Maya French, Founder of Koia, joins MONEY TALKS with Jesse to chat about her journey from humble beginnings to building a massive company that’s sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of plant-based protein drinks. She discusses the challenges of raising institutional funding as well as maintaining creativity and authenticity in product development. Maya's story is an inspiring example of entrepreneurial success in the food and beverage industry.

TIMESTAMP:

[00:00:08] Creativity and institutional funding.

[00:05:32] Shared kitchens and co-packers.

[00:07:40] Managing quality in business.

[00:11:54] The turning point

[00:13:38] Potential acquisition of the company.

[00:17:48] Raising money as a Ponzi scheme.

[00:21:15] Exciting orders from Whole Foods.

[00:24:30] Rebranding and Legal Issues.

[00:26:05] Large purchase order challenges.

[00:29:22] Production run fails.

[00:33:16] High-profile celebrity investors.

[00:35:50] Alternative ways of funding.

[00:39:13] Young person with a new brand.

[00:42:20] Losing brand identity in acquisitions.

[00:45:09] Founders' burnout and life.

[00:47:26] Founders' financial struggles in startups.

[00:51:10] Launching rapid innovation brands.

[00:54:06] Protein and dietary trends.

[00:57:10] Retirement and learning after exit.

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Koia Founder: How I Sold $500M of Protein Shakes