Angel Investor Katie Dunn: Warm Intros, Thesis Fit, and Financial Models That Get Investors to Say Yes

Most food founders think fundraising means perfecting your pitch deck. Angel investor Katie Dunn says you’re starting in the wrong place.

In our conversation, Katie breaks down the three fundamentals that actually get investors to meet with you, and say yes: understanding investor thesis (and why it saves you from wasting time), leveraging warm introductions instead of cold pitching, and building a financial model that shows exactly how you’ll reach profitability.

We cover the investment basics every founder needs to know—what a safe note actually is, why angels want equity, and whether regional brands can get funded (spoiler: yes, but with different deal structures). Katie also shares her strong recommendation on why your first hire should be finance, not marketing, and how to make it ridiculously easy for investors to want to help you.

If you’re considering fundraising or just want to understand how investment actually works in food CPG, this episode gives you the straight talk you need.

Connect with Katie:

Website: katiedunn.com

Advisory Board: The Masthead Strategy

LinkedIn: Katie Dunn

Instagram: @iamkatiedunn

TikTok: @iamkatiedunn

Join The Good Food CFO Community:

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Watch on YouTube: @thegoodfoodcfo

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