Raising Series A Financing in a Challenging Market

About the Episode

Ever wondered what it’s like to raise capital in a Series A round? Listen to Guillaume Thomas, founder and CEO of Martingale Cognac, discuss his experience raising capital for his cognac startup. Find out how he convinced people to invest, what his greatest challenge was, and what he learnt from his investors.

The biggest challenge when you’re an entrepreneur and you raise money is feeling the responsibility of not wanting to disappoint those people. They trusted me and they invested their hard-earned money into my project.

Guillaume Thomas

What You’ll Learn

• Investor Due Diligence is More About Vision Than Financials: For early-stage startups, investors will want to know more about your business strategy, brand differentiation, and team quality than detailed financial projections.
• Time Commitment is Critical in Fundraising: Raising capital can consume 30-50% of a founder’s time, and entrepreneurs must be prepared to dedicate significant energy to investor meetings and presentations.
• Valuation is Negotiation, Not Strict Calculation: There’s no precise formula for valuing early-stage companies, and founders should be willing to accept dilution in exchange for resources to grow the business.
• Build a Diverse Investor Base: Having a mix of investor types can provide different benefits (industry experts, small investors as brand ambassadors).
• Resilience and Networking Matter Most: Not every investor meeting will be successful, but each interaction provides learning opportunities and potential future connections. 

Topics Covered

Want More? Related Resources: 

• The Impact of AI, Fintech, and Fundraising on M&A
• Raising Value: A Fresh Perspective
• Behind the Scenes – From Startup to a $441 Million Exit

Meet Our Guest

Guillaume Thomas

Founder and CEO, Martingale Cognac | New York, USA

Guillaume Thomas blends a corporate background with entrepreneurship as the founder and CEO of Martingale Cognacs, launching the 4th generation family business of crafting cognacs into their own private label. Prior to starting this business, Guillaume spent 25 years in the corporate world, working with PE firms and corporations, focusing on strategic analysis of target companies and their fit with large corporate strategies. He also spent 18 of those years as part of the M&A team for Pernod Ricard in Europe and the United States, working on transactions ranging from multi-billion dollar deals to small bolt-on acquisitions.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guillaume-thomas-352b5b/