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### The numbers Access invested in StarStock in April 2020, co-investing alongside a super angel with a flat average CAGR of 59%. Their previous investments include Carwow, Wejo, Oxitec, and many others. ### Insights from the Founder, Sam Ulph: **SyndicateRoom: How are you feeling about the progress StarStock has made so far, and what are your plans for the future?** Sam Ulph: We have made incredible progress and we’re only just getting started. We have built a team and a culture within the StarStock Group that I am so proud of. We are now trading with 95% of the UK’s major drinks brands & we will soon be at 100%. We have opened up a new B2B Route To Market for Morrisons to sell into the On-Trade. It's truly incredible what the team has achieved. We have large ambitions for the StarStock model, and have already began discussions to open up this platform in other markets. **SR: What have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve had to deal with?** SA: All our biggest challenges have been outside of our control. Where do I start…. We were originally due to launch the StarStock platform just before Covid hit in March 2020. After developing a foodbox platform for Asda and then developing a B2C proposition to support the industry (mypubshop.com), we came back to the launch this “StarStock” platform in 2021, which landed at exactly the time of the driver shortage, followed by the labour shortage, then the petrol crisis, then Omnicrom variant. While this has been the most challenging part of our business to date, we are still growing & thriving. **SR: How important has VC funding been?** SA: Keeping a high growth tech business like ours well funded is of course incredibly important. Disruption isn’t easy, but with the right VC’s who have the same vision, it makes funding conversations much easier. We are well past proof of concept now. This is about funding for scale. This is the fun bit! **SR: What’s the next key milestone you’d like to hit?** SA: 100% Major Brand Owners by the end of Q3. **SR: What are your main goals for the next 12 months?** AS: Continue to be the No.1 B2B platform for food & drinks in the UK & expand into 1 European market. **SR: If you could go back in time, is there anything you would do differently as a founder?** SA: Nope. **SR: What advice would you give to other founders in the early stages of starting a business?** SA: Be patient, you’ll get there. Nothing difficult is ever easy. **Find out more about Starstock on their [website](https://starstockgroup.com).** **Find out more about our fund, [Access EIS](/invest).** 