E48. Virginia Gardiner, Loowatt - When the VC money falls through

Virginia Gardiner is the founder, CEO and inventor of Loowatt, a waterless toilet addressing the fact that 40% of the world doesn’t have a toilet, and the rest of us are using solutions that aren’t sustainable.

Virginia has been on quite a journey. She started the business as an engineering and humanities graduate with three male co-founders who came from experienced corporate backgrounds, and who are now ex-co-founders. Loowatt received initial investment via innovation grants, angels and then mostly recently, via crowdfunding. Crowdfunding was Plan B when agreed VC investment didn’t come though a “blessing in disguise”, as Virginia feels moved by the 800+ individual investors now supporting Loowatt’s mission.

In this episode you’ll discover:

 

• What to look out for if you’re considering using “introducer” services 
• How to avoid VCs leading you down the garden path
• The increased sense of responsibility when crowdfunding