From Borrowed Tanks to 1,500 Shareholders

A 25-minute founder session with Bruce Gray, who started Left Handed Giant brewing in borrowed tanks and now runs eight Bristol venues, backed by around 1,500 crowdfunding investors and certified as a B Corp.

The subject is scaling without giving up the principles the business was built on: raising money from your own community rather than institutions, the trade-offs growth forces, and why being held to a higher standard has made the company stronger rather than slower. At The Station, 13:00 to 13:25, part of Brazen's Community Track.

Why go: community equity is a route most founders here have only read about, and this is someone 1,500 shareholders deep in it talking about the obligations as well as the money. Best for founders weighing crowdfunding against a conventional raise.