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Startup CompanyBuilding an e-commerce brand from a VC term sheet
Funding approved, released only against milestones. Office, infrastructure and teams had to come together with investors watching the clock.
The situation
The founders had a vision for an online marketplace bringing local and luxury long-tail brands onto one platform, and the idea had cleared VC diligence — funding was approved, but released only against milestones.
That meant the office, IT infrastructure and teams all had to come together in virtually no time, with investors watching the clock and no room for a slow start.
What we did
- Stood up the office and IT infrastructure fast enough to hit the first funding milestone.
- Built the core team and defined KRAs for every function, reviewed monthly from day one.
- Wrote the company's operating manual — systems and procedures for day-to-day running.
- Guided the founders on sourcing and onboarding brands to build out the catalogue.
Where it stands now
The company was operational fast, backed by a documented operating system rather than improvisation, and a catalogue that grew steadily on our sourcing guidance.
That combination built a loyal early customer base and got the business genuinely off the ground, on schedule with the investors' milestones.
days of slack in the launch schedule