For DTC businesses, nothing beats TRUST. It can make—or break—companies, even consumer giants. One of our portfolio companies, Musely, is challenging the norm. It has been named one of USA TODAY’s Most Trusted Brands 2026. In Beauty & Health, Musely ranked #7 with a 5-star rating (#57 among the top 500 brands overall), alongside iconic names like Colgate, Neutrogena, Bath & Body Works, and Oakley—and ahead of consumer giants such as Ulta, Sephora, CVS, and household brands like Advil, Clinique, and Oral-B. So why do consumers trust a 6-year-old telehealth brand the same way they trust products that have been around for decades—or even centuries?

The answer lies in the rigorous methodology used by USA TODAY:

• Independent research across 20,000+ brands• 23,000 consumers surveyed, generating 760,000 reviews

• 40% weight on: “Would you recommend this to friends and family?”

• Another 40% on five key drivers: likelihood to buy, trust & transparency, emotional connection, and personal value.

At its core, the methodology asks a simple question: Would consumers buy this themselves—and recommend it to the people they care about? That is the essence of brand value. Trust builds brands. Brands help consumers shortcut decisions. And strong brands spread through word of mouth. A recent study found 88% of consumers say trust is as important as cost and quality when choosing a brand. In many ways, trust is a brand value.

Musely, like many successful Silicon Valley startups, earns trust the same way great companies always have: by delivering products that truly work. As Steve Jobs once said: “Good PR educates people; that’s all it is. You can’t con people in this business. The products speak for themselves.”Trust starts with an exceptional product. It really is that simple.

At TSVC, we’ve always believed trust sits at the center of everything. We trust our founders—the people who make the impossible happen.

Another TSVC portfolio company, Zoom, has also ranked among the most trusted brands despite intense competition from global giants. Its trust comes from delivering clear value and remarkable usability.

Musely is doing something equally distinctive. Rather than focusing solely on treating illness, they are building a new category of telehealth for skincare and wellness—developing and compounding 20+ effective solutions across skin, body, hair, menopause, longevity, and more. We love their vision: “Look Good. Live Better.” Excited to watch Jack Jia and the Musely team build a consumer giant from scratch.