Melissa Widner - The Changing Face of Founder Financing

If you’ve ever thought about getting outside capital to fund your business but weren’t sure what your options were or what the process entails, my conversation with Lighter Capital CEO & Heads Over Heels  co-founder & chairperson, Melissa Widner, will help answer a lot of those questions.  In this episode, you’ll learn about the different financing options for founders and how Melissa is contributing to the expansion of opportunities available, especially for female founders. You’ll gain new insights from Melissa’s years of experience, not only as an entrepreneur, but also from her work in angel investing, venture capital, and revenue-based financing. You’ll also hear how she started an Australian non-profit to help women entrepreneurs get more support and access to networks and capital.Melissa walks us through how she came to work in revenue-based financing and explains what the difference is between that and venture capital. She helps us understand the pros and cons of equity-based financing compared to debt-based financing, situations where one type might be a better fit than the other for a business, and how to know when you should consider seeking outside funding for your business.Melissa delves into how Lighter Capital supports entrepreneurs, what their financing process is, what a typical financing arrangement might look like, and how revenue-based financing can be a pivotal first step before seeking venture capital. She also shares examples of the many successes her Lighter Capital clients have achieved. Finally, Melissa tells us the observation she made that inspired her to form her Australian non-profit Heads Over Heels to help female entrepreneurs, what she says is the reality of the business world compared to what we hear, and how you can apply for financing with Lighter Capital.Skip to topic:4:19 - The difference between venture-based capital and revenue-based financing business models7:27 - How revenue-based financing works9:56 - How Lighter Capital helps entrepreneurs11:55 - Recognizing an opportunity and launching a business while in college13:56 - Being acquired by a larger business 19:12 - When you should take equity over debt financing21:33 - The range of funding Lighter Capital provides its customers24:47 - How to know when you should seek revenue-based funding for your business27:28 - How to know when you should seek venture capital funding for your business28:36 - Using revenue-based financing as a starting point before going for venture capital30:56 - Starting her non-profit Heads Over Heels to support female entrepreneurs running high-growth potential companies36:03 - What Melissa says is real in the business world vs. what we hear40:41 - Where to go if you’re interested in applying for funding with Lighter CapitalFind Melissa at:Website: https://www.lightercapital.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissawidner/Apply for Lighter Capital funding at: https://lightercapital.com/applyFree startup valuation calculator: https://www.lightercapital.com/valuation-calculatorVisit Stephanie at: https://stephaniehayes.biz/Follow me on Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | TwitterSupport the show