Mon, 31 March 2025
Fundraising – Important but Not Urgent Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Fundraising can be hard for startups because it falls into the important but not urgent category. The Eisenhower matrix shows four sectors. Important and urgent-- spurs immediate action Not important but urgent -- delegate it Not important and not urgent -- discard it Important but not urgent -- plan for it In fundraises where there is no pressing need for funding, it can be difficult to complete. Other urgent tasks can take precedence over fundraising. This includes hiring employees, closing sales, and keeping clients happy. Fundraising most often is not urgent and doesn’t press the founder so it gets deprioritized. Fundraising requires intention, discipline, and focus. Develop a fundraising schedule and map it out on your calendar. Set aside time for it each week. Set activity goals for the number of contacts you will make. Engage your team to hold you accountable. In the startup world, what you focus on and pay for gets done.
Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.
Direct download: 01.fundraising-important_but_not_urgent.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:00am CDT |
Fri, 28 March 2025
In this episode of Investor Connect, host Hall T. Martin speaks with Barry Fella of Cranial Devices about their innovative approach to treating hydrocephalus. Barry sheds light on the significant challenges associated with the current treatment method, such as high failure rates, infections, and the need for multiple revisions throughout a patient's lifetime. Cranial Devices is developing a physiologic shunt that offers a safer, more reliable alternative by draining excess cerebrospinal fluid directly into the venous system, significantly reducing the likelihood of failures and complications. The new shunting method presents a promising advancement in medical technology, with numerous benefits for patients, surgeons, and healthcare payers alike. Barry elaborates on the device's FDA classification, ongoing animal pilot studies, and plans for human trials in South America or Australia. He also discusses the future market opportunities, particularly for older patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus, and how Cranial Devices aims to capture a considerable share of the revision market. Tune in to discover how this groundbreaking technology could transform the landscape of hydrocephalus treatment.
Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound. |
Fri, 28 March 2025
What Angels Can Do for Your Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Angels can bring more value than just funding to your startup. Here’s a list of what angels can do: They bring a network for hiring key people on the team. Their network can also help find customers, partners, and others. They bring experience and can help make key decisions along the way. They help with fundraising, product development and launch, and financial decisions. For those with a high profile in the community, they bring notoriety to your startup. This helps in finding more investors and partners. They bring domain expertise if they come from the industry the startup targets. They provide coaching to help formulate strategy. They provide mentorship to startup founders. They provide additional support in the form of CFO and COO work. They bring a rich history of success and failure stories about other startups. They provide access to new networks and communities. Consider these points when recruiting angel investors for your fundraise.
Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.
Direct download: 05.what_angels_can_for_your_stsrtup__05.what_angels_can_for_your_stsrtup.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:00am CDT |
Thu, 27 March 2025
Comparing Funding Sources Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In startup fundraising, there are four distinct groups to consider for funding. The list includes venture capital, angel investors, angel groups, and family offices. Here’s the comparison of each source: Venture capital VCs have their diligence process and will take some time to complete it. They write $150K to $500K checks on the first round. They are very sensitive to valuation. They often require board seats. They provide the most support of any investor type. Angel investors They can make decisions quickly They write $25K to $50K checks. They tend not to be swayed by valuation as much as other investors. They rarely require board seats. They provide the least support. Angel groups They have a process that will take some time to complete. They write $100K to $500K checks for a typical deal They can be sensitive to valuation. They sometimes require board seats. They provide some support. Family offices They can act like angels and move quickly or they may have a more detailed process. They write $100K to $250K checks on the first round. They can be sensitive to valuation. They sometimes require board seats. They provide some support. Consider these factors for your fundraise in selecting your target investor.
Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound. |
Wed, 26 March 2025
How To Fundraise in Down Markets Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The venture world cycles up and down based on technology breakthroughs, stock market gyrations, and other factors. In up markets funding can be more plentiful. In down markets, it can be more challenging to obtain. Consider these steps in fundraising in a down market: Spend more time bootstrapping the business to gain traction. For funding look for individual angels. Angels are less impacted by the financial cycles and can usually afford to invest a small amount at just about any time. Look for a corporate client or partner that can provide a great deal of business through one channel. Make sure you are using any available non-equity financing such as revenue-based funding, factoring, and equipment leasing. Consider joining professional groups where your customers live to make connections and learn more about the industry. Look for custom projects that utilize your core product. This helps pay the bills and keeps your team engaged with solving customers' problems with the core product.
Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound. |
Tue, 25 March 2025
Core Slides in the Pitchdeck Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The pitch deck tells the startup's story and provides key information about the investment opportunity to the investor. There are five key slides that an investor needs to see to understand the state of the business. Problem. The investor needs to understand what problem the startup solves to determine the market size. Solution The investor needs to see what the startup proposes to solve the problem to understand what product the startup must build and sell. Team. The investor needs to know who is on the core team leading the effort to build and sell the proposed product to see if they have the requisite skills. Traction. The investor needs to know where the startup currently stands on the path to engaging the market. Fundraise. The investor needs to know how much funding the startup needs to accomplish the go-to-market plan. These five slides provide the basic context with which an investor can understand the business. Without all of these, the investor lacks enough information to move forward with the deal. Make sure you cover these points in your presentation.
Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound. |
Mon, 24 March 2025
Startup Business Models Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Businesses sell to consumers, which is called B2C, or to businesses called B2B. Startups aggregate users, create marketplaces or sell services. Here’s a list of key startup business models to know: Freemium -- the startup gives something for free to build the customer list and then sells premium services to them. Subscription -- the startup finds a needed service and sells it to the customer on a recurring revenue basis. Marketplace -- the startup brings buyers and sellers together in one place and makes money off the transactions. Fees for service -- the startup provides a service, content, or access in exchange for a fee. Advertising -- the startup attracts an audience and sells advertising to those who want to promote their product or service to that audience. Data monetization -- the startup collects data from a group of people or processes and sells that data to others who use it to improve their business. Razor - razor blade model -- the startup sells a product that requires disposable components to use. This creates a recurring revenue stream from repeat purchases of the disposable product. Consider these business models for your startup.
Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound. |
Fri, 21 March 2025
In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall T. Martin chats with Mike Sloan, Founder, and CEO of Simple Labs. Mike introduces Cogni, an innovative device designed to tackle significant challenges in the wine and spirits industry, such as product loss due to evaporation and spoilage. Starting from his background in bourbon country and transitioning to wine country, Mike shares insights on the industry's pressing needs and how Cogni could potentially save billions in losses annually while optimizing premium product selection through continuous barrel monitoring and data analytics powered by AI and ML technology. Mike outlines the substantial market opportunities with both immediate and future potential, illustrating how Cogni's platform extends beyond a simple device to a scalable solution with a global reach. He emphasizes Cogni's current traction in the market, with agreements in place with leading distilleries and collaborations with academic centers. Investors will be keen to note the $10 million Series A round intended to accelerate growth, scale production, and refine the innovative real-time monitoring technology further. The discussion also delves into the technical specifics of Cogni, including hardware and software integration, cost, and reusability, demonstrating how the platform offers a comprehensive and cost-effective solution for winemakers and distillers alike. Tune in to learn more about how Simple Labs is poised to disrupt the wine and spirits industry and capitalize on a $1.6 trillion global market opportunity.
Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound. |
Fri, 21 March 2025
The Pre-Seed Pitch Deck Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The pre-seed company raising funding faces a challenge. There are no revenue, traction, or performance metrics to show the investor. The startup basically has an idea, a team, and little else. For the pre-seed pitch deck, cover these topics: Start with the team and show each one's past experiences. Talk about how the team knows a particular market and use case. Highlight the problem in that market. Show the key insight the team has about the market and the problem. Discuss how to solve a problem with that insight. Show why now is the best time to pursue this opportunity. Point out a recent change in the industry or an inflection point in the market that provides an opening. Show what the team has done so far to reach these conclusions and who they have talked to. Show the market size and the entry point into that market. State the investment ask and use of the funds. The key to a successful pre seed pitch is to show you have a strong team with a unique insight that can be exploited in a short time frame.
Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound. |
Thu, 20 March 2025
Help the Investor Understand Your Pitch Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors hear a great number of pitches. In each pitch, the investor must figure out what the startup is doing and if it meets their investment criteria. In pitching, an investor considers these steps to help the investor understand your startup: State clearly what the startup does. In fact, state it in 5-7 words so the investor has a clear understanding. Show a picture of it, if possible. State the value proposition. This shows how the product is different from the competition. Use analogies and metaphors to explain complex technical products so non-technical people get a sense of it.. Identify your target market and your ideal customer profile. Show the customer ROI from using the product. Investors want 10X improvements over the competition, not 10% increases. Show not only a large available market but also an initial beachhead market that you have already established. Display the team and call out the skills each one brings to this startup. By providing a few clear points in the presentation, the investor can more easily grasp the basics of the startup.
Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.
Direct download: 04.help_the_investor_understand_your_pitch.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:00am CDT |
Wed, 19 March 2025
Negotiating the Valuation Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Negotiating the valuation is a key step in the fundraising process. Here are some helpful strategies to consider in negotiating the valuation: Understand the comparable valuations in your space. These are called comps and give you a starting point for negotiating. The founder should have a proposed valuation to show investors. This could be renegotiated later, but it gives a starting point to the discussion. The key to a successful negotiation is to articulate all the values in the business. VCs will often throw out a lowball offer. This, for the most part, is a negotiation tactic. The VC is testing to see how much the founder believes in their own valuation. Keep the terms on a pre-money valuation basis. If you state the valuation in post-money terms, then any additional funding raised will eat into the founders' ownership stake. Consider the options pool in the negotiation process and how that will be paid for by both the founder and the VC rather than the founder alone. Finally, don’t rush the process or be rushed by the VC. Take your time and consider all the terms.
Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound. |
Tue, 18 March 2025
Best Practices for Series A Fundraising Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Fundraising for Series A is fundamentally different from fundraising for a seed round. In the seed round, the goal is to convince the investor you can sell it. In the series A round the goal is to convince the investor you can grow the business. Here are some best practices for running a Series A fundraise. Show how the business is up and running with a solid growth trajectory. Demonstrate that you have achieved product market fit and can increase sales. Raise for sales and marketing and not more product development. Focus on your core product and avoid expanding to other products. Show your unit economics to show the profitability of your core model. Show how funds raised will directly increase sales. The other departments in the business, customer service, support, finance, etc, are up and running, albeit on a small scale. Show your repeatable, predictable sales model from start to finish. Include the steps you take to generate a lead, qualify it, and close the sale. Calculate the ratio of leads to customers and average sales price. Set it up so you can plug in a forecasted sales number, and the model shows how many leads you must generate, qualify, and close. Demonstrate to the investor that you have the sales machine figured out.
Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.
Direct download: 02.best_practices_for_series_a_fundraise.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:00am CDT |
Mon, 17 March 2025
Matching Risk To Reward Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In choosing an investment, the investor matches risk to reward. A public stock may go down but most likely will not go bankrupt. A startup is much more likely to go under. Since the risk is low in a publicly traded company, the reward may be low. Since the risk in a startup is high, the reward must be high. For later-stage startups the risk of going bankrupt is lower than for earlier-stage companies. Therefore, the return on investment may be lower. Beware investments such as restaurant deals where the reward is low but the risk is high. Most restaurant deals offer a percentage of revenue over the lifetime of the business and nothing on the exit. The risk is high because it could go under in the first few years. In many cases, a restaurant deal will give the investor a 10 to 20% return but stands the chance of losing all of it by going out of business. For a true early-stage company, the reward must be high because the risk is high. Match risk to reward in your startup investing.
Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound. |
Fri, 14 March 2025
In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall Martin engages in a conversation with Jason Kutasi, a prominent member of YPO, a global leadership community for young presidents. Jason discusses his journey from exiting a D2C children's book publisher to Scholastic, to establishing an ad agency post-exit. He shares his expertise in marketing, emphasizing the importance of testing products, brand names, and customer interests before fully investing in them. Jason provides vital insights on the common mistakes startups make, such as not understanding their target customers or the actual pain points their products solve, and the necessity of a deep understanding of marketing for startup success. Jason also illustrates various scenarios using his experience with scalable startups, highlighting how businesses can optimize their marketing strategies to be more efficient and effective. He stresses the importance of testing before building a product and understanding the specific needs of potential customers. For example, he talks about how A/B testing helped a client choose the better product name, leading to higher customer engagement. Jason also reflects on the evolution of marketing strategies and the increased emphasis on cost-effective, rapid market-testing methods in today's startup ecosystem. The conversation concludes with Jason's perspective on remote work, the impact of COVID-19 on startups, and the integration of AI in digital marketing. He emphasizes the significance of building human connections and understanding your investors' needs. Jason advises startup founders to fly out for face-to-face meetings to build stronger relationships and improve their chances of securing deals. Throughout the episode, Jason's insights provide valuable lessons for both budding entrepreneurs and seasoned investors looking to navigate the ever-changing landscape of scalable startups. Visit YPO at www.ypo.org/ Reach out to at www.linkedin.com/in/jasonkutasi/ Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. _________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound. |
Fri, 14 March 2025
The Secret Is in the Iterations Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Many founders try to tell everything to the investor in the first pitch. This is not possible as there’s no way to convey everything about the startup in one go. It’s best to break the information down into smaller pieces and drip it out over time. The multiple interactions help build the relationship. While each step seems small, they are accretive. One step builds on the other. Take your information and pull out the most enticing elements, such as a recent sales win, a new hire, or a product development piece. Use these tidbits in your pitch to attract investors. Take the remaining information and break it down into updates and follow-up content pieces. Schedule out the follow-up pieces so you present a consistent flow of information to the investor. The small but consistent updates will build and reinforce your growth story to the investor over time. It takes multiple touches to close an investor. Set up those content pieces and schedule them over the course of the campaign.
Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. _________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound. |
Thu, 13 March 2025
What Not To Say in a Fundraise Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, startups should avoid these statements to investors. “We have no competition.” If there’s no competition, then there is no market. Instead, the founder should talk about how the startup solves the problem in a new and unique way. This is the value proposition of the business. “You’ll need to sign my NDA before I can tell you about my business.” The investor will interpret this to mean there’s no protection on the business, such as intellectual property. Instead, the founder should limit the discussion to the benefits their technology provides and not go into how it works. “I’ve included my sweat equity on the cap table.” The investor will only recognize equity that is bought with dollars. The founder should consider sweat equity as table stakes that all startups must bring to the fundraise. “We only need 1% of this billion-dollar market to be successful.” While this statement may sound compelling, the investor interprets this statement as lacking a go-to-market strategy. The founder should focus on their initial traction with customers by outlining the first twenty customers they will pursue. This shows a focused approach to entering the market. Avoid these statements in your pitch.
Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. _________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound. |
Wed, 12 March 2025
What Is a Value Proposition Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. A value proposition is a feature that makes the startup valuable to the customer. It’s not your mission statement, which is the overarching goal of the business. It’s not your mantra that shows what your business stands for. A good value proposition aligns with the customers' needs. A unique value proposition shows how your business differentiates from others. Those who identify with your value proposition are your ideal customers. To identify your value proposition, look at the customer’s problem and ask how you can solve it in a new and different way. Analyze the competition to see how your solution differs. Test the value proposition with customers to see how well it resonates with them. Good value propositions focus on the customer and are unique. It’s important to write out your value proposition so that you clearly understand it and can communicate it to others. Every startup should identify its primary value proposition and promote it to the market.
Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. _________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound. |
Tue, 11 March 2025
Don’t Overhype It Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, it’s important to articulate all the values in the deal. If you don’t mention it, then it doesn’t exist in the investors' minds. Investors only know what you tell them. Include the values in the deal such as customers, other investors, partners, and team members, to name a few. You want to show everyone is supporting the effort and more are coming. In the process, don’t overhype the deal. Don’t indicate you have revenue when you do not. Don’t say you have won a contract when it is not yet signed. Don’t talk about a new hire if they haven’t actually joined yet. It’s okay to talk about the potentials and what is in the works, but don’t go so far as to pretend you have something that you don’t. Ultimately, the investor will learn everything about the deal, and if it doesn’t match with what you said, then you will have a credibility problem. In summary, make sure you highlight all the great things you have going in the deal, but don’t overhype it with things that don’t yet exist.
Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. _________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound. |
Mon, 10 March 2025
How To Enhance an Investor Update Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In writing an investor update, include the status of the business, key milestones achieved, and upcoming challenges. Here are some additional elements to add to the update to enhance it. Remind the investor what you do with a one-line summary or your mantra. This provides context to the investor about your business and the efforts you are making. Provide a report summary at the top in the form of a short paragraph outlining the main takeaways. Just about every investor will read the summary at the top. Call out investors who have gone the extra mile and provided value to the business since the last report. Everyone wants to be recognized, and this practice gives investors an incentive to do more. Instead of making a general call for help, include specific requests to people you know who have the connections or skills. Include links to previous reports so investors can return to them for additional information. Add information to the report about the team and what they are doing. Include photos of recent events to refresh the investors about the group. Consider adding these elements to your investor update.
Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. _________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.
Direct download: 01.how_to_enhance_an_investor_update__.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:00am CDT |
Fri, 7 March 2025
In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall T. Martin speaks with Christopher Ezold, a partner at Wisler Pearlstine, a Pennsylvania-based law firm specializing in business employment and corporate law. Christopher provides valuable insights into the common types of lawsuits startups and growing businesses face, such as violations of non-compete agreements, disclosure issues, and intellectual property disputes. He emphasizes the importance of due diligence in hiring practices, contracts, and vendor selection to mitigate legal risks. They also discuss the pros and cons of litigation, arbitration, and mediation, as well as best practices for avoiding legal battles over non-compete and non-disclosure agreements. Christopher delves into the unique compliance issues faced by highly regulated industries like healthcare and biotech, particularly concerning government regulations and data privacy. He underscores the necessity of having knowledgeable regulatory advisors and maintaining robust data protection practices to prevent breaches and uphold trade secrets. Additionally, Christopher highlights the impact of a startup's litigation history on its ability to attract investors, stressing the importance of protecting intellectual property and maintaining clean contracts to boost investment attractiveness. Finally, Christopher offers practical advice on making business decisions about settling lawsuits versus proceeding to trial, and outlines the evolving legal challenges for startups, including changing non-compete laws and the complexities of privacy and cybersecurity regulations. He concludes with crucial tips for startups and entrepreneurs to minimize lawsuit risks by hiring the right people, documenting agreements, and ensuring team integrity. For more information, listeners can visit Whistler Pearlstine's website or contact Christopher Ezold directly at www.wislerpearlstine.com
Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. _________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound. |
Fri, 7 March 2025
Add Investor Relations to Your Website Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, prospective investors use your website to learn more about the business. It’s often the case that the investor will use the website to connect with the founder. To facilitate fundraising, add an investor relations button to your website. Create a page indicating you are seeking investors and providing a general contact us button to capture their name, phone number, and email address. Indicate that the company is seeking investors and capture their contact details. Do not put up any information about the fundraise since the pitch deck and the due diligence is only for investors and not for the general public. For crowdfunding campaigns, consider using your own website rather than a crowdfunding portal. This lets you turn investors into customers and customers into investors. It’s a good way to build your customer base as well as an investor list. One can also keep your investor list for your own fundraising and not expose them to other fundraisers. Make sure your website is up to date and communicates your startup’s values. Consider how to use your website to leverage your fundraising.
Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.
Direct download: 05.Add_Investor_relations_to_your_website.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:00am CDT |
Thu, 6 March 2025
The Importance of Your Website in a Fundraise Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Your website plays a key role in your fundraising. The first place an investor goes after hearing a pitch is your website. Make sure it is up to date and looks professional. Pitch slides are meant to be high-level thumbnails and typically contain few details. The investor wants to learn more about your product and your team. Make sure your product is well described, including any platform solutions. Also, keep the team page up to date with the current C-level team as well as any advisors. Position the website to be one level beyond your current fundraising stage. This will enhance your presence with investors. For example, if you are raising a seed round, design the website to look like a Series A company. Seed companies show you are selling the product. Series A companies show that you are growing the business. Series B companies show you are scaling the business. Finally, consider adding an investor relations button on your site. This gives prospective investors the ability to reach back out to you for follow-up questions.
Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.
Direct download: 04.the_importance_if_your_website_in_a_fundraise.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:00am CDT |
Wed, 5 March 2025
How To Use Round Closings Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In planning out a fundraise, it’s best to break the raise into a series of round closings. Communicate the overall fundraise amount to the investor but break it into steps. The first tranche is called the first round close. This typically includes family and friends funding. Use this funding to attract more investors to join. Set the date for the closing and make the deadline clear when pitching investors. This gives a target date for investors to make a decision. A typical target date is eight to twelve weeks before the closing date. This gives the investor enough time to run their due diligence before investing. Too short a window and the investor will bail, saying they don’t have enough time. Too long a window and the investor will procrastinate. Give investors who come into that round an incentive, such as an investor-friendly valuation. When that round finishes, start the next one. Set the next deadline and communicate the date to all the investors who did not invest in the first round. Inform the investor that you raised the first round and are now moving to the next one. Use funding from the first round to add momentum to the second one.
Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound. |
Tue, 4 March 2025
Steps To Plan Your Fundraise Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Before you launch a fundraise, first plan out your investor engagement: Follow these steps to prepare: Create a timeline, giving yourself three to six months before launching the campaign. Make a list of your key contacts, including both investors and connectors. This includes people who know investors and can connect you with them. Prioritize the list based on who would be the most likely to help you. Determine how you will gain an introduction to each investor by looking at mutual contacts and network affiliations. Develop your investor documents, including pitch deck, financial forecast, and diligence documents. Write out a series of email templates for introductions, follow-ups, and updates. Identify three to five investors to target first to practice the pitch and update the deck so it’s complete. Track who has seen your deal through email and who has heard your pitch. Develop a series of communications to send out to carry the investor through the process. This will make follow-up simpler. The more structure and content you put in place before the launch, the easier it will be to execute the raise.
Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound. |
Mon, 3 March 2025
Building the Fundraise Funnel Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, it’s important to build a funnel into your fundraising. Just as you have a funnel for sales so you need a funnel for fundraising. At the top of the funnel are people you know but have not yet heard the pitch. Reach out to them in advance of the fundraise launch and indicate you are not raising funding now but in six months, you will be. Offer to tell them what you are working on with no ask. Most investors are curious about what may be coming up and will take the meeting. After the pitch, ask to keep the investor informed of your progress. Every month, send a short bulleted list of results about your business via email. After six months, you will have a list of investors who have heard the pitch and have been on the journey with you. This builds your investor funnel for when you do launch the fundraiser. It takes seven touches to close a sale so it takes seven touches to close an investor. By starting the process before you launch the formal campaign, you take care of those interactions. Include building the investor funnel into your fundraising plans.
Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound. |
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