Founder Fundraising Journey: Victor Guardiola, Bawi

In this Founder Fundraising Journey episode, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Victor Guardiola, Founder and CEO of Bawi, a sparkling agua fresca brand bringing authentic Hispanic flavors into the modern beverage aisle with a healthier twist. Beyond the product, Victor is equally driven by a mission to increase representation for Latino and minority founders in CPG.Victor's path started with a food and beverage entrepreneurship practicum at UT Austin's McCombs School of Business, where he uncovered the data behind sugar-sweetened beverages' outsized impact on the Hispanic community and realized there was no mass-market, better-for-you Hispanic beverage to fill that gap. From there, he spent months selling on tap at farmer's markets, cold-emailing hundreds of potential investors, and eventually landing his first checks from Austin business figures like Patrick Terry of P. Terry's.Hannah and Victor dig into the brutal reality of raising a first round without a "rich uncle," the tipping-point moment when a notable investor's name unlocked the rest of the round, and how Bawi is now scaling food service and retail density across its two core markets, Texas and California.Listen in as they discuss:Why 80% of initial startup funding comes from friends and family, and what that means for founders without that accessHow a UT Austin entrepreneurship practicum turned into the idea for a mass-market Hispanic beverageSelling agua fresca on tap at farmer's markets, carbonating overnight in a commercial kitchen until 3amLanding the first equity round from Patrick Terry of P. Terry's and Torchy's Tacos founder Mike RypkaThe "golden follow-up": how one notable investor joining the cap table triggered a tipping pointWhy cold-emailing without leading with a pitch dramatically increases response ratesBuilding initial retail density through independents and the natural channel before chasing national programsThe risk of emerging-brand retail programs that can hang small brands out to dryRestructuring go-to-market strategy around food service in Texas and California, and the Cosmic Coffee case studyVictor's mission to provide a healthier alternative to sugar-laden big beverage offerings Slack Q&A: how to structure an elevator pitch and initial outreach emailEpisode Links:Victor Guardiola - Founder & CEO, Bawi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victorhguardiola/Email: [email protected]: @vichgWebsite: drinkbawi.comDon't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.Show Links:Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to "Transcript" at the top)Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Hannah's LinkedInQuestions or comments about the episode? Email [email protected] music by Super Fantastics