How I Left Goldman Sachs To Start a $1B+ Company | Michael Cassau Interview

Imagine being in your 30s and having a track record of raising more than a billion in debt and equity.And starting a company which is worth over $1 billion.Here you go:Let me introduce you to Michael Cassau.From working at Goldman Sachs and Rocket Internet.To founding a company that raised more than $330 million in a recent fundraising round.Location: GermanyName of the company: GroverWe discuss:— Investors and the signals they follow— What does it really take to raise 100s of millions?— Why too many companies have a great story but still end up going bankrupt— How high energy ensures extreme resultsShow Notes:00:00 - Introduction00:21 - How Michael celebrated when they raised $330 million01:35 - Michael’s first jobs after university02:56 - Lessons while working for Rocket Internet04:29 - Early days of Grover (marketplace model)07:04 - The balance between raising enough equity and debt07:53 - How to build a company where people want to invest 100s of millions10:52 - When is the right time to step down as a CEO11:33 - Tips for fundraising (number two is surprising)14:49 - Few funny fundraising stories16:51 - The ins and out of building relationships with investors19:13 - Biggest mistakes: LPs pushing GPs; GPs keep pushing founders21:19 - What Michael knows today but didn't know in 201525:40 - Who Michael looks up to27:12 - A typical day is 8:00am to 2:00am; still finds time for family30:40 - 4-5 “aha” moments which made all the difference36:41 - Find the right “energy” and you can build a very large company41:53 - What Michael learned from Novak Djokovic (winner of 24 tennis Grand Slams)43:14 - “Next, I’m going to build the company which…”44:25 - The GDP of US will double within the next 10 years45:21 - Australian investors made an offer to move to Sydney to build HoldCoFollow PrivatEquityGuy on Twitter: ⁠⁠https://Twitter.com/PrivatEquityGuy⁠⁠Join HoldCo Builders weekly newsletter on finding deals, raising capital, and growing small niche manufacturing businesses: ⁠⁠https://privatequityguy.beehiiv.com/subscribe⁠⁠Michael on Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/MichaelCassau⁠This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.