In this episode, Hall welcomes Charlie Banks, Co-Founder & Managing Director of VentureSouth.

VentureSouth based in Greenville, South Carolina, is one of the largest angel investment infrastructures in the US. The firm develops and manages angel investment groups and funds comprised of 300+ accredited investors and has invested $50M+ in over 70 early-stage companies throughout the Southeast.

Charlie calls himself a “serial entrepreneur turned investor”. He has founded, run, and invested in multiple manufacturing, financial services, building science, and real estate companies in South Carolina. He was recently named to the "50 Most Influential People" and "20 under 40" lists in Columbia, SC by two regional business publications.

Charlie says education is key in the startup world for both investors and entrepreneurs and VentureSouth facilitates this by running workshops and other educational programs.

Visit VentureSouth at www.Venturesouth.vc and on Twitter at Twitter.com/VentureSouth_VC.  

Charlie can be reached via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/charliebanks1/  and via email at charlie@venturesouth.vc.

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

So many entrepreneurs think the most important moment in the investor engagement is the pitch.  

In fact, the pitch is the second most important. 

The most important moment is the follow-up after the pitch.

The pitch establishes the relationship and sets the context. It’s a foundation upon which you now must build the case for funding your startup.

The follow-up both in emails and in person should demonstrate how you have a great business and how it’s moving forward.

Investors don’t know how your business is progressing unless you tell them.

The rule of startup fundraising is, “if you don’t tell them -- it didn’t happen”,  at least not in the investor’s mind.

At the end of your pitch ask the investor about the best way to keep them up-to-date on your progress. 

Is it a monthly email? Is it a coffee or is it a phone call?

And whatever method you choose, make sure you keep at it.

It takes seven touches to close a sale -- so it takes seven touches to close an investor.


Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.

Let’s go startup something today.
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For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

In running a fundraise campaign you’ll need to set up calls and meetings with investors who are busy and may struggle to find time to give you.

Of course you can have a mutual contact make an introduction and depending on the strength of their relationship you’ll get a meeting.

Also, you only have so many mutual contacts and eventually that runs out.

Another way to get a call/meeting is to do some meaningful research in a trend, company, or market and offer to share the results with the prospective investor.

Investors love to be educated about the market and companies and appreciate gaining relevant information that informs their decision process.

In your outreach, show the time and effort you’ve put into researching an area and some of the findings to pique their interest.

Then ask for a call/coffee to review the rest of the findings.

Investors are much more likely to find time for a meeting in which they will gain something rather than just give something. 

Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.

Let’s go startup something today.
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For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group