Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n\n- Hirsch founded Think Jerky, a meat snack focused on chef-crafted flavors, in 2015.<\/li>\n
- Elizabeth Holmes eats the brand\u2019s honey sriracha flavor in \u2018You Can See Everything.\u2019<\/li>\n
- Sales spiked 345% \u2014 and Hirsch is committed to capitalizing on the unexpected virality.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
On October 16, Ricky Hirsch\u2019s meat snack startup Think Jerky<\/a> experienced an unscripted marketing moment so crazy it\u2019s \u201cnot even once in a lifetime,\u201d the founder and CEO tells Entrepreneur<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\nFounder and CEO Ricky Hirsch. Image Credit: Courtesy of Think Jerky<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nHirsch launched Think Jerky in 2015, building on his finance background and creative inclinations to start a \u201ccool\u201d jerky brand with a minimalist design and unique, chef-crafted flavors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The brand\u2019s sriracha honey flavor, created by Michelin-starred and two-time James Beard Award-winning chef Gale Gand, landed in the spotlight last month.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was completely unexpected.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Think Jerky makes a cameo in You Can See Everything<\/em><\/h2>\nHirsch was watching poker on television at his home in Austin, Texas, when he received a text from one of his employees.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was in New York and had just attended a screening of You Can See Everything<\/em>, Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim\u2019s A24 meta-documentary featuring Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in the lead-up to her federal prison sentence. <\/p>\nHolmes was convicted of one count of conspiracy alongside three wire fraud charges stemming from more than $140 million in investor losses in 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u200aI was familiar with Elizabeth Holmes,\u201d Hirsch says. \u201cI\u2019m in the business world, so that always intrigued me. And I saw the Hulu series. I was not familiar with Nathan Fielder at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hirsch\u2019s employee was \u201cfreaking out\u201d over Think Jerky\u2019s cameo, the founder recalls.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/11\/SH.jpg\")
Image Credit: Courtesy of Think Jerky<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIn You Can See Everything<\/em>, Holmes requests turkey jerky from the prison vending machine. The scene is reenacted with Amanda Seyfried, who plays Holmes in Hulu\u2019s The Dropout<\/em>. At one point, the camera pans to the vending machine \u2014 \u201cit\u2019s like product placement, the best, most beautiful shot,\u201d Hirsch says. <\/p>\nThe film ends with Holmes and her husband Billy Evans eating Think Jerky.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Handing out Think Jerky in front of the theater <\/h2>\n
Hirsch decided to see the film for himself the next day, but he still had no idea how much the on-screen moment would change his business. \u201cI brought some jerky with me,\u201d Hirsch says. \u201cAnd when it came on screen, I was overwhelmed. I was like, This is wild<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\nThe founder walked out of the theater in Austin with about 30 bags of jerky in tow. He started handing them out to people \u2014 and they \u201cwere freaking out.\u201d It was a sign of things to come.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Within two weeks, Think Jerky\u2019s honey sriracha sales were up 345% on the company\u2019s website and 92% on Amazon. Someone posted on X that the Texas supermarket chain H-E-B had sold out of \u201cthe Elizabeth Holmes jerky.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/11\/SH-3.jpg?w=1024\")
Image Credit: Courtesy of Think Jerky<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nReddit forums dissected what Think Jerky might represent as a narrative symbol. (\u201cThey think it symbolizes manipulation or control. There\u2019s all these theories\u201d). Fans dressed up as the Think Jerky bag for Halloween (\u201cYou have to make that costume\u201d). YouTube videos discussed it. Restaurants reached out for collaborations. People hawked fake merchandise.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf somebody wanted to pay for this publicity, it\u2019s in the millions of dollars,\u201d Hirsch says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hirsch chalks up some of the virality to how the brand\u2019s name \u2014 \u201cThink\u201d Jerky \u2014 plays right into the \u201cwild,\u201d layered film and becomes its own sort of small character.<\/p>\n
Adding fuel to Think Jerky\u2019s marketing fire<\/h2>\n
Now, the founder is determined to add as much fuel to the marketing fire as possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s a tall order for a fully bootstrapped company with four employees. \u201cPeople are stepping up, our significant others are stepping up and all that, but we are not a big business,\u201d Hirsch says. \u201cWe do not have a big team. We never raised money, which is very unique in my industry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hirsch acknowledges that people might not remember Think Jerky\u2019s logo or company name in five years, but they might remember the shot of that bag. So he\u2019s doing his best to make it a meme and keep the conversation going.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tomorrow, the team flies to San Diego for the Food & Wine festival. Gale Gand will make an egg dish (another humorous nod to the film) and top it with the jerky. The team is also planning lookalike contests, where they\u2019ll hand out jerky and display a cutout of Holmes.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/11\/SH-4.jpg?w=1024\")
Image Credit: Courtesy of Think Jerky<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nContinuing to lean into the viral moment<\/h2>\n
Sales remain strong, and Hirsch anticipates selling out. Think Jerky has about 60 days\u2019 worth of finished inventory in reserve to meet the demand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Currently, the brand is revamping its website, which will be complete in about a month, for a \u201csoft rebrand\u201d that fully captures the product\u2019s chef-crafted approach. Think Jerky is also launching new products, including a Thanksgiving turkey stick made with four-time James Beard Award-winner Andrew Zimmern.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Looking ahead, Hirsch would be very interested in raising money for Think Jerky with the right partner. \u201c\u200aIf Daniel Lubetzky wants to talk to me, I would love to talk to Daniel Lubetzky,\u201d the founder says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hirsch is excited to continue leaning into Think Jerky\u2019s surprise breakout and explosive growth.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u200aI thought it was going fade maybe, after the third weekend, but it\u2019s growing,\u201d Hirsch says. \u201cPeople are reaching out, people want to collaborate. I want to introduce my creative marketing and hopefully bring our company to a new level.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n\nKey Takeaways<\/h2>\n\n- Hirsch founded Think Jerky, a meat snack focused on chef-crafted flavors, in 2015.<\/li>\n
- Elizabeth Holmes eats the brand\u2019s honey sriracha flavor in \u2018You Can See Everything.\u2019<\/li>\n
- Sales spiked 345% \u2014 and Hirsch is committed to capitalizing on the unexpected virality.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
On October 16, Ricky Hirsch\u2019s meat snack startup Think Jerky<\/a> experienced an unscripted marketing moment so crazy it\u2019s \u201cnot even once in a lifetime,\u201d the founder and CEO tells Entrepreneur<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hirsch launched Think Jerky in 2015, building on his finance background and creative inclinations to start a \u201ccool\u201d jerky brand with a minimalist design and unique, chef-crafted flavors.\u00a0<\/p>\n The brand\u2019s sriracha honey flavor, created by Michelin-starred and two-time James Beard Award-winning chef Gale Gand, landed in the spotlight last month.\u00a0<\/p>\n It was completely unexpected.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hirsch was watching poker on television at his home in Austin, Texas, when he received a text from one of his employees.\u00a0<\/p>\n She was in New York and had just attended a screening of You Can See Everything<\/em>, Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim\u2019s A24 meta-documentary featuring Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in the lead-up to her federal prison sentence. <\/p>\n Holmes was convicted of one count of conspiracy alongside three wire fraud charges stemming from more than $140 million in investor losses in 2022.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aI was familiar with Elizabeth Holmes,\u201d Hirsch says. \u201cI\u2019m in the business world, so that always intrigued me. And I saw the Hulu series. I was not familiar with Nathan Fielder at all.\u201d<\/p>\n Hirsch\u2019s employee was \u201cfreaking out\u201d over Think Jerky\u2019s cameo, the founder recalls.\u00a0<\/p>\n In You Can See Everything<\/em>, Holmes requests turkey jerky from the prison vending machine. The scene is reenacted with Amanda Seyfried, who plays Holmes in Hulu\u2019s The Dropout<\/em>. At one point, the camera pans to the vending machine \u2014 \u201cit\u2019s like product placement, the best, most beautiful shot,\u201d Hirsch says. <\/p>\n The film ends with Holmes and her husband Billy Evans eating Think Jerky.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hirsch decided to see the film for himself the next day, but he still had no idea how much the on-screen moment would change his business. \u201cI brought some jerky with me,\u201d Hirsch says. \u201cAnd when it came on screen, I was overwhelmed. I was like, This is wild<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n The founder walked out of the theater in Austin with about 30 bags of jerky in tow. He started handing them out to people \u2014 and they \u201cwere freaking out.\u201d It was a sign of things to come.\u00a0<\/p>\n Within two weeks, Think Jerky\u2019s honey sriracha sales were up 345% on the company\u2019s website and 92% on Amazon. Someone posted on X that the Texas supermarket chain H-E-B had sold out of \u201cthe Elizabeth Holmes jerky.\u201d<\/p>\n Reddit forums dissected what Think Jerky might represent as a narrative symbol. (\u201cThey think it symbolizes manipulation or control. There\u2019s all these theories\u201d). Fans dressed up as the Think Jerky bag for Halloween (\u201cYou have to make that costume\u201d). YouTube videos discussed it. Restaurants reached out for collaborations. People hawked fake merchandise.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf somebody wanted to pay for this publicity, it\u2019s in the millions of dollars,\u201d Hirsch says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hirsch chalks up some of the virality to how the brand\u2019s name \u2014 \u201cThink\u201d Jerky \u2014 plays right into the \u201cwild,\u201d layered film and becomes its own sort of small character.<\/p>\n Now, the founder is determined to add as much fuel to the marketing fire as possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n But that\u2019s a tall order for a fully bootstrapped company with four employees. \u201cPeople are stepping up, our significant others are stepping up and all that, but we are not a big business,\u201d Hirsch says. \u201cWe do not have a big team. We never raised money, which is very unique in my industry.\u201d<\/p>\n Hirsch acknowledges that people might not remember Think Jerky\u2019s logo or company name in five years, but they might remember the shot of that bag. So he\u2019s doing his best to make it a meme and keep the conversation going.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tomorrow, the team flies to San Diego for the Food & Wine festival. Gale Gand will make an egg dish (another humorous nod to the film) and top it with the jerky. The team is also planning lookalike contests, where they\u2019ll hand out jerky and display a cutout of Holmes.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sales remain strong, and Hirsch anticipates selling out. Think Jerky has about 60 days\u2019 worth of finished inventory in reserve to meet the demand.\u00a0<\/p>\n Currently, the brand is revamping its website, which will be complete in about a month, for a \u201csoft rebrand\u201d that fully captures the product\u2019s chef-crafted approach. Think Jerky is also launching new products, including a Thanksgiving turkey stick made with four-time James Beard Award-winner Andrew Zimmern.\u00a0<\/p>\n Looking ahead, Hirsch would be very interested in raising money for Think Jerky with the right partner. \u201c\u200aIf Daniel Lubetzky wants to talk to me, I would love to talk to Daniel Lubetzky,\u201d the founder says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hirsch is excited to continue leaning into Think Jerky\u2019s surprise breakout and explosive growth.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aI thought it was going fade maybe, after the third weekend, but it\u2019s growing,\u201d Hirsch says. \u201cPeople are reaching out, people want to collaborate. I want to introduce my creative marketing and hopefully bring our company to a new level.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nThink Jerky makes a cameo in You Can See Everything<\/em><\/h2>\n
Handing out Think Jerky in front of the theater <\/h2>\n
Adding fuel to Think Jerky\u2019s marketing fire<\/h2>\n
Continuing to lean into the viral moment<\/h2>\n
Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/11\/Me.jpg?w=683\")