⚡ How this Start-Up Limed their Iced Tea Across London

Morning Innovators ⚡ In less than 5 minutes, we’ll cover…

🥳 The best funding opportunities, events and jobs in the Start-Up world this week
📰 This week’s biggest news stories in the Start-Up world
🧋 How did this Start-Up Lime their way across London to sell their iced tea?
💰 How you can use giveaways to drive sales
🛍 A tool that helps you launch an online store in minutes + sell!

✨ Last week’s most clicked link, was this link taking you through to Ella Molony Cook’s LinkedIn post in which she’s looking to write 5 angel cheques into Pre-Seed/Seed stage companies.

Happy hustling,

Rich

🎤 Opportunities + Events

🏃 a16z Speedrun are looking to invest up to $1m in Startups based outside of the US - apply here!

📣 Less than a week left to apply for the SaaStock pitch event, with up to €1m in investment on the cards - apply here!

⏱ Chris Smith, Managing Partner of Playfair VC is opening up 10 × 20 minute slots for Founders raising their first round - find out more here!

We now have a community of thousands of Start-Ups and Founders, here are the hottest Start-Up job opportunities from the Innovators Uncensored community on our very own Start-Ups Job Board!

💼 Start-Up Jobs

🪧 Senior Marketing Manager, CO2 YOU
🧑‍💻 Founding Full-Stack Engineer, TRVLR
🧰 Business Operations Manager, Lightning Reach

✍️ Black Forest Labs inks $140m deal with Meta, reports say. Sifted

📈 Klarna’s IPO pops, raising $1.4bn, with Sequoia as the biggest winner. TechCrunch

🧠 Ex Google X trio wants their AI to be your second brain. TechCrunch
 
📧 Digital assistant startup Fyxer AI secures £22m Series B round. UKTN

Planning a trip for business or pleasure?

Finalrentals, a pioneering car rental fintech headquartered in Wales, has revolutionised the industry with its innovative approach and product-centric strategy. By addressing key challenges within the car rental sector, Finalrentals has experienced remarkable growth, increasing its size sixfold in the past 12 months. The company's expansion is not limited to growth metrics alone; it has also successfully established a robust global presence, extending its footprint across the EU and the Caribbean.

Book your rental here!

Email marketing is hard at the best of times, but Holy Pals have managed to cut through the inbox noise with their latest campaign.

Giveaways are not new in the slightest, but so many companies do giveaways and the only return they get is half committed followers. Holy Pals have shown the best way to do a giveaway by saying they’ll refund 3 orders placed within the next 24 hours.

Not only will they get an influx of purchases as people attempt to get their order refunded, but the average order value will most likely be significantly higher too, as people will want a $250 order refunded rather than just a $10 order.

I found this one via wellcopymax on Instagram, he puts out great marketing content. How can you use giveaways to actually drive revenue to your business?

Each week we highlight our favourite tools - either something we’ve been using in our businesses, or tools that our Start-Up community have recommended.

Genstore helps you create and launch a new store within minutes, and sell confidently with the support of your own team of AI agents that supports you from setup to design to launch. They handle marketing automation and campaign management so you can focus on selling.

Marna: Brewing a Better Iced Tea for a Premium Generation

A Healthier, More Honest Soft Drink

Marna is shaking up the soft drinks aisle with something refreshingly simple: premium iced teas and loose-leaf blends that contain no added sugar. Based in London, the company is positioning itself as a premium, better-for-you alternative to conventional soft drinks.

Their audience spans health-conscious consumers craving natural refreshment, as well as venues and retailers seeking a sophisticated non-alcoholic option. Whether sold direct-to-consumer online or through hospitality, retail, and distributor partners, Marna has become a brand for people (and businesses) who want taste without compromise.

From Flatmates to Co-Founders

Tristan and his Co-Founder, Mauro, were friends from university - even flatmates while working in London. Their skill sets couldn’t be more complementary, and that balance has been critical. “We push each other hard,” Tristan admits, “but that’s what it takes to make something work.” He often says that learning from his Co-Founder daily has been one of the most rewarding parts of the journey.

Liming Through London: The Scrappy First Sales

Marna’s first customers weren’t won through slick campaigns or big budgets — they were earned the old-fashioned way: door-to-door hustle. Tristan describes it as “liming through London,” walking into venues, pitching the product face-to-face, and doing “the most scrappy sales you will ever see.” Those early conversations forged strong relationships and proved there was a market for a cleaner, premium iced tea.

Scaling With Credibility

The turning point came when Marna secured marquee names like Soho House. Landing such a premium client gave the brand credibility and leverage to approach distributors and larger chains. From there, access snowballed.

But Tristan has been deliberate about pacing growth: “We’ve executed at speed but never stretched ourselves too thin. A key learning for us has been knowing when to walk away, and not chasing growth at all costs.” That restraint has protected both the brand and its supply chain.

Funding the Dream

In the early days, Tristan bootstrapped Marna entirely with his own savings — a cushion built during four years in investment banking. It was a personal bet on the brand’s potential. By March 2024, that bet paid off: Marna closed its first external raise, attracting 45 investors - a mix of friends, family, and former colleagues who believed in the mission and the Founder’s resolve.

Growing Pains and Operational Pressure

Tristan doesn’t point to a single dramatic failure, but he’s candid about the ongoing challenges. Scaling a drinks business is a constant balancing act between demand, supply, and cashflow. “We’ve had moments where demand outstripped supply - running low on ingredients during production,” he says. Managing logistics and supply chain realities has been one of the steepest learning curves.

Hard-Earned Lessons

Marna’s journey so far has reinforced a few core principles for Tristan:

• Never compromise on product. Shortcuts are tempting but fatal.

• F&B is a constant sales engine. Keep the pipeline alive at all times.

• Know when to walk away. Not every opportunity is worth chasing.

• Brand matters. A strong, authentic identity has opened more doors than any sales email ever could.

These lessons reflect a Founder who has embraced both the hustle and the patience required to build a premium drinks brand. For Tristan, Marna isn’t just another iced tea company - it’s a statement that better-for-you doesn’t have to mean boring.

Next week I’ll be highlighting another awesome Start-Up, as well as sharing all the usuals including funding opportunities, Start-Up news, plus plenty of awesome tips, tricks and tools.

P.S. Connect with me on LinkedIn…