We’ve heard on the show before how big of an undertaking fundraising is from both founders and investors, but we haven’t had a chance yet to really dig into the legal side. When Paul from Aura Bora was on the show last year, he shouted out Giannuzzi Lewendon for helping their team during fundraising (episode #68 if you haven’t checked it out yet), so we reached out to Partner Ryan Lewendon, to see if he’d be willing to sit down with us and talk all things fundraising, mergers & acquisitions, and legal help unique to CPG companies.

Listen in today as Ryan shares about:

• Where attorneys can help in the fundraising process
• Tips for navigating SAFE notes and common pitfalls
• Tips for navigating priced rounds
• What to understand about exits before you start raising money
• Alternatives to exiting via sale of your company
• The current fundraising and M&A (mergers & acquisitions) climate and tips for navigating
• And more!

If you are new to the fundraising topic, I recommend episode #60 Venture Capital & Private Equity 101 and/or #70 Angel Investing 101 to help define key terms that will be used.

And stay tuned at the end for a special mini interview with Startup CPG Shelfie Award winner, Balkan Bites (41:16). I can’t say enough about how much I love their incredible pastries and you won’t want to miss the founding story with Ariana.

Episode Links:

• Giannuzzi Lewendon website
• Ryan’s LinkedIn
• Brands mentioned: Propeller, VMG, Aura Bora, Mid-Day Squares, Vitamin Water, Siggi’s
• Other fundraising episodes: 
  • #60 Venture Capital & Private Equity 101
  • #68 How to Raise $10 Million: Fundraising Aura Bora Style
  • #70 Angel Investing 101
• Balkan Bites Links: 
  • Balkan Bites website
  • Ariana’s LinkedIn

Show Links:

• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (11K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Jessi's Linkedin or website
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email Jessi at jessi@startupcpg.com