Investor Dinner: The Marketplace for Frozen Food

Join a curated group of Austin investors and operators for an evening of conversation and a private chef-curated dinner.

On November 11, Ruben Cortez and Wesley O’Brien, co-founders of Frozen Logistics and the Delivered Cold platform, will join us for a fireside chat on building the marketplace where any frozen food maker reaches every freezer in America: how makers of any size now sell to a nationwide customer through one checkout and one frozen box, and why the cold network underneath it is the part no one else can copy.

Delivered Cold (deliveredcold.com) is where frozen food makers sell direct. Shoppers build one box from a growing list of makers, from Texas smokehouses and Louisiana gumbo to craft ice cream and plant-based kitchens, and it arrives frozen anywhere in the lower 48. Sellers get a storefront, a nationwide customer, and a share of every order without building a cold chain of their own. The company owns the whole stack, from storefront and checkout to the freezer and the carriers, so a single pint from a small maker can ride in the same box as four others. On their own, makers can’t afford to ship that pint. Together, they can.

Storefront sales nearly tripled in 2025. On October 21, the team relaunched the platform, rebuilt in five weeks: a new storefront with saved boxes and seller exclusives, a self-serve seller hub, and an operating console wired to every marketing channel. Auto-delivery subscriptions launch in November.

We’ll explore what it takes to build a two-sided marketplace in a category online grocery has barely touched, how sellers become the growth channel, and where the frozen aisle goes next.

The evening brings together private investors, family offices, and executives with experience across consumer brands, food, marketplaces, and e-commerce for a candid discussion and an opportunity to connect over dinner.

Check out their deck ahead of the evening.

Agenda:

6:00 PM: Wine and networking

6:30 PM: Opening remarks with Astronomic CEO Chris Beaman

6:45 PM: Fireside chat with Delivered Cold co-founders Ruben Cortez and Wesley O'Brien

7:15 PM: Investor Q&A | What Does It Take to Build the Marketplace for Frozen Food?

7:45 PM: Private chef-curated dinner and networking

Dress: Business Casual

Featured:

Ruben Cortez — Co-founder & CEO at Delivered Cold

Wesley O'Brien — Co-founder & Chief Logistics Officer at Delivered Cold

Chris Beaman — CEO at Astronomic (Host)

The Investment Deck

About Investor Dinners by Astronomic

Astronomic Investor Dinners bring together curated groups of investors and operators around companies and markets we think are worth examining. They're designed for substantive conversation, new relationships, and the opportunity to explore an investment when there's mutual interest.

There is never any obligation or expectation to invest.

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Astronomic Inc does not provide investment advice, recommend or endorse investment opportunities, or participate in securities transactions. Any investment discussions occur solely between investors and presenting companies.