Matt Meeker, the founder and CEO of dog-centric brand Bark Inc. (NYSE:BARK), is shifting his investor relations playbook away from Wall Street's traditional institutions and toward the growing force of individual retail investors.
In a recent interview with Matt Joanou for Marketopolis by Benzinga, Meeker declared that the old methods of courting large funds are no longer sufficient, signaling a strategic pivot to engage directly with shareholders on platforms like X and Discord.
Check out BARK's stock price here.
Bark Hits The Profitability Milestone
The move comes after Meeker returned to lead the company through a critical turnaround. After stabilizing BARK’s finances and achieving its first full year of positive EBITDA, his focus has now shifted to navigating the public markets more effectively.
He argued that for a company of Bark’s size, the traditional roadshow is a misallocation of resources. "We're talking to the wrong people," Meeker stated bluntly, explaining that it’s structurally difficult for large institutional funds to take a meaningful position in the company at its current scale.
Focus Shifts To Attracting ‘New Sophisticated Retail Investor’
Meeker is turning his attention to a new class of empowered individual investors. He acknowledged a fundamental shift in market dynamics, noting that the modern retail investor is more influential than ever. "The world has changed," he said. "The retail investor is much more active and drives the performance of a stock much more."
To connect with this crucial audience, Meeker plans to abandon outdated communication norms in favor of direct, authentic engagement. He stressed the importance of adapting to the new landscape where investors gather, share information, and make decisions.
"You've got to meet them where they are and speak their language," he explained, expressing excitement about personally engaging with investors on their preferred digital platforms. This strategic shift reflects a broader trend of public companies recognizing the need to build relationships with their individual shareholders.
See Also: BARK Lowers Q2 Sales Guidance from $123.000M
‘Disney For Dogs’: A World Built From A Dog's Eye View
This pivot in communication strategy is part of a larger, ambitious vision for the company. With a stable financial foundation now in place, Meeker aims to expand BARK far beyond its well-known BarkBox subscriptions.
He envisions building the "Disney for dogs," creating an entire ecosystem of products and experiences for pets as cherished family members. The recent launch of BARK Air, an airline designed for dogs to travel comfortably with their owners, is just the first step in a broader mission to innovate in a market Meeker believes has been stagnant for decades.
Price Action
Shares of Bark closed 1.94% higher on Tuesday at $0.83 per share, and it was down 2.48% in after-hours. It was 2.78% lower in premarket on Wednesday. With a $137.64 million market capitalization, the stock has declined 56.04% on a year-to-date basis and 47.75% over the last year.
Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings indicate that BARK maintains a weaker price trend in the short, medium, and long terms. Additional performance details are available here.
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&P 500 index and Nasdaq 100 index, respectively, fell in premarket on Wednesday. The SPY was down 0.49% at $662.91, while the QQQ declined 0.56% to $596.66, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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