Section 08 · 8.1 · Startup Capital

Startup Costs

Two pools of capital: $50K already deployed by the founder to reach operational readiness, and $100K of seed to carry the business from pre-revenue to first sales.

Startup capital for Daralbeida falls into two distinct pools: funds already deployed by the founder prior to the seed raise, and the seed capital being sought to fund operations through Year 1. The full use-of-funds rationale for the seed ask is detailed in Section 7. The tables below provide itemized cost records for both pools.

$50K
Founder Investment to Date
$100K
Seed Capital Required
$150K
Total Startup Capital
Pool A — Founder Investment to Date $50,000

The following expenditures were made by the founder between 2024 and April 2026, prior to external fundraising. The business reached operational readiness on self-funded capital only.

ItemAmountStatus
Brand & Identity
Brand identity & design system (visual identity, packaging direction, label creative) $10,000 Complete
Legal & Intellectual Property
USPTO Trademark filing — Classes 029 & 035 (TEAS Plus) $1,900 Filed
Legal & compliance counsel (initial engagement, Todd J. Cleary) $6,000 Engaged
Technology & Infrastructure
Domain, hosting & email infrastructure (daralbeida.com, GoDaddy/cPanel) $400 Active
Landed cost model, financial calculator & operational tools $2,000 Complete
Regulatory & Compliance Documentation
Regulatory documentation suite (FDA, CBP, MAFTA, export authority chain) $3,500 Complete
Export authority chain mapping & compliance framework $1,500 Complete
Quality Control Infrastructure
CDR OxiTester Junior — Morocco on-site QC instrument $1,800 Procured
Sourcing & Operations
Producer qualification SOP & selection framework development $2,500 Complete
Logistics planning, 3PL/FBA flow design & freight forwarder vetting $2,000 Complete
Travel & Morocco sourcing reconnaissance (supplier visits, producer meetings) $9,000 Complete
Research & Planning
Market & competitive research (US olive oil market, channel analysis) $3,000 Complete
Business plan, financial modeling & investor documentation $2,500 Complete
Operational Setup
Operational setup, administrative costs & miscellaneous pre-launch expenses $3,900 Complete
Total — Pool A (Founder Invested)$50,000
Pool B — Seed Capital Required $100,000

The $100,000 seed ask funds the transition from pre-revenue to first sales. It covers the proof-of-concept shipment, Year 1 inventory, Amazon launch activation, required compliance registrations, and a working capital buffer. No fixed overhead, no salaries, and no retail slotting fees are included — all capital is deployed against revenue-generating or revenue-enabling activities.

ItemAmountNotes
Inventory & Logistics
Proof-of-concept shipment — 100–500 units, LCL → 3PL → FBA (product + freight + 3PL prep) $12,000 Phase 1
Year 1 main inventory — FCL shipment, ~2,000 units incl. ocean freight & port charges $38,000 Phase 2
Amazon Launch
Amazon PPC launch budget — months 1 through 6 $20,000 Sponsored Products
Amazon Vine enrollment $400 Per ASIN
Amazon Professional Seller account — 12 months $500 $39.99/mo
Brand Activation
Label design finalisation & initial print run $1,500 1,000–2,000 labels
GS1 UPC barcodes — 2 SKUs $750 0.5L + 1L
DTC / Shopify infrastructure — Year 1 build $3,000 Funded post-FBA launch
Compliance & Registration
FDA food facility registration & US Agent (first year) $1,500 Required for import
Eurofins CAL Certificate of Analysis — proof-of-concept shipment $500 oliveoiltest.com
Customs broker engagement & ISF filing — first shipment $1,500 Required per shipment
Legal Setup
LLC formation — California $300 State filing fee
Working Capital
3-month cash runway buffer (gap between shipment deployment and first FBA sales) $15,000 Operational reserve
Contingency
Contingency reserve — 5% of seed capital $5,050 Unallocated
Total — Pool B (Seed Capital Required)$100,000

The proof-of-concept shipment (Pool B, line 1) is intentionally sized for damage inspection, FNSKU labeling validation, and Amazon ranking proof — not profit. The $38K FCL inventory line assumes ~$8.50–9.50/unit landed cost at the 3PL door, covering product, ocean freight, port handling, 3PL FBA prep, and inbound placement. The 5% contingency reserve is held unallocated and covers currency fluctuation, duty reclassification, or unforeseen compliance requirements.