#80 From turning down Shark Tank offers to raising $2.7 million for Nopalera with Sandra Velasquez

I love that I get to bring you more Shark Tank content so soon, and with one of my favorite people. Today’s guest is Sandra Velasquez, the CEO & Founder of Nopalera, and a very early member of the Startup CPG community. Nopalera creates Mexican botanicals for bath & body, and as you’ll hear, have become a staple in my life. Sandra appeared on Shark Tank last month during Season 14, Episode 12, and I’m so glad she agreed to come on the show and share the details with us. You don’t need to pre-watch the episode to enjoy the conversation, but I definitely recommend tuning in to watch Sandra’s incredible pitch and how she gracefully received and ultimately turned down two offers from the Sharks. Nopalera also recently closed a fundraising round of $2.7 million unrelated to Shark Tank!

Listen in as Sandra shares about:

• The process of applying to Shark Tank and preparing to air from the opening pitch to outfit vetting
• How eerily quiet the time in the Tank is
• Sandra’s affirmations and prep going into the Tank
• How her team prepped for consumer demand and the real numbers from Amazon and their website after airing (Sandra really gives us the nitty gritty details and I love it!)
• The process of raising $2.7 million including valuation work and legal fees to expect
• How Sandra developed a fundraising network from scratch
• What’s next at Nopalera
• And more!

You also may notice our intro music is a little different, I wanted to feature a song from Sandra’s band, Pistolera - this is "Nuevos Ojos", which was featured in Season 4, Episode 12 of the show Breaking Bad.

Episode Links:

• Nopalera website & IG/TicTok handle @nopalera.co
• Sandra’s LinkedIn
• The Nopalera Podcast
• Link to Season 14, Episode 12 of Shark Tank
• Mitú article: "Why Nopalera CEO Sandra Velasquez Chose To Decline Two ‘Shark Tank’ Deals"
• Other Startup CPG Shark Tank episodes: #77 Making a deal on Shark Tank with wildwonder's Rosa Li, #57 Shark Tank, Sea Moss, and an Ocean of Potential with Alexiou Gibson
• Brand mentions: Luna Magic, Liquid Death

Show Links:

• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (10K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Jessi's Linkedin or website
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com