KINGS

Pitch decks are supposed to be short.

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VIBE CODED Vacation co-founders Lach Hall (left) and Dakota Green

Anyone who's ever tried to raise funding knows that: Get in, explain your value, state the total addressable market, and get out. You're definitely not supposed to dream up a 42-page "investor prospectus" that looks like it was Xeroxed in 1986.

Yet Dakota Green and Lach Hall did exactly that with the deck for Vacation, the Miami-based sunscreen brand they founded, which caused a minor stir among venture capitalists in 2020. The prospectus included snapshots of beaches and pool parties with sunbathers in strapless bikinis. The closer was a call to investors to fax a "cheque" to "1-800-Invest-Now." It eventually landed in the hands of Roth Martin, co-founder of the shoe brand Rothy's, who says it was "one of the most captivating pitch decks" he'd ever seen. He signed on as an angel investor alongside the likes of AG1 CEO Kat Cole, and RXBar and David co-founder Peter Rahal.

In the four years since Vacation's launch, Hall, 39, and Green, 38, have built on the pitch deck's promise by creating a rare brand that inspires genuine affection among its investors, customers, and employees. Its winning formula of disciplined brand marketing, big-tent community building, and viral product launches yielded nearly $40 million in retail sales in 2024. Revenue is expected to double this year, according to The Wall Street Journal.