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: Germany
Name of the company: Grover
We 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 results
Show Notes:
00:00 - Introduction
00:21 - How Michael celebrated when they raised $330 million
01:35 - Michael’s first jobs after university
02:56 - Lessons while working for Rocket Internet
04:29 - Early days of Grover (marketplace model)
07:04 - The balance between raising enough equity and debt
07:53 - How to build a company where people want to invest 100s of millions
10:52 - When is the right time to step down as a CEO
11:33 - Tips for fundraising (number two is surprising)
14:49 - Few funny fundraising stories
16:51 - The ins and out of building relationships with investors
19:13 - Biggest mistakes: LPs pushing GPs; GPs keep pushing founders
21:19 - What Michael knows today but didn't know in 2015
25:40 - Who Michael looks up to
27:12 - A typical day is 8:00am to 2:00am; still finds time for family
30:40 - 4-5 “aha” moments which made all the difference
36:41 - Find the right “energy” and you can build a very large company
41:53 - 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 years
45:21 - Australian investors made an offer to move to Sydney to build HoldCo
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Michael on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichaelCassau
This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.
