-5 from the ④ Product Intelligence block and go deep. Don't raise the other priority blocks today.
Sub-area A · How marketing-innovation decisions got made
"Walk me through one specific innovation decision at Beam Suntory or Constellation — say a new product launch in the Jim Beam or Modelo portfolio. Who was involved at each step? How did insights flow into innovation? Who decided brand strategy vs product specs vs launch plan? What did the output look like?"
Why this matters: his specific function — insights→innovation pipeline — is what BevGenie automates. The reality version of how it worked is what we need to hear.
"You headed both BI at Constellation AND Innovation at Canopy. The handoff between 'we learned X about consumers' and 'we'll build Y new product' is famously broken in CPG. Where did it actually break in your orgs? What worked when it didn't break?"
Why this matters: automating that handoff is a high-value workflow for BevGenie. His experience tells us where the handoff fails most and what fixes worked.
"When you ran insights for Corona, Modelo, Mondavi, Svedka — how did decisions get made for cross-brand investments? Who arbitrated when two brands wanted the same research budget or innovation slot?"
Why this matters: cross-brand decision-making is a recurring pain point in multi-brand suppliers. Tells us where BevGenie can replace political coordination work.
Sub-area B · How new tools / capabilities got evaluated and bought
"When Beam or Constellation or Canopy brought in new insights / innovation tools — agency partners, sensory research vendors, analytics platforms — walk me through how that decision actually got made. Who built the case? Who killed deals? What convinced procurement?"
Why this matters: same gauntlet BevGenie will run when we sell. Plus he's seen what gets through across three different corporate cultures.
Sub-area C · Cross-organizational comparison (Beam vs Constellation vs Canopy)
"How would you compare working at Beam vs Constellation vs Canopy? Where was the marketing-innovation workflow basically the same? Where was it fundamentally different — and was that because of category, scale, or culture?"
Why this matters: Shyam specifically mentioned this comparison (per his earlier call). Tells us how transportable the BevGenie playbook is across different supplier cultures.
"The Constellation-Canopy moment — Constellation's $4B investment in Canopy, the GreenStar joint venture you ran. From your seat as SVP Emerging Categories, what worked about that BevAlc-into-cannabis play? What didn't?"
Why this matters: historic deal he was central to. Tells us about cross-vertical strategy moves + what big-supplier M&A around new categories actually looks like.
Sub-area D · Real-time consulting practice (his current view of the BevAlc market)
"You're currently consulting with Ghost Tequila, Watershed, Dickel, Proximo, Tatanka. What are the patterns you're seeing in 2026 that surprise you? What problems do those clients keep paying you to help solve?"
Why this matters: real-time read on what BevAlc supplier marketing-innovation teams actually struggle with this quarter. Sharpens BevGenie's product roadmap.
Sub-area E · His outside-in read on AI (founder seat at FOSH)
"You're co-founding FOSH right now — AI-powered live event discovery. From the founder side, what AI capabilities are you finding actually deliver value vs what feels overhyped? And what's your read on AI tools entering the BevAlc supplier space specifically?"
Why this matters: founder-side read on AI tools rather than buyer-side. Direct competitive positioning + market-read intel.
"If you had to name one marketing-innovation workflow you did over and over at Beam, Constellation, or Canopy — repetitive, predictable inputs, but no tool ever did it well — what was it?"
Why this matters: best single roadmap-shaping question. His answer is what BevGenie should prioritize for marketing-innovation users.
② SIGNING CUSTOMERS — FUTURE ASK · save for meeting 2 or 3
He's signed, but don't raise customer intros today. Save for meeting 2 or 3 once we've demoed something he respects.
Future Q1: "Your current consulting clients — Ghost Tequila, Watershed, Dickel, Proximo, Tatanka — would any of them be open to a BevGenie conversation if you made the introduction?"
Future Q2: "Of your former colleagues at Beam Suntory, Constellation, or Canopy — who do you think would be genuinely curious about what we're building?"
Future Q3: "Could we co-engage on a specific client situation where you're already in conversation about marketing-innovation transformation?"
① CREATING BUZZ — FUTURE ASK · don't raise today
Future-session asks once relationship is established.
Future Q1: "Beverage-Digest, BevNet, or other industry events you're plugged into — any upcoming where us showing up together would make sense?"
Future Q2: "Would you ever co-write a piece on the future of marketing-innovation in BevAlc — your perspective from 25 years inside, our take on what's now possible with AI?"
Future Q3: "Your UChicago Leadership and Society Initiative — any cross-pollination opportunities there?"
Like Randy, his primary value isn't direct investor connections, but he has more exposure than Randy because he's actively raising for FOSH.
Housekeeping (meeting 2): "Want to make sure we have you formally listed as Strategic Advisor on BevGenie materials — does the standard FAST advisor agreement work for you? Any preferences on how you want to be referenced (e.g., role naming, association with FOSH or your consulting practice)?"
Future Q (much later, only after deep relationship): "From your FOSH fundraising — are there investors you've met who you think would also be interested in a vertical-AI play in BevAlc?"
🎙️ Suggested opener (60-90 sec) — peer-level, not pitch-mode
Use this verbatim if it lands naturally — peer-level, signed-on advisor framing
"Julian — first, thanks for coming on as advisor. Quick frame for today: I want this to be the kind of session that's valuable for you too, not just us. You've been in the marketing-innovation seat at Beam, Constellation, and Canopy, and now you're on the founder side at FOSH — that arc is exactly what we want to understand to make BevGenie sharper. So today I'd love to ask about how decisions actually got made in those orgs, how the insights-to-innovation handoff worked, what tools you tried, what failed. Plain industry conversation, not a pitch. Sound good?"
👂 What to capture during the call
His specific decisions / war storiesWhen he names a specific launch at Beam, a specific innovation push at Constellation, a specific decision at Canopy — capture verbatim. Those are the workflows we want to understand.
Insights → Innovation handoff breakdownsWhere he says the function he ran "didn't talk to" or "couldn't get through to" another function. That's the coordination gap BevGenie can close.
Tools he tried, kept, killedNamed vendors and outcomes. He's been a senior buyer of insights/innovation tools at three major orgs. Free competitive teardown.
His current consulting clients' actual pain pointsWhen he talks about Ghost, Watershed, Dickel, Proximo, or Tatanka — capture the specific problems. Those are live BevAlc supplier prospects that BevGenie could potentially also serve.
Cross-vertical (BevAlc/Cannabis/CPG) generalizationsWhere he says "it's the same in beer and cannabis" or "this is unique to spirits" — directly informs whether BevGenie's product is BevAlc-specific or broader-CPG.
Mentions of specific people in his networkAnyone he mentions positively at Beam / Constellation / Canopy / his current clients / FOSH investors — note for potential future warm intros.
His own engagement preferencesWhen he describes how he's structured the Plesio or CannabisBPO advisory roles — time commitment, equity vs cash, level of involvement — that's data on what an advisor agreement with him would look like.
Yellow flags around fitFOSH bandwidth constraints. Push toward paid consulting over advisor equity. Surface-level answers vs operator depth. Capture these honestly — they inform the decision after the call.
🛠️ After the call — what to do with what you heard
Right after the call: for each marketing-innovation decision he described, write a quick summary — what worked, what broke, what would have been better with the right tool. Cross-check against what BevGenie has built or planned.
Within 24 hours: send Julian a 1-page recap of what you heard, plus one concrete ask for the next session (e.g., "we'd love to come back next time with a sketch of how we'd approach automating the insights-to-innovation handoff you described — does this match what you saw?"). Schedule a follow-up.
Within the week: if not already done, send the standard FAST advisor agreement and confirm any preferences on how he wants to be referenced on BevGenie materials.
Next session (1-2 weeks): show him 1-2 BevGenie demos that match marketing-innovation workflows he described today. "When you said X about insights→innovation handoff, here's what we built — does this look right?"
Within a week — talk it over with Srini. If his answers surfaced workflows or org patterns we hadn't fully built for, worth a quick internal discussion to decide what to adjust.
Use his language: his About-section framing — "I believe words and numbers can live together... analytical rigor and creative problem-solving" — is exactly the BevGenie value proposition (data-driven decisions made human). Lift the wording for our investor narrative.