ATLANTA — Founders Row, a venture studio and platform partner designed for founder-led consumer businesses, is partnering with Hot Box Pretzels, a direct-to-consumer pretzel brand created by Roman Desmond.
As the firm’s first-ever minority investment, this collaboration has been in the works since 2023 when Desmond reached out to Jamie Weeks, creator of Founders Row, seeking guidance for his budding business.
“Roman messaged me when he freshly dropped out of college and had one food truck selling pretzels locally in Jacksonville, FL, but he had the ambition to take this nationwide,” Weeks said. “That’s the exact kind of founder Founders Row exists to support, someone with vision and appetite who needs a platform behind them.”
Since then, Hot Box Pretzels has evolved from a food truck into a modern pretzel brand utilizing high-quality ingredients and seed oil-free recipes to elevate the traditional pretzel experience.
Through this partnership, Hot Box Pretzels will learn about the structure and systems needed to scale the business. Founders Row will supply the emerging brand with hands-on operational and creative tactics to drive growth.
“Jamie saying yes to that first message completely changed the trajectory of Hot Box Pretzels and me as a founder,” Desmond said. “Founders Row isn’t just an investor; it’s the partner I needed to turn an idea into a real, scalable business. What excites me most about this partnership is the opportunity to learn, absorbing as much as I can to build the strongest foundation possible for this company and for everything I create in the future. I’m not in this for quick wins. I love building, I love the process, and being the first investment in Founders Row is something I’m incredibly proud of.”
