Event Details

Raising Capital Part 1: Finding Early-Stage Equity Investors

Wednesday, October 16, 12:00 – 12:45 p.m. PT

Free, Virtual Event


Join us for Part 1 of our Raising Capital Series, "Finding Early-Stage Equity Investors." Our expert panel will dive into current trends and actionable insights to help natural CPG products companies secure funding in today's market. We'll discuss:


• How food venture funding has fared so far in 2024, and which sectors are attracting the most investment

• How and where to start looking for early-stage capital

• Key metrics investors are focusing on in the current environment

• What corporate venture capital arms are seeking compared to angel or PE investors

• And more!


Whether you're seeking your first round of funding or positioning for growth, this session will equip you with crucial strategies for attracting early-stage investors.


Speakers

  • Don Buder (Partner at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP)

    Don Buder

    Partner at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

    https://www.dwt.com/

    Don is a strategic legal advisor and corporate counsel to emerging growth and middle-market Food & Beverage, Food Tech, and Ag Tech innovators and investors. His clients are based in the major U.S. food hubs, including the Bay Area, Boulder, Brooklyn, Austin and Los Angeles. His law firm, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP (DWT), has one of the largest food & beverage practices in the United States, with over 40 attorneys serving food venture entrepreneurs, emerging brands, larger food companies, and the private equity firms that invest in them, at every level of the food chain from "Farm to Label". Don is a Founding Faculty Member and member of the Advisory Board of the Food Business School at the Culinary Institute of America (Napa Valley). He currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the board of Directors of KCETLink TV, the public television station in LA, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Technion Society - San Francisco Chapter.

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  • Rodney Clark (Managing Partner at Aspect Consumer Partners)

    Rodney Clark

    Managing Partner at Aspect Consumer Partners

    https://aspectconsumer.com/

    Rodney Clark is Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Aspect Consumer Partners, a boutique M&A, strategic and corporate finance advisory firm based in San Francisco, California. Rodney is passionate about providing companies and entrepreneurs with the right advice to help them grow and succeed, and has spent the past 25 years focused on advising companies in Food & Beverage, Consumer Products, Health, Wellness & Lifestyle companies. His experience includes a wide variety of strategic and financial advisory assignments including, buy- and sell-side mergers and acquisitions, public offerings and private placements and Rodney has completed over $68 billion in M&A and financing transactions across a number of key industries. Rodney lives with his wife and two children in Marin County, California, and in his spare time he enjoys trail running, cycling, yoga, surfing and reading.

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  • Sam Hurster (Senior Director of Irresistiblefoods)

    Sam Hurster

    Senior Director of Irresistiblefoods

    Based in the Los Angeles, CA area, Sam leads acquisitions for Irresistible Foods Group, a family-owned food & beverage family of brands building the future in irresistible products, brands and people. He's spent much of his short career to date working with family-owned businesses through his roles in investment banking, private equity and family offices. When he's not roaming grocery stores looking for the next irresistible brand, you can find him at the beach or hiking a mountain with his wife and 6 month old son, Hayes.

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  • Dianna Tremblay (Chief Program and Strategic Initiatives Officer at ICA Fund)

    Dianna Tremblay

    Chief Program and Strategic Initiatives Officer at ICA Fund

    Dianna Tremblay is the Chief Program and Strategic Initiatives Officer at ICA Fund. She is responsible scaling their impact through ICA’s Accelerator and Alumni support, strategic initiatives, and partnerships. With 10 years of experience in program design and implementation, small business support, and cross-functional collaboration, Dianna strives to use these skills to increase equitable access to capital, coaching, and market opportunities for underserved entrepreneurs. Dianna currently serves on the boards of Naturally Bay Area, Coro NorCal, and Progeny Coffee, an ICA Fund investment portfolio company.

    Prior to joining ICA, Dianna's professional experience included sales, corporate relationship management, business development, and category management roles in e-commerce and textbook publishing. Dianna received a MBA from the Lorry I. Lokey School of Business and Public Policy at Mills College at Northeastern University and a Bachelor’s in English from California State University, East Bay.

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