Think you and the business have what it takes?
Get investment
At Online Brands Group, we know how tough the process of raising capital can be from hands on experience.
This is why at our core we have created an open and approachable structure for you to connect. We believe this connection between founders and Online Brands Group is a great first step, regardless of any financial investments made in the future.
Our time and experience is something we gladly share and while the first time we connect may not be the right time for you and your business we aim to maintain an engaging relationship from this point and keep a close eye on your business and its progress.
We aim to operate with as much transparency as we can through the process including sharing the rationale behind decisions we make here at Online Brands Group. This we hope helps educate and add to your funding experiences. Our feedback is aimed to further educate you for future engagements.
The below is something we hope will provide a little more clarity into the fundraising process at Online Brands Group, we know how tough the process of raising capital can be, from hands on experience.
This is of course up to you but what we can say is that if you believe your business has what it takes and is showing any signs of growth and traction, then we should get connected.
It is important to recognise that growth does not always mean revenue, it could be visits, sign ups, conversion and a number of other attributes.
What we will be looking to assess is what is the problem you are trying to solve and why is it that you, your partners and your business are in the best position to do this.
As mentioned previously, we see a lot of value in the early stage connections and no matter how successful anyone is, the process of networking, sharing and learning is something we at Online Brands Group respect and always aim to maintain.
This will come back to the networking we have discussed and the ideal way is from an introduction by a shared connection we already have. We will rarely not have that first face to face meeting with a potential partner if you are supported by someone in our network of partners and friends.
That being said, we also have a way to connect and tell us a bit about yourself and the business and we review these regularly. The next step from this will be us getting in touch to request a pitch document and we will provide some guidelines as to what we would want to see in this, so it gets cut through.
This information will then be reviewed and if it looks like there is a good fit with your business and Online Brands Group we will connect. It will also help us make sure that we are connecting you with the right team member so that we can all get the most value from the call.
This tends to be a one hour meeting and is more about being a show and tell for all of us and to find out more about each of our respective businesses.
Depending on your location this can be done via a video call or ideally a face to face meeting.
Based on the information we have already received we will make sure that the relevant key stakeholders are in this meeting. This could range from a founder, partner or financial analyst or all of the above.
Online Brands Group prides itself on being professional but not stuffy so the meeting will be more like a meet and greet. In amongst this we will weave in some fact finding, so we will want you to be prepared but it’s no suit and tie event.
Once we have completed the initial meeting we’ll schedule a time for the internal team to listen to our communication on your business and what we believe our position could be. This is why we did say the kick off is casual but important to provide us with as much quality and cut to the point information you can so the internal pitch is strong as well.
If our team members who meet with you are strongly engaged and enthusiastic around your business then we will expect the team to drive a strong internal debate to take the opportunity to the next stage. This will require us to internally undertake some research, due diligence and verification on what you have told us and ensure we are prepared for the next engagement.
This meeting is now when we step into the details and it’s here we want to walk away with an extremely detailed understanding of your business. This will most likely mean connecting with new members of the team as well as potentially some from the original connection.
Be prepared that we will often ask for more information at this point because it is now important we are diving deep and making well informed decisions. This may include current and historical financials and forecasted growth projections, as well as specifics based on industry/market. This may seem daunting but we are working with you on this and there is always a compromise in some areas, especially based on your resources and internal capabilities.
Once this part is complete it is back in the hands of the internal Online Brands Group to put together the pitch. This is a process we have developed and it is about being thorough and keeping momentum, while ensuring the executive team and investors are onboard and see the same exciting opportunities to invest as the original connection team.
If the pitch is compelling then it should see things move to the next stage and this may involve asking for some additional fact finding or verification documentation or even as simple as talking with some customers of our choice and gathering raw and valuable feedback.
If you are at this point, well done things are on track and we now ask founders to meet face to face and present their vision to key stakeholders responsible for the final decisions. This should be no longer than an hour and keeping it simple and to the point works best, facts and figures as well as plans for the future and why you need our support. There is no doubt there will be some questions, many of which you should be able to answer and if not we will give you some time to get back to us. Important to note this is as much for us to find out all we can about the founders and current vision as it is for you to ask the Online Brands Group team about us and why you should consider a potential offer to partner.
Some questions that we will ask in our engagement:
The hard part is now over for you as far as this process and the team will now assess all information and make a decision which should take no longer than two weeks. If everyone is onboard and believes we should be partners, we will move to the legal work surrounding an offer. Our terms are predefined for the most part ( see our seed stage term sheet template), and our lawyers will take over at this point directing their due diligence. It is hard to put a time to this entire process, but an estimate would be between two weeks and a month. Which means if you add up all the time, and there are a number of variables that can impact this, it should be around a six to eight week process in entirety.
Once you’re in the portfolio, we are partners and there when you need us.
It's all about the team. As founders ourselves we know the importance of recruiting for key roles. We connect you with other companies in the folio, for advice, or can take a hands on role with you, in recruiting and setting up your organisational structures.
We know how important managing growth and scale in your business can be and the risks of not doing it right. At Online Brands Group we can help you set the principals and processes that will enable you to navigate these challenges.
Helping you execute your dream. We want you to succeed, your success is our success. That's why we focus a lot of time in ensuring that you can control and drive the vision, for your business dream in the future.
Apply for investment
