How Tipple Secured a Lead Investor by Crafting a Compelling Vision Story
Eoin Bara
Tipple
Eoin Bara shares how billiondollarstory helped Tipple refine their fundraising story and secure a lead investor.
"So actually in, in the early days when we started talking to vcs, first we had some really bad advice which was the only focus on the first 18 months of the next two years of what you're going to do and what you're going to execute between now and series A. And then after like talking to you, you were like, no, you need to do the vision story. Like tell them like what you're going to do and like why this is going to change the world. So that was the biggest fundamental change in our fundraise. So we went from talking about thing that we're going to do over the next two years to here's our plan for global domination."
Eoin Bara is the CEO of Tipple, a company building the cross-border infrastructure for the alcohol industry. Their mission is to enable alcohol companies to sell directly to consumers and businesses across countries, aiming to become the essential infrastructure for the entire alcohol industry.
The Challenge: A Disjointed Fundraising Approach
Before partnering with billiondollarstory, Tipple's fundraising efforts lacked a cohesive strategy. Eoin admits they hadn't truly established a process, having "smashed together a deck with some, a few bits." Being operationally busy, fundraising wasn't being taken seriously, leading to a lack of clarity and direction in their investor communications.
"We kind of hadn't really put together a process. We'd like smashed together a deck with some, a few bits, but we were very operationally busy, so, yeah, we weren't really taking it seriously."
The Solution: Crafting a Compelling Narrative
Eoin and Tipple engaged with billiondollarstory to refine their fundraising approach. The collaboration focused on two key areas: analyzing their entire fundraising process and, crucially, developing a compelling story. billiondollarstory helped Eoin identify and emphasize critical details he initially overlooked, transforming their narrative from a collection of thoughts into a clear, concise, and relevant message tailored for investors.
"One was taking a look at the entire process that we were running. Two is telling the story. So as in one, like speaking with you and kind of talking about what we were doing. You'd go like, hey, I really like that. That's super important. And I was just throwing out details and you'd be like, that's really important. You should probably focus on that."
A pivotal shift came when billiondollarstory advised Tipple to move beyond a short-term focus on the next 18-24 months and instead articulate a grander "vision story" – their plan for global domination. This strategic change in storytelling proved to be a game-changer.
The Results: Securing a Lead Investor and Global Domination
The impact of working with billiondollarstory was immediate and profound. Tipple's story became "compelling," resonating deeply with investors and taking them on a journey. This newfound clarity and vision directly contributed to securing a lead investor for their current $4 million fundraising round. The ability to articulate their long-term vision also helped them course-correct their business strategy, moving from a D2C focus to a more comprehensive B2B approach, which eliminated rejections from investors.
"We get called compelling, which is always a good sign. You know, the story is very compelling. You know, it really kind of brought people along the journey as well."
Eoin emphasizes the invaluable support and guidance received, particularly during the challenging founder journey. Having someone "on his side" who understood investor perspectives and could offer course corrections on vision and process was crucial for navigating rejections and staying on track. Tipple's ultimate vision is to become the indispensable infrastructure for the alcohol industry, where selling alcohol will be impossible without utilizing their projects, whether for tax, logistics, or technology.