From A to V: Preparing a small distillery for game-changing venture capital Karen Hoskin founded a craft distillery at the beginning of the economic downturn in 2008. Over the next decade, she kicked over many barriers including gender discrimination and underfinancing to build an internationally recognized craft distillery. In 2019, she became one of the first female founded distilleries to receive a significant venture capital investment from a publicly traded company. Hoskin goes deep on how she achieved her vision, what it took to be ready, how she survived diligence and what this investment has meant for her company.