YOU'RE BEST IDEAS HAPPEN AT 5:30
Get Your Brand Funded and On Shelves
You have a product you believe in. Turning that into a fundable business with a path to retail is where founders can stall.
We help founders build investor-ready business plans, get you connected with angel investors, and assist with market execution.
Over 1,000 brand pitches. Millions raised. Let’s get your brand funded.
THE HOLD UP
Why Great Products Fail to Get Funded
You have a product people love. Early customers are buying. The market opportunity is real. But when you sit down with investors, something breaks.
Your pitch deck doesn't tell the story they need to hear. Your financials don't show the metrics they care about. Your cap table has issues you didn't know existed. And the investors you're reaching? They're the wrong ones for your stage.
Most founders spend 6 to 12 months building investor materials through trial and error. By the time they figure out what works, they've burned through personal savings, strained relationships, and watched competitors pass them by.
It doesn't have to be this hard.
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Pitch decks that don't land
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Financial models investors don't trust
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No access to the right investors
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Equity structure mistakes that kill deals
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Running out of time and money
Everything You Need to Get Funded
Investors don't fund ideas. They fund compelling founders and proper infrastructure. Before writing a check, they need to see specific documents, validated financials, proper legal structure, and a clear path to returns. We build all of it with you.
Fundraising Infrastructure
The documents investors require before writing a check.
The story investors need to hear, told the way they need to hear it.
Investors see hundreds of decks. Most get dismissed in under 60 seconds. Your deck needs to communicate market opportunity, competitive advantage, and growth potential in a format investors trust. I've built brand strategies and decks that have helped raise over $300M. I know what lands and what doesn't.
Numbers that tell your growth story and prove you understand the business.
Investors don't just want to see revenue projections. They want to see that you understand unit economics, margin structure, and the capital required to hit each milestone. We build financial models that answer the questions investors ask before they ask them.
How much do you need, what are you giving up, and how is it being used?
How much you’re seeking to raise needs to align with your current sales trajectory, or it fails to close deals. Your offer, sometimes a dual offering, must be appropriately valued to be appealing. How you plan to use the money is more important than how much you need.
Governing structure that works now and doesn't create problems later.
How you structure ownership today determines how you can raise tomorrow. I've seen founders give away too much equity too early, create complicated structures that scare off later investors, or miss protective provisions they needed. I help you get the structure right from the start.
Deal structure and nomenclature that align with governance.
All too often the Subscription Agreements and Note documents don’t speak to the Operating Agreement and Bylaws. SEC exemptions must be clearly defined. All of these have serious legal implications down the road if not structured up front. I will review all your legal materials to ensure consistency, compliance, and protections.
Investor Access
Direct conversations with investors who fund brands.
Direct conversations with investors who fund brands.
Cold outreach to investors rarely works. Our partners at ThinkFish do personalized outreach on your behalf. By the time you’re meeting with a prospective investor it’s already been warmed up.
The right funding structure for your stage, goals, and timeline.
Should you raise on a priced round or a type of note? What valuation cap makes sense? What's the right discount? These decisions affect your ownership, control, and future fundraising options. I help you choose the structure that matches where you are and where you're going.
Practice with someone who knows what investors want to hear.
The pitch meeting is where deals get made or lost. I run mock investor sessions, help you anticipate tough questions, and refine your delivery until you can present with confidence. When you walk into that room, you'll be ready.
Go-to-Market Support
The operational support that turns funding into revenue.
Turn your product story into repeatable sales conversations.
Getting funded is the start. Converting that capital into revenue requires a sales engine. I help you develop your pitch to buyers, train your team on the sales process, and build the systems that turn interest into orders.
Co-packers, distributors, and logistics partners who fit your scale.
Finding the right manufacturing and distribution partners is one of the hardest parts of scaling a CPG brand. I introduce you to co-packers who work with emerging brands, distributors who understand your category, and logistics partners who can grow with you.
Positioning that resonates with customers and excites investors.
Your brand story needs to work in two directions: it needs to connect with consumers and demonstrate market opportunity to investors. I help you develop positioning, messaging, and go-to-market strategy that accomplishes both.
The backend infrastructure investors look for before they fund you.
Investors want to know you can deliver at scale. We help you build or refine your inventory management systems, fulfillment logistics, and margin analysis before you're in due diligence. Whether you're setting up 3PL partnerships, building SKU tracking, or documenting your supply chain, we make sure your operations don't become a red flag during investor review.
Get your product in front of real customers and real buyers.
Investor interest often follows retail traction. I help you identify trial opportunities, connect with retail buyers, and build the early distribution that proves demand. I've launched products in all channels to include on-premise, off-premise, chain, big box, club, c-store, Amazon & DTC.
Trusted professionals who understand CPG startups.
As you grow, you need attorneys, accountants, and HR support who understand the CPG industry. I connect you with professionals who work with emerging brands, understand your constraints, and won't overcharge for startup-stage work.
Services for CPG Founders Ready to Scale
01 BUILD YOUR FOUNDATION
Business Planning
We analyze your market, identify your competitive positioning, and build your complete business infrastructure. The emphasis is on your 3-5 strategic pillars and supporting tactics.
You get a three-year financial model with unit economics, strategic pillars that become your roadmap, competitive analysis that shows your whitespace, and a go-to-market plan with funding milestones. Everything investors need to see you've built a business, not just a product.
Best For: Pre-launch to early-stage founders who need investor-ready materials before they can raise capital.
02 GET PITCH-READY
Market Execution
Everything in Business Planning, plus pitch training. We create your brand deck, investor pitch deck, and financial deck. We draft your PPM and operating agreements. We train you to pitch investors, handle objections, and negotiate terms. We connect you with production partners and suppliers.
Best for: Founders ready to raise $250K-$2M who need all materials built and coaching to close deals.
Two decks investors expect to see: your brand story, your funding ask, and your numbers. We build all these, so they tell one cohesive story that makes saying yes easy.
The legal structure that defines ownership, decision rights, and what happens when things change. We help you get this right before investors ask about it.
Two ways to structure your raise, each with tradeoffs. We help you choose the right structure for your stage and negotiate terms that protect your upside.
Direct introductions to co-packers, suppliers, distributors, brokers, and agencies we've worked with for years. No cold emails. No vetting strangers.
The operational infrastructure investors look for: inventory management, fulfillment logistics, and margin analysis. We help you build or refine these before due diligence.
Strategies to get your product in consumers' hands before you scale. Sampling events, influencer seeding, demo programs that generate proof of demand.
Vetted referrals to attorneys, accountants, HR providers, and other specialists CPG brands need. Our network saves you from vetting vendors yourself.
How to sell to retail buyers, not just investors. We train you on the language, objections, and expectations buyers at Total Wine, Target, Whole Foods, and regional chains actually have.
The questions investors will ask and how to answer them. We run you through mock pitches until you walk into every meeting prepared.
Introductions to vetted co-packers, ingredient suppliers, and packaging companies. We know who delivers and who doesn't.
Go-to-market plans that show investors you know how to create demand. Sampling programs, retail activation, digital strategy mapped to a detailed budget.
03 WE PITCH WITH YOU
Fundraising
Everything in Market Execution, plus we do the work alongside you. Our partners at ThinkFish do personalized outreach. We attend your investor meetings and help you close deals. We help you evaluate term sheets and negotiate your round. We stay with you until the money hits your account.
Best For: Founders raising $500K-$3M who need operators with the network and experience to get deals closed.
We and our partners create personal profiles to do outreach and engagement with investors in your industry. We guarantee introductions and 1-on-1 pitch opportunities with investors who’ve been vetted and have specific interest in your brand.
We customize communications and pitches to reel in conversations for you. You also gain direct access to these contacts to use for your current and future business needs.
Not sure what you need?
Most CPG founders spend 6-12 months and $50K building the wrong materials. Or they run out of cash first.
Book a free 30-minute assessment. We'll review what you have, tell you what investors will ask for, and recommend the right path forward.
RETAIL BRANDS WE'VE HELPED GROW
CPG BRANDS WE'VE HELPED FUND & PLACE
ABOUT
Your Brand.
Our Experience.
We've been on every side of the table: founder, investor, advisor, board member.
We've spent 30+ years doing exactly that. We've built strategies and helped raise over $300 million for CPG brands. We've developed relationships with investors who actively fund food and beverage companies. We've launched products across all sales channels for brands unheard of to Fortune 100.
And here's what we've learned: most founders don't fail because of their products. They fail because they don't have the infrastructure investors require or they don't know how to get in front of the right people.
We build the foundation investors need to see. Then we go find you the investors who fund brands like yours.
You stay the founder. We handle what you don't have time to build.
You bring the vision. We bring the team, the materials, and the operational experience to get you funded and on shelves.
THE NETWORK BEHIND YOU
Two Operators. One Mission.
We have connections throughout the food and beverage industry that will help bring your idea to market. With so many moving pieces in running a successful brand, we save you from vetting countless vendors and service providers.
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Wine & Spirits Suppliers
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Ingredients Suppliers
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Co-Packers
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Can & Bottle Suppliers
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Packaging Companies
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Graphic Designers
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Marketing Specialists
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Recruiters
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CRM System Providers
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Distributors
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B2C Delivery Companies
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Accountants
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Legal Experts
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Payroll Providers
HERE'S WHY
Founder
Dale LaFlam
30+ years retail and CPG. Taught category strategy for Walmart buyers. Expanded Quiksilver from 6 to 140+ North American locations. Personally raised capital to open Cultivation Kitchen and launch Curation Bev Co. When you need retail buyer relationships, launch strategies, and funding experience, Dale's done it hundreds of times.
Ben Padnos
Early Yahoo employee who watched a startup become a household name. Invested in 12+ startups including a unicorn exit. 20+ years scaling companies from seed stage to acquisition. When you need growth strategy, capital structure advice, and someone who's been on both sides of the investor table, Ben's built it before.