George Clooney’s New Beer Startup Is Copying an Elite Growth Strategy Most Founders Can’t Touch

How Crazy Mountain plans to capitalize on one of its co-founders’ network of ultra-luxe vacation clubs.

BY ALI DONALDSON, STAFF REPORTER @ALICDONALDSON

George Clooney. Photos: Getty Images; Courtesy Crazy Mountain

When George Clooney and his Casamigos co-founders Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman announced they were launching non-alcoholic beer brand Crazy Mountain last month, the startup felt a bit late to the game. 

Athletic Brewing, the booze-free brain child of Bill Shufelt, a former trader at Steve Cohen’s famed hedge fund Point72 Asset Management, and brewer John Walker, was already the undisputed market leader, and its rapid ascent showed no sign of tapering off. The company, which launched in 2017, has carved out more than 50 percent market share and landed on the Inc. 5000 for the past four straight........

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