Blog Post
E30. Kristina Komlosiova & Stephanie Johnson, Pollen + Grace - Healthy Food & Healthy Financials
#financialforecasts #crowdfunding #Seedrs #familyoffice #food&drink #wellness
£600k raised
Kristina Komlosiova and Stephanie Johnson, founders of Pollen + Grace, a natural food company that is stocked in many stores, have the ambition to become the most trusted healthy food brand in the UK. In 2019 they raised just over £600,000 in equity finance to help them achieve that mission.
The business started from humble beginnings when Stephanie discovered she had several food intolerances in 2015 whilst working with Kristina in events management. She began making home-made gluten and dairy-free lunches to bring into work. Realising they could turn these lunches into a business, friends Stephanie and Kristina launched Pollen + Grace.
They self-funded the business from their home kitchen for the first 18 months before seeking equity investment. They secured a number of Angel investors and then, later on, launched a crowdfunding campaign in which over 600 individual investors pledged. After this, a Family Office also invested in Pollen + Grace which will help them with new launches and products and more interaction with their customers.
In this episode you’ll discover…
- Why you should always have an ask at a meeting
- How finding a higher purpose helps during the tough times
- Why setting clear boundaries with investors is key
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