Diligencing the Team for Skills

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

In diligencing the team, here are some key areas to check:

Sales skills -- the CEO and others must be able to sell their product or service.  

In the early stages of a startup, there won’t be a dedicated sales force, and everyone on the team must be able to sell.

Technical skills -- the CEO and the team must be tech-savvy as they will be building products and selling customers around that technology.

Those who don’t understand their technology will have a hard time convincing others of its worth.

Customer awareness -- the CEO and the team must know their customers well, including their problems, their budgets, and their careabouts.

I find one of the biggest indicators of success is how well the team knows their customer. 

Market awareness -- the CEO and the team must know their market well.  

This goes beyond just the general size and growth rates of the market and includes knowledge of key players in the market.

Competition awareness -- the CEO and the team must know who their direct competitors are and have some idea of the competitors’ strengths and weaknesses.

Before investing in a startup, check on these points.

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.
___________________________________

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  

Please follow, share, and leave a review.

Music courtesy of Bensound.

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Alexander Borschow, Managing Partner at Semillero Partners.

Founded in 2015, and located in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Semillero Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in purpose-driven sustainable food and food tech companies. Investing in these sectors will empower a new generation of entrepreneurs working to create the companies of our future while generating long-term value for society and stakeholders. Our current food system is neither sustainable, equitable, or healthy. Semillero Partners are committed to changing that. The team has been managing investments together for 6+ years, has $50MM+ in AUM, and is investing from its second fund.

Alex comes from a family of successful and visionary entrepreneurs, with his father, Jon, leading Puerto Rico’s largest healthcare logistics and distribution company for over 35 years and his brother, Jason, founding Abarca Health, the leading healthcare IT company on the island since 2008.

Alex started his career as an analyst on the equity derivatives institutional sales team at BNP Paribas in 2006, and in just five years, he rose to become the youngest Director in the history of the New York office and head of OTC sales for the US and Canada. Prior to co-founding Semillero Partners, Alex was the Director of Finance for Eataly USA.

Alex has been evaluating and investing in food and food tech ventures for the past 10+ years, investing in over 10 companies. 

A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Alex earned an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management along with a Certificate in Sustainability with a focus on Food Systems. He also holds a degree in Chemical and Biological Engineering from MIT with a Minor in Management. Alex serves on the Board of Directors of Seal the Seasons, Gfree Foods, Biomass Green Fuels, and the Board of Foundation for Puerto Rico, a non-profit dedicated to developing sustainable economic development strategies for Puerto Rico.

On a personal note, Alex is married to Mariella Danspeckgruber. They met when she was the manager at Cherry Grove Farm, an award-winning cheese farm in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. They are passionate foodies who love to cook, surf, travel, and ski together. They have two daughters and live together in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Alex shares what excites him now in the sustainable food industry, advises entrepreneurs and investors, and shares his investment thesis.

You can visit Semillero Partners at www.semilleropartners.com, and on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/semillero-partners-llc.

Alex can be contacted at alex@semilleropartners.com, on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderborschow, and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/alexborschow. 

________________________________________________________________

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   

Please follow, share, and leave a review.

Music courtesy of Bensound.