Blog Post

E54. Tersha Willis, terrible* - Is it a pitch or is it a date?

#angelinvestment #VCinvestment #technology #entertainment #genderbias

Tersha Willis is the co-founder and CEO of terrible*, a MusicTech business that enables bands, artists, musicians and content creators to produce and sell merchandise. 
 
Since 2017, terrible* has worked with 500+ creators, who’ve used their data and technology to manage their entire merchandise supply chain, helping them generate five times more revenue and 50% more profit than they would anywhere else.

As a female founder, Tersha experienced every single fundraising horror story: being asked out on dates by investors, constantly interrupted and undermined mid-pitch, and told she didn’t have what it takes to succeed. 

With all that being said, Tersha has learned a huge amount from two successful raises and getting the company to £127k in monthly revenue. During the most recent round, Tersha secured £300K out of the £1m they were trying to raise via angels and a boutique VC in the US. Interestingly, working with investors across the pond highlighted serious differences in the music industry and how business is done in the US.

In this episode you’ll discover:

  • How to deal with female founder bias from investors 
  • What to do when you get rejections 
  • How long you really need to raise investment 

Subscribe to the podcast

 

In our Fundraising Stories podcast, we showcase inspirational interviews with female founders who share their honest experiences of fundraising – the highs, the lows, the challenges… and top tips for how to be successful.


Make sure you never miss a show by subscribing, and please rate and review, so that other female founders and professionals in the investment community can discover it.

Listen on Spotify
Listen on Apple Podcasts

Book an Accelerator Session

Want some fast advice? Select your one-to-one Accelerator Session with Julia Elliott Brown then pick a time that suits you best. You'll then be invited to complete a short pre-session form to help us to prepare. You'll get a video recording of the session and email follow up.

30m - Jump start

£150+VAT

  • ask one or two questions
  • fast feedback on your Investability
  • initial advice on your fundraising approach


Book now

60m - Tank up

£300+VAT

  • ask three or more questions
  • review your pitch deck or financials
  • step-by-step strategy and action plan


Book now

90m - Rocket fuel

£450+VAT

  • ask as many questions as you can!
  • review all your pitch assets
  • full guidance on how to find your ideal investors


Book now
Share by: