Matt meets Mark Haysman, CEO of craft business accelerator Founders First for this week’s Beer is a Conversation.

The craft beer industry has been evolving rapidly over the past decade with a flood of new entrants. As craft beer grows, many breweries have had to grapple with the issues of growth and how to fund their expanding businesses and capital requirements.

Traditional bank finance, private equity investments and crowd-sourced funding are some ways that breweries have funded their growth, and Founders First has now stepped in with what they say is a new approach.

Founders First grabbed headlines in the past fortnight when it announced it had invested in Newcastle’s Foghorn Brewhouse, taking up the share that majority stakeholder James Garvey was selling.

The accelerator has also funded the rapid growth of Victoria’s Jetty Road Brewery.

With a lengthy background at both Lion and CUB, as well as a stint as CEO of the Port Adelaide Football Club and 7 years at Deloitte, Mark has an extensive business background and in this conversation, we learn about the Founders First model and what it means for the evolving craft and independent beer sector.

Enjoy the conversation.

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