Rihanna & Jay-Z Invested in this Brand Despite 86 No's - From Selling Cookies Out of a Car to a Multi-Million Dollar Business with Denise Woodard, Founder of Partake Foods

Denise Woodard is the founder and CEO of Partake Foods, an
allergy-friendly snack company.


Denise's journey began back in 2016, while juggling a day job and
the new role of mom to a daughter with multiple food allergies.
Frustrated by the lack of tasty options available for her little
one, she took the advice of her babysitter and decided to "do
something about it." From there, Partake Foods was born.


Denise started creating recipes in her home kitchen and began
selling cookies out of her car to get the word out about her
business. With no prior experience in the food industry, Denise
had a lot to learn and made mistakes along the way. However, she
was determined to make it work, and self-funded the business
using all of her savings and even selling her engagement ring to
make ends meet.


As the business grew, Denise knew she needed more funding to take
it to the next level. So, she set out on a fundraising journey
and dealt with many rejections that eventually led her to the
right partner, Jay-Z's venture fund, Marcy Venture Partners. To
date, she has raised up to $19M, making her the first Black woman
to raise over $1 Million publicly for a CPG food startup. 


In this episode, we’ll talk to Denise about:


* Denise shares what she thinks is holding people back from
pursuing their biggest goals and dreams. [02:47]


* How Denise’s parents shaped her identity and who she is today.
[04:39]


* Her parents’ definitions of success and how they have
influenced her perspective. [06:40]


* What Denise would have done differently during her time working
for corporate companies including Coca-Cola. [08:01]


* How her entrepreneurial nature expressed itself at different
points in her career. [0:10:22]


* The benefits of working on side hustles while employed by
Coca-Cola. [11:28]


* What big brands can’t recreate no matter how much money they
have. [12:30]


* The scary incident in 2016 that motivated Denise to solve a
problem for her daughter. [18:08]


* How Denise’s nanny, Martha, motivated her to take the plunge
and create a business. [20:04]


* The early days of Partake Foods and overcoming challenges.
[21:32]


* Barriers to entry in the food allergy consumer market. [28:51]


* How their product list has changed over time. [29:48]


* Raising money beyond bootstrapping. [30:13]


* The panic attack that led to a different approach to managing
stress and burnout. [33:11]


* Investors that initially said no and later came back wanting to
participate. [37:11]


* Fundraising advice for other entrepreneurs. [37:55]


* The power of a warm intro. [38:53]


* Why it is a mistake to try to grow too quickly. [39:40]


* How she learned to appreciate and savor the journey. [40:20]


* What’s keeping Denise up at night at this stage of the
business. [42:26]


* How Denise involves her daughter in the business as chief taste
tester. [45:12]


* Advice for women balancing life at home with running a
business. [47:25]


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Follow Denise:


* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/partakefoods/


* Website: https://partakefoods.com/





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