Erica Wassinger | Co-Founder, Proven Ventures
Proven Ventures filled the room at Omaha’s Legacy Collective on Nov. 6 for a conversation about raising money and keeping ownership of a business.
As the discussion turned to the decisions founders face as they grow, women in the room shared their own stories. They spoke about what worked, where they stumbled, and what they learned along the way.
Erica Wassinger, Mary Blaney and Gabrielle Keaton led Women, Capital & Ownership, a happy hour for women exploring entrepreneurship or growing a company.
They discussed when it makes sense to reinvest what a business earns, when outside capital can help and what founders should understand about the terms before they sign.
One of those decisions is what happens to ownership after an investment closes.
Proven Ventures uses a debt-equity model that gives founders a way to buy back the fund’s stake over time using an agreed share of revenue.
For a founder weighing a deal, that brings the terms into focus. How much of the business would the investor own? How would the buyback work? What would the payments leave available for payroll, inventory or the next hire?
The conversation also touched on where founders can get tripped up as they scale. Keaton has written about one of those problems. Sales can rise while cash gets tighter if a business has to pay for inventory or staff before customers pay their invoices.
Blaney’s writing takes up a question from the investor’s side, looking at what cash returns reveal about an investment.
Both topics are part of Proven Ventures’ ongoing coverage of how capital works in practice.
Explore Proven Ventures’ articles and founder playbooks.
The team encourages founders who are curious about the model to reach out. An introductory conversation can start with what you’re building, what’s getting in the way, and what additional capital would help you do.