The Realities of Investment and Good Food Business: A Candid Conversation with Melissa Facchina About Finding the Right Investor and Navigating Expectations

The Good Food CFO podcast

For a Good Food Business there are many paths to success, and for some that path may include outside investment.

But today’s Venture Capital landscape can be difficult to navigate, with high expectations for returns, investors that don’t quite understand your business, and the overall slow down of venture funding in the last year.

In this episode, Sarah is joined by Melissa Facchina, Co-Founder & Co-Managing Partner of Siddhi Capital. Growing up in the food industry and working in her father's factory, Melissa went on to support more than 300 food and beverage clients through her first venture, Siddhi Ops. Since March 2020, she has served as Managing Partner at Siddhi Capital, which she co-founded with Steven Finn that manages an early-stage venture capital fund in the food and beverage industry.

In 2019, Melissa co-founded, and sits on the board of, a non-profit organization called the Women on Boards Project which was formed to ensure that board seats in the consumer packaged goods industry are filled by diverse women.

Sarah and Melissa discuss the evolution of funding in the food industry. The investment world is tricky, and Melissa didn't shy away from discussing the pressures and expectations that come with it. They dove into the importance of picking the right investors and staying true to your business's core values, especially in today's capital-constrained environment. She emphasized the need for practicality and sound business fundamentals amidst investor pressure for growth.

You’ll hear Sarah and Melissa discuss:

• Melissa's experience in the dairy factory and her passion for being an efficient operator

• The founding of Siddhi Ops and its role in launching, scaling, and de-risking businesses

• The challenges of financial forecasting and the need for realistic projections

• Investor-created pressure for unrealistic growth targets and its consequences for good food founders

• Different life cycles of businesses and the varying paths to success, including the impact of outside investment

Bonus Clip from this episode:

What you MUST consider before working with an Investor

Connect with Melissa

Website: Siddhi Capital

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