Investor Connect Podcast (general)

This is Investor Perspectives. I’m the host of Investor Connect, Hall T Martin, where we connect startups and investors for funding.

In our new Investor Perspectives series entitled “How to Solve the Biotech/Life Sciences Problem”, you’ll hear about participation in the Biotech/Life Sciences segment and what investors look for.

As the COVID pandemic passes, we emerge into a new world. The biotech space is now undergoing tremendous change as we shift back to a normal way of life. The process for designing and approving vaccines demonstrated a new protocol. Biotech now moves into a new era. We have investors and startup founders describe the changes coming up.

Our guests are:

Yaniv Sneor, Co-founder, Mid Atlantic Bio Angels 01:18
Carter Williams, CEO and Managing Partner, iSelect Fund 08:50
Maximilian Bade, Founding Partner, Nucleus Capital 15:31
Ron Paliwoda, President, Paliwoda Group 20:15
Orrin Ailloni-Charas, Managing Partner, Global Health Impact Fund 26:00
Eyal Lifschitz, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Peregrine Ventures 30:05
Mark Groper, Chief Executive Officer, Orion Biotechnology 37:20

We hope you enjoy the show.

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  

Music courtesy of Bensound

 

 

Direct download: IP_Biotech-Life_Sciences_-_Show_3.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

In running a business, it’s important to use written contracts.

It’s easy to negotiate an agreement verbally, but this often leaves loose ends that become a problem later.

A written contract makes clear the responsibilities and duties of both parties and what each owes the other.

It’s often the case that both sides make assumptions underlying the agreement and those assumptions conflict with each other.

A contract includes both the agreement and the consideration.

Consideration is some value that is paid for the services rendered or the product delivered.

If there’s no consideration, then the service is considered a gift.

Written contracts are required for any sale over $500, any lease over $1000, and anything that creates a security interest such as pledging real estate.

There are several advantages to written contracts.

It is easier to enforce a written contract.

Signing a contract indicates that both parties have agreed to it.

Verbal contracts are often nullified when one side or the other claims they didn’t agree.

Written contracts provide better recourse than verbal contracts with the courts and arbitration.

Make sure you put it in writing.


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 

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: importance_of_written_contracts.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Josh Chodniewicz, Founder and CEO at Fundify. 

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Fundify is a tech-driven equity crowdfunding marketplace that enables anyone to invest in next-gen startups alongside industry experts. They work closely with experts in a wide variety of industries to review and comment on investment opportunities. Fundify makes it simple for anyone and everyone to invest in startups and build a portfolio, with as little as $10 per investment.

Josh previously co-founded and served as CEO of Art.com/Allposters.com, where they built the world’s most successful online art retailer selling more than $3 billion in posters and framing services and satisfying more than 20 million paying customers.

The experience of co-founding Art.com showed Josh how difficult and time-consuming it can be to raise capital for a business. In fact, in the early years, he bootstrapped the business on just $35,000 and was continually told “no” by potential investors. Josh and his team went on to raise a $58M Series A for Art.com before it was acquired by Walmart. 

Josh began angel investing to help other founders build their dreams. He founded his own venture company and incubator called Mach 10 Ventures and has invested in dozens of startups including Mixbook.com ($11m+ in follow-on funding), Collectrium (acquired by Christie’s), Moolala (acquired by Ncrowd), Pixowl (acquired by Animoca), True Impact Media and others.

As an early-stage investor, he once again found a time-consuming, inefficient process, especially when considering investments in industries outside of his expertise. 

Josh founded Fundify to simplify startup funding and investing. Josh has won numerous awards and honors, including Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Entrepreneurial Excellence Award, 40 Under 40, among others. While Josh was CEO of Art.com, the company earned recognition from Inc. Magazine as the 2nd fastest-growing company in the nation. 

Josh lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife Natalie and three sons: Beckham, Asher, and Edison.

Josh shares with Hall what excites him now and how he sees the industry evolving. He discusses his investment thesis and some of the companies in his portfolio which fit the thesis.

You can visit Fundify at www.fundify.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/fundify-inc/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/fundify?lang=en.  

Josh can be contacted via email at josh@fundify.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/jchod/

Music courtesy of Bensound.

Direct download: Josh_Chodniewicz_of_Fundify.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

In raising funding, you must have a growth story.

Investors want to know your business is in motion with momentum and traction.

Investors look for activity in four areas: sales, team, product, and fundraise.

These are the factors under the control of the startup.  

Other factors such as competition, market size, and growth are not interesting.

Investors want to know what you are accomplishing, not what the market is accomplishing.

In every contact with the investor, bring up a key result in sales, team, product, or fundraise.

Most startups spend their air time with investors focused on the forecast.

Instead, show how your company is executing today.

Make sure you follow up to demonstrate how the growth story continues. 

It takes about four updates before the investor becomes convinced there’s a growth story underway.


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  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: whats_your_current_growth_story.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Nicolas Colin, Co-founder and Director at The Family.

Founded in 2013 and headquartered in London, The Family nurtures entrepreneurs through education, unfair advantages, and capital. Moving at startup speed, The Family is transforming a portfolio of non-linear companies, special projects, and virtual infrastructures into a connected community of entrepreneurs, operators, and fellow investors who inspire and support each other.

Nicolas is the publisher of European Straits, a research newsletter dedicated to the Entrepreneurial Age viewed from Europe, a columnist at Sifted, and an author (more recently of Hedge: A Greater Safety Net for the Entrepreneurial Age). He's a member of the board of directors of Radio France, the French national radio broadcasting corporation, and of Mettle, the digital branch of Natwest/Royal Bank of Scotland. Nicolas previously served as an advisor with the OECD, a member of the board of the French personal data protection authority, and a senior civil servant at the French ministry of finance. He lives in Munich, Germany, with his wife and their two children.

Nicolas advises investors and entrepreneurs and shares some of the challenges they face. He also discusses some good opportunities for investors to pursue.

You can visit The Family at www.jointhefamily.co, and at europeanstraits.substack.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/thefamily/.  

Nicolas can be contacted via email at nicolas@jointhefamily.co, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-colin-the-family, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/Nicolas_Colin.  

Music courtesy of Bensound.

Direct download: Nicolas_Colin_of_The_Family.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

There are basic principles around fundraising that apply in every situation.

First, the most important step in fundraising is to build a relationship with the investor.

The more you know the investor and the more they know you, the better the outcome.

Second, demonstrate results in every contact.

Never show up without a currently relevant result or a proof point.

Third, be honest at all times.  

It only takes one deception to ruin the relationship.

Fourth, it’s the number of touches and consistency that counts, not how long the discussion or pitch deck runs.

It takes four touches for an investor to understand what you are doing and seven touches before they make a final decision.

Fifth, include the “Why?” -- why are you doing this startup?


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  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: fundraising_principles.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Darren King, Fund Manager and General Partner at Unbridled Ventures.

Unbridled Ventures’ fund consists of accomplished angel investors who provide funding and expertise to help entrepreneurs fulfill their American dream.

Darren has spent a lifetime working for and consulting with small businesses in Indiana and Kentucky. The son of a small business owner, Darren has also had a passion for small businesses and has worked in various roles as a CEO, CFO, and CPA (inactive) to analyze, invest, and consult on various investment and acquisition opportunities.

During the past ten years, Darren has been an active angel investor and mentor to startups and small businesses throughout the Commonwealth. He has personally invested over $1 million in startups. He also has extensive experience with angel funds as a board member and as an investor. Successful angel investments include Hosting.com, Gun Media, Poseida (PSTX), and First Care.

Prior to his role as an angel investor, from 2000 until 2009 Darren was CEO of Hosting.com, a cloud service provider headquartered in Louisville with operations in San Francisco and Irvine, California. Hosting.com sold to Wachovia Capital in May 2009 for an 18x return on equity.

Prior to Hosting.com, Darren was a CFO and CPA. Darren holds a B.S. in Accounting from Indiana University where he graduated with honors in 1992. He resides in Prospect, Kentucky with his wife and two children.

Darren discusses his investment thesis, the financial risk-reward, and some of the non-financial benefits of investing as an angel. He also advises investors and entrepreneurs and shares some of the challenges they face.

You can visit Unbridled Ventures at www.unbridled.vc, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/unbridled-ventures/about/

Darren can be contacted via email at darren@unbridled.vc, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/darren-king-295b2a2/

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: Darren_King_of_Unbridled_Ventures.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Many entrepreneurs fail to build a financial forecast claiming they cannot predict the future.

The purpose of the financial forecast is not for future predictions, but rather for communicating the business plan to the investors.

From the forecast, the investor learns what growth rate the entrepreneur is considering.

The forecast shows where break-even may come in.

The investor can also gauge how much the entrepreneur knows about the costs and revenues of the business.

Big round numbers in the forecast indicate little knowledge of the costs and revenues.

Most financial forecasts can be driven by specific product quantities.

Finally, the forecast shows the interdependence between revenues and costs.

Increased revenues will drive variable costs higher leaving the fixed costs unchanged.

A financial model is helpful for managing the business.

If revenues double, the model shows what will happen to the costs.  

If revenues get cut in half, the model shows what costs will drop and what will not.

It’s important to create a 3-5 year financial forecast to share with investors to inform them of the plan and demonstrate the startup’s credibility.


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  

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Direct download: purpose_if_the_financial_forecast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes David Blackledge, Angel Investor, Professor at Grand Canyon University, and Attorney at Davis Miles Law Firm.

David is full-time faculty at Grand Canyon University’s College of Business and 2020-21 Teacher of the Year. Fall 2021 will be his seventh year teaching at the school which quickly became a second calling for him.

David is an active investor in multiple angel groups as well as a mentor and judge in many Arizona-based business competitions. He is currently a board member on various volunteer groups whose mission is to educate, accelerate and invest in entrepreneurs who are creating solutions to business and social problems. He has provided thousands of hours mentoring and advising students, startups, and others in professional matters such as interviewing, business formation and ownership, and fundraising.

David is also Of Counsel (a fancy phrase for part-time) at Davis Miles McGuire Gardner, a full-service law firm operating in the southwest US. He focuses his practice on startup and emerging businesses, particularly in various technology markets. The first thirty years of his professional career were in sales and operations management of high technology startups giving him a unique perspective on advising business owners, investors, and others in the business world. 

David received his degree in Business Management from Penn State Smeal College of Business, an MBA in Finance from George Washington University, and his J.D. from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.

David discusses what excites him now in angel investing, some of the challenges angel investors face, and the state of angel investing post-COVID-19.

David can be contacted via email at dblackledge1@cox.net, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/david-blackledge-7829a23/.

Music courtesy of Bensound.

Direct download: David_Blackledge_of_Grand_Canyon_University.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

If you successfully raised your seed round you will find that Series A funding to be a new challenge. 

Series A funding is different from seed funding in several ways.

In seed funding, the entrepreneur must convince the investor that they can sell the product.

In Series A funding, the entrepreneur must convince the investor they can grow the overall business.

In seed funding, product-market fit and traction are the key drivers pointing to success.

In Series A funding, repeatable processes and systems installed are the key drivers.

In seed funding, investments come in bits and pieces and anything helps.

In Series A funding, larger portions must be raised to carry out the plan.

In seed funding, family, friends, angels, and others, are the primary source of funding.

In Series A, venture capital and institutions take the lead in funding.

Make sure you don’t use your seed deck for a Series A funding as you will find the presentation will fall flat.


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  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: how_series_a_funding_is_different_from_seed_funding.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

This is Investor Perspectives. I’m the host of Investor Connect, Hall T Martin, where we connect startups and investors for funding.

In our new Investor Perspectives series entitled “How to Solve the Biotech/Life Sciences Problem”, you’ll hear about primary trends and what makes for a successful company in this segment.

As the COVID pandemic passes, we emerge into a new world. The biotech space is now undergoing tremendous change as we shift back to a normal way of life. The process for designing and approving vaccines demonstrated a new protocol. Biotech now moves into a new era. We have investors and startup founders describe the changes coming up.

Our guests are:

Yaniv Sneor, Co-founder, Mid Atlantic Bio Angels 1:17
Carter Williams, CEO and Managing Partner, iSelect Fund 5:58
Maximilian Bade, Founding Partner, Nucleus Capital 15:08
Ron Paliwoda, President, Paliwoda Group 17:09
Orrin Ailloni-Charas, Managing Partner, Global Health Impact Fund 20:09
Eyal Lifschitz, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Peregrine Ventures 22:57
Mark Groper, Chief Executive Officer, Orion Biotechnology 30:45

We hope you enjoy the show.
_______________________________

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  

Music courtesy of Bensound.


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

So, who does the Venture Capitalist serve?

The VC raises funds from the Limited Partner and invests in startups.

In talking with entrepreneurs, they make clear the VC serves the Limited Partners first.

Many founders talk about how helpful the VC is to their company and personal growth.

Entrepreneurs are important to the VC and vice versa.

The VC needs the business in which to invest, and the entrepreneur needs the funding. 

The VC to entrepreneur is more of a partnership than a customer/vendor relationship.

They both share a common goal. 

They must work together and remain aligned to the mission and vision of the business.

For VCs funding startups, consider it a partnership and look for entrepreneurs you can work with. 

For entrepreneurs raising funding, consider it a partnership as well and ask if you want them as a partner for your business?

This brings some clarity to the funding process.


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  

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Direct download: who_does_the_vc_serve.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Carolyn Lowe, CEO & Founder of ROI Swift.

Founded in 2015, ROI Swift is an agency made up of fun and approachable digital marketing experts who are passionate about growing small and medium businesses. They offer expert management in Google Adwords, Google Shopping, remarketing, Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, Pinterest - pretty much every digital platform - and take pride in their results.

ROI Swift was started with one goal: to help small and medium businesses grow through profitable paid advertising vehicles. They were tired of seeing small companies waste money with clueless marketing firms. Emerging brands need a strategic partner that will put them on the same playing field as the big businesses. That’s what they do. When you hire them, you get a responsive team that’s passionate about working with you. Their goal is to grow 1000 emerging brands by 2030.

Carolyn is the author of “Business Do's and Absolute Don'ts: Applied Wisdom from my work with Dell, Costco, Amazon, and multiple startups”. 

Fun facts about Carolyn: She once won $10,000 on the radio and wished she saved it to invest in Google or Amazon two decades later. After leaving Dell, she ran Global marketing and events for an NPD company and consulted for many brands including DirecTV, Callaway Golf, and others.

She founded ROI Swift to follow her passion of helping emerging businesses grow. Brands like Tecovas, Howler Brothers, LemiShine, Incrediwear, UpSpring, and many more can attribute successes due to ROI Swift.

She lives in Austin, TX, and is married with two children. Carolyn has her pilot’s license, though no time to actually fly anymore.

Carolyn discusses the state of investing in the e-commerce industry. She also speaks about the evolution of it, the number of companies engaged in it, and some of the challenges companies face.

You can visit ROI Swift at www.roiswift.com, and via LinkedIn at  www.linkedin.com/company/roi-swift.

Carolyn can be contacted via email at carolyn@roiswift.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/carolynbyronlowe

Music courtesy of Bensound.

Direct download: Carolyn_Lowe_of_ROI_Swift.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

There are many metrics for determining how well your SaaS business is doing.

Net dollar retention is a key metric that indicates the health of the business.

To calculate it, take the revenue at the beginning of the month, plus upgrades, minus downgrades and churn. Divide this by the revenue at the beginning of the month. 

If the formula is above 100%, then your business is growing.

If it’s below 100%, then it’s shrinking.

The key to a high net dollar retention rate is strong customer service.

Low net dollar retention rate comes from poor service.

Market-leading companies often have a net dollar retention rate well above 100%. 

Know your numbers and use them to guide your execution.


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  

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Direct download: net_dollar_retentiin_as_a_metric.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Eric Thome, Director at VentureSouth.

VentureSouth is an early-stage venture firm that provides capital and expertise to Southeastern startups through their angel investment network and funds.

Since their inception with the Upstate Carolina Angel Network (UCAN) in 2008, VentureSouth has grown to include more than 350 active investors, making them one of the largest angel investment groups in the United States – and they have been named a Top 10 angel group three times.

To date, VentureSouth has invested over $50 million in more than 80 companies.

Eric is the Managing Director of Business Development for Charles Towne Holdings, a boutique investment bank headquartered in Charleston. He is also the founder of Death Valley Ventures where he acts as a consultant and operator for businesses large and small. Through DVV, he is part owner of Barre3 Charleston and formerly acquired the folding Kayak company, Folbot, and launched GameDayBlazers.com.

Eric received his Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from Clemson University and his MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia. He currently serves on the board of the American Red Cross of the Lowcountry, the board for InnoVision SC, the advisory board for Clemson Honors College, chairs the Investment Committee for Social Venture Partners Charleston, and is a leader of the Charleston Shared Future Project.

Eric and his wife, Eloise, live in Charleston, SC with their daughters, Anna, Landon, and Virginia.

Eric advises startups and investors and shares some of the challenges they face. He also discusses his investment thesis and what he thinks will be the biggest change we will see in the next 12 months.

You can visit VentureSouth at www.venturesouth.vc, via LinkedIn at  www.linkedin.com/company/venturesouth-vc/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/VentureSouth_VC.  

Eric can be contacted via email at eric@venturesouth.vc, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/ericthome.

Music courtesy of Bensound.

Direct download: Eric_Thome_of_VentureSouth.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Investors look for certain things in the pitch to decide whether or not to pursue.

In pitching VCs, make sure you cover the following points:

Say what your company does in 10 words or less.

This provides context so the investor knows how to understand the rest of the pitch.

Show how your team is great.  

Give examples demonstrating how sharp they are, how fast they execute, and how they learn from mistakes.

Mention the size of the market and include not only the total available market and serviceable market but also the beachhead market.

The beachhead market is the first 20 customers you will pursue.

This shows you know where you are going to start with your go-to-market plans.

Discuss the monetization model.

If you have recurring revenue, highlight that aspect as that will appeal to them the most. 

Show recent milestones accomplished such as a product launched, or a customer closed.

Discuss current traction.

Forecasts must rest on top of historical numbers.

Investors will look for where you are today in order to understand your forecast.

Show how much funding you have so far.

Have one fundraise target, not several, as investors can’t manage multiple scenarios in the initial meeting.

Know what you are going to accomplish with the fundraise. 

Again, focus on clear milestones and avoid multiple scenarios.

In the end, it’s one team, one product, one business model, one fundraise, and one outcome. 


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

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: what_vcs_want_to_know_about_your_startup.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this our 600th episode, Hall welcomes Paul Glover, Author of “WorkQuake” and Executive Coach at Paul Glover Coaching.

Paul is the “no BS work performance coach”, a "recovering trial lawyer", an ex-felon, an unabashed Starbucks addict, a Chicago Bears fanatic, the author of WorkQuake, a speaker on business and leadership topics, and a member of the Forbes Coaching Council.

In 2001, based on his personal experiences as a federal court trial lawyer and a set-back survivor, Paul created a unique coaching program, recognizing the primary reason why convincing successful leaders to engage in the hard work necessary to improve their leadership skillset was so difficult was that leaders seldom know the truth about the weaknesses in their leadership skill set. This lack of knowledge exists because of the inherent nature of positional authority which eliminates the psychological safety necessary for others in the organization to tell leaders the unfiltered truth. This lack of truthfulness about their leadership skill set restrains both the leader and their organization from reaching their full potential. For the last 20 years, he has used a coaching program based on a measurable improvement process that holds leaders accountable for eliminating the filters and stuff that surrounds them. But, more importantly, it also requires leaders to discover their blind spots and their propensity for producing self-inflicted injuries which constrain their organizations and themselves from realizing their full potential. And, finally, it requires that they take the corrective action necessary to eliminate those constraints.  

Paul discusses the inspiration behind his book, the primary audience, what surprised him the most whilst writing it, and the most important takeaway.

You can visit Paul at his website www.paulglovercoaching.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/paulglovercoaching/, via Twitter at www.twitter.com/paulglovercoach, and via email at paul@paulglovercoaching.com.  

You can purchase his book from his website or from Amazon, at ww.amazon.com/Work-Quake.

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: Paul_Glover_of_Paul_Glover_Coaching.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Pitching is an important skill in fundraising.

Consider these key points in your next pitch:

Tell a compelling story, not just any story.

Use the pitch deck to communicate the “Why” behind your business.

Time is short, so make sure you hit the key points of the business -- team, product, fundraise, in a logical order.

Include meaningful numbers that demonstrate you know what you are talking about.

Market size, revenue, growth rate, customer acquisition rates are important numbers to include. 

In building your pitch, involve your team and others as it will be a great way to reinforce the strategy with those who are helping execute it.

Pitching skills also help in recruiting employees, fostering partnerships, and selling customers. 

The deck is there to help you, not take your place.  

Remember, you are the presentation, not the slides. 


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

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Direct download: are_you_able_to_communicate_your_story.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Avetis Antaplyan, Founder & CEO of HIRECLOUT.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, HIRECLOUT is a technology recruiting and consulting firm focused on building relationships that deliver results. They utilize their proprietary process and a team of recruiters and Client Success Managers to find and deliver top technology professionals with their top technical hiring system on a contingency basis. HIRECLOUT only earns a fee when the candidate starts.

Avetis is a passionate entrepreneur and technologist focused on making an impact. He is a proud husband and father of two kick-ass kids. He is also an angel investor with an interest in everything tech-enabled, especially in robotics and AI. Avetis is all about helping people elevate their mindset, their teams, and careers.

Avetis discusses what excites him now in the sector, the state of investing in startups, and some of the challenges entrepreneurs face. 

You can visit HIRECLOUT at www.hireclout.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/hireclout/mycompany/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/HIRECLOUT.

Avetis can be contacted via email at avetis@hireclout.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/yourpartnerrecruiteravetis/.

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Direct download: Avetis_Antaplyan_of_Hireclout_version2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

The process of raising funding brings the startup founder several intangible benefits.

Here is a short list:

Fundraising forces you to think through your business strategy and articulate it clearly.

Investors will challenge your strategy requiring the founder to defend it.

The pitch elicits feedback from the investors which often improves the plan.

While entrepreneurs look at the opportunity in the deal, the investor looks at the risk.

Investors highlight the risks and the challenges to overcome.

This feedback sharpens the pitch.

Investors also provide feedback on the market, team, product, and other aspects that help refine the strategy.

The pitch presentation expands the circle of those who know the business and can potentially help in the future.

Consider the additional benefits that come from raising funding, which is a better business plan and a broader network of contacts.


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  

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Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

This is Investor Perspectives. I’m the host of Investor Connect, Hall T Martin, where we connect startups and investors for funding.

In our new Investor Perspectives series entitled “How to Solve the Biotech/Life Sciences Problem”, you’ll hear about growth in the biotech/life sciences segment.

As the COVID pandemic passes, we emerge into a new world. The biotech space is now undergoing tremendous change as we shift back to a normal way of life. The process for designing and approving vaccines demonstrated a new protocol. Biotech now moves into a new era. We have investors and startup founders describe the changes coming up.

Our guests are:

Yaniv Sneor, Co-founder, Mid Atlantic Bio Angels, 01:18
Carter Williams, CEO and Managing Partner, iSelect Fund, 05:05
Maximilian Bade, Founding Partner, Nucleus Capital, 07:35
Ron Paliwoda, President, Paliwoda Group, 10:34
Orrin Ailloni-Charas, Managing Partner, Global Health Impact Fund, 16:36
Eyal Lifschitz, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Peregrine Ventures, 20:31
Mark Groper, Chief Executive Officer, Orion Biotechnology, 29:20

I hope you enjoy this episode.
________________________________

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 

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

In raising funding, the startup should be doing as much diligence on the investor as the investor is doing on the startup.

Start by checking out the portfolio of the investor and making contact with CEOs who have been funded by the investor.

Ask the CEO about their experience with the firm. 

Most VCs tout their entrepreneur-friendly mantra and how much they can help the startup. 

In addition to funding, VCs provide strategy, recruiting, business development, and future funding. 

Ask the CEO about their experience with the VC in these areas.  

Also, check their experience in negotiating the term sheet with the investor.

Look for examples of non-standard behavior such as lock-up terms, and a last-minute change of terms in the negotiations.

 

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  

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Direct download: how_to_diligence_a_vc_firm.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Neetu Puranikmath, Early-Stage Investor.

Neetu is an experienced investor, operator, and startup advisor. Neetu worked at Alumni Ventures Group as a pre-seed/seed investor where she focused on Fintech and SaaS. Previously, she was Chief of Staff for a Fintech startup and worked in operations at YouTube, Google, and Facebook. She is a former 501(c)(3) founder and has been a mentor for the Clinton Foundation, First Round Capital’s Dorm Room Fund, and Texas’ NewChip accelerator. She graduated with a Bachelor in Political Science from UC Berkeley and received her MBA from the University of Oxford.

Neetu advises startups and investors and shares how she sees the startup industry evolving. She discusses some of the challenges startups and investors face, alternative financing options in the early-stage ecosystem, and she shares her investment thesis.

Neetu can be contacted via email at neetu.puranikmath@gmail.com

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Direct download: Neetu_Puranikmath.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:52am CDT

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

In approaching venture capital, it’s important to know something about the VC’s sweet spot for funding.

By reviewing the VC’s website, you can see their portfolio.

By reviewing their portfolio companies, you can get a sense of the stage and sector of deals they invest in.

The best way to learn about a VC is by contacting one of their portfolio companies.

From the CEO, you can find out more about how the VC supports their companies and what strengths they bring to the table.

Knowing the VC’s sweet spot will save you a tremendous amount of time and help you focus on the ones who are a good fit.


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  

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Direct download: know_the_investor_sweet_spot.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Startup founders need time-management skills to run a business.

Here’s a list of key skills successful founders have:

  1. Can set up daily routines and repeat them consistently.
  2. Can prioritize tasks doing the most important ones first.
  3. Can delegate tasks to others when others are better suited for those tasks.
  4. Can use time management techniques such as Pomodoro and others.
  5. Can plan the work and then work the plan consistently.
  6. Can mitigate distractions from social media, email, and other sources.
  7. Can focus on a singular task and avoid multitasking.
  8. Can simplify projects to their essential components and focus on those.

In this attention-demanding economy, it takes strong time-management skills to succeed.


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  

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Direct download: time_management_skills.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Dr. Hector Jirau, Chief Investment Officer at Jirau Capital Management.

Headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Jirau Capital Management is a scientist-led investment advisory firm at the intersection of breakthrough science providing exposure to the latest advancements in healthcare and innovation. Jirau Capital Management is the first and only investment advisory firm in Puerto Rico combining quantitative methods with evidence-based science.

Hector holds a B.Sc. in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Puerto Rico (UPR). He completed a Doctoral degree (Ph.D.) in Biochemistry at the UPR School of Medicine, focusing on the discovery of novel metabolic pathways for polygenic respiratory disorders. Dr. Jirau also holds a Master’s degree (MSc.) in Financial Engineering, specializing in risk management in financial derivatives. He has experience managing alternative investments, especially with the successful launch of pooled investment vehicles, such as a biotechnology long-short equity hedge fund and an early-stage venture capital fund expected to deploy capital in Q4 2021. He currently serves on the board of different seed-stage ventures in the healthcare/technology sector.

Hector speaks about the growth and primary trends in the biotech/life sciences segment. He also discusses his participation in the segment and what he looks for when investing.

You can visit Jirau Capital Management at www.jiraucapital.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/jirau-capital-management/.

Hector can be contacted via email at hector@jiraucapital.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/hjirau, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/PhDInvestor

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Direct download: Hector_Jirau_of_Jirau_Capital_Management_LLC.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:56am CDT

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

Startup founders need strategy skills to run a business.

Here’s a list of key skills successful startup founders have:

  1. Business model design - the founder can review a situation and develop a business model to create a profitable business.
  2. Buy vs. build - the founder can decide between buying a solution or building it from scratch.
  3. Growth management - the founder knows when to press forward for growth and when to maintain the current run rate.
  4. Product management - the founder knows how to expand the product line and when.
  5. Resourcefulness - the founder knows how to get the most out of the situation and applies resourcefulness to do so.
  6. Experimentation - the founder is constantly examining new strategies to grow the company.
  7. Measurement - the ability to measure the results to see how a strategy is working.

The founder needs to apply strategic thinking to every aspect of the company, mission, product development, hiring, marketing, and sales.


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  

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Direct download: strategy_skills.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Robert Norton, CEO at AirTight Management.

Headquartered in Round Rock, Texas, AirTight Management prepares and assists entrepreneurs in launching new companies and products, scale through consulting, and training and coaching to create high-performance cultures. 

Robert has been a serial entrepreneur since 1989. He has founded and scaled several companies as CEO and in four exits earned investors over $1 billion in profits just while at those companies. Today, these companies generate billions annually. He is also a speaker, author of two books, over 125 articles, and over 360 studio-produced videos on these topics, trained thousands of CEOs from 35+ countries, and is a thought leader in entrepreneurship, innovation, and scaling of companies.

Robert has grown two startups to over $100M in sales, Thomson Financial Services, and HomeView ($156M) in five years each. HomeView was the first HD, virtual touring company for residential real estate and achieved a 78% market share in only 18 months. Both companies disrupted their industries with six successful products out of six. Robert has now created over 80 products and helped with hundreds. He specializes in entrepreneurship and scaling companies that can become $100M+ with impact and has helped over 200 companies start and/or scale.

As a board member, adviser, and coach, Robert has doubled and tripled the growth rate at many client companies in short order leading Organization Change Management (and Development OCM/OD) and adding tens of millions in valuation to individual clients in months.

Robert discusses the steps to creating and the benefits of sustainable competitive advantages, how the business model impacts it, where intellectual property comes into play, and more.

You can visit AirTight Management at www.airtightmgt.com, at and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/airtight-management/.

Robert can be contacted via email at bnorton@airtightmgt.com, via www.ceobootcamp.us/, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/robertjnorton/.

Music courtesy of Bensound.

Direct download: Robert_Norton_of_AirTight_Management.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:09am CDT

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

Startup founders need problem-solving skills to run a business.

Here’s a list of key skills to develop:

  1. Critical thinking - ability to analyze the key factors around a situation and find the real problem to be solved.
  2. Decision-making - ability to choose the right solution and see it through to implementation.
  3. Lateral thinking - can think outside the box and come up with solutions that take into account other factors.
  4. Creativity - ability to generate solutions by brainstorming and looking for similar models and sources of inspiration elsewhere and applying to the problem.
  5. Determination - ability to test and try several solutions to find the right fit. 
  6. Adaptability - ability to adapt to new situations and try new solutions.
  7. Self-discipline - ability to stay focused on the problem until you find the right solution.
  8. Positivity - ability to stay positive about finding a solution and not giving up.
  9. Curiosity - ability to apply curiosity to the problem to spur new solutions.
  10. Networking - ability to connect with others to find a solution.


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  

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Direct download: problem_solving_skills.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Startup founders need to be visionary to run a startup.

Vision starts with seeing a business opportunity and applying a solution to solve it.

The founder clarifies the vision and shapes it into a platform, product, or application.

This informs the founder of all business decisions going forward.

It starts with knowing the industry and current solutions in the market.

The solution must be unique and competitive with advantages over competitors.

The vision should establish a unique product in the market.

Over time, the founder refines the vision with changes in the market.

The founder uses storytelling to communicate the need and the value that comes from the vision.

The founder must sell the vision to everyone including the team, customers, and partners.

The founder is part evangelist selling and promoting the idea.

The market must be able to see the value that comes from the vision.

The vision must inspire others to learn more and then join the effort. 

The vision is captured into the company’s tag line, mantra, and mission statement.

The vision must be established for the long term as it will undergo many refinements and clarifications.

For startup founders, vision is a key element you’ll need to run your business in the early days.  


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  

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Direct download: vision.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Kenneth Alan Goodwin, General Managing Partner and Founder at Jeanensis Ventures.

Headquartered in New York City, New York, Jeanensis is a capital markets advisory and digital asset management firm that focuses primarily on advising multi-nationals and mid-market firms.

Jeanensis has developed its expertise and continues to grow its partnership, alliances and clientele alike, in fintech and regtech, innovation and technology, artificial intelligence [AI], blockchain-enterprise, and digital asset management.

Ken is a widely sought-after executive with global banking and capital markets experience - achieving results in venture capital, digital transformation, big data, innovation and technology, and risk management. Ken advises large multinationals and mid-level capital firms and executives in executing multi-billion (USD) business development and institutional partnerships agreements in Asia, Europe, and North America.

Ken is a TEDxTALKS Speaker, a 10 to Know Global Game Changer, U.S. White House Business Council/Forward member, Aspen Institute Nakasone and Mike and Maureen Mansfield Fellow, Ph.D. Project Member, Ronald E. McNair Scholar, and Harvard Model Congress Member.

Ken is a globally recognized lecturer with over 30+ courses and 700+ students as a college adjunct professor on Economics of CryptoAssets, Blockchain Investment, International Trade, Forensic Methods, and Corporate Ethics.

Ken is a trailblazer with a history of firsts that include:

1st foreigner to monitor JGBs on the floor of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE/JPX)
1st curator of the Women Leaders in Blockchain Symposium (NYC)
1st curator of the Urban Leaders in Blockchain Symposium (NYC)
1st curator of the Globally Local FinTech, AI and Blockchain Symposium (Wealth & International FinTech 2020 Award)

Ken discusses his investment thesis, what excites him now in the blockchain industry, how he sees the industry evolving, and some of the challenges startups face.

You can visit Jeanensis Ventures at www.linkedin.com/company/jeanensis/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/jeanensis.

Ken can be contacted via email at kennethgoodwin@jeanensis.net, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/akennethgoodwinjr/.

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Direct download: Kenneth_Alan_Goodwin_of_Jeanensis_Ventures.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:34am CDT

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

Startup founders need general business skills to run a startup.

Here’s a list of skills to bring to your startup:

  • Ability to make decisions in a timely manner.
  • Ability to take risks on new ideas, people, and strategies.
  • Ability to communicate in a clear and precise manner.
  • Ability to show confidence in your business plan and team.
  • Ability to show competitiveness in the market.
  • Ability to show creativity in designing products and offering solutions to problems.
  • Ability to delegate basic responsibilities and tasks to others.
  • Ability to stick with the project through defeats and failures.
  • Ability to show discipline in achieving goals.
  • Ability to learn new things including technologies, processes, and markets.
  • Ability to identify business opportunities when they arise.
  • Ability to set up a plan and execute it.
  • Ability to sell yourself and your ideas.
  • Ability to manage your time efficiently and effectively.

For startup founders, these are the general skills you’ll need to run your business in the early days. 


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 

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Direct download: founder_general_skills_required.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Startup founders need management skills to run a startup.

Here are some key skills to have:

Ability to wear multiple hats at one time since there’s not enough revenue to fill every role.

Can hire and manage the team members. 

Ability to set strategy and direction for the team.

Can develop and execute on short-term and long-term plans.

Ability to metric the processes of the business and manage accordingly.

Can resolve conflicts with employees, customers, and investors.

Understands the tradeoffs in making business decisions.

Can see the needs of each role and the resources that need to be supplied.

Have a general knowledge of technology, marketing, finance, legal, and HR for running the business.

Ability to learn new technology including business automation, collaboration, and data management.

Ability to communicate effectively with the team, investors, and customers.


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

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Direct download: management_skills_rev.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Andrea Belz, Division Director at the National Science Foundation.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense...". The NSF is vital because they support basic research and people to create knowledge that transforms the future. This type of support is a primary driver of the U.S. economy, enhances the nation's security, and advances knowledge to sustain global leadership.

With an annual budget of $8.5 billion (FY 2021), the NSF is the funding source for approximately 27 percent of the total federal budget for basic research conducted at U.S. colleges and universities. In many fields such as mathematics, computer science, and the social sciences, NSF is the major source of federal backing.

Andrea joined the National Science Foundation (NSF) in May 2019. Previously, she served as Vice Dean for Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the University of Southern California (USC) Viterbi School of Engineering, as well as Entrepreneur-in-Residence (Technology) of Industrial and Systems Engineering. She was previously a Visiting Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the California Institute of Technology. From 2014 to 2019, Andrea was the Founding Director of Innovation Node-Los Angeles, a regional hub for the NSF I-Corps program. She has worked with many university startups and investors, most recently representing a major angel investing group on the board of a Caltech spinoff laser manufacturer until its acquisition in 2018. 

For nearly 20 years, Andrea has advised universities, corporations, and other organizations on commercialization opportunities as managing member of the Belz Consulting Group. Her recent research has focused on technology ventures, from startups through publicly funded launch programs to private funding. Andrea has authored or co-authored dozens of refereed articles, peer-reviewed conference presentations, and proceedings on technical topics and innovation, and she authored a book on product development. Belz earned her bachelor's degree at the University of Maryland at College Park and doctoral degree at the California Institute of Technology, both in physics; she earned her master's degree in finance at Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business.

Andrea discusses the state of startup investing, the biggest change she expects to see in the next 12 months, and some of the challenges entrepreneurs and investors face.

You can visit the National Science Foundation at www.nsf.gov, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/national-science-foundation/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/NSF.  

Andrea can be contacted via email at abelz@nsf.gov, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/andreabelz/.  


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Direct download: Andrea_Belz_of_National_Science_Foundation.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Startup founders need to develop leadership skills to run a startup.

Here are some key skills to have:

Know your market and research the competition well.

Demonstrate confidence in difficult situations and be able to make decisions and see them through.

Ability to build a strong team and support them.

Encourage entrepreneurship and innovation within your team and provide compensation accordingly.

Bring a strategic mindset to the group and show others how to think strategically.

Be honest with your team and others.

Maintain humility by admitting you don’t know everything.

Show empathy to your team to demonstrate you understand the challenge they face.

Be accountable for the results even when things go wrong.

Spend more than half the time listening rather than talking when engaging the team, customers, and others. 


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

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Direct download: leadership_skills.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Krishna Srinivasan, Founding Partner at LiveOak Venture Partners.

LiveOak Venture Partners is a venture capital fund based in Austin, Texas. With 20 years of successful venture investing in Texas, the founders of LiveOak have helped create nearly $2 billion of enterprise value. While almost all of LiveOak's investments begin at the seed and Series-A stages, LiveOak is a full life cycle investor focused on helping create category-leading technology and technology-enabled service companies headquartered in Texas. LiveOak Venture Partners has been the lead investor in over 30 exciting high-growth Texas-based companies in the last seven years including ones such as CS Disco, Digital Pharmacist, OJO Labs, Opcity, and TrustRadius.

Krishna has been investing in early-stage Texas-based companies and entrepreneurs since 2000. His current and past board involvements at LiveOak include CS Disco, Hive9, Homeward, Imandra, OJO Labs, Rollick, Telestax; Digital Pharmacist, Opcity, and StackEngine.

Prior to co-founding LiveOak, Krishna was a Partner at Austin Ventures. There, he worked with companies in enterprise software and infrastructure solutions segments. Prior to that, Krishna was with Motorola where he wrote large-scale optimization software for supply chain planning and worked with a variety of business units on strategic and operational issues.

Krishna received his MBA from Wharton where he graduated with the highest academic honors as a Palmer Scholar. He holds an MS in Operations Research from the University of Texas at Austin, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, having graduated with the highest all-around honors.

Krishna currently serves as Chairman of the Miracle Foundation board, an Austin-based organization that supports orphanages in India, and is one of the founding members and a past board member of TiE Austin. He is a board member of the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Central Texas.

Krishna discusses his investment thesis and some of the companies within his portfolio that fit the thesis. He advises startups and investors and shares some of the challenges they face.

You can visit LiveOak Venture Partners at www.liveoakvp.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/liveoak-venture-partners, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/liveoakvp?lang=en

Krishna can be contacted via email at krishna@liveoakvp.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/krishnasrinivasan1/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/krishnasrini?lang=en.  

Music courtesy of Bensound.

Direct download: Krishna_Srinivasan_of_LiveOak_Venture_Partners.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Startup founders need conflict management skills to run a startup.

Conflicts arise among the team members for the following reasons:

They come from differing beliefs and viewpoints.  

In the short term, the founder can separate the team members to reduce the friction.

They also come from team members who feel their input has not been heard or valued.

The founder can take steps to show how the work and input of the team member has been heard and has importance.

The team member believes they’ve received an unfair evaluation.

The founder can standardize the evaluation process and show specifically how the team member is doing.

The team member believes the manager has unrealistic expectations.

The founder can show how others are handling the tasks and suggest ways to accomplish the work.

The team member doesn’t receive any feedback and comes to believe their work doesn’t count.

The founder can set up regular meetings to review the team members' work and give feedback.

The role of the founder is to encourage the team members to join in a collaboration to work through the problem.


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  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: conflict_management_skills.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Kevin Kaylakie, Founder & CEO at SineCera Capital.

Located in Austin, Texas, SineCera Capital is a boutique multi-family office and wealth advisory firm focused on delivering sophisticated investments, independent advice, and trusted relationships to a select group of ultra-high net worth clients.

SineCera Capital provides families with access to an ecosystem of solutions and skilled professionals that help bring clarity, confidence, and purpose to their financial decision-making process. 

Kevin has spent the last decade of his career working exclusively with high-net-worth families and business owners. He currently oversees both the investment advisory and wealth management functions for SineCera Capital. He attended Auburn University where he earned his BSBA in International Business. He has also earned the Certified Financial Planner and Certified Private Wealth Advisor, designations through advanced studies at The University of Texas at Austin and The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

As a native and dedicated Austinite, Kevin has volunteered with many local organizations including Hospice Austin, The Capital Area Dental Foundation, The Seton Fund, Austin Opera, The Mary Claire Project, Emmaus Catholic Parish, and The Diocese of Austin.

When he is away from the office, he enjoys spending time with his wife and their five children. Kevin is an avid reader, marginal golfer, amateur woodworker, and enjoys recharging at his family’s ranch in the Texas Hill Country.

Kevin advises investors and entrepreneurs, discusses what excites him now in the industry, the state of investing in startups, and his investment thesis.

You can visit SineCera Capital at www.sineceracapital.com/, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/sineceracapital.

Kevin can be contacted via email at kevin@sineceracapital.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/kevinkaylakie.

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: Kevin_Kaylakie_of_Sincera_Capital.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Startup founders need human resource skills.

Here’s a list of skills to bring to your startup:

Can identify talent that matches the company’s strategy.  

This includes defining the jobs with roles and responsibilities.

Ability to find and recruit the right people for the position.

This includes assessing the skills candidates have.

Can craft employment agreements. 

This includes defining compensation, benefits, and other concerns such as intellectual property protection.

Can set up a program to onboard employees.  

This includes setting them up with the company systems, introductions to other employees, and access to their workspace.

Can set up programs to engage the employees.

This includes establishing all-hands meetings, group functions, and weekly social activities.

Can set up programs to retain the employees.

This includes regularly scheduled performance reviews and employment issue management.

Even in the early stages of a startup, these are important steps to take.


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

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: human_resource_skills.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Ryan Falvey, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Financial Venture Studio.

Financial Venture Studio invests in the best early-stage fintech companies and provides the access and insights founders need to build transformational companies. They provide a bespoke program when investing at an early stage, introduce seed-stage portfolio companies to leaders in the financial services, regulatory, media, and venture capital communities and it’s working:

- FVS companies have raised nearly $200m in follow-on capital since they launched in late 2018.

- Within 6 months of completing the program, 88% of their portfolio companies raised follow-on capital at an average valuation increase of over 2x.

- FVS companies have grown to serve millions of consumers and tens of thousands of enterprise and SMB customers.

Financial Venture Studio is also raising its second fund and recently launched its latest cohort of startups.

Ryan has spent the last 15 years identifying, supporting, and leading market-changing innovations in technology. Since 2015, he's invested in 40 early-stage fintech firms, which have grown to represent approximately $3 billion in aggregate equity value. Prior to founding Venture Studio, Ryan led the development of the Financial Solutions Lab, a partnership between JPMorgan Chase and the Financial Health Network. Before managing the Lab, Ryan worked with leading tech firms to develop payment solutions at Silicon Valley Bank. He also served as Strategy Group Lead at Enclude Solutions, overseeing global strategy consulting work around mobile-enabled financial products.

Ryan discusses how the Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) industry is evolving. He advises investors and entrepreneurs and shares some of the challenges they face.

You can visit  Financial Venture Studio at www.finventurestudio.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/financial-venture-studio/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/financialstudio?lang=en

Ryan can be contacted via email at ryan@finventurestudio.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-falvey/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/ryan_falvey?lang=en.

Music courtesy of Bensound.

Direct download: Ryan_Falvey_of_Financial_Venture_Studio.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Startup founders need some technical skills.

Here’s a list of skills to bring to your startup:

  1. Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets - you’ll use this for budgeting, forecasts, and numerous other applications.
  2. Data analysis - you should be familiar with Google analytics and other basic analytic tools to gather information about your sales and marketing efforts.
  3. Basic coding skills - you should be able to read HTML to make changes and update your website.
  4. WordPress - you may outsource the design and setup of your website but you should know enough about the backend to make text changes and minor updates.
  5. Design tools - you need to be familiar with design software for making logos, presentations, and other content pieces.
  6. Cloud - you should have a working knowledge of cloud tools since it’s the place you store your documents, run applications, and host your data.
  7. Collaboration tools - you should be able to use collaboration tools as it’s the primary method for communicating with others. 
  8. CRM automation - you should be able to set up emails and responders.

A founder does not have to be a specialist in technology but should have basic technical skills to run office automation, websites, and other systems.


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  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: technical_skills.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Lucas Caneda, Global Team Lead & Director at Uniqorn Incubator.

The largest rural incubator-accelerator of its kind in the world, UNIQORN features an eclectic team of seasoned professionals with a proven track record in taking technology startups from inception all the way to exit.

UNIQORN's attractiveness is built around comprehensive incubation and acceleration services for technology startups. They encourage project leaders from all over the world to come and settle in Sarlat, a fascinated ecosystem for startups to succeed. They also act as a potential media investor in the startups they accept to incubate and accelerate.

A student of engineering, management, economics, and self-taught in nutrition and fitness, Lucas has always had a very keen interest in business, entrepreneurship, and personal development

He is a professional rugby player for Sarlat Rugby Team. Lucas grew up as a die-hard rugby fan and started playing at the tender age of 5. Despite suffering what many thought would be a career-ending knee injury, he moved to France and built a career as a professional rugby player. After a few years in France, Lucas joined the Sarlat Rugby Team and the incubator's rugby program.

Lucas discusses his background, his criteria for startups, and some of the challenges he faces running an incubator.

You can visit Uniqorn Incubator at https://uniqornincubator.com/, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/uniqorn-incubator/mycompany/

Lucas can be contacted via email at lucas@uniqornincubator.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/lucascaneda/,  

Music courtesy of Bensound.

Direct download: Lucas_Caneda_of_Uniqorn_Incubator.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Lee Shapiro, Managing Partner at 7wireVentures.

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, 7wireVentures is dedicated to building and investing in early-stage digital health companies supporting an informed connected health consumer.

Lee served as Chief Financial Officer of Livongo Health until November 2020. He serves on the boards of Senior Connect, a special purpose acquisition company focused on the aging space, Clover Health, and Click Therapeutics. He is also active with and serves on the board of many of the 7wire portfolio companies.

Prior to stepping in as CFO of Livongo and leading its 2019 IPO, Lee served on the board of the company since its launch, chairing the audit committee and as a member of its compensation committee. During his tenure as CFO, Livongo also had a successful secondary offering, raised $550M in convertible debt, and entered into a merger agreement at the highest valuation of any healthcare technology deal, based on revenue multiples.

Lee served as president of Allscripts from 2001 through 2012. He is a co-founder and board member of The World Innovation Network, the University of Chicago Innovation Fund Advisory Committee, and the Samsung Digital Health Advisory Board. Based on his industry experience, he is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and a published contributor to the Forbes Business Council.

Lee has been a member of the National Board of Directors of the American Heart Association for a number of years and is currently its treasurer. Lee earned his JD degree from The University of Chicago Law School and a BS in Accounting from The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Lee advises entrepreneurs and investors, shares what excites him now in the industry, and discusses his investment thesis. 

You can visit 7wireVentures at www.7wireventures.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/7wire-ventures, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/7wireventures?lang=en.  

Lee can be contacted via email at lee@7wireventures.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/leeshapiro/.  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: Lee_Shapiro_of_7wireVentures.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:36am CDT

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

Startup founders need some accounting skills.

Here’s a list of skills to bring to your startup:

Accounting vs. bookkeeping - bookkeeping is entering revenues and expenses into the proper accounts. Accounting is generating the income statements and balance sheets, along with filing tax returns.

Accounting methods - know the difference between cash vs. accrual accounting.

Cash-based accounting recognizes revenues when it is received, while accrual accounting recognizes it when it is earned. 

Recurring revenue businesses need to watch for this as annual subscriptions should be recognized over each month the service is provided.

Record keeping - you should be able to enter transactions, reconcile accounts, pay vendors, and review outstanding invoices.

Have an accountant set up the system with the chart of accounts, but know how to run the system and read the reports.

You should be able to calculate your runway, cash burn, and cash balance at all times.

Payroll taxes - you should know how payroll taxes work and how they impact your cash flow.

Income taxes - you should know the taxes you’re required to pay and when and how that impacts your cash flow as well. 

Workforce commission - you should know how the workforce commission works for your area and the laws around it.

Basic accounting is important in understanding how to generate and read the documents that show the health of your business. 


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  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: accounting_skills.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:29am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Gerard van Swieten, Managing Partner at LvS Partners.

Laursen van Swieten (LvS) specializes in funding and executing the international expansion of innovative growth-stage companies. They are especially active and experienced in Asia/China expansion. They make active expansion investments to establish footholds outside of home markets. LvS works in 3 fast-growing sectors: healthcare and biotechnology, industry 4.0, and media & entertainment.

Mr. van Swieten is a Dutch national and has been working and living in China/Asia for 12+ years. He has extensive experience in cross-border trade and investment in FMCG, manufacturing, IT, and finance.

Before founding LvS Partners, Mr. van Swieten was a partner at Mandarin Hill Capital and IJK Capital. During his tenure at both Mandarin Hill Capital and IJK Capital, Mr. van Swieten led the China expansion for multiple portfolio companies in solar, healthcare IoT, and media and entertainment sectors. Prior to that he served as Head of Legal of BRF SA for Asia, Europe and Africa after having worked as an attorney in Amsterdam at Clifford Chance and in Shanghai at HIL.

Mr. van Swieten holds a Masters in Dutch law from Maastricht University, a Masters in Chinese law from Hong Kong University, and an MBA from Tsinghua-MIT Sloan.

Gerard discusses expansion investment, advantages of this strategy over other value-added strategies, the primary trend in Asia/China expansion for ‘Western Companies’, and changes he expects to see in the coming 12 months.

You can visit LvS Partners at www.lvspartners.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/lvs-partners.  

Gerard can be contacted via email at gerard@lvspartners.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/gerard-van-swieten  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: Gerard_van_Swieten_of_LvS_Partners.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:21am CDT

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

Startup founders need some financial skills.

Here’s a list of skills to bring to your startup:

  1. For business modeling - ability to calculate the unit economics of your business model including cost of customer acquisition and lifetime value of customer.
  2. For fundraising - ability to calculate pre and post-money valuations and the impact of dilution on the investors.
  3. For forecasting - ability to generate a three-year financial forecast showing the fixed and variable costs and the impact at various revenue levels.
  4. For budgeting - ability to set up a monthly budget matching the forecast with indicators of over and under.
  5. For performance monitoring - ability to capture key performance metrics.
  6. For cash-flow management - ability to capture all cash inflows and outflows to determine the runway and monthly cash burn.
  7. For financial controls - ability to set up credit limits and other stopgaps on spending.
  8. For profitability - ability to calculate gross margin and profit margins and set plans to improve over time.
  9. For financial literacy - ability to read an income statement, balance sheet, and capitalization table.

For startup founders, these are the basic skills you’ll need to master to run your business in the early days.  


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  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: _financial_skills.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Startup founders need some legal skills.

Here’s a list of skills to bring to your startup:

  1. Legal Entity - ability to set up an LLC or C-Corp for your business with proper articles of incorporation.
  2. Cap Table - ability to set up the cap table with initial ownership of the founder, co-founder, and seed investors.
  3. Trademark - ability to trademark the company name. 
  4. Web Domain - ability to find and register the company domain name.
  5. Family and friends funding - ability to take funding from non-accredited investors with SEC compliance.
  6. Tax IDs - ability to set up a bank account with tax ID information for the company.
  7. Employee vs. Contractors - ability to distinguish between an employee and a contractor for classification and tax treatment.
  8. Legal Support - ability to identify the proper legal support needed for contract law, employment law, and other.
  9. Legal Documents - ability to set up employment agreements, contracts, stock options, and board and shareholder resolutions and reports. 
  10. Intellectual Property - ability to file a provisional patent in advance of filing design and utility patents.
  11. Terms of Service - ability to create terms of service agreement for clients and customers.
  12. Employment Agreement - ability to create an employment agreement with confidentiality and invention assignment contracts.
  13. Recruiting requirements - knowing how to avoid asking questions that are prohibited by law.
  14. Firing employees - ability to know how to fire an employee staying within legal requirements. 

For startup founders, these are the basic skills you’ll need to master to run your business in the early days.  


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  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: legal_skills.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Andreea Danila, Founding General Partner at Global Millennial Capital.

Global Millennial Capital was established by Andreea in 2019, backed by the Al Attiyah family office. It is the first female-founded venture capital investor from the Middle East to introduce artificial intelligence (AI) in the investment process. They invest in global scalable, tech-enabled, and highly transformational consumer-centric early-stage opportunities in Silicon Valley.

The fund is expected to have 50 bets and uses the Rounding Theory to make investments. 

Andreea is an award-winning entrepreneur, venture capitalist, investor, and board member of various portfolio companies in Silicon Valley including Envel, Unifymoney, Elly Health, Blue Studios, PathBooks, Millennial Beauty among others. She is the Senior Executive Officer within the Qatar Financial Center and Private Investment Fund Director with the financial services commission in BVI. Andreea is a Harvard Business School alumni and holds an MBA from HULT International Business School, Finance and Entrepreneurship, and a diploma from MIT Sloan School of Management. 

Andreea discusses what excites her now in the industry. She advises investors and entrepreneurs and shares some of the challenges they face.

You can visit Global Millennial Capital at www.globalmillennialcapital.com/, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/millennialcapital/.

Andreea can be contacted via email at andreea@millennialvc.co, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/andreea-danila

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: Andreea_Danila_of_Global_Millennial_Capital.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Startup founders need recruiting skills.

Here’s a list of skills to bring to your startup:

  1. Ability to define the jobs to be done with the requisite skills.
  2. Ability to identify qualified candidates in the market that meet the requirements.
  3. Can engage the candidates to discuss a position in your startup.
  4. Ability to evaluate skills and assess fit for the company.
  5. Can rank order the candidates.
  6. Can negotiate compensation and employment agreements.
  7. Ability to onboard the candidate and integrate into the company.
  8. Can help the new hire pick up the position and be successful in it.
  9. Ability to help the employee reach their full potential.
  10. Can set up a program to retain the employee. 

These skills are necessary to grow your business as the company depends on the employees it hires.


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  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: Recruiting_Skills.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Pano Anthos, Founder and Managing Director of XRC Labs.

XRC Labs is a startup accelerator and venture fund dedicated to fostering the next generation of disruptors in the retail technology and consumer goods sectors. 

The NYC-based company launched in 2015 with its founding sponsor, the Parsons School of Design at The New School. Having invested in nearly 100 startups, XRC Labs has built a world-class ecosystem with corporate sponsors including Mastercard, The Estée Lauder Companies, CVS Health, and more than 330 business mentors.

As the former leader of the digital practice at Eaglepoint Advisors, Pano enjoyed the challenge of understanding how far retail was from digital excellence and served in a number of interim roles from CEO, to Chief Product Officer and Chief Digital Officer for media companies, retail, consumer durable goods, and industrial companies.

Under Guided Launch, he advised or co-founded 4 digital media and software companies. including Gather Education, an ed-tech company building virtual reality classrooms that serve the 3G market. Prior to co-founding Gather Edjucation, Pano co-founded Hangout Industries, which was the first to bring video game technology and name brands to Facebook in 2007 and grew the Hangout Facebook apps to millions of users, leveraging: media brands (e.g. NBA, Conde Nast); fashion brands (Steve Madden, Abigail Lorick, Rich and Skinny Jeans), and lifestyle brands (Red Bull and Skull Candy). They were a Techcrunch 50 finalis,t and MITX Digital Media winner for "Best Use of Technology" in 2008.

Previously, he co-founded two enterprise software companies, Pantero, which sold to Progress Software at 13x trailing revenues & Syntra/Clearcross, bootstrapped to over 1000 customers in 30 countries with one of the first commercially available web services (1999) that was licensed into Oracle ERP and embedded in their ERP suite.

Pano discusses his investment thesis, advises startups and investors, and shares what he thinks are good opportunities for investors to pursue.

You can visit XRC Labs at www.xrclabs.com/, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/xrclabs, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/xrclabs/.  

Pano can be contacted via email at www.xrclabs.com/contact, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/panoanthos/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/ptanthos.  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: Pano_Anthos_of_XRC_Labs.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Startup founders need marketing skills.

Here’s a list of skills to bring to your startup:

  • Ability to analyze and choose a market segment to pursue
  • Can create a story around your startup that sells
  • Can define a position in the market and communicate it
  • Ability to contrast and compare the company to the current competition
  • Can generate content relevant to the target market for blog posts and social media
  • Ability to set up the website for SEO
  • Can track marketing programs with conversion to sales
  • Ability to leverage email for marketing the company
  • Can leverage social media for the target market
  • Ability to build and leverage an influencer network
  • Can write and launch a press release

Marketing is key to branding the company and selling the product.

 

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  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: Marketing_Skills.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Graham Forman, Founder and Managing Director at Edovate Capital.

Edovate Capital is a seed and early-stage venture capital company whose leadership invests in companies that lead innovation in the education market. They know firsthand the pains and gains of growing early-stage companies into successful firms and they have passion and experience in the education market. They look for outstanding people to partner with for the long term who have products or services that will transform education.

Edovate Capital partners with social entrepreneurs to scale companies solving education’s hardest challenges. They identify capital-efficient education technology companies tackling education’s hardest challenges, fund their growth, and help increase their impact. They have backed industry-leading K12 companies including Pear Deck, LearnPlatform, Paper Education, Kiddom, and BookNook Learning.

Graham spent his career in education, entrepreneurship, and investing. The first phase of his career was in education policy where he worked for U.S. Senator Paul Simon and former California State Assemblyman, Senator, and Community College Chancellor Jack Scott. He worked with school leaders addressing some of their biggest challenges in leading large school systems.

The second phase of his career was as a startup operator serving as head of sales, marketing, business development, and customer success in impact-focused SaaS companies serving education. His last role included leading sales and business development for Netchemia. During his tenure, the company grew to serve more than 2,400 school districts and 20,000 schools in the U.S. with a best-in-class talent management suite. Netchemia was acquired by People Admin (backed by Vista Equity Partners) in 2015, which kicked off Graham’s third career phase where he founded Edovate. In this role, he backs impact-focused seed-stage K12 companies with investment and advisory support.

He lives in Denver with his wife and two children and enjoys travel, tennis, the outdoors, and cooking.

Graham discusses the rise of the edtech sector, classroom engagement, next-generation school segments, the primary trends in the sector, Edovate Capital’s participation thus far, and more.

You can visit Edovate Capital at www.edovatecapital.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/edovate-capital/.  

Graham can be contacted via email at graham@edovatecapital.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/grahamforman/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/grahamforman

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: Graham_Forman_of_Edovate_Capital_LLC.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Startup founders need sales skills.

Here’s a list of sales skills to bring to your startup:

  1. Can craft a compelling story about the startup to sell to investors, prospective employees, partners, and others. 
  2. Knows the competition and the other choices the prospect has.
  3. Knows the customer’s language, whether it be company-specific or industry-specific.
  4. Understands the customer’s problem. 
  5. Spends twice as much time listening as talking.
  6. Ability to probe for the customer’s careabouts.  
  7. Ability to set up a sales funnel and bring prospects through it one step at a time. 
  8. Ability to ask for the sale.
  9. Can generate social proof to show how others have succeeded with the product.
  10. Can turn sales into a repeatable process that becomes a core system within the company.
  11. Can set up sales compensation plans with proper incentives.

Many investors look for basic sales skills in the founder before funding the startup.


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  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: Sales_Skills.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Elisa Miller-Out, Managing Partner at Chloe Capital.

Chloe Capital is a seed-stage venture capital firm that invests in women-led innovation companies.

Despite recent progress, only 2% of female founders receive venture capital funding, with only 0.2% going to African American founders.

Chloe Capital is on a mission to change that in partnership with foundations, universities and corporate innovators. They travel across the U.S. as part of the #InvestInWomen Tour, moving capital to female founders in each city we visit. Their fundraising experiences for women entrepreneurs and impact investors spotlight innovation, connect founders and investors to resources, and build community.

The firm invests in seed-stage companies with at least one woman in the C-suite receiving a fair amount of equity. Companies should have a working prototype, with the potential to disrupt macro industries including SaaS, blockchain, AI, VR/AR, IoT, cleantech, agtech, hardware, edtech, wearables and/or robotics.

Elisa is an exit-tested serial tech entrepreneur, investor, board director and community builder. She has over 20 years of experience, including 10 years in the software product space. She’s had 2 exits and 2 acquisitions and has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, The Washington Post, TechCrunch and more. Her career spans multiple startups and global fortune 500 companies. She serves on the board of Women 2.0, Singlebrook and BAX and is co-founder of PollQ, a chatbot startup for higher ed. She’s a graduate of Columbia University.

Elisa discusses her investment thesis and advises startups on what to do before raising funding.

You can visit Chloe Capital at www.chloecapital.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/chloecapital/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/chloecapital

Elisa can be contacted via email at elisa@chloecapital.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/elisamillerout/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/ElisaMillerOut.  

Music courtesy of Bensound.

Direct download: Elisa_Miller_-_Out_of_Chloe_Capital.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Writing is a key skill every entrepreneur should have.

Email, social media, website copy, and more, all rely upon good communication.

Here are some key points to remember:

It’s not about you, it’s about your reader and what this will do for them.

Write the way you talk in a normal, conversational tone.

Summarize your message in just one or two sentences.  

If you can’t sum it up, then you don’t have a clear message to communicate.

Gain clarity on your message then rewrite it.

Avoid the story format as it takes longer and buries the lead.

Write it once, and then review and rewrite it several times. 

Remove adverbs and other extraneous words.

Use numbers where possible as it makes the message stronger and more compelling.

Writing takes practice and is a skill that will help you greatly in your fundraise.


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  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: Importance_of_Written_Communication.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Kim Banham, Principal at Connetic Ventures.

Connetic Ventures is an early-stage VC that uses proprietary data and machine learning to remove bias, increase efficiency, and create transparency. They view themselves as a data company that happens to invest in startups. Venture capital is inefficient, biased, and relies heavily on human capital, which makes it nearly impossible to scale. To solve this issue, Connetic Ventures created Wendal. Wendal is their AI bot that helps them analyze companies and teams. Wendal is reinventing venture capital by removing 'The Pitch' and giving all founders and companies a fair shot at being funded.

Kim is responsible for investments in the United States, Europe, and Israel. Her background in organizational communications and business finance allows her to build relationships with investors as well as startup companies. Kim enjoys traveling, but after living abroad in Slovenia, Croatia, Switzerland, and Hungary for 8 years, she is happy to call Northern Kentucky home. Kim is passionate about funding female and minority founders and treating all founders equally. 

Kim shares what excites her now in the industry. She advises investors and entrepreneurs and shares some of the challenges they face.

You can visit Connetic Ventures at www.connetic.ventures and https://wendal.io/, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/connetic-ventures/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/conneticVC.  

Kim can be contacted via email at kim@connetic.ventures, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/kim-banham-05b039138/.  

Music courtesy of Bensound.

Direct download: Kim_Banham_of_Connetic_Ventures.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

In managing deal flow, the key to winning the best deals is responsiveness.

Startups submitting their deal are looking everywhere for funding and you’re just one option among many.

Here are some key points to consider:

Automate the initial response to a deal submission with an email acknowledging the sender.

Customize the follow-up with the sender’s name.

Make clear how your deal flow process works. 

Set expectations as you proceed as some startups get overly excited when they’re only 10% through the process.

Provide a point of contact for the startup in case there’s a breakdown in communication.

Once qualified, set up a call with the startup to discuss their deal.

Make clear what information you need for diligence.

In each step, provide timely information about the process with the next steps.

Apprise the startup of their status with your group to reduce the “where are we at” calls.

Maintain responsiveness throughout the process.

A quality deal-flow process burnishes the reputation of the firm and generates more deal flow.

 

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  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: The_Importance_of_Responsiveness.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Riley Oickle, Owner and CEO of Riley Oickle Investments.

Investing in real estate can be a stressful endeavour. Without systems and processes in place, chaos can set in quite quickly and money can be lost. For those of you that are ready to do your first investment deal but are fearful of the unknown, a joint venture is a fantastic option. Becoming a joint venture partner with Riley Oickle real estate investor is a great opportunity to get an understanding of real estate investing, while also owning equity in a property.

Riley Oickle is a graduate from Western University where he studied Business & Kinesiology while competing in Varsity Track & Field.  From the age of 18 to 24, he started multiple businesses including ‘Home Maintenance London’ & ‘RO Business Consulting’ which combined,  surpassed $2 million in revenue. Since then, Riley still operates his businesses from afar, and now focuses his career in real estate investing full-time. He is passionate about helping people take their first step toward financial freedom through the investment vehicle of real estate.

Riley advises investors and discusses where he sees the real estate industry going. He speaks about his investment thesis and some of the challenges investors face.

Riley can be contacted via email at info@rileyoickle.com, via his website at www.rileyoickle.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/rileyoickle.

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: Riley_Oickle_of_Riley_Oickle_Investments.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

In running deal flow, here are some best practices to consider:

Automate your deal flow process as much as possible by capturing consistent information into one application.

Track deal flow sources and analyze on a regular basis.  

This shows where the best deals are coming from and where to spend time.

Use online data sources to augment your deal flow information.  

This step helps make follow-up decisions easier to figure out.

Monitor your deal flow activity for changes.  

This shows the impact of the market and conditions and signals for a change in follow-up.

Set up workflow processes so the deal goes to the right people in the proper sequence. 

Flag your most important deals to make sure they don’t fall through the cracks.

Optimize your system for your deal flow by gathering only the relevant information.

Connect your deal flow system to your email and other systems to integrate into the overall workflow.

Deal flow can be expensive in time and money, so it’s important to apply these steps to reduce the cost.


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  

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Direct download: dealflow_best_practices.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Gaston Eguren, Investment Analyst at Proeza Ventures.

Proeza Ventures is the largest mobility-focused VC in Latin America. They are based in Monterrey, Mexico, and Houston, Texas, looking to invest in companies focusing on industrial tech, smart components, new vehicles, MaaS, and digital data services. They are backed by the Proeza Group, a portfolio management company with two global platforms operating in the mobility and agroindustry sectors.

Proeza Ventures’ mission is to discover and invest in visionary founders building early-stage revolutionary startups transforming the way in which they think about mobility and with whom they can partner to make a more sustainable world.

Gaston started his career working at IGNIA Partners doing impact investments on the emerging middle class of Latin America, and then worked at Latitud Capital, a search fund looking for mid-market companies in Monterrey. He graduated from ITESM having studied business administration. 

Gaston discusses growth, trends, his criteria for investing, changes expected in the next 12 months in the mobility industry, and more.

You can visit Proeza Ventures at www.proezaventures.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/proezaventures, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/ProezaVentures.  

Gaston can be contacted via email at gaston.eguren@proezaventures.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/gaston-eguren/.  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: Gaston_Eguren_of_Proeza_Ventures.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Deal flow is the lifeblood of the startup investor.

It’s important to assess the deals in short order to prioritize follow-up.

One way to help this process is to apply a rating to each deal.

Here are some key factors and how to calculate them to use in your rating:

Revenue run rate - take your current monthly revenue and multiply by 12 to annualize it.

Gross Margin - take your Cost of Goods Sold, divide by the revenue, and subtract 1. 

Burn Rate - monthly cash expenses minus monthly revenue.

Cohort Analysis - take the number of users who join the program and track the outcome of each. 

Cost of customer acquisition - monthly sales and marketing expenses divided by revenue from the customers signing up that month.

Payback - number of months of recurring revenue to cover the cost of customer acquisition.

Magic Number - revenue over two months multiplied by four and divided by sales and marketing costs over the same timeframe.

Sales Cycle - average number of days from first contact to customer signing up.

Lifetime Value - the total amount of revenue generated from a customer.

Total Available Market - the total amount of money spent in a target market.

Give each factor a score, say 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.  

Add up the factors to give the deal a score on a scale of 1 to 100.


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  

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Direct download: rating_your_dealflow.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Mia Urman, Founder & CEO of AuraPlayer.

AuraPlayer was founded in January 2013 by Mia, an Oracle veteran with over 20 years of Oracle Forms experience, and Java Guru Yossi Nakash, CTO. AuraPlayer’s founders built a modernization solution for Oracle Applications that would activate and communicate with Oracle Forms in an automated way, without redevelopment or migration changes. Today, AuraPlayer sells its products and services to businesses and government offices all over the world.

Headquartered in West Orange, New Jersey, AuraPlayer’s goal is that no Oracle Forms customer should be forced to migrate and no EBS application should be forced onto the cloud. AuraPlayer resides alongside your current Oracle applications and helps launch them into the digital world.

AuraPlayer’s mission is to build and deploy enterprise-grade, Oracle-based business applications by using next-generation technologies that will help you take your business to the next level.

Mia is an Oracle ACE Director and a renowned expert on Oracle development technologies and mobility, with over twenty years experience working, presenting, supporting, training, and consulting Oracle products. 

Prior to founding AuraPlayer, while providing consulting services to customers, Mia became intimately familiar with some of the leading challenges facing Oracle Forms/EBS legacy clients and co-founded AuraPlayer Ltd., a development house to provide mobilization and automation solutions.

Mia is a coveted speaker on Oracle technologies at various conferences including Oracle OpenWorld, IOUG Collaborate, ODTUG Kscope, UKOUG, DOAG, and keynote speaker at other Oracle Technology events.

Mia discusses growth, trends, changes expected in the next 12 months in the mobility industry, and more.

You can visit AuraPlayer at www.auraplayer.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/auraplayer, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/auraplayer.  

Mia can be contacted via email at miaurman@auraplayer.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/miaurman, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/miaurman

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: Mia_Urman_of_AuraPlayer.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Startup investing requires deal flow and the best deal flow comes from proprietary sources.

Here are some key points to set up your own process:

Contact your attorney and accountant as they are good sources of deal flow that aren’t known by everyone else.

Launch a content marketing program. Your own podcasts, blogs, and more, will build a pipeline of deals.

Organize your own pitch sessions separate from accelerators and incubators. Those groups run pitch sessions, but they are available to everyone so they provide little in the way of proprietary deal flow.

Create a community out of your network and invite them to send you deals. 

Provide mentorship to each startup to make their time with you beneficial to those companies. Those startups will return the favor with their recommendations to other startups.

Start a dinner series and invite investors and startups to share a meal along with their experiences.

Create a brand that fosters community connectedness. The community will respond by sending you deals.


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  

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Direct download: proprietary_dealflow.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Jeffrey H. Bunin, Vice President of Commercial Lending at Capital Lending Corp.

Founded in 1995, Capital Lending Corp. first offered commercial property loans. Soon after that, the company began to offer residential financing in Northern New Jersey. In 1996, Capital Lending Corp. added business financing to its offerings. One year later, it became approved by HUD as an FHA lender. Capital Lending Corp. is a licensed correspondent mortgage lender in the state of New Jersey.

Today, Capital Lending Corp. serves New Jersey as a residential mortgage lender and originates commercial property and business financing on a national level. Capital Lending Corp. also serves larger private and public sector customers outside of the United States. The company continues to offer its services with the same business model on which it was founded, without charging upfront fees. Capital Lending Corp. maintains a highly-trained staff of multilingual financial experts. They are your financial solutions provider for the challenges and opportunities you face. They help transform your plans into reality.

Before joining Capital Lending Corp., Jeffrey was the Director of Planning for a major NJ chemical company. In this capacity, he contributed to its success by helping increase sales from $30 million to $350 million. He did the strategic plans, business valuations, M&A, budgets, and board appropriations. He contributed to over $30 million of income through acquisitions, avoiding poor investments, sales and profit improvements, cost savings and improved procedures. Jeffrey also has experience in metals recycling, printing, equipment manufacturing, food processing & marketing, e-commerce, etc.

Jeffrey’s CCNY degree in chemical engineering, plus his Rutgers MBA (President of the Business School Alumni Association 1997-2000), and continuing education has kept him abreast of the latest business trends and financial developments.

Jeffrey advises investors and entrepreneurs and shares some of the challenges they face. He discusses what excites him now in the industry and how he sees the state of startup funding evolving.

You can visit Capital Lending Corp. at www.capitallending.com.

Jeffrey can be contacted via email at jbunin@capitallending.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/jeffbunin/.  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: Jeffrey_H_Bunin_of_Capital_Lending_Corp.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Investors should set up a deal flow process that takes startups through in a timely manner.

Here are the deal flow stages:

Initial contact -- before reviewing a deal there’s often a call or email that describes the deal.

It’s best to provide initial feedback and ask key questions about key criteria.

Encourage those that meet the criteria to apply, and discourage those that don’t.

Submission -- the startup provides a deck or executive summary.  

Review the deal for your key criteria. It’s best to give a fast “no” so it doesn’t waste everyone’s time.

First call -- set up a call with the ones that meet your criteria to learn more.

Explain how your diligence process works and the amount of time it takes.

Team review -- review the deal with your team.

Determine additional questions to ask and decide the next steps.

Second call -- the startup meets the team.

The team and the startup take a deeper dive into the business and everyone gets to know each other better.

Diligence --  the team starts diligence on the deal.

Discuss valuation and other terms. By now, both sides should be in the same range.

Closing -- the team wraps up diligence and finalizes the investment documents.

Both sides should be looking to close. 

At each stage, educate the startup about the process and their status.


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  

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Direct download: dealflow_stages.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Kevin Rivers, Managing Partner at Black Ventures, LLC.

Headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, Black Ventures, LLC (BV) is an emerging private equity firm that buys media companies and real estate assets in wildly inefficient markets. They buy revenue-generating assets in music rights, apps, books, YouTube IPs, and enterprise software. They work with bootstrappers, self-funded and venture-backed companies, influencers, publishers, and profitability-focused founders. Through their M&A deals, they merge the assets into their media and IT businesses to expand their overall growth. 

Kevin is a serial tech entrepreneur and is raising his inaugural fund to provide access to capital for YouTubers and music companies. Prior to working at Black Ventures, Kevin was CEO of Venzo Digital, an award-winning music distribution service that helped musicians earn over $2M in sales within the first year. Kevin sold Venzo to an NYC venture capital firm years later. Prior to Venzo, Kevin spent several years in the music tech space by creating the first Facebook Music Store platform, gaining media attention for a revolutionary music industry model, and securing landmark deals with leading gaming publishers. 

Kevin shares with Hall what excites him now in the industry, advises entrepreneurs and investors, and discusses his investment thesis.

You can visit Black Ventures, LLC at www.blkvc.com/, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/xeinge/

Kevin can be contacted via email at ikevinrivers@gmail.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/kevinrivers.

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: Kevin_Rivers_of_Black_Ventures_LLC.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Deal flow takes a substantial amount of time for the startup investor.

It’s important to organize your deal flow process so it’s efficient.

Use these steps to organize your deal flow.

Set up a separate email for deal flow and use it to capture deals from websites, social media, and other sources.

Have everyone on the team send any new deals to that email address.

Take all submitted deals and place them into a CRM with contact information, sector, stage, and other key information.

Update that record with the deal status and next steps.

Create a series of follow-up emails to send to those in the deal flow pipeline such as how your deal flow process works and when to expect a follow-up.

Develop a process for screening the deals for basic criteria and send “pass” notices to those deals that don’t meet them.

Set up calls with those that meet the criteria to qualify them and move them through your standard process.

Run reports to understand the deal flow and how well it is providing quality deals.

It’s important to review your successfully funded deals for key information so you can prioritize those deals for follow-up.


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  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: how_to_organize_your_dealflow.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Daniel Cohen, General Partner at Viola Ventures.

Viola Ventures is part of Viola, Israel’s leading tech-focused investment group with over $3.5B AUM. Founded in 2000, Viola Ventures empowers early-stage start-ups to become global leaders. The fund manages over $1B and has backed some of Israel’s unicorns such as Payoneer, ironSource, Lightricks, Outbrain, Redis Labs, Pagaya, and more. To date, the fund has invested in 82 companies and has recorded over 40 exits.

Daniel joined Viola Ventures after 11 years at Gemini Israel Ventures where he invested in various companies including Adap.tv (acquired by AOL for $450M), Outbrain, WatchDox (acquired by Blackberry for ~$100M), and Minute Media. Daniel’s investment focus is the B2C market, including consumer internet, e-Commerce, DTC, games, and digital media. Daniel began his career as a developer and product manager in a few Israeli high-tech companies, including Commtouch and Scitex. He has a BA in computer science and psychology from Tel-Aviv University and an MBA from INSEAD.

He currently serves on the board of EX.CO (formerly Playbuzz), Lightricks (creator of Facetune), and Maapilim. He was also on the board of Tapingo (acquired by Grubhub for $150M) and Origami Logic (acquired by Intuit).

Daniel advises investors and entrepreneurs, shares how he sees the industry evolving, and discusses his investment thesis.

You can visit Viola Ventures at www.viola-group.com/fund/violaventures/, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/violaventures/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/violagroup

Daniel can be contacted via email at danielc@viola.vc, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/coheda, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/coheda

Music courtesy of Bensound.

Direct download: Daniel_Cohen_of_Viola_Ventures.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Running deal flow is a time-consuming process.

There are steps you can take to automate it.

Here are some key points to consider:

Standardize the information you collect by using forms on the website.

Capture referral partners or sources so you can measure the results.

Collect the startup submissions to run metrics and track progress.

Use well-structured data sets so you can apply automation tools for analysis and data pulls from other platforms and software applications.

You can set up search tools to look up the founder and company to provide background information.

With a filled-out dataset, you can run reports on trends on the deal flow such as sector, stage, and fundraise amount.

With work automation software, set up to pull information from your CRM and other sources such as social media.

You can capture information from online databases such as Crunchbase and other tools to fill out more details.

These techniques improve your captured data and help you identify ideal startups to pursue.

Tracking the deal flow will help you identify the best sources of deals.


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  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: how_to_automate_the_dealflow_process.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes back Ash Kaluarachchi, CEO at StartEd.

StartEd’s programs are for education innovators with companies around the world with tech-enabled solutions to improve education and workforce learning.

The StartEd Immersion program, which is a 5-day commitment, provides mentorship from the StartEd Network - the most seasoned and supportive network of investors, entrepreneurs, and educators in the world. It is designed to help entrepreneurs with up to $5M in funding or revenue secure their next round of financing and expand their customer base.

The StartEd Bootcamp is a 5-week, flexible part-time program for early-stage innovators, including working professionals, educators, and industry switchers, to test their ideas, build or enhance early products, and gain early customers.

Ash has directly advised and enabled growth for thousands of founders, educators, and investors, solving problems in education and workforce learning. His accelerator programs have resulted in 10% of global EdTech unicorns.

As an advocate for entrepreneurs, he has advised, launched, and operated multiple edtech and workforce accelerators, including for Techstars, the #1 startup accelerator and mentorship-driven seed-stage investment fund in the world, and organizations such as Kaplan, Intel, US News, Google, Amazon, NYU, USC and the University of Pennsylvania.

He is the Producer of EDTECH WEEK (www.edtechweek.com), a virtual distance learning and networking event for global education leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, and educations. He was voted one of the Top 100 Influencers in Education Technology by Edtech Digest. Ash has an MBA with a focus on entrepreneurship from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Economics from Grinnell College. He lives in New York City with his wife and daughter.

Ash speaks about the rise of the edtech sector - classroom engagement & next-generation school segment, the primary trends, what makes for a successful company in this segment, and more.

You can visit StartEd at www.started.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/started-accelerator, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/startedaccel

Ash can be contacted via email at ash@startedaccelerator.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/ashanthaik, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/ashanthaik.   

Music courtesy of Bensound.

Direct download: Ash_Kaluarachchi_of_StartEd.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Deal flow is key to a startup investor’s success. 

Investors seeking startups to fund can follow these steps to attract deal flow:

Build a global network of venture partners, scouts, and micro funds. Showcase your network to the startup community to capture more startup interest. 

Set up a series of meetings to attract startups seeking education, networking, and mentorship.

Provide content that helps startups.

Launch an accelerator program.

Provide programs for early-stage startups to organize their business. 

Join pitch competitions as a judge or coach.

Provide a forum for startups to practice their pitch and gain experience answering questions.

Start a dinner series and invite promising startups to join for socializing and networking with investors.

A dinner meeting is a great way to foster the community and connect startups and investors.

Launch a newsletter with helpful information.

Set up a podcast and interview key people in the community.

Set up these programs to run continually throughout the year with an event happening every month.

It takes a year or two to generate awareness and another year to establish a brand.

Consistency is key, so set up a support team to help make it happen.

 

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  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: how_to_attract_dealflow.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Greg Foster, Founder & CEO at Vizen Analytics.

Headquartered in Walla Walla, Washington, Vizen offers a fully-managed cloud AI consumption-based subscription service that maximizes forecast accuracy while reducing inventory holding costs. They enable a better way to project product demand while preventing overstock waste and inventory stock-out conditions. Vizen provides everything your business needs to succeed without making a significant digital IT investment. They do all the work including historical data analysis that’s presented in a gorgeous SaaS UI with integrated SKU predictions. 

Greg has over 20 years of sales leadership and technology-based business development experience building great teams and executing successful projects working for and with Fortune 500 companies including Sprint, NTT, Nestle, and Toshiba America. His visionary, strategic thinking has played a role in the implementation of IoT platforms, smart power solutions, and AI-driven supply chain mobility. He has created IP using external data to improve demand forecast accuracy. Before launching Vizen Analytics, Greg gained experience working on other startup-related projects.

Greg speaks about growth in the manufacturing/supply chain segment, the primary trends, his participation in the sector, and changes expected in the coming 12 months.

You can visit Vizen Analytics at www.vizenanalytics.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/vizen-analytics.

Greg can be contacted via email at greg.foster@vizenanalytics.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/gregoryfoster1

Music courtesy of Bensound.

Direct download: Greg_Foster_of_Vizen_Analytics.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Investors seeking more deal flow should look to their own network.

Here are some steps to find deals from your contacts:

Identify the type of startup you want to fund. 

Search for contacts related to that sector and domain. 

You’ll find experts with deep knowledge of the technology, as well as those who know the major players in the industry.

Follow-up with them to learn more about the up-and-coming companies in the industry.

Talk with other investors for any deals they’ve seen, both those they invested in, and those they’ve passed on.

Seek out business brokers, M&A advisors, and investment bankers who see deal flow on a regular basis for potential deals to pursue.

Talk with those who hold business development and corporate development titles as they often see early-stage startups.

From these contacts, identify common references to startups in your sector.

Follow the funding news for your area or sector to see who is getting investment and then research those companies to find where they came from.

Trace them back to the source which could be employees coming from a large company, a university, or other.

To attract more deals you can build out a blog, website, or online portal.

You can run an event series to bring people together for networking, education, or funding.

This lets you tap into your network in an ongoing consistent way.

 

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  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: how_to_generate_dealflow_from_your_network.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Karen Vandiver, Owner of New Healthworks and Founder of Mindful Meditation Training Institute.

New Healthworks services include corporate and executive coaching, professional telehealth services, and mindful meditation training. She provides in-office therapy in Harker Heights and in Austin, Texas.

Karen is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Texas-approved supervisor with extensive experience. Karen served as an Academic Advisor for Graduate Assistantship for undergraduate students while earning her Master’s Degree at Baylor University, Adjunct Professor of Psychology at The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. She served as a regular guest lecturer at the University of Texas Doctoral Theories class. She has trained in Systemic, Strategic, and Bowen Family Systems. 

Training in EMDR added to her already successful outcomes with trauma, PTSD, depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. As a certified hypnotherapist with the National Guild, she has had success with behavioral issues along with peak performance. Her ability to utilize a unique and creative approach is individualized for each person and has led to real results.

Karen has created inpatient and outpatient treatment programs for psychiatric hospitals and outpatient treatment centers. She has provided numerous presentations at multiple military bases on PTSD and combat stress. She also provided annual guest lectures on Jungian Psychology at the University of Texas in Austin's Doctoral Counseling Theories Class and annual lectures to the LMFT Supervisor Training Class at Texas A&M Central Texas.

She has written articles for Military One Source, Austin M.D. Magazine, Enjoy Whole Health as a psychology columnist, and the Santa Fe Sound Board Music Magazine.

Full Bio: https://karenvandiver.com/about-nh 

Karen advises investors, discusses some of the challenges in the space, and how New Healthworks fits in this landscape.

Karen can be contacted via email at karen@karenvandiver.com, via her website at www.karenvandiver.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/karen-vandiver-184538ba/

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: Karen_Vandiver_of_New_Healthworks.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Deal flow is important to the startup investor.

After you set up your initial sources, you can expand your deal flow in the following ways:

Connect with other startup investors and offer to share your deal flow with them and invite them to return the favor.

The best deals come from other investors, especially those who you know well and have seen quality deals from them before. 

Talk with your portfolio companies and ask them to send you any deals they think are qualified for startup investment.

Founders and CEOs have a greater chance of meeting other startups than many investors do. They also understand the criteria of the investors and can provide an initial screen.

Talk with service providers such as attorneys, accountants, and bankers who see startups every day.

Start with your own service providers and expand out from there.

Have them make an email introduction.

Promise to set up a call with anyone they refer so they have confidence their time spent on the intro will not fall through the cracks.

Report back to the referrer with the outcome.

The more feedback they get then the more qualification they can perform.


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  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: how_to_increase_deaflow.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Deal flow is the lifeblood of startup investing.

It’s important to set up sources to provide quality deal flow on a consistent basis.

Here are the steps to set up your deal flow sources:

  1. Map out the entrepreneurship and funding groups in your geographic area or sector.
  2. Use the web and social media searches for an initial pass.
  3. Check out universities for their entrepreneurship programs, including business plan competitions and accelerators.
  4. Review the Chamber of Commerce for the trade associations for your area or sector to find programs related to startups.
  5. Meet with venture capitalists, angel groups, and other investors in your sector or area.
  6. Map out the accelerators, incubators, makers markets, and other groups that support aspiring startups.
  7. Identify lenders such as banks, factoring companies, and equipment leasing companies, and more who may have deal flow.
  8. Create and maintain a calendar of events to track their activities.
  9. Reach out to those groups on a regular basis to offer support such as education, mentorship, and coaching.
  10. Consider creating a newsletter to share with those in your sector or community to foster the relationship.
  11. Follow up to support the best sources of deal flow and increase your engagement with those groups.

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  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: finding_dealfow.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Deal flow is key to successful startup investing.

It takes a great deal of time, so it’s important to build a strong process for managing it.

It helps to use a software tool to track it.

Start with the key steps for running deal flow as follows:

Set up a deal flow source with angel groups, venture funds, online portals, and others.

Capture deal information into the software tool with their key information.

Run an initial screen to see if it meets your criteria -- have 3-5 key points to check.

Set up the first call to find out more details and update the deal flow software with the results.

Set up a partner meeting to review the deal with others in your fund, syndicate, or network.

Negotiate valuation and terms.

Perform diligence on the deal.

Close the investment.

Set for ongoing follow-up and reports.

In each step, capture the results into the software.

On a regular basis, analyze those results to find the following:

-Which sources gave you the best deals

-How much time did the calls take to capture the necessary information to make a decision

-What key factors the startup must have to go all the way through to funding

After analysis, update your process to screen out deals that won’t make it.


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

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: how_to_setup_a_dealflow_process.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Ken Hubbard, CEO of The Pitch Company.

As investors, The Pitch Company feels that business leaders would be more successful if they could get their company story out more concisely and with the pertinent information they need, in an expedited and organized structure.​ The Pitch Company’s frustration with the process led them to test over 60 different pitch templates for effectiveness. They realized it was not just the template that was the culprit, but the need for coaching by investors that makes the difference.

Building his first company in 1988, Ken, late to the party, scrambled to catch up to the rocketing computer industry. He shortly found a home in one of the fasting growing integration companies followed up with starting and developing revolutionary data center equipment. After a short hiatus, he began dabbling in angel investing.

Though he had raised significant funding, both debt and equity throughout his career, being on the other side of the table, as an investor, came with a different type of responsibility. Business leaders wanted advice on their business. Ken quickly learned that most business leaders had a basic understanding of how to pitch their companies but didn't understand what the investors were interested in and how they wanted the information. So he studied all the great presentations, built a system, and tested it for over 4 years. 

Ken discusses how he sees the state of startup investing progressing post-COVID-19, some of the challenges startups face, and how The Pitch Company fits into the landscape.

Ken can be contacted via email at kenhubis@gmail.com, via his website at www.pitchproceo.com, via telephone at (949)342-4449, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/investinginsuccess

Music courtesy of Bensound. 

Direct download: Ken_Hubbard_of_The_Pitch_Company.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Deal flow is critical to successful startup investing.

Here are some key points to consider:

Deal flow gives you experience with founders, valuations, exits, and many other aspects of the startup process. 

It teaches you a great deal about the market, current technology, and the startup ecosystem.

Deal flow gives you practice on how to analyze a pitch, what questions to ask, and what you should take away from each pitch.

Look for quality over quantity. The better the deal flow, the better your investment outcome.

Set up deal flow sources accordingly.  

Start with those in your network to gain access to their deals and offer to return the favor.

Seek out quality accelerator programs to find more resources.

Consider joining an angel network for deal flow, as you can share the feedback with others.

Join online portals with deal flow so you can learn the current state of valuations, technologies, and sectors.

Reach out to venture capital, family offices, and other investors to join as a syndicate partner in their deals.

The greater number of deals you review will give you more choices as well as educate you about the market. 


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 

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: _importance_if_dealflow.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Angel Ribo, Founder of The CEO Confidant.

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, The CEO Confidant helps clients create a salesforce that will not only guarantee and improve their own company's profitability, but also that of their clients.

Angel Ribo, known as The CEO Confidant, is a business influencer, LinkedIn strategist, international TV host, public speaker, CEO consultant, board member, and philanthropist.

In the last 21 years, Angel has helped more than 1,500 CEOs in 33 different countries to accelerate the growth of their businesses. He was born near Barcelona, and he has lived in 8 countries and speaks 5 languages.

Established entrepreneurs and corporate CEOs hire Angel to bridge the gap globally for expansion and exposure to grow their businesses.

Angel sits on the Board of the Evolutionary Business Council, an organization with more than 350 global transformational leaders with a combined reach of well over 600 million people.

Angel is based in Texas, and early in 2017, he launched his International Foundation, Wisdom for Kids. He has also helped more than 1000 underprivileged kids in Latin America become entrepreneurs using their local resources.

Angel advises startups and investors and discusses his company and his foundation, Wisdom for Kids.

Angel can be contacted via email at angel@angelribo.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/angelribo and www.linkedin.com/company/the-ceo-confidant, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/angeletgaruda.  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: Angel_Ribo_of_The_CEO_Confidant.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

So how do you know when not to invest in a startup?

Here’s a checklist of show stoppers:

  • There’s no business plan and no plan for an exit.
  • There’s no vision for the company.
  • There’s no growth in the target market.
  • The business doesn’t provide enough of a return on investment.
  • The team has too many holes to stand up.
  • The projected growth rate is too high and is unrealistic.
  • There’s no differentiation over the competition.

Use the process of elimination to remove deals from consideration so you can focus on the ones that can make it.


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  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: knowing_when_not_to_invest.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Joseph Edgar, Founder of TenantCloud.

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, and founded in 2014, TenantCloud is a cloud-based property management system that allows you to manage up to 75 units for free, accept and manage rental applications, store accounting, collect and track rent, manage visual maintenance requests, get a personal listing website, and much more.

Joe originally hails from Chiloquin, Oregon, and is an experienced entrepreneur and investor who bought his first real estate property at 14 years of age. At age 17 he co-founded Modern Homes Inc., a company in Porto Alegre, Brazil, which he sold in 2001. Joe founded Edgar Investment in 2003 as a property holding company for his investments, which also focused on real estate development of new and renovated residential homes in Eugene, Oregon. In 2007, Joe founded EI Investments, a $10 million venture fund focused on providing debt and equity to early-stage companies in OR and TX.

In 2008, Joe joined Governor Perry’s office and managed $487 million in state authority with a focus on early-stage and emerging companies. In 2011, Joe joined Commissioner Staples in advising, operating, and deploying the J4T Venture Fund, which is a $46.5 million investment fund focused on Texas’ early-stage companies. Joe is also a member of the US Treasury SSBCI Venture Capital Working Group, which works to bring best practices for early-stage investment throughout the U.S.

Joe holds a Bachelor of Science with a focus in Economics from the University of Oregon, with high honors, an MBA from Cornell University’s Johnson School of Management, and is a Kauffman Fellow. Joe is also active in the community as a member of the Central Texas Angel Network, volunteers time with the Community Tax Center helping low-income families file their tax returns, and assisted in founding the non-profit organization Texas Pace Authority, which focuses on bringing clean energy to Texas.

Joe advises investors and entrepreneurs, discusses the evolution of the industry post-COVID-19, the housing market in Austin, and shares some of the challenges startups face.

You can visit TenantCloud at www.tenantcloud.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/tenantcloud/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/tenantcloud

Joe can be contacted via email at jedgar@tenantcloud.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-edgar-7a018521, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/joe_edgar_.  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: Joseph_Edgar_of_TenantCloud.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

The best deals have more investors than they need.

So how does an investor gain access to those deals?

Startups choose investors who can provide support beyond the fundraise.

Here are some examples:

  1. Offering specific advice on how to build the business and grow it. 
  2. Make introductions to potential customers, new employees, or needed suppliers.
  3. Help them find office space.
  4. Finally, provide support as a sounding board or an attentive ear. 

As an investor, you can separate yourself from the crowd of investors by offering more than just funding.


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  

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Direct download: how_to_win_the_best_deals.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

This is Investor Perspectives. I’m the host of Investor Connect, Hall T Martin, where we connect startups and investors for funding.

In our new Investor Perspectives series entitled “How to Understand Blockchain”, you’ll hear about participation in the blockchain segment and what investors look for.

As the COVID pandemic passes, we emerge into a new world. The blockchain space has made tremendous progress in setting up substantial networks and meaningful applications.  Blockchain continues to drive change in the tech space in particular fintech. We have investors and startup founders describe the changes coming up.

Our guests are:

David Johnston, Managing Director, Yeoman's Capital, 01:26
Dave Hendricks, CEO and Founder, Vertalo, 04:36
Christian Kameir, Managing Partner, Sustany Capital, 08:21
Jake Ryan, CIO, Tradecraft Capital, 16:50
Rashad Kurbanov, CEO and Co-founder, iownit.us, 20:00

I hope you enjoy this episode.
________________________________

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 

Music courtesy of Bensound.


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

As a startup investor, you will find there are many deals to consider.

In fact, there are too many startups to diligence and pursue.

You want to build quality deal flow channels that meet your criteria and screen out the noise.

Quality sources often have experienced entrepreneurs working on their second and third businesses.

While accelerators, incubators, and universities provide an important function in the startup community, the vast majority of startups from these programs are not ready for investment.  

In most cases, they need at least a year before they are ready for investors.

Emerging tech hubs are good sources for quality startups with minimal noise. 

Online funding portals are becoming the go-to place to find startups.

In your network, you’ll find some investors have developed relationships with professional groups that provide quality startups. 

Set up relationships with these sources to maintain your deal flow. 


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  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: finding_quality_deals.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes back Jeff Stewart, Co-Founder & Managing Director of GPO Fund.

The GPO team invests in tech-driven, founder-led, North American companies that can harness Asia-Pacific public capital markets to achieve growth, business expansion, and market leadership. Historically, venture capital succeeded by investing early in companies that later went public to access growth capital, establish market leadership and provide ROI.

Over the past twenty years, the U.S. IPO market has shifted focus to mega-cap listings.  Mid-sized companies now rarely attract growth capital through U.S. public offerings.

Venture capital time horizons have elongated to over ten years and M&A and private equity are often the only strategic outcomes, stunting opportunities for companies to realize their full potential. Meanwhile, Asia-Pacific economies and investment capital are rapidly expanding. There is a significant demand in Asia-Pacific to invest in high-growth technology companies that can expand globally and list on an APAC exchange. 

Jeff is an investor, serial entrepreneur, and inventor with experience scaling technology-enabled international businesses.  

Jeff began his career as a Management Consultant at Ernst & Young’s Technology Practice, living on the road, advising Global 1000 financial institutions and exchanges. While still in his 20s he started his first technology company. He has since started numerous venture-backed companies, including two companies included in Inc. 500 lists of the fastest-growing companies. In 2014, Jeff’s FinTech start-up was recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer, and that same year, Jeff was recognized as the William F. Glaser Rensselaer Entrepreneur of the Year.

Today, Jeff is a Managing Director at the Global Public Offering Fund, which he co-founded in 2018 to invest in founder-led, growth stage, technology companies. 

Jeff shares with Hall what excites him now, what sectors he focuses on, some of his past experiences with startups, and some of the challenges they face.

You can visit GPO Fund at www.gpofund.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/global-public-offering-fund, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/gpofund.   

Jeff can be contacted via email at jeff@gpofund.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/stewartjeffrey/

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Direct download: Jeff_Stewart_of_GPO_FundUrgent.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

So how do you know when to pull the trigger and invest in a startup?

After applying the investment thesis, check for the following:

There’s a strong team with integrity, industry knowledge, and business experience.

They have product validation and market validation - the product works and people will pay for it.

They have the prospects for high growth and are demonstrating it at some level now.

Their business is scalable.

They are building a business that other companies will want to buy - eventually.

The potential return is large, so the investor can reach a 44% IRR or better.

Finally, you can help the startup in some way such as finding other investors, providing domain knowledge, or making other meaningful connections for the startup.

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/ 
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For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group  

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Direct download: Knowing_when_to_invest.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Luke Hohmann, CEO & Founder of FirstRoot.

Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, FirstRoot teaches financial literacy and budgeting - through a process known as Participatory Budgeting - and civics, as kids decide how to invest real money in their school. 

Participatory Budgeting (PB) is a democratic process in which a group of students determines how to invest a shared budget to improve a school.

PB authentically motivates students to learn and practice the “Four Cs” of the 21st Century curriculum: creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration — all while teaching design thinking, civics and jump-starting their journey to increasing financial literacy. Students experience true agency and stewardship over their futures, learning through their own experiences how money really works.

A serial entrepreneur, Luke's last company, Conteneo, was an enterprise software company that helped global companies manage investment portfolios using Participatory Budgeting. Luke is now leveraging the experience he gained working with some of the world's largest companies to help prepare our children for their future by bringing Participatory Budgeting into schools to teach financial literacy, civics, and design thinking.

The author of four books, Luke has been cited as an inventor in more than a dozen patents and is an internationally recognized expert in Agile Software Development.

Luke discusses what led him to start working in the personal finance and personal literacy space, some of the challenges he has faced, and the evolution of the industry.

You can visit FirstRoot at www.firstroot.co, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/firstroot, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/firstrootinc

Luke can be contacted via email at luke.hohmann@firstroot.co, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/lukehohmann, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/lukehohmann.  

Music courtesy of Bensound.

Direct download: Luke_Hohmann_of_FirstRoot_Inc.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

While there’s a great number of startups looking for funding, the startup investor needs to set up deal-flow sources.

Your personal network is a good place to start. Contact not only investors in your network but also attorneys and accountants who may see deals seeking funding. 

You can join the local angel network in your area or if you are in a specific sector, join one on a national level. 

Your local university may also be a good source of deals.

There are many online platforms available now where you can source deals both general and sector-specific.

Finally, consider starting your own accelerator/incubator or venture studio in which you bring companies together for coaching and mentoring in advance of funding.

This is a great way to see the company in action before you invest.


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

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Direct download: Where_to_look_for_deals.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Carl Grant III, EVP of Global Business Development at Cooley.

Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Cooley is a law practice where clients partner with them on transformative deals, complex IP, regulatory matters, and high-stakes litigation, where innovation meets the law. 

Carl leads Cooley’s business development team firm-wide, which assists clients in connecting with sources of angel investment, venture capital, and private equity. Team members also connect clients with potential management team members, advisors, independent board members, prospective partners, customers, and other value-add members of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Due to an overwhelming volume of deal flow and email traffic during the COVID-19 era, Carl co-founded VentureRaise, a LinkedIn-like platform with the specific purpose of helping entrepreneurs identify investors who are a fit and connecting them through trusted referral sources.

Carl hosts a weekly podcast called Rainmakers, which features top business developers across a variety of industries.

Carl previously served as executive director, technology industry for PricewaterhouseCoopers, the world's largest professional services firm where he led the business development in the DC Metro Region and drove unprecedented growth. Prior to joining PwC, he managed the Capital Attraction Program for Fairfax County EDA, an initiative that more than doubled the number of venture capital funds in that county. Immediately before joining Cooley, Carl was on the management teams of two venture capital-backed technology companies in the Northern Virginia area, EYECAST, and cyberCFO. He was also a director in a division of Multimedia, leading up to and through Gannett's $1.7 billion acquisition of the company.

Click here to see Carl’s complete bio.

Carl shares what excites him now, advises entrepreneurs and investors and discusses some of the challenges startups face.

You can visit Cooley at www.cooley.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/cooleyllp/mycompany, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/CooleyLLP

Carl can be contacted via email at cgrant@cooley.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/carlgrant, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/CarlGrant 

Music courtesy of Bensound.

Direct download: Carl_Grant_III_of_Cooley.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

In analyzing potential investments, it’s important to understand their business model and how well it meets the venture investors’ requirements. 

The business model consists of unit and customer acquisition economics as well as market and business economics.

Unit economics is the cost to provide a product that drives gross margin.  

This determines how much revenue is left to cover the business expenses.  

In general, 40% gross margin should be the floor.

Customer acquisition economics is the cost of acquiring a customer which drives scalability.  

This determines how much you have to spend to grow sales.

In general, your cost of customer acquisition should be ⅓ or less than your average customer revenue.

Market economics is the cost of penetrating a market which will drive fundraising requirements.  

This determines how much funding you have to raise to capture a portion of the market. 

You must show a growth rate of at least 50% year over year to continue raising funding. 

Business economics is the cost of running the business which drives profitability.

This determines how soon you can achieve cash flow positive and no longer have to raise funding to stay alive.


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  

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Direct download: Understanding_business_models.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Reyn Aubrey, CEO of PocketChange.

Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, PocketChange is a social media platform created to reverse the chaos created by social media 1.0. They do many things differently, including paying for a donation to charity every time someone posts, likes, or comments on something on the platform. They have reworked content moderation, policy, and have built a community culture that is good. They have launched their platform and have already raised money for angel investors and received press and influencer attention.

Their content moderation has been rebuilt from the ground up to deal with their current divisive social climate. Best of all, the community is filled with people who believe that social media can be better than what it is today.

"Society is more divided, more hateful, and more fed up and frustrated than ever before. Social media 1.0 accelerated this mess, and social media 2.0 can get us out of it." ….Reyn Aubry.

Reyn was named one of the top 25 innovators in Colorado, and his previous consumer products company outsold Walmart and Target in his home state. Now Reyn has shifted his focus to building a massive company that rights the wrongs of social media 1.0, and in the process makes society a better place. 

Reyn is part of the next generation of leaders building the future of social platforms. 

He currently resides in Denver full-time.

Reyn discusses the state of investing in social media, some of the challenges startups face, and some of his plans for PocketChange.

You can visit PocketChange at www.pocket change.social, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/pocketchange, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/PcktChange.  

Reyn can be contacted via email at reyn@pocketchange.social, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/reyn-aubrey, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/reynaubrey

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: Reyn_Aubrey_of_PocketChange.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

The elevator pitch can do more for you than just give you a short-form pitch.

It boils down your pitch to the bare essence.

This helps you focus on your core value proposition.

It helps you think through your pitch so you can prioritize the most important points.

It gives you messaging to use online through social media and email where the formats lean to the short form.

It gives you the opportunity to show what your product can do.

Specific case studies are often helpful in communicating your value proposition.

The pitch is short which triggers the listener to ask questions to learn more.

The short form makes it easy to drop into conversations and answer questions such as, ‘what does your company do?’

Long-form pitches often provide so much information that the listener can’t identify what your product does and why they should care.

Boiling it down into this format makes it very clear.

 

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  

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Direct download: what_the_elevator_pitch_can_do_for_you.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

This is Investor Perspectives. I’m the host of Investor Connect, Hall T Martin, where we connect startups and investors for funding.

In our new Investor Perspectives series entitled “How to Understand Blockchain”, you’ll hear about primary trends and what makes for a successful company in this segment.

As the COVID pandemic passes, we emerge into a new world. The blockchain space has made tremendous progress in setting up substantial networks and meaningful applications.  Blockchain continues to drive change in the tech space in particular fintech. We have investors and startup founders describe the changes coming up.

Our guests are:

David Johnston, Managing Director, Yeoman's Capital, 01:25
Dave Hendricks, CEO and Founder, Vertalo, 04:08
Christian Kameir, Managing Partner, Sustany Capital, 11:04
Jake Ryan, CIO, Tradecraft Capital, 15:07
Rashad Kurbanov, CEO and Co-founder, iownit.us, 17:40

I hope you enjoy this episode.
_______________________________

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 

Music courtesy of Bensound.

 

 


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

The elevator pitch is one of the most important pitches you can give.

Here are some key points to remember in delivering your elevator pitch:

Keep it around thirty seconds. 

Practice it to get the timing right.

Use the rest of your time to engage with your audience in questions and answers.

Talk at a normal pace and don’t speed up or rush it.

Rushing shows a lack of confidence in your pitch.

Use a conversational tone so you invite questions and feedback.

Show your passion and let your energy come through.

After you write your pitch, practice it and modify it 'til it’s polished.

Replace the filler words with more descriptive ones.

It’s important to show the problem, the solution, and the benefits. 

Customize your pitch for the audience by focusing on what’s important to them.

It’s okay to have more than one version of the same pitch.

 

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  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: Delivering_your_elevator_pitch.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Jonathan Staenberg, Founder and CEO of Staenberg Venture Partners.

Staenberg Venture Partners is a Seattle-based venture capital firm focused on the technology industry mostly between San Francisco and Seattle.

Early in his career, Jon established several marketing groups at Microsoft. He then joined the senior management team of Virtual i-O, a venture-backed startup, as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. In 2003, he joined Rustic Canyon where he continues to serve as an Advisory Partner.

Now, his model is to work as an advisor to those companies and funds he invests in.

Most recently, he advised Rocketship.vc, Blockchain Coinvestors, and Wunderground.com.

Jon has worked with venture-backed companies for over 30 years in several capacities. As an entrepreneur, he’s established five companies, served on the senior management team of several early-stage organizations, and provided venture capital funding to more than 500 start-ups. Jon is one of the more experienced venture capitalists in the Pacific Northwest, having raised four funds totaling over $500 million.

Jon graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University, graduating with a B.S., M.A., and M.B.A. While at Stanford, he started and ran two successful companies. Jon grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and is a hardcore Nebraska Cornhusker fan. In his spare time, he collects sports ticket stubs.

Jon shares his thoughts on the current state of startup investing and what he thinks will be the biggest change we will see in five years. He also discusses his investment thesis and advises entrepreneurs and investors.

You can visit Jon at www.staenberg.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/jonstaenberg, and via email at jon@staenberg.com

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: Jonathan_Staenberg_of_Staenberg_Venture_Partners.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

Today we’ll talk about a rolling close.

Closing a fundraising round can be challenging given the schedules of the investors.

A rolling close is used in a deal that is open to investors who can sign the documents and send in their money on their own schedule.  

This allows the startup to take funding a little at a time throughout the fundraise campaign rather than trying to capture all the checks and signed documents in one go.

This often applies to a convertible note in which the startup raises funding over an extended period of time using the same note.

It works even if the round does not meet its total fundraise objective in which case the company will have to move forward with less funds.

If there’s a minimum amount that must be invested to launch a company, then it’s better to use a single close method. That way the investors have assurance the company has raised enough funding to achieve the objective.  

One variation on this is an initial closing with a rolling close following.


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

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Direct download: The_Rolling_Close.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Bharat Kanodia, Founder and Chief Appraiser at Veristrat.

Veristrat is a professional services company, headquartered in Pleasanton, California. They provide various valuation and advisory services. Veristrat provides services to value various tangible, intangible, and financial assets for the purposes of financial and tax reporting purposes, fairness opinions, purchase price allocations, goodwill impairment, and litigation and dispute resolution.

Bharat has been in business valuation since 2000 and has valued assets in real estate, industrial, personal property, and financial assets including some unique assets such as the Golden Gate Bridge, NYC subway system, Hartsfield Atlanta Airport, and Las Vegas casinos. He has signed off on over 4,500 valuations with $2.6 trillion in assets globally. 

Bharat discusses how he helps startup and growth companies with valuations and the best way to approach valuations. He also advises investors seeking value in early-stage companies that have little to no revenue.

You can visit Veristrat at www.veristrat.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/veristrat-inc, via Twitter at www.twitter.com/whatsitworthtv, and via YouTube at www.youtube.com/c/whatsitworth

Bharat can be contacted via email at bkanodia@veristrat.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/bharat-kanodia-asa.

Music courtesy of Bensound.

Direct download: Bharat_Kanodi_of_Veristrat.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

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

In pitching your startup for funding, you’ll find many opportunities to engage investors.

Not all opportunities will provide substantial time and attention to investors.

Develop an elevator pitch for those times when you have only a few moments to capture the investors’ interest.

Here are some key points to consider:

Start with the problem you are tackling and how big and costly it is.

Make it easy for the investor to grasp what you are doing.

Say what you do in just one sentence.

Investors need context and will find it difficult to follow until they know what you do.

Avoid telling a story in your elevator pitch, as there’s not enough time.

Instead, just give them the conclusion.

Some founders believe the investor can’t understand the startup unless they know the technology or science behind it.

Avoid going into the details of how the product works. Instead, focus in short order on the benefits of it. There will be time later to discuss how it works.

Founders often suffer from the curse of knowledge. 

They know everything about their work and implicitly assume the investor knows more than they actually do.


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  

Music courtesy of Bensound

Direct download: Polishing_your_Elevator_Pitch.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

In this episode, Hall welcomes Gayatri Sarkar, Founder of She-VC and General Partner at Advaita Capital.

She-VC is a media platform that featured $100B+ combined capital of institutional investors championing the diversity, equity, and inclusion for VCs/PE investors. Advaita Capital is a growth activist tech fund focussed on DEI-ESG metrics in venture asset class. 

Gayatri was awarded the Global Leader Under 40 Award for championing diversity and equity inclusion among institutional investors through She-VC, featuring a combined capital of $100B+. She is the GP of a growth activist tech fund focussed on diversity, equity, and broader environmental social governance mandate, a team of experienced partners from top-tier funds from Blackrock’s former CIO, Oppenheimer, and the former COO of the second-largest division of SAC Capital. She serves on the advisory board of large asset management firms and VC fund of funds. 

Gayatri was also the former Managing Partner at a sports platform - the extended family office of an Israeli billionaire family - a former GP of a digital assets fund (acquired), a former Federal Reserve Bank Manager managing US Treasury’s assets for the US Military, Navy and big banks. She started her career as an enterprise tech architect at HP and IBM, managing billion-dollar accounts. Gayatri is a serial entrepreneur who founded a consulting company and a tech startup with AUM $50M. She graduated in Physics, Math, and Economics/Finance and serves on the alumni non-profit board of Harvard Kennedy School NEA. 

Gayatri shares her investment thesis and what excites her now. She also advises investors and entrepreneurs and discusses some of the challenges they face.

You can visit She-VC at www.she-vc.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/she-vc

You can visit Advaita Capital at www.advaitacap.com.

Gayatri can be contacted via email at gayatri@she-vc.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/gayatrisarkar, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/gs_vcactivist

Music courtesy of Bensound.

Direct download: Gayatri_Sarkar_of_Advaita_Capital.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT