Episode
Founder Fundraising Journey: Victor Guardiola, Bawi
- Podcast
- The Startup CPG Podcast
- Published
- Aug 1, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2716
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://share.transistor.fm/s/47996037
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Summary
In this Founder Fundraising Journey episode, host Hannah Dittman sits down with Victor Guardiola, Founder and CEO of Bawi, a sparkling agua fresca brand bringing authentic Hispanic flavors into the modern beverage aisle with a healthier twist. Beyond the product, Victor is equally driven by a mission to increase representation for Latino and minority founders in CPG. Victor's path started with a food and beverage entrepreneurship practicum at UT Austin's McCombs School of Business, where he uncovered the data behind sugar-sweetened beverages' outsized impact on the Hispanic community and realized there was no mass-market, better-for-you Hispanic beverage to fill that gap. From there, he spent months selling on tap at farmer's markets, cold-emailing hundreds of potential investors, and eventually landing his first checks from Austin business figures like Patrick Terry of P. Terry's. Hannah and Victor dig into the brutal reality of raising a first round without a "rich uncle," the tipping-point moment when a notable investor's name unlocked the rest of the round, and how Bawi is now scaling food service and retail density across its two core markets, Texas and California. Listen in as they discuss: Why 80% of initial startup funding comes from friends and family, and what that means for founders without that access How a UT Austin entrepreneurship practicum turned into the idea for a mass-market Hispanic beverage Selling agua fresca on tap at farmer's markets, carbonating overnight in a commercial kitchen until 3am Landing the first equity round from Patrick Terry of P. Terry's and Torchy's Tacos founder Mike Rypka The "golden follow-up": how one notable investor joining the cap table triggered a tipping point Why cold-emailing without leading with a pitch dramatically i…