Investor Connect Podcast (general)

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Adam Judelson, President and COO at mePrism.

Founded in 2019, me​Prism believes that your online data is your property and that you have a natural right to privacy and the freedom to make choices without hidden influence. me​Prism hopes to help its clients collect all of this data from the many corners of the Internet, organize that data and place it in their mePrism Data Bank account. If companies need that data to make their products work for you, they can pay you for your consent through mePrism’s marketplace. Companies that bid for your data are required to explain how they will use it so that you can decide for yourself if that is what's best for you and your family's privacy. You control your data. You know who is using it, why, and exactly how they are using it.

Adam is a serial entrepreneur. He has spent his career protecting the public interest with data, from his time as a national security analyst in the government to Palantir Technologies where he headed up the most profitable product line, to his role as an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown teaching a course he pioneered called Disruptive Analytics. Adam brings a unique blend of mission orientation, product and technology passion, and analytic rigor to each of his endeavors as well as the ability to convey the most complex topics simply to any audience.

Adam discusses what led him to start working in the data industry and how mePrism fits into the landscape, government controls and how it impacts businesses, monetizing data and more.

You can visit mePrism at www.meprism.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/meprism/mycompany/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/mePrism1

Adam can be contacted via email at adam@meprism.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/adam-judelson, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/Ajuggles.  

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For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

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

Using Your Financial Model in a Pitch

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

The financial model is a key component of your pitch.

Use key financial numbers from the model to tell the story of how your business can scale up.

Here are the steps:

Start with your unit economics to show the business works.

Show how the systems you have built drive the business using the financial model.

Highlight the market size and how fast the market is growing, as well as how you will go to market if you are in the early stage.

Call out key cost figures to demonstrate you know your numbers that drive your customer acquisition process and retention rates.

Show how you will use the funds by pointing to the costs for building products, generating leads, or closing sales.

Show your cash burn and how the fundraise will give you runway.

The financial projections alone don’t tell the story of your business.

You have to pull out key numbers to tell the story.


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

How to Use Your Financial Model

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

After building your financial model, you can use it in several ways.

Here is a list of use cases:

Raising funding for the business by determining how much you need to raise and when.

Generate financial forecasts and projections for managing the business.

Project key financial statements such as profit and loss statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements.

Setting up budgets for daily management of the business, particularly around cash flow.

Determining hiring decisions, including what roles to fill and when.

Setting strategic plans for growing the business.

Estimating the value of the business for negotiating acquisitions by other companies.

An up-to-date financial model is a must-have for every 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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Direct download: How_to_use_your_financial_model.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Patrick Michael Snyder, Executive Director at BizStarts.

BizStarts brings entrepreneurs together from all backgrounds, ethnicities, and beliefs to create a collaborative learning environment that embodies positivity, inspires confidence, and develops people’s capacity to achieve personal success and business growth. Working together, they are creating economic opportunity, communities with unique character, and a vibrant city with prosperity for all. BizStarts provides education, training, one-on-one coaching, and connections to resources. All services are free of charge.

Patrick has tremendous experience running social and for-profit ventures. His largest wins are in the area of organizational growth. At the age of 27, Patrick started, grew, and sold Shoreline Magazine. The publication went from having two to 20 employees in roughly three years with Patrick as Founder and CEO. As Executive Director, He transformed The Illinois Travel and Tourism Association, Visit Illinois, from a 30-member club into a federation of Illinois Tourism Associations with a membership in the hundreds of thousands while increasing the budget by a factor of six!

Patrick has excellent consulting and operations experience. While working with Billionaire, Best Selling Author Steve Kaplan, Patrick and Steve focused on “Consulting for Growth” for small to mid-size companies, associations, and chambers of commerce--Patrick also performed big client sales and customer service training events and consulting for companies like Panasonic, AT&T, Frito Lay, and Oracle.

Patrick is a former Adjunct Professor at Kendall College, and Roosevelt University. As an educator, he is constantly searching for ways to enrich the lives of students. Patrick is also a published contributing author in the highly acclaimed book, “he Start-up Student” and has served on the advisory boards of several companies. Patrick served as Executive Director of the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship for 5 years, where he grew reserves from 28K to over 500K during that time! Most recently, Patrick was named  Executive Director at BizStarts Milwaukee. 

Patrick has a BA in Communications from Eastern Illinois University, an IOM designation from the US Chamber's Institute for Organizational Management at the University of Notre Dame, and holds a graduate certificate in leadership from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Patrick details his background before BizStarts, discusses how he sees the self-employment industry evolving, and some of the challenges faced in customer funding.

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

Patrick can be contacted via email at psnyder@bizstarts.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-snyder

____________________________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

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

What to Include in Your Financial Model

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

In building your financial model, make sure you include the following:

  1. Revenue projections -- your estimate of revenue from all sources.
  2. Cost of Goods sold -- your estimate of how much it will cost to build and deliver the product or service.
  3. Customer acquisition costs -- your estimate of the sales and marketing expenses required to acquire the customer.
  4. Operating expenses -- your estimate of the cost of running your business, such as office space and utilities. 
  5. Capital expenditures -- your estimate of the cost of acquiring physical assets, such as equipment and machinery.
  6. Cash runway -- the amount of cash available based on operations as well as any fundraises.

Include metrics such as customer acquisition cost and customer lifetime value.


T
hank 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/ 
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Direct download: What_to_include_in_your_financial_model.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

How to Build a Bottoms-up Financial Model

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

There are two approaches to building a financial model: top-down and bottoms-up.

The bottoms-up approach uses specific data from your financials, such as historical revenue, specific expenses, working capital, etc.

You apply assumptions to the historical numbers to build out the projections.

To build a bottoms-up financial model, consider the following:

Sales and marketing expenses drive the revenue.

Review the historical relationship between sales and marketing expenses and revenue. 

Project expenses and revenue based on the monetization model you have, such as recurring revenue, transaction fee, contract work, etc.

Calculate your cost of goods sold which is the cost to build and deliver the product.

Project the operating expenses which are those that do not directly drive the revenue, such as office leases and utilities.

Fixed expenses remain the same.

Variable expenses rise and fall with the activity of the business.

Calculate your working capital, also called cash runway.

Add key metrics into the model such as customer acquisition cost, lifetime value of customer, and growth rate.

Adjust the model for any other business conditions or events such as a 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/ 
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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 “Faith-Based Investing in a Post-COVID World”, you’ll hear our guests’ investment theses.

As the COVID pandemic passes, we emerge into a new era. The faith-based investing space is now undergoing tremendous change as we shift to a post-COVID world. Faith-based investing takes precedence with many investors in the financial industry. We have investors and startup founders describe the changes coming up.

Our guests are:

Tony Long, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, CLX Ventures LLC [01:12]
David Simms, Managing Partner and Founder, Talanton [02:49]
Andrew Stoner, Chief Investment Officer, Paradiem LLC [04:11]
Wes Lyons, General Partner, Eagle Venture Fund [05:28]
Michael Arrieta, Founder and CEO, Garden City Companies (startup) [06:19]
Josh Wilson, Principal Broker and Owner, Kingdom Syndicate [08:04]
Bill Wichterman, Angel Investor [08:57]

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/ 
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Direct download: IP_Faith_Based_-_Show_6.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

How to Build a Top-Down Financial Model

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

There are two approaches to building a financial model: top-down and bottoms-up.

In general, you should use a bottoms-up approach for preparing the financial projections, which will be more detailed.

To build a top-down financial model, consider the following:

Start with the size of the market.

Estimate the market share of the company in a sector or region.

Use the price of the product to calculate the revenue.

Increase the revenue based on the growth rate of the market and increasing market share.

Input the expenses as a percentage of revenue based on historical data.

The top-down approach is relatively simple as it uses market sizes and market share estimates.

Use this approach to check against the bottoms-up model as a comparison.


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

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Hernan Haro, Founder and General Partner at MrPink VC.

MrPink is a VC seed fund that invests in founders located in Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay, that address large regional or global challenges. MrPink empowers entrepreneurs in CAPUC (Chile, Argentina, Peru, Uruguay and Colombia), by providing the capital, hands-on support, advice, and connections needed to launch global businesses. 

VC investment in LATAM will exceed $10 billion this year, more than 2 times the levels of 2019, and more than 20 times 2016; Mexico and Brazil take three-quarters of the total pie. MrPink’s portfolio companies will benefit from their Venture Design & Growth playbook, leveraging their experience by building, investing, and refining over 40 startups, and producing 10x returns and multiple exits. 

Hernan is a tech entrepreneur and Founding Partner of MrPink. As an entrepreneur, he ran operations for Pulpo Media, a California-based startup, leading the company through 14X revenue growth and its successful exit to Entravision. At ConsumerAffairs, he built the Data and Analytics team from scratch, later running Finance and Growth at scale. During the last decade, he has been actively advising entrepreneurs and angel investing in the region. Hernan holds an MBA from UC Berkeley (2010), an MSc in Industrial Engineering from ITBA (2001), and a BS in Computer Science (1997) from ORT.

Hernan discusses the state of investing in Latin America, some of the challenges investors and startups face, and the biggest change he sees happening in the next 12-24 months.

You can visit MrPink VC at https://mrpink.vc/, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/mrpink-vc/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/MrPink_VC/.

Hernan can be contacted via email at hh@mrpink.vc, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/hernanharo

_____________________________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

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

Benefits of a Financial Model

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

Many startups build a financial model to show the investors and then leave it alone ‘til it’s out of date and no longer useful.

The benefit of an up-to-date financial model is that it can actually help you make management decisions.

Here are several ways to use a financial model to manage your business:

Determine what positions to hire and when.

Measure the performance of the team and highlight problem areas.

Shows areas that are out of their target cost or performance zone, such as having too much of a given resource.

Determine your valuation range for a fundraise or exit event.

Find ways to reduce the risks in the business.

Create consistent results by managing both cost and revenue drivers.

Provide ongoing monitoring of the business.

Consider setting up the financial model for daily and monthly operational use as well as for fundraising.


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

How to Build a Financial Model

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

It’s best to build your own financial model so you understand it thoroughly.

Here are the steps to build your financial model:

Define the goal for the model.  

Figure out how you will use it and what decisions you need to make.

This will determine what details you need to include in your model.

Input your historical results as this will set the format of the model.

Start with revenue and figure out what drives it such as number of customers paying or number of products sold. 

Calculate Cost of Goods Sold and include it as part of the revenue section.

Next, add salaries into the model as this is one of the biggest expenses you have.

Add in the other businesses expenses related to sales, marketing, and administration.

Set up a working capital section as you’ll need funds in the bank to pay expenses ‘til the revenue comes in.

Calculate your growth projections for each month for the next 24 months.

Review the model to see if it is achievable.

Finally, choose key metrics to include in the model and capture information that calculates those metrics.


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

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Sophie Liao, Founding Partner at Oyster Ventures.

Oyster Ventures is a seed-stage-focused venture fund based in San Francisco, New York, and Hong Kong. They target companies that bring liquidity and efficiency to antiquated industries and with massive potential to scale.

Since 2016, they have launched three funds and deployed capital into 80+ startups. Their checks start at $25k to $200k, from Pre-Seed to Series Seed. They typically continue to invest in their portfolio companies from Series A to C and beyond, and they can write checks up to $5M+.

Oyster Ventures generally doesn’t lead rounds, but when they do, they will invest $500k to $2M. When they lead, they join the board as a director or observer. They happily invest in companies anywhere in the world but have a preference for standard jurisdictions and structures (e.g., Delaware C Corps, Hong Kong or Singapore Limited companies, SAFEs, etc.) They don’t invest in markets they don’t understand well or markets that require deep specialization to evaluate. While they do invest in cryptocurrency and blockchain companies, they very rarely invest in crypto-tokens without an equity component. They don’t invest via SPVs, by mandate, they don’t invest in mainland China, and they don’t invest in uncapped notes and SAFEs.

Sophie is a three-time fund manager with a top-performing record by IRR. She was MD at Rothenberg and VP at Draper Dragon before setting off on her own to found Oyster Ventures as a solo GP in 2017. Prior, she co-founded and sold a VFX startup to a large media company in 2015. Before that, she ran M&A strategy and started her career by launching joint ventures for U.S-Asia cross-border businesses in the TMT sector.

Sophie discusses her investment thesis, advises entrepreneurs and investors and describes some of the challenges they face.

You can visit Oyster Ventures at www.oyster.vc, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/oyster-vc, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/oysterventures.  

Sophie can be contacted via email at sophie@oyster.vc, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/sophie007

_________________________________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

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Direct download: Sophie_Liao_of_Oyster_Ventures_v2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

Why Build a Financial Model?

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

In building a startup, the financial model is a key step in validating the viability of the business.

Templates can educate on what to include and how to format, but it’s best to start from scratch.

Every founder should build their own financial model at the beginning of the company so they understand it thoroughly.

In fundraising, investors use the financial model for the following:

To check how changes such as increasing or decreasing revenue will impact the business.

To check your understanding of the business with respect to costs, revenues, and growth rates.

To check how you will use the funds raised for the business, as the financial model shows expenses and impact on the revenue.

To check when you will go cash-flow positive or break even.

To check to see how much runway the proposed fundraise will give you.  

This verifies you are raising sufficient funds to accomplish your goals.

You will need a detailed financial model to track your progress in running the business. 

Include the financial model in your presentation but at a high level showing last year, this year, and the next three years. 

Building the financial model is not about predicting the future but rather demonstrating how much you know about 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/ 
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Direct download: Why_build_a_financial_model.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

Founder Business Skills Required

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

In starting a company, there are key skills required of the founder:

Here is a list of basic skills:

Team building -- the founder must find a co-founder, build a board, and make the initial hires.

Leadership -- the founder must set the vision of the company and build support within the team.

Product -- the founder must specify the initial product and a roadmap for building it.

Sales -- the founder must be able to sell, including to customers, investors, team members, partners, and more.

Marketing -- the founder must be able to market the product by choosing the right market segment to pursue and creating materials for marketing the product.

Business model -- the founder must be able to craft a monetization strategy.

Finance -- the founder must be able to read accounting statements and financial reports.

Engineering -- the founder must be able to talk knowledgeably with the development team about their process and duties.

Get it done-ness -- the founder must be able to get projects done.

Emotional intelligence -- the founder must be able to set and build the culture of the company.

Founders should learn the basics in each of these areas.


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/ 
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F
or eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ 
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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 “Faith-Based Investing in a Post-COVID World”, you’ll hear our guests’ investment thesis.  

As the COVID pandemic passes, we emerge into a new era. The faith-based investing space is now undergoing tremendous change as we shift to a post-COVID world. Faith-based investing takes precedence with many investors in the financial industry. We have investors and startup founders describe the changes coming up.

Our guests are:

Steve Gatena, Founder and CEO, Pray.com [01:25]
John Siverling, Director of Private Markets, OneAscent Capital [03:53]
Endel Liias, Founder and Managing Principal, Nexus Impact Advisors [06:41]
Jeff Shafer, CEO, CommonGood Capital [10:19]
Kenn Kelly, CEO, Never Settle [12:25]

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/  
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F
or Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group  

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Direct download: IP_Faith_Based_-_Show_5.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

Metrics for B2B SaaS

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

Here are the key metrics for B2B SaaS startups:

Committed Annual Recurring Revenue (CARR) - this shows the overall health of the business as it includes new users as well as churn.

To calculate, take the current ARR and add new bookings and upsells and subtract downgrade bookings and churn.

Net dollar retention - this shows the growth net of churn which is an indicator of motion in the business.

To calculate, take the month’s revenue accounting for upgrades, downgrades, and churn, and divide by the previous month’s revenue.

Net new logos - indicates new company growth.

To calculate, add up the number of new companies onboarded in a month.

Quota attainment - what percentage of sales reps make quota in a period of time.

To calculate, divide the number of sales reps achieving quota by total number of sales reps.

CAC payback - the number of months of revenue to pay back for the cost of customer acquisition. 

To calculate, divide sales and marketing cost by net new ARR, times gross margin.


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/ 
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Direct download: Metrics_for_B2B_SaaS.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Eloiza Tecson, Managing Partner at EY Ventures Group.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, EY Ventures Group is dedicated to moving early-stage (pre-seed and seed) brands and professionals forward at scale. Serving as strategic advisors and investors within the health, wellness, and sports space, the mission lies in elevating the brands of brazen, diverse founders, who are willing to challenge the status quo, through investment, strategic, and operational resources.

As an innovative, driven, and visionary leader, Eloiza's experiences have resulted in a proven record of generating and building Fortune 500 relationships, managing multimillion-dollar projects from concept to completion, designing international go-to-market strategies, developing new initiatives to promote positive ROI, and coaching senior leadership to success. Passionate about the health, wellness, and sports industry, Eloiza focuses on working with brands whose vision lies in developing innovative offerings to enhance consumers' lifestyles through healthy behavior. Leveraging her collective expertise in this space, Eloiza looks to find products, technologies, and services that help both elite and everyday athletes perform better and lead healthier lives.

Eloiza shares with Hall what excites her now in the sports, health, and technology industries. She advises entrepreneurs and investors and discusses some good opportunities to pursue.

You can visit EY Ventures Group at www.eyventuresgroup.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/eyventuresgroup, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/EYVenturesGroup.  

Eloiza can be contacted via email at eloiza@eyventuresgroup.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/etecson/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/eloizayvette

She also hosts a podcast called The Drift at www.eyventuresgroup.com/thedrift

_________________________________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

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

Metrics Investors Use

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

Investors also use metrics.

Here’s a list of key metrics investors focus on:

Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) Growth - the overall growth rate of the revenue is a key factor.

Month-over-month growth demonstrates product-market fit.

Magic number - shows how sales and marketing spend drives revenue.

To calculate, take this quarter revenue minus last quarter revenue multiply by four and divide by the sales and marketing costs.

Investors want to see an equal return of revenue for every dollar spent on sales and marketing.

Gross margins - shows operational efficiency of the business.

Most SaaS companies have a gross margin between 60% and 70%.  

Return on investment - shows how much the investment can return.

Investors seek a high potential return by looking for a large market with acquisitions in the high multiples based on revenue.

In essence, the investor looks for evidence of growth and efficiency in sales and operations and a return on investment.


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

Let’s go startup something today.
___________________________________

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

Your Top 3 Metrics 

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

There are many metrics you can use for your startup.

Focus on these top three metrics for your startup at each stage:

For pre-seed, focus on qualitative activities such as customer interviews and community development.

Track the number of calls made, the number of interviews completed, and the number of communities contacted.

For seed, focus on MVP product development, beta users, and customer acquisition. 

Track daily active users, monthly recurring revenue, and gross merchandise value.

For Series A, focus on repeatable customer acquisition to show product-market fit. 

Track gross merchandise value, conversion rate, and CAC:LTV Customer Acquisition and Lifetime Value.

For Series B, focus on retention and sales efficiency to show ability to scale.

Track gross margin CAC payback, net dollar retention, and CAC: LTV ratio compared to the industry average.

Too much data can lead to paralysis, so focus on the core metrics.


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 

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Direct download: Your_top_3_metrics.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Ahmet Şener, Managing Partner at Smart Citizenship.

Smart Citizenship, is a citizenship-by-investment consultancy company aiming to bring unprecedented transparency to overseas investments made for the purpose of attaining secondary passports or alternative residencies. Powered by Smart Choice, the only algorithmic decision support system in the industry which takes into account more than 30 signals under 8 different subgroups enabling the investors to limit risk, and save time and money while taking on the daunting task of investing overseas.

The mastermind behind "Smart Choice", Ahmet is out to disrupt a very stubborn and old-fashioned industry. A business management graduate by training and an entrepreneur by nature, Ahmet is combining his past careers as a real estate developer, a marketing agency founder, a public diplomacy expert, and a CMO of a market-leading fund advisory firm in order to build a multi-cultural team of global experts who make up the backbone of Smart Citizenship.

Ahmet discusses the growth rate of the investment migration industry and some of the challenges entrepreneurs and investors face.

You can visit Smart Citizenship at https://smartcitizenship.com/, and via LinkedIn at  www.linkedin.com/company/smartcitizenship-com.    

Ahmet can be contacted via email at ahmet@smartcitizenship.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/ahmetsener/

_____________________________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

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

Efficiency and Predictability Metrics

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

In addition to growth, there is efficiency to measure. This is important to consider as you grow your business.

Here are some key metrics to use:

Magic number - shows how many revenue dollars your sales and marketing dollars generate.

To calculate, take current quarter revenues minus previous quarter revenues times four and divide by previous quarter sales and marketing expenses. 

A result above .75 shows your sales and marketing process is working well.

Sales efficiency - use the Gross Margin CAC Payback, which measures the number of months required to repay the cost of customer acquisition, taking gross margin into account.

To calculate, take sales and marketing for the month and divide by the Net New MRR in the month times gross margin.

Bessemer CAC Payback Period - measures the number of months it takes for the revenue to pay back the cost of customer acquisition, taking the timing of the revenue into account. 

To calculate, take the sales and marketing expense for the previous quarter and divide by the new MRR in the previous quarter times gross margin.

Efficiency metrics show the strength of the business and indicate the ability to scale.


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 

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

Metrics for a Downturn Economy

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

In a downturn economy, metrics can help you make decisions about your business.

Here are some key metrics to consider:

Net burn rate - measures the actual cash lost in a single month. 

To calculate, subtract the total revenue from the total amount of money spent month over month.

Use this to measure your cash runway by dividing the cash in the bank by net burn rate to tell you how many months you have left.

Rule of 40 - measures the growth rate and profitability and indicates chances of the business surviving.

To calculate, take the profit margin in percentage and growth rate in percentage and add together.

A result of 40% and above indicates a healthy business.

Margins - measures the profitability of the business after sales and after operating expenses.

To calculate gross margins, take net sales and subtract the cost of goods sold and divide by net sales.

Gross margins above 40% are considered healthy.

To calculate EBITDA margins, take net sales and subtract cost of goods sold and operating expenses and divide by net sales.

EBITDA margins above 10% are considered healthy.

User segmentation - shows the growth rate and churn rate for each segment of users.

Use this metric to better focus your sales efforts in a downturn.


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 

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Direct download: Metrics_for_a_downturn_economy.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 “Faith-Based Investing in a Post-COVID World”, you’ll hear about primary trends and what makes for a successful faith-based company.

As the COVID pandemic passes, we emerge into a new era. The faith-based investing space is now undergoing tremendous change as we shift to a post-COVID world. Faith-based investing takes precedence with many investors in the financial industry. We have investors and startup founders describe the changes coming up.

Our guests are:

David Simms, Managing Partner and Founder, Talanton [01:18]
Andrew Stoner, Chief Investment Officer, Paradiem LLC [03:28]
Wes Lyons, General Partner, Eagle Venture Fund [05:57]
Michael Arrieta, Founder and CEO, Garden City Companies [09:15]
Josh Wilson, Principal Broker and Owner, Kingdom Syndicate [11:40]
Bill Wichterman, Angel Investor [13:58]

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/ 
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Direct download: IP_Faith_Based_-_Show_4.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

Segment Your Data

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

In running metrics, it’s important to segment your data as you grow.

Segmentation helps identify the factors driving growth.

Here is a list of ways to segment your data:

  1. Location - the geographic location of the customer such as city, state, region, or country.
  2. Industry - the market the customers work in, such as financial services, or healthcare.
  3. Size - the size of the company by revenue, employee count, or customer count.
  4. Channel - the method through which the customer found your product or service such as social media, content marketing, or affiliate partner.
  5. Frequency - how often the customer used the product such as daily, weekly, or monthly.
  6. Behavioral - what problem is the customer trying to solve with the product or what features they use the most.

More insights will come if you look at the metrics by cohort.

Cohorts are customers who have a common experience with your product or service.


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 

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

Thank you for joining us today for our TEN Capital Fundraise Launch Program.

In this program, we help startups prepare for a fundraise. 

We provide templates, tools, eGuides, and advice to founders who are working towards raising funding.

We’ll kick off the session with a short overview on a fundraising topic, then we’ll answer questions from the founders.

I hope you enjoy this episode.
________________________________

Thank you for joining us for the TEN Capital Fundraise Launch Program where we help startups prepare for a fundraise. 

For more episodes, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
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Direct download: 2022-01-11_TENFL_Preparing_Fundraise_Content.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

Meaningless Metrics  

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

Some metrics are actually meaningless and tell you little about the business.

Metrics should demonstrate customer interest and satisfaction through commitment of time or dollars.

Here’s a list of metrics to avoid:

Number of downloads - by itself, it doesn’t show the level of interest or progress.

A more interesting metric is how many downloads convert into a user.

Website visits - by itself, it doesn’t show user satisfaction.

A more interesting metric is how many website visitors clicked through and engaged with the site.

Social followers - by itself, it doesn’t show engagement.

A more interesting metric is how many social followers engaged with your content.

Search engine ranking - by itself, it doesn’t show conversions.

A more interesting metric is how many visitors clicked on the site and then engaged.

Email list - by itself, it doesn’t show how many people engaged.

A more interesting metric is how many on the email list are active users.

In each case, a more interesting metric is how many engaged or showed commitment or satisfaction.


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 

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

Marketplace Metrics 

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

Here are the key metrics for marketplace startups:

Match rate - the rate at which buyers and sellers engage with each other.

To calculate, take the number of transactions in which there is a successful match and divide by the total number of attempted transactions.

Time to match - how long it takes to match a buyer and a seller.

To calculate, take the time to match for each transaction and calculate the overall average. 

Concentration - measures how fragmented or concentrated the buyers or sellers are.  

To calculate, take the top 10 buyers or sellers and measure their gross margin value and compare to the total gross margin value.

Take rate - the amount of revenue the marketplace takes from each transaction.

To calculate, review the transaction fee divided by the gross margin value and average across all transactions.

Unit economics - the business model shown at a unit economic level rather than in aggregate.

To calculate, measure the customer acquisition cost and organic customer rate over time to see if the former is going down and the latter is increasing.

User retention - measures the length of time the user stays with the company.

To calculate, average the time users stay with the company and track in each cohort to see if it’s increasing over time.

Marketplaces have their own metrics with which you can measure the effectiveness of your 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 

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

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Alex Fauvel, Founder and General Partner at Two Hop Ventures.

Headquartered in Amsterdam, North Holland, Two Hop Ventures is a traditional investment firm that invests capital in projects from around the globe that aim to secure the internet on a blockchain. The fund focuses on pre-seed to seed-stage startups and does not acquire or handle any crypto tokens of any kind. As a first-time fund manager that performed its final closing in April last year, Two Hop Ventures was able to raise just €2.7Mln. Having invested over €1Mln of the capital, Two Hop Ventures was able to acquire stakes in companies that have seen a book value increase of 30x. Two Hop ventures will be opening a second fund towards the end of 2022 with the same investment focus.

Founder of the first public venture capital fund focused solely on the version of BitCoin that follows Satoshis Vision, Alex is committed to ensuring that BitCoin fits seamlessly into our world. With a background in Mechanical Engineering, Alex understands the importance of the development of technical standards in the growth of an industry. He is a member of the Bitcoin SV Technical Standards Committee and knows that the Committee will be able to assist parties in developing robust standards that allow companies to interoperate seamlessly across all types of industries.

Alex shares with Hall what excites him now in Bitcoin and how he sees the industry evolving. He advises startups and investors and discusses some of the challenges they face.

You can visit Two Hop Ventures at www.twohop.ventures, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/twohop.  

Alex can be contacted via email at alex@twohop.ventures, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/alexfauvel, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/alex_fauvel.  

______________________________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

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

Customer Traction Metrics

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

In raising funding, customer traction is a key focus point.

Here are the metrics for measuring your traction:

Customer acquisition - this includes all sources of leads such as website, email, social media, and referrals, as well conversion of leads to customers.

You can look at these metrics for each marketing action and also as an overall measure of the company’s sales and marketing efforts.

User activation - this measures how many users are using your product and how often: daily or monthly.

The more often customers use the product, the more likely they will continue with the product. 

Customer retention - this includes churn rate, renewal rate, and net promoter score.  This will determine how long customers stay with the product and delivers a lifetime value for the customer.

Customer revenue - this measures how profitable each customer is, stated either on a monthly (MRR) or annual (ARR) basis. Other factors include cost per lead and average revenue per customer.

Referrals - this measures how often users refer your solution to others and can be measured by average referral per customer and viral coefficient metrics.

A stronger virality factor generates more leads 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/ 
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Direct download: Customer_traction_metrics.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

Challenges With North Star Metrics

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

The North Star Metric seeks to capture the essence of a business in just one metric.

It makes decision-making easier.

Anything that doesn’t foster that metric is deprioritized.

It does change over time as the company’s priorities change especially with growth.

It’s not always a simple metric and can be complex depending on the business.

You can however choose a simple one so it’s easier to communicate.

Here are some examples:

Spotify -- Time spent listening to music.

Quora -- Number of answers to questions.

Uber -- Rides per week.

Amazon -- Purchases per prime subscriber.

The North Star Metric can focus on time spent, transactions, productivity, or other.

Consider what drives your company’s growth and focus the North Star Metric on 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/ 
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Direct download: Challenge_with_Northstar_metrics.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 “Faith-Based Investing in a Post-COVID World”, you’ll hear about primary trends and what makes for a successful faith-based company.

As the COVID pandemic passes, we emerge into a new era. The faith-based investing space is now undergoing tremendous change as we shift to a post-COVID world. Faith-based investing takes precedence with many investors in the financial industry. We have investors and startup founders describe the changes coming up.

Our guests are:

Steve Gatena, Founder and CEO, Pray.com [01:26]
Shane Enete, Associate Professor of Finance at Biola University and Investment Analyst at Inspire Investing [04:17]
John Siverling, Director of Private Markets, OneAscent Capital [09:31]
Endel Liias, Founder and Managing Principal, Nexus Impact Advisors [13:29]
Jeff Shafer, CEO, CommonGood Capital [19:17]
Kenn Kelly, CEO, Never Settle [22:18]


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/
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Direct download: IP_Faith_Based_-_Show_3.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

Finding Your North Star Metric

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

The North Star Metric is the one metric that drives the growth of the core business.

Founders use it to focus the company around a common goal.

Some startups focus on signups, others focus on retention, and still, others focus on engagement.

If you don’t have much startup experience, then you should work on customer acquisition, engagement, and retention efforts first.

Once you know what drives the best outcome for the startup then you can focus on determining your North Star Metric. 

Your North Star Metric should be simple and specific.

Look at successful outcomes by cohort or initiative.

What benefit did each one bring?

What is common about them?

What is your ideal user case?

From this information, look for the factor that drove the outcome.

Focus your North Star on that driver.


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 

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On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Brom Rector, Founder of Empath Ventures.

Empath Ventures is a venture capital fund that invests in psychedelic medicine startups. They specifically focus on pre-seed and seed-stage psychedelic startups that are doing novel psychedelic molecule development and pick-and-shovel plays in the psychedelics industry. To date, Empath has invested in Mycrodose Therapeutics, Mindstate Design, Quantified Citizen, Wavepaths, and Beond. 

Prior to founding Empath, Brom spent 7 years as a portfolio manager and quant researcher - most recently managing a global macro portfolio for Crabel Capital Management - a Los Angeles-based hedge fund with $8B AUM. Prior to Brom’s time at Crabel, he was the first hire at startup hedge fund Turning Wheel Capital and helped grow the firm from $1M AUM to $75M in 18 months.

Brom is also the host of "The Integration Conversation" - a top podcast and YouTube channel about the nascent psychedelics industry. The reach of this podcast gives Empath access to unique deal flow in the psychedelics space. Brom's unique media-driven deal flow and hedge-fund pedigree provide Empath Ventures' LPs with a rare blend of psychedelics industry access and institutional financial discipline.

Growing up in a military family, Brom saw the mental health struggles of service members and how those mental health issues impacted families. Seeing this firsthand gave him an even deeper appreciation for the healing power of psychedelics, especially as it relates to PTSD and depression. 

Personally, Brom has been using psychedelics for most of his adult life and has found them extremely beneficial for purposes of mental hygiene, internal exploration, and perspective-shifting. 

Brom is a CFA charterholder and holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science with an emphasis on machine learning from Georgia Tech. 

Brom discusses the evolution of the psychedelic industry and some of the challenges startups and investors face. He also describes his investment thesis.

You can visit Empath Ventures at www.empath.vc, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/empath-ventures, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/EmpathVentures.  

Brom can be contacted via email at hello@empath.vc, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/bromrector/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/therealbrom.  
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Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

Operational Metrics

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

An efficient operation is one key to a startup's success.

Here are operational metrics you can use to check your startup:

Basic efficiency - measures the overall efficiency of the business.  

To calculate, take operating expenses divided by the revenues.  

The smaller the number, the more efficient the business.

Marketing efficiency - measures the efficiency in acquiring new customers.

To calculate, take the monthly marketing spend and divide by the number of new customers signed up.

The smaller the number, the more efficient the marketing.

Sales efficiency - measures the number of leads that turn into customers.

To calculate, divide the total sales by number of leads and multiply by 100. 

This is sometimes called the magic number. 

Inventory turnover ratio - measures the efficiency of inventory.

To calculate, divide the cost of goods sold by the average inventory. 

Ten is a good result as it shows a turnover of inventory almost every month.

Accounts payable to sales - measures how much of suppliers’ money you use to fund sales. 

To calculate, divide accounts payable by annual net sales. 

Use these tools to calculate your operational efficiency.


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

Let’s go startup something today.
___________________________________

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

Product Metrics

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

The product is the core focus of the early-stage company.

Here are two key metrics for understanding the performance of your product:

The Heart Metric measures the quality of the user experience with the product.

Here are the components of it:

  1. Happiness - measures user satisfaction and ease of use through the net-promoter score.
  2. Engagement - measures user engagement through the frequency and depth of use of the product.
  3. Adoption - measures the number of new users of the product or a feature of the product over a period of time.
  4. Retention - measures the rate of returning users over a period of time using the churn metric.
  5. Task success - measures the user experience by looking at the efficiency of the product or its effectiveness for the user.

The Product Metabolism Metric measures the rate at which the company iterates on the product with upgrades and new features.

Through customer surveys and feedback forms, you can gather the user's impression on whether the company is moving too fast or too slow in making product changes.


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

Let’s go startup something today.
___________________________________

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

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Peter Bruce Clark, Partner at Social Impact Capital.

Headquartered in New York, New York, Social Impact Capital specializes in impact investing, which they define as investments that can deliver top decile returns in addition to a positive social impact. They focus on the "essentials of human need"​ — energy, water, food, health, environment, education, housing, access to capital, and social justice.

Having co-built the firm from early inception, Peter now oversees the development and management of key venture capital relationships, partnerships, advisors, limited partners, and portfolio support. Prior to joining the firm, Peter was Head of Business Development at Real Capital Innovation (acquired by Addepar), an investment technology platform backed by 8VC and Soros Fund Management. Peter started his career in Silicon Valley by creating an early-stage venture capital firm focused on high-impact areas of AI application, and institutional investor strategy consultancy, Kalytix Partners (acquired).

In his spare time, Peter is an advisor to global funds focused on the environment, health, and sustainability, such as Tyson & Blake in Sweden, Extantia in Berlin, Andon Okapi in Africa, and Brace VC in Greece. Peter is also an active angel investor in over 20 global impact startups.

In addition to his work, Peter is a volunteering Ambassador to the Rockefeller family’s BankFWD initiative, which is focused on climate justice in global banking, and a Counsel Member of the Saïd’ family’s Toucan Project, which cultivates future leaders from across the world. He is also a member of Rebalance VC, Impact Capital Managers, TTI, and GBx.

Peter has an MPhil in Business Administration and Finance from the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, and a first-class honors BA in English and Critical Theory from Queen Mary, University of London.

Peter advises investors and startups, discusses the state of impact investing, and some of the changes he thinks we will see in the next 12-24 months.

You can visit Social Impact Capital at https://social-impact-capital.com/, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/social-impact-capital/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/socialimpactvc

Peter can be contacted via email at peter@impactcap.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/pbruceclark/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/vcpbc.  

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

Scale-Stage Metrics

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

After the growth phase comes the scale phase in which you ramp up the business.

Here are the key metrics to consider at the scale stage:

1. Break-even per customer - this shows how many days until the new customer turns profitable.

This is a key factor if you are using funding to grow, as it will show if your business can scale.

2. Gross margins - this metric compared to the industry average shows how efficient the business is and what business drivers can be used to scale the business.

3. Viral coefficient - this metric shows the organic growth and determines how much additional funding will need to be spent on growth. 

4. Referrals - this metric is similar to viral coefficient but instead measures how many new customers come from existing customers. 

5. User satisfaction - this metric determines how long customers will remain loyal to the company which demonstrates effectiveness against the competition.

Each metric showcases a key factor for scaling the 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.
___________________________________

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

Growth-Stage Metrics

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

Once you have product-market fit and start seeing growth, consider these metrics for your business:

  1. Activation rate - the percentage of users achieving some step in activating your product. This helps you determine where users are dropping off.
  2. Active users - the total number of users who used the product either daily or monthly.
  3. Average sales cycle - the average number of days to sign up a customer.
  4. Burn rate - amount of cash you are spending over your cash expenses on a monthly basis.
  5. Cash runway - how many months of cash you have based on your burn rate.
  6. Customer acquisition cost - the total cost of sales and marketing to sign up each customer.
  7. Churn rate - the percentage of users who drop out each month.
  8. Customer lifetime value - the total amount of revenue for the average customer.
  9. Lead velocity rate - the growth of qualified leads in the sales pipeline.
  10. Signup rate - the number of new customers signing up either daily or monthly.
  11. Revenue growth rate - the percentage of growth month over month.
  12. User engagement - the number of daily users divided by the number of monthly users, which shows how sticky your product is.

Each metric showcases a different aspect of your growth.


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

Let’s go startup something today.
___________________________________

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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 the continuation of our new Investor Perspectives series entitled “Faith-based Investing in a Post-COVID World”, you’ll hear about participation and growth in faith-based investing.

As the COVID pandemic passes, we emerge into a new era. The faith-based investing space is now undergoing tremendous change as we shift to a post-COVID world. Faith-based investing takes precedence with many investors in the financial industry. We have investors and startup founders describe the changes coming up.

Our guests are:

Tony Long, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, CLX Ventures LLC [01:11]
David Simms, Managing Partner and Founder, Talanton [04:41]
Andrew Stoner, Chief Investment Officer, Paradiem LLC [06:49]
Wes Lyons, General Partner, Eagle Venture Fund [09:39]
Michael Arrieta, Founder and CEO, Garden City Companies [12:37]
Josh Wilson, Principal Broker and Owner, Kingdom Syndicate [15:51]
Bill Wichterman, Angel Investor [19:03]

We hope you enjoy the show.
_______________________________
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Direct download: IP_Faith_Based_-_Show_2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Raymond Luk, CEO, and Founder of Hockeystick.

Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Hockeystick connects startups with funders. Startups need capital and connections to grow fast. Hockeystick makes the process easier, faster, and more intelligent by using data to drive connections.

Raymond is a serial entrepreneur and investor. He is the founder of Flow Ventures (a financial consultancy for startups), Year One Labs (an early-stage micro-VC fund), and others. He is passionate about entrepreneurship and removing barriers to raising capital through technology. He lives in Toronto with his wife who is a fashion entrepreneur.

Raymond shares what led him to start working in the startup industry. He also discusses the state and evolution of the industry, and some of the challenges startups and investors face.

You can visit Hockeystick at www.hockeystick.co/, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/hockeystickco/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/hockeystickco

Raymond can be contacted via email at rluk@hockeystick.co, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/rayluk-founder

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

Startup Customer Success Metrics

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

Once you have customers, the next step is to measure their success with your product.

Here are some key metrics to use:

Net Promoter Score - also referred to as NPS, this metric measures how loyal the customers are to the company.

The metric asks the customer to rate the company on a scale from 1 to 10 about their experience with the product.

A score of 1 to 6 is considered a net detractors score.

7 and 8 are considered passive, while 9 and 10 are considered promoters. 

The resulting metric from all customers surveyed ranges from -100 to 100.

A score from 0 to 49 is considered good.

50 to 70 is excellent, and 70+ is top tier.

Other metrics to include are customer churn which is the percentage of customers you lose over a period of time.

Revenue churn is the percentage of customer revenue you lose.

Customer retention rate is the percentage of customers retained.

This can be applied to a cohort of 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.
___________________________________

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

Seed-Stage Metrics

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

Seed-stage startups have a few users trying out a beta product.

The startup is working on the go-to-market strategy and focusing on customer acquisition.

Key metrics to use are monthly unique users, monthly new leads, customer acquisition rate, and churn rate.

This measures basic customer acquisition.

To measure conversion, use the visit-to-lead rate and lead-to-customer conversion.

This shows the basic conversion rate for signing up customers. 

To measure the effectiveness of marketing, use cost per lead, customer acquisition cost, and monthly recurring revenue. 

This matches the cost of signing up a customer to the recurring revenue it generates.

To measure the usage rate, use the average use per user per month.

This shows the importance of the product to the users’ work.

In the early days of the startup, focus your metrics on customer acquisition rates, effectiveness of marketing, and customer engagement with 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.
____________________________________

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

Start With Your Key Metric

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

There are many metrics you can use to guide your startup.

In the growth stage, start with your key metric that captures what drives growth.

You can either focus on the total number of users or look at the total number of actions the user takes.

Look for the value that is created and tie your metric to it.

This is typically not revenue but rather what drives revenue.

In a SaaS business, it’s the number of contracts signed.

In a marketplace business, it’s the number of transactions.

In a mobile app, it’s the number of active users.

Set a goal to reach each month.

Run a series of cohorts in which you apply an action and measure the impact on the metric.

As the business grows, you may need to capture a second or third metric to understand what actions provide the best growth.

You can apply this method to retention to identify the actions that provide the greatest return.


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

Let’s go startup something today.
___________________________________

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

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Robert Toker, Chairman, and CEO at Lantha Sensors.

Founded in 2019 by a team of world-class business people, scientists and technologists, Lantha Sensors offers an alternative to high-cost, slow trace chemical analysis such as NMR and Karl Fischer titrations. They offer a range of portable, durable, and inexpensive chemical sensors that give accurate results without the need for specialist training.

Robert is Chairman and CEO at Lantha Sensors and Partner and President at Stone Bridge Energy Partners, LLC. He was a senior advisor and consultant at BP PLC, Climate Impact Capital, an executive with several energy technology companies, Vice President, Partnerships and Market Planning at GlycosBio, and Senior Vice President with Sindicatum Capital, a London – Singapore based energy developer and investment firm backed by Citigroup Alternative Investment, Gulf One Bank, Black River (Cargill), and AIG. While at SCC, he had a broad range of responsibilities working closely with project partners and hosts from origination, planning, financial and strategic analysis through structuring and financial close.

Before joining SCC, Robert was Head of Trade and Investment in Houston for UK Trade & Investment. In addition to leading the regional team, he led the Houston-based International Energy Team and the Miami-based Trade and Investment team including the Latin American and Caribbean Market Intelligence Unit. Robert was the US lead for renewable energy. Robert was also the founding CEO of Evolved Nanomaterial Sciences, Inc a venture-backed advanced materials company. 

Robert advises startups and investors and discusses the state of startup investing. He also suggests some good opportunities for investors to pursue.

You can visit Lantha Sensors at www.lanthasensors.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/lanthasensors/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/LanthaSensors.   

Robert can be contacted via email at rob@lanthasensors.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/robtoker/, and via telephone at (832)257-7775.

____________________________________________________________________

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

Unit Economics

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

In the early days of a startup, the revenue is small.

Instead of focusing on the absolute size of the revenue, focus on the unit economics of the business.

Unit economics shows your business model on a per-unit basis.

Measure the cost of acquiring each customer and the revenue you receive from the same.

You can calculate the CAC:LTV ratio which is the cost of acquiring the customer and compare it to the lifetime value of the customer. 

You can also calculate the time of payback compared to the cost of customer acquisition.

The faster the payback time, the less capital you will need to raise and, therefore, the more valuable your business will be.

Investors are not looking for big numbers; they are looking for repeatability and predictability of your revenue.

Use unit economics to show how you have built a working business albeit on a small scale.

Emphasize the systems you have in place for acquiring customers, providing a service, and how overall it’s a profitable 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.
___________________________________

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

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Ander Iruretagoyena, Senior Associate at Impact Engine.

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Impact Engine is a women-owned and led venture capital and private equity firm investing in companies driving positive impact in education, economic empowerment, health, and environmental sustainability.

Impact Engine was launched in 2012 as an accelerator fund with the goal of identifying promising entrepreneurs starting businesses with the potential to drive both attractive financial returns and positive social impact. Impact Engine raised two subsequent accelerator funds in 2013 and 2014, all focused on investing in pre-seed stage companies. Across the three accelerator funds, Impact Engine invested in a portfolio of 23 companies. Between 2015 and 2016, Impact Engine shifted its investment strategy and raised a $10 million venture fund which invested in 22 companies. Between 2018 and 2019, they began operating as a public benefit corporation, raised a $25M second venture fund, and raised a $31.5M first PE fund, allowing them to invest in impact funds for the first time.

Impact Engine’s investors include institutions, family offices, foundations, and individuals who believe in investing for both financial return as well as social impact. They are also committed to cultivating community among their investors. Their goal is to help their investors learn from each other and leading-edge impact investors who deploy capital across asset classes and geographies.

Prior to joining Impact Engine, Ander was an investment banking associate at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, working with Latin American corporations. During these years, Ander worked on a total of 17 transactions for $10.7B across 4 products, 9 industries, and 6 geographies. Ander also previously worked on financial inclusion strategies at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Ander holds a BA in Economics as well as Latin American Studies from the University of Chicago and earned his MBA degree from the Chicago Booth School of Business. Ander is originally from Mexico and loves FC Barcelona.

Ander shares what excites him now and discusses the state of impact investing, how he sees the industry evolving, challenges investors and startups face, and more. 

You can visit Impact Engine at www.theimpactengine.com/, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/theimpactengine/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/TheImpactEngine

Ander can be contacted via email at ander@theimpactengine.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/ander-iruretagoyena/

_____________________________________________________________________

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

Pre-seed Metrics

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

At the pre-seed stage, startups should focus their attention on engagement and referrals.

Track how many visitors you can draw to your website.

See how many of those visitors sign up for a trial.  

The conversion rate is more important than the absolute number.

See how many referrals are made and their engagement rate.

You need to have a product that’s good enough so that people will like it and tell others about it. 

Focus on upgrading the product to generate more engagement.

Metrics that don’t matter include social media likes, newsletter signups, and repeat visits.


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/ 
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Direct download: Pre-seed_metrics.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 “Faith-Based Investing in a Post-COVID World”, you’ll hear about participation and growth in faith-based investing.

As the COVID pandemic passes, we emerge into a new era. The faith-based investing space is now undergoing tremendous change as we shift to a post-COVID world. Faith-based investing takes precedence with many investors in the financial industry. We have investors and startup founders describe the changes coming up.

Our guests are:

Steve Gatena, Founder and CEO, Pray.com  [01:27]
Shane Enete, Associate Professor of Finance at Biola University and Investment Analyst at Inspire Investing [03:19]
John Siverling, Director of Private Markets, OneAscent Capital [09:56]
Endel Liias, Founder and Managing Principal, Nexus Impact Advisors [14:13]
Jeff Shafer, CEO, CommonGood Capital [19:32]
Kenn Kelly, CEO, Never Settle [25:09]

We hope you enjoy the show.
_______________________________
For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org    

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Direct download: IP_Faith_Based_-_Show_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Prem Bodagala, Director at Michigan Rise.

Michigan Rise is an early-stage focused venture capital fund investing in high-tech startups across Michigan. The fund is backed by the Michigan Strategic Fund and Michigan State University Foundation and is one of the most active early-stage investors in the Midwest with investments in 34 portfolio companies since its launch in August, 2020.

Michigan Rise Pre-Seed Fund III invests in Michigan tech startups to help commercialize innovative technologies. They are proud to partner with Michigan’s best and brightest tech entrepreneurs and further economic development in the Mitten State.

Prem is in charge of cultivating pipeline, overseeing diligence, closing investments, advising portfolio companies, and fulfilling reporting obligations at the fund to seed tech startups in Michigan with equity instruments and purchase order financing loans. He has a broad and deep knowledge of the innovation ecosystem in the Midwest and has invested in over 100 tech startups that went on to cumulatively raise over $1B. 

Prem began his career in venture capital as an Associate at Michigan Accelerator Fund I in Grand Rapids where he led the sourcing and diligence operations of that first-time fund. He next served as Portfolio Manager at Michigan Economic Development Corporation where he managed a large portfolio of tech startups and venture funds and negotiated complex forbearance, restructure, and conversion terms with public and private stakeholders.  Most recently, Prem was Director at Invest Michigan where he sourced, led investments, and was an observer in select portfolio companies. 

Prem discusses his investment thesis, advises startups and investors, and shares some of the challenges they face. 

You can visit Michigan Rise at www.michiganrise.com/, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/michigan-rise/.  

Prem can be contacted via email at pbodagala@redcedarventures.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/prembodagala/

______________________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

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

Metrics by Stage of Startup

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

Startups move through stages from pre-seed to seed to growth to scale.

The metrics you apply should adjust to the stage of the company.

Here’s a list of metrics by stage:

Pre-seed - when you have an idea, use qualitative metrics and focus on basic activity.

Key metrics include qualitative feedback, website traffic, and conversions.

Seed - when you have a first product, focus on initial revenue.

Key metrics include MRR (monthly recurring revenue), ARR (annual recurring revenue), as well as CAC (customer acquisition cost), and LTV (lifetime value ratio).

Cash flow and burn rate are also useful.

Growth - when you have product-market fit and start to grow, then focus on growth revenue.

Key metrics include gross margin, segment analysis, forecast sales vs. quota, and month-over-month revenue growth. 

Scale - when you start scaling the business, focus on the core drivers of the business.

Key metrics include customer activation by channel or segment, increasing retention, and reducing churn. 

The metrics start qualitative and shift to quantitative to focus the company on what drives growth.

As the company matures, so the metrics become more specific and refined.


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

Let’s go startup something today.
___________________________________

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

Metrics by Stage of Life

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

Startups go through three stages of life: product, growth, and operations.

In the first stage, the startup focuses on the product.

The objective is to find product-market fit with the focus entirely on the product and its use by the customer.

Key metrics include number of signups, usage metrics, and number of customers. 

The next stage is growth which includes a go-to-market plan, effective marketing channels, and a scalable business model.

The objective is to find the sales and marketing actions that achieve growth at a reasonable cost.

Key metrics include cost of customer acquisition, retention rates, and sales metrics.

The third stage is operations which focus on the underlying functions supporting the business.

The objective is to tune the business model and the operations for maximum efficiency to allow for scaling. 

Key metrics include margins, sales efficiency, and burn rate.

Each stage of the startup has a focus and a set of metrics. 


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 

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

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Peter Storment, Co-CEO at Cedar Street Capital.

Cedar Street Capital provides top-tier services to companies seeking growth capital and/or merger and acquisition services. They also assist institutional private equity investors in identifying, assessing, and closing prospective investments. Cedar focuses across industries in emerging and frontier markets and diversified technology in the US and Europe. Sector specialties include digital health, biotech, medical devices, SAAS software, AI, Big data, crypto, alternative energy, and robotics.

Peter brings more than 25 years of experience as an investment banker, entrepreneur, and financial analyst covering multiple industries in the US and around the globe. With significant experience and expertise in emerging and frontier markets, Peter has, over the last decade, led the efforts in strategically positioning and building a leading global middle-market investment banking practice specializing in emerging and frontier markets in Africa, Europe, Latin America, and Asia.

Over the past 3-4 years, Peter has pivoted back to the US and Europe in terms of raising funding for tech firms, and he has concentrated on building a robust vertical in biotech, digital health, and medical devices. Key historical transactions include $15 million of convertible preferred equity for a leading micro-finance institution - Blue Financial Services of South Africa - and $161 million in preferred equity for a leading African Universal Bank.

Peter shares with Hall what excites him now, and advises startups and investors. He also discusses how he sees the startup industry evolving and his investment thesis.

You can visit Cedar Street Capital at http://cedarstcapital.com/.

Peter can be contacted via email at pmstorment@gmail.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/peter-storment-a174968/

___________________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

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

Metrics by Startup Objective

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

A startup’s objective changes as it moves from early to later stages.

Here’s a list of metrics by stage objective:

In the earliest stages of the startup, look for conversions.  

Basic validation is important to prove the market wants the product.

This exercise will teach you what type of customers to pursue.

In the next stage, measure the CAC:LTV ratio which is the customer acquisition cost and lifetime value of the customer using a minimum viable product.

This exercise will validate you have a profitable business.

In the next stage, use MRR or monthly recurring revenue to test the repeatability and predictability of your business model.

This exercise will help you refine your business processes.

Next, measure retention.

This exercise will validate you have a business that can grow revenue rather than just maintain it.

Finally, measure recognized revenue which is the revenue for which you have provided the service while the remainder is deferred revenue.

This exercise will validate you have a self-sustaining business. 

In each stage, focus on the metric that helps you prove you are on the right track.


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 

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

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Gurdeep Prewal, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Rocana Venture Partners.

Rocana Venture Partners is an LA-based venture capital firm that invests in early-stage consumer packaged goods brands. They find truly disruptive, hyper-growth, mission-driven brands that provide consumers with better living choices. Their primary area of focus is in food & beverage, with secondary verticals of focus in beauty and personal care, wellness, pet care, fitness, and fashion/apparel.

Prior to launching Rocana in February 2018, Gurdeep spent 17 years in investment banking M&A and capital markets, in both North America and Asia, with roughly half of his banking career at J.P. Morgan and the other half at BNP Paribas. Gurdeep advised numerous clients over the years on transformative and award-winning landmark M&A deals and IPOs across various sectors, but most notably in transportation and consumer. Gurdeep brings his deep thinking, savvy deal-making and financial acumen to his venture investments.

Gurdeep is also an active angel investor in various industries, including being an early investor in PaTu Wind Farm, Moven, Selina, Relativity Space, Employees Only Aisa, Bai, Kettle & Fire, and Splendid Spoon. He is also an active board member of numerous private companies. Gurdeep is a Canadian citizen and a Singapore permanent resident, residing in both Toronto and Singapore. He holds a BBA degree from Wilfrid Laurier University, is a CFA charter holder, and is a graduate certificate holder of Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.

Gurdeep advises startups and investors and discusses the state of CPG investing and how he sees the industry evolving.

You can visit Rocana Venture Partners at www.rocanaventures.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/rocana-ventures/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/rocanaventures

Gurdeep can be contacted via email at gprewal@rocanaventures.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/gurdeepprewal/.   

_________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

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

3X in 3 Terms

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

I analyzed the results of several angel networks and found that 65% of the investments after three years were still in business but were no longer on the venture track. 

In most cases, they were growing businesses but were not going to be bought out for a significant return to the investor as the market conditions had changed, competition had taken over, or the founder was no longer interested in keeping pace to achieve a venture exit.

The best-case scenario was the entrepreneur would sell the business for 2-3X after 10 years, in which case the investor would get a minimal return on investment.

In my investing experience, three years into the investment, it becomes clear if the company will continue on the venture path or not.  

I often saw the entrepreneur signal their departure from the venture path by taking above-market rate salaries. 

I called this taking the “payroll exit”, in which case they no longer needed an “equity exit”.  

This left the investor stranded on the equity plan with no way out.

I set up a deal structure that would allow the investor to go on the payroll exit in the event the startup chose that path.

In this structure, the investor receives 3 times their investment 3 years from the date of investment.  So $100K in, yields $300K out.

If the company continues on the equity exit, then the investor may choose to stay in the investment. 


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 

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Direct download: 3X_in_3_Terms.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Craig Martin, Founder, and President at The Family Wealth Consulting Group.

The Family Wealth Consulting Group is a family-owned and operated fee-only financial planning firm that has been a fiduciary with clients in Silicon Valley, California, for over 35 years. This family-centric team focuses on helping families maximize financial resources for today, as well as for generations to come. FWCG’s unique expertise is building portfolios including alternative investments that give clients more money during their retirement years, as well as helping families manage the tax and estate planning issues that are top of mind for many clients who have a net worth.

Craig has been coordinating estate and income tax planning with investments and cash flow for high-net-worth clients of Silicon Valley since 1976.  He was an early adopter in 1990 when he converted his firm to fee-only because of his conviction to being a fiduciary so he could remain agnostic to which product or ideas he was advising, only with a dedication to helping clients make informed decisions. 

Because Craig is dedicated to continuous education in an evolving financial industry, he is convinced of the importance of building risk-managed portfolios using dissimilar price movement asset classes. He considers alternatives as some of the most efficient risk-management tools, so he offers alternative investments to his clients now using two different funds, where he is now co-investing with clients as an angel investor in start-up businesses. He has extensive experience in performing due diligence on start-up businesses because he has participated in dozens of due diligence teams along with other members of Keiretsu Forum, the largest angel investment group in the world. He teaches due diligence to entrepreneurs and other angel investors in the Keiretsu Academy as well as leading focused academies on this topic for the angel investment community of both angels and entrepreneurs. 

Craig earned the Master of Science in Financial Services (MSFS) in 1989 from The American College out of Bryn Mawr, PA, the largest and oldest institution exclusively dedicated to the financial industry. He also has qualified for several undergraduate level designations from that same college, including the Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), and then earned the mark of Certified Financial Planner (CFP) from the CFP Board of Standards.  He has taught financial planning classes at the University of California at Berkeley. 

Craig speaks about the state of angel investing and the biggest change he thinks we will see in the next year or two. He also discusses some of the challenges startups and investors face. 

You can visit The Family Wealth Consulting Group at www.fwcg.net and www.fwcgfunds.net, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/family-wealth-consulting-group

Craig can be contacted via email at craig@fwcg.net, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/fwcgcraigmartin/.  

_________________________________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

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

Startup Success Rates

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

The early-stage failure rate of startups is quite high.

Out of 100 startups, only 40% go to the next level at Series A.

Only 22% of startups reach Series B.

Only 15% of startups reach Series C.

Only 8% of startups reach Series D.

As for the success rate, only 9% of pre-seed companies reach an acquisition.

Only 12% of Series A companies reach an acquisition.

Only 14% of Series B companies reach an acquisition.

The most any startup can reach an acquisition is 16%.

The failure rate is near exponential.

It’s a hit business. You have a hit or you most likely will lose your investment.


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

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Maan Hamdan, Managing Director at Hexa Ventures.

HEXA provides its portfolio partner companies with a scope of services that support the entrepreneur and help to accelerate the growth of their early-stage investments, while at the same time, de-risking the investments made and increasing the return on investment.

The goal is to match the needs of the entrepreneur with these core services. This unique approach allows the entrepreneur to focus on his/her core products and competencies and complement them with proven, low-cost, HEXA services and help accelerate time to market.

Maan is an innovator, investor, philanthropist, and entrepreneur with a wealth of experience providing focused leadership, building effective management teams, and creating and developing profitable businesses. During his 43-year career, Maan built and exited many successful companies, and invested in, and mentored many others.

As a philanthropist, Maan recently founded Hexa, an innovation eco-system consisting of 6 global companies. As an investor, he founded TrenData, an AI-based, predictive analytics company, and acquired Insala, an HR tech company. Globally, Maan founded over 12 companies in all 5 continents and invested in over 30.

As a corporate executive between 1980 and 1994, Maan held senior positions with PageNet, the largest paging company in the world at the time, and telecommunications conglomerate GTE (currently Verizon).

Maan received his BEEE in computer systems engineering from the American University in Beirut and an M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin. He also pursued doctoral studies in economics at the University of South Florida.

Maan sits on the board of a few companies and is a philanthropist, having established, with the help of his wife Weeda, a global education foundation (www.EducationUnbound.com) for the benefit of disadvantaged kids. The nonprofit acquired NuMinds Enrichment and works on promoting STEAM education globally.

Maan advises startups and investors, discusses how he sees the startup industry evolving, and shares his investment thesis. 

You can visit Hexa Ventures at https://hexagv.com and https://hexatx.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/hexavc/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/hexagv.  

Maan can be contacted via email at maan@hamdans.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/maan-hamdan-37880

___________________________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ 
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Direct download: Maan_Hamdan_of_Hexa_Ventures.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

Payback Plans

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

Not every funded startup continues on the venture path to a high payoff from the sale of the business. 

For those startups, investors using an early-exit term sheet can find a path out of the deal.

There are several options for the startup to pay back the investors.

The company can use a revenue share agreement.

While the funds may not be available immediately for payback, the company can pay out of incoming revenue over time.

This is typically 2-3% of top-line revenue and is paid monthly.

In many cases, this will take more than a year to pay off.

Other options include the following:

  • The CEO can put the company up for sale and pay off the investors with the proceeds.
  • The CEO can pay off the debt or assume the note with a personal guarantee.
  • Other investors in the company can buy out the early-exit investors as well. 
  • The follow-on investors can pay off the debt to remove the investors from the cap table. 
  • The company could declare a dividend to the investors and pay it out over time. 

The purpose of the early-exit term sheet is to provide the investor a path out of the deal.


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

Thank you for joining us today for our TEN Capital Fundraise Launch Program.

In this program, we help startups prepare for a fundraise. 

We provide templates, tools, eGuides, and advice to founders who are working towards raising funding.

We'll kick off the session with a short overview on a fundraising topic, then we'll answer questions from the founders.

I hope you enjoy this episode.
_______________________________

Thank you for joining us for the TEN Capital Fundraise Launch Program where we help startups prepare for a fundraise. 

For more episodes, 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/ 
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Direct download: TENFL_Preparing_Financial_Projections_Q_A.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

Redemption Strategies

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

In an early-exit term sheet, the investors have the right to redeem their stake in the company before an acquisition.

There are several redemption exercise strategies.

The first strategy is to recover the principal investment.  

This makes the investor whole and now lets them play with "house money".

The second strategy is to place a third of the shares into a cash redemption to recover the initial investment, a third into the company as an equity stake, and a third as a cash redemption to place into the next startup.

This keeps the investors’ fund evergreen, supports the current company, and expands the portfolio.

The third strategy is to take half in debt and leave the other half for equity.

This evenly divides the funds into both sides of the investment options.

These are the most common strategies investors use to redeem their stake in an early exit term sheet.  

It’s important to take into consideration the needs of the startup and how best to support them.


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

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Kate Mitselmakher, CEO and General Partner at Bloccelerate VC.

Bloccelerate VC is a platform for blockchain products and services to actualize their true potential, providing them with world-class mentoring, go-to-market solutions, access to peers, developers pool, academic evaluation and research, access to markets, regulatory compliance, and funding necessary for them to succeed. 

Prior to starting Bloccelerate, Kate spent 10 years with global market research leader Gartner, where she supported CIOs of Fortune 500 enterprises, mentored enterprise software startups, and advised venture capital and private equity firms. Kate is a renowned public speaker at global gatherings such as the World Economic Forum in Davos. She has also been featured on Forbes, GeekWire, and other publications as the leading investor in this space. Kate graduated with honors from Harvard University.

Kate shares with Hall what excites her now and advises startups and investors. She discusses some of the challenges they face and the state of startup investing.

You can visit Bloccelerate VC at www.bloccelerate.vc, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/bloccelerate, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/bloccelerate

Kate can be contacted via email at kate@bloccelerate.vc, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/kate-mitselmakher/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/KMitselmakher.  

_________________________________________________________________

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

Key to Facilitation Is Operational Involvement

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

In managing an early exit term sheet, it’s important to facilitate the ongoing information rights due to the investors.

Most term sheets provide rights to the company’s financial statements, including the income statement and balance sheet as well as the cap table.

This duty is often left up to the founder to follow up.

In the rush to close sales, hire employees, and make the company successful, the founder sometimes leaves the information rights duty undone.

For an early exit term sheet, it’s important to maintain this duty.

It’s best to set up a service that accesses this information regularly, say monthly to provide the investors the information.

Most investors believe that legal control is the best way to enforce the terms and conditions of the term sheet.

A better way, though is operational control.  

By gaining access to the company’s accounting system and bank account, the investors gain a better understanding of the company.

The more the investors know the company’s situation, the more they can help the company achieve its goals.


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/ 
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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 final Investor Perspectives episode on Impact Investing in a Post-COVID World, you’ll hear about changes expected in the coming 12 months and our guests’ final thoughts.

As the COVID pandemic passes, we emerge into a new era. The impact space is now undergoing tremendous change as we shift to a post-COVID world. Impact investing in the areas of sustainability and the environment takes precedence in the financial industry. We have investors and startup founders describe the changes coming up.

Our guests are:

Brad Gurrie, CEO, Socialsuite [01:13]
Luni Libes, Founder and Managing Director, Fledge [02:31]
Vishal Arora, Managing Partner, VDOSH [06:45]
Chelsea Burns, Principal, Escaladora Ventures [10:43]
Richard Samuelson, Chief Investment Officer, SWAN Venture Group [12:40]

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/  
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Direct download: IP_Impact_-_Show_4.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

Redemption Facilitation Process

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

In an early-exit term sheet, it’s important to have a redemption facilitation process.

This includes the steps for setting up the bank accounts, capturing the investor’s interest, providing payouts, and investor updates.

The process also tracks escrow of repayment funds and later revenue share payments to complete the redemption process.

For the redemption exercise, here is the timeline and steps:

180 days from Note maturity:

  • Capture the current version of the cap table and financials, including the current income statement and balance sheet
  • Send a notice to the investors to consider their decision to redeem

90 days from Note maturity

  • Confirm the investors’ decision to redeem
  • Prepare payment options for the company to consider 

60 days from Note maturity date

  • Send notice to the investors of impending maturity and confirm their decision on redemption

30 days from Note maturity date

  • Update investors with status on a regular basis
  • Send notice of redemption to the company and ask for payment due in one week

23 days from Note maturity date

  • If payment is not received, then a payment plan will be due in one week by the company

16 days from Note maturity date if no payment plan is provided

  • Set up a follow-up meeting with the company to discuss options

Upon maturity of the Note or in the event of a Corporate Transaction payment

  • Create a promissory note of the debt due
  • Elect a board of directors with investors having a majority control


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


Let’s go startup something today.
___________________________________

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Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ 
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Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Mark H. Goldstein, Managing Partner at Advisors.Fund LLC.

Advisors.Fund LLC invests in hyper-focused entrepreneurs that are disrupting entrenched legacy incumbents and an accepted status quo. They love the entrepreneur that is “all in”, knows the business that he or she wants to break, and can surf and grow through a few pivots.

To date, they have made over 100 investments in the SaaS, enterprise software, AI/ML, and digital health sectors.

Mark has been involved in online services since he got his first job at Apple and was put in charge of home investing, banking, and online gaming. He enjoys the rush of being the underdog with a new project and changing people's perception of the status quo. Mark has led industry trade associations, been a member of numerous founding teams, and personally started a dozen companies, the bulk with solid outcomes. He’s been driven to solve interesting, marketing-related problems in big-known sectors (i.e. retail, investing, health care, gaming, accounting) and being a part of a smart heads-down team where everyone has dirty fingernails.

Over the last seven years, Mark is all in for digital health and transforming healthcare as a full-time investor and advisor, runs a lit' seed fund, and is a partner at a Series A venture fund.  Mark is also the Founder and Chairman of UCSF Health Hub, UCSF's innovation center that helps the country's next best healthcare inventors and companies scale and grow.

Mark shares how he helps startup and growth companies, discusses some of the challenges they face, companies who under and over-invest, and more.

You can visit Advisors.Fund LLC at www.advisors.fund, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/advisors-growth-formula/.  

Mark can be contacted via email at mark@advisors.fund, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/mgoldstein1
____________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ 
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Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

What Is a Cap Table?

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

In raising funding, investors will ask for a cap table.

Cap table stands for Capitalization Table and is a document that tracks the capital structure of the company. In essence, it shows who owns how much of the company’s equity.

So, a company that has had multiple rounds of funding will have different investors in those rounds of funding (seed, angel, Series A, B, C...etc.), which needs to be kept in one place.

For presentation purposes, the cap table typically gives a high-level summary of the current percent ownership by each investor.

As the company plans future fundraising, the cap table shows the impact of those raises on the investors’ ownership. Current investors will have lower percent ownership but should make up for it in an increased valuation.

Cap tables include convertible debt, options, and warrants as well as equity. If an investor asks for a “fully diluted” cap table, then all of these are added to the calculation.


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

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Seren Rumjancevs, CEO, and Rain Kivisik, Founder at Dealum.

Dealum provides a superior investor group collaboration platform to build a vibrant early-stage investing ecosystem. Their objective is to become the leading global deal-flow source for early-stage investors by creating meaningful connections between investors and startups.

Seren has been involved in the technology and startup scene from the very beginning of her professional life. In over a decade in Tartu Science Park, building a career from Project Manager to Board Member, she saw first-hand how technology-intensive companies are built, how they succeed, and also learned how they fail. This didn’t stop her from falling in love with the fast-paced high-tech startup scene and eventually starting her own fashion tech company, Heelosophy, developing mass-customisation technology for high-heeled shoes’ insoles.

Rain is an Estonian entrepreneur and investor focusing on the technology and software sector. He has been one of the founders of several successful companies such as Playtech (listed in LSE), Contriber, and Dealum. He has also mentored and invested in 30+ early-stage software companies. Rain is currently working on software service for angel groups, with the goal of streamlining and making investing into startups more easier and transparent.

Seren and Rain advise investors about automating their investment process, discuss the state of investing in early-stage companies, the main change they see happening in the market, and some of the challenges investors face. 

You can visit Dealum at www.dealum.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/dealum/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/dealum_.   

Seren can be contacted via email at seren@dealum.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/serenrumjancevs.

Rain can be contacted via email at rain@dealum.com.  
________________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ 
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Direct download: Seren_Rumjancevs__Rain_Kivisik_of_Dealum.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

Challenges in Building the Startup Community

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

There are challenges in building a startup community.

It doesn’t happen by accident and it takes a focused effort over a period of time.

Here are some challenges to watch for and overcome:

Choosing another community’s strategy instead of your own.

It’s common for startup communities to look to Silicon Valley and adopt their strategy.

Silicon Valley has a unique set of skills, resources, and conditions.

Instead of adopting the Silicon Valley strategy, it’s best to review your community’s unique skills and resources and then choose your own strategy.

While your startup ecosystem should be inclusive to all who want to join, startup builders should focus on the ones with the highest potential for scale-up success.

Focus on the needs of the high-performing startups with your resources.

Apathy or lack of leadership can slow the formation of a startup ecosystem.

Rally the stakeholders around the startup community cause.

Identify the limitations and recruit the area leadership to help remove those barriers.

Recruit founders who have achieved success to give back and help foster the effort.

Reach out to the local university to gain their support as well. 

Build collaborative relationships among the various parties involved.

It takes several years and a great deal of community building to create a startup ecosystem.


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

TEN Capital Presents AMA: Supporting and Partnering with Diverse Founders

This is the TEN Capital AMA show. I'm Hall T Martin, the host of the show in which we interview investors and founders on current topics. 

Our guests are:

  • J.P. Keating of VU Venture Partners
  • Kim Folsom of Founders First Capital Partners
  • Diane Yoo of Parliament Ventures

I hope you enjoy this episode.
_______________________________

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How to Launch a Startup Ecosystem

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

For those who want to launch a startup ecosystem, follow these steps:

  • Start with a group interested in startups and meet regularly.
  • Encourage startups to share their projects and invite others to support through coaching and making introductions.
  • Set up a blog and publish a newsletter each week on startup activities in the area.
  • Interview startups and investors.
  • Build a resource list for all startups to use.
  • Recruit lawyers, accountants, and other professionals to join the meetings and provide support to the early-stage companies.
  • Set up events such as pitch sessions and happy hours to expand the network and recruit more people into the community.
  • Put the group on website lists for startup communities to generate awareness.
  • Set up a coworking space to give startups a place to work.
  • Recruit startup programs to your area, such as the 3-Day Startup, to provide additional programming.

Start small and grow your startup community through regular meetings and consistent newsletter mailings.


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

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Shahab Samimi, Senior Associate at 7 Gate Ventures.

7 Gate Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Vancouver, Canada, and Silicon Valley, investing in early-stage startups from Seed to pre-Series A in the technology industry, with a sector focus on software, SaaS, cloud services, marketplaces, mobile apps, and solutions, big data/analytics, blockchain, fintech, and healthtech. Assembled by a group of serial entrepreneurs specializing in tech, operational expertise, and venture capital, 7 Gate Ventures brings key industry connections, decades of international venture-building experience, and foresight to effectively strategize, mentor, and scale new businesses.

Shahab has very unique and diverse experience from fund formation, full deal life cycle, and working with early-stage founders. Shahab is responsible for expanding the firm’s local presence in Canada, deal origination, reviewing, executing, monitoring, and reporting on direct investments and partnerships, primarily in the Canadian market. 

Shahab serves on the Young Professionals’ Committee of the Association of Corporate Growth and is a board member at the Vancouver Enterprise Forum (VEF). He has over ten years of experience in entrepreneurial ventures, business development, and capital markets, co-founding Pura Foods and Northstar Endurance.

Previously, Shahab was at Performance Capital Advisors, a boutique capital markets firm, and Gravitas Securities, an investment bank.

Shahab advises startups and investors and discusses some of the challenges they face. He also speaks about his investment thesis, and how he sees startup investing evolving.

You can visit 7 Gate Ventures at https://7gate.vc/, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/7gate-ventures/about/.   

Shahab can be contacted via email at shahab@7gate.vc, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/ssamimi/.  

_________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

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Direct download: Shahab_Samimi_of_7_Gate_Ventures.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

Signs of a Strong Tech Ecosystem

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

In building out your startup ecosystem, look for these signs to know if you are on the right track:

  • Does the ecosystem have strong clusters of founders and developers that meet up regularly?
  • Does the local community foster the startup ecosystem?
  • Is failure acceptable or not an option?
  • Is there a local university that is providing education and other resources to budding founders?
  • Are there a number of startup programs available in the form of accelerators and incubators?
  • Are there events around the startup community including weekly, monthly and annual events?
  • Are founders and developers moving to the area to participate?
  • Is there media coverage of the startup ecosystem in various forms such as news sites, topical blogs, and listicles?
  • Are there venture capital and angel investors active in the area?
  • Are there service providers available for legal, accounting, and financial services?

Look for these signs that you have a growing entrepreneur ecosystem.


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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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 “Impact Investing in a post-COVID World”, you’ll hear about participation in the impact investing space and what investors look for.

As the COVID pandemic passes, we emerge into a new era. The impact space is now undergoing tremendous change as we shift to a post-COVID world. Impact investing in the areas of sustainability and the environment takes precedence in the financial industry. We have investors and startup founders describe the changes coming up.

Our guests are:

Brad Gurrie, CEO, Socialsuite [01:13]
Luni Libes, Founder and Managing Director, Fledge [02:50]
Vishal Arora, Managing Partner, VDOSH [05:34]
Chelsea Burns, Principal, Escaladora Ventures [07:05]
Richard Samuelson, Chief Investment Officer, SWAN Venture Group [08:53]

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/   
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Direct download: IP_Impact_-_Show_3.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

Assessing Your Startup Ecosystem 

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

In building your startup ecosystem, take time to assess its effectiveness.

Here are some key points to look for:

Do entrepreneurs connect and learn from each other?

If not, set up events to increase the interactions and foster interactions.

Do the entrepreneur groups share resources?

If not, foster collaboration among the groups and help set up resource sharing such as job boards, funding sources, and other tools.

Do experienced entrepreneurs provide coaching and mentorship?

If not, engage the serial entrepreneurs to capture their experience and share with others.

Does the community have leaders with entrepreneur experience?

If not, help recruit experienced entrepreneurs into the leadership roles.

Do the investment groups provide financial support to a range of companies or only a select few?

If only a select number receive funding, help set up pitch competitions to bring funding to a broader number of startups.

Do the coworking spaces support the startups beyond providing a place to work?

If not, then integrate support organizations with the coworking spaces by having their offices at the coworking space to provide more support. 


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

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Redg Snodgrass, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of 5of5.vc.

5of5.vc is a partnership of multi-exit founders across a range of industries including Saas, e-commerce, mobile, wearables/IoT, logistics, fintech, and APIs. As senior-level subject matter experts and analysts, 5of5.vc provides market intelligence, actionable recommendations, and skilled support around the 5 core elements of a business: technology/product, marketing/PR, sales/business development, operations/finance, and culture and hiring. 

With over 15 years of experience in early-stage technology for startups and large corporations, Redg has leveraged an appetite for business development around large distribution technology. His early successes focused on building strong senior collaborative teams for large new technology ecosystems around mutually respectful business models - first with Squaretrade, then with Skout, Alcatel-Lucent/Bell Labs Global Telecom API business, Taploid, Wearable World IOT / ReadWrite, and Sheeva.AI. Redg is best known for working with founders on their business tech stack, helping them identify the right people/partners to make their business work, and helping them identify the right sources of capital to successfully grow their business. 

Redg discusses crowdfunding as an investment option and fundraising tool, how crowdfunding cooperates/competes with angel and venture capital funding, and much more.

You can visit 5of5.vc at https://5of5.vc/, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/5of5/

Redg can be contacted via email at redg@5of5.vc, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/redgiesnodgrass/#

_________________________________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ 
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Direct download: Redg_Snodgrass_of_5of5.vc.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

How to Get the Most From Your Startup Ecosystem 

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

For those who want to engage with the startup ecosystem, here are some key points to consider:

Know why you want to engage with the community and what you want to take away from your experience.

The best way to meet people is to join groups and engage with their activities.

Many groups have volunteer and other positions available.

Reach out to group leaders and offer support.

If asked for advice or mentorship, provide it as well.

These roles provide opportunities to learn the space and identify resources that can be helpful later.

It’s important to stay engaged in order to progress with the community.

After you have some experience with the startup ecosystem you may want to set up your own group.

Look at other startup ecosystems for ideas that would apply to your area. 

Look for gaps to fill rather than copying what others are already doing. 

Before launching it, check with the other groups for feedback.


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

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Gary Nacht, Co-founder at Sterling Advisory Services, dba CAFÉ Central.

Sterling Advisory Services, dba CAFÉ Central, advises troubled and underperforming companies, helping them return to cash-flow positive. They also acquire "corporate orphans," distressed and underperforming companies no longer wanted by their owners and looking for a fast, under-the-radar solution to a quick exit with no strings attached. In addition, they help pre-revenue and early-stage SMBs use a CAFÉ ("Continuous Agreement for Future Equity") to raise capital, either stand-alone or in conjunction with other fundraising activities.

Gary has been acquiring and advising companies for over 30 years, specializing in helping companies improve profitability, cash flow, and liquidity. His acquisitions included Kmart Canada ($1.2 billion Canadian big-box retailer), Gemini Industries ($160 million Philips-branded consumer electronics distributor), GPX Inc. ($180 million private label CE company), AmerTac ($60 million distributor of lighting accessories), and Northern Reflections ($100 million, 150-store Canadian womenswear retail chain). In most cases, the companies acquired were either 1) “pre-bankruptcy” corporate orphans no longer wanted by their owners (private equity, corporate parents, etc.) looking for a fast-track, off-the-radar exit with high certainty of closing, or 2) companies in private equity portfolios at the end of the fund’s life that were never sold.

Gary discusses his new investment structure - Continuous Agreement for Future Equity (CAFE) - what inspired him to create it, who the primary user is, and who else can benefit from it.

You can visit Sterling Advisory Services, dba CAFÉ Central, at www.cafecentral.us, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/sterling-advisory-services

Gary can be contacted via email at gary@cafecentral.us and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/garynacht/. _________________________________________________________________________

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

Building Your Startup Ecosystem Resource List

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

In building out your startup ecosystem, start by identifying the resources in your area.

Search for the groups that foster and support startups.

This includes the following:

  • Incubators and accelerators.
  • Coworking spaces catering to early-stage companies.
  • Local media organizations that feature startups.
  • Blog sites that post on startups such as fundraises, hirings, and exits.
  • Networking groups that foster technologies or businesses. 
  • Education programs including the local university as well as coding schools. 
  • Funding sources including venture capitalists and angel groups.
  • Entrepreneurship programs run by foundations, the city or the state.
  • Grant programs available to those in your area.
  • Job sites for posting and finding workers for startups.

Capture this information in one place and promote it to the community.

Encourage contributions from the community to grow the resource site. 


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

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Gerardo Legorreta, CEO at Altum Capital. 

Founded in 2014, Altum Capital is a senior secured private debt fund manager (managing three funds, one private fund in Mexican pesos, another private fund in USD, and an ALTUMCK-19 public fund in Mexican pesos) focused on structuring and managing credit investments while giving investors access to the direct lending sector in Mexico. The company designs and tailors each loan and investment to meet the particular needs of the borrower or counterparty in question.

Gerardo has a law degree with honors from Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM). Finishing his degree in 1989, Gerardo started his career as an associate in Creel, Garcia-Cuellar y Muggenburg S.C. in corporate finance and banking. Later, he worked in the capital markets area in Skardden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom in New York, advising Latin American companies to access the global capital markets. As a lawyer, Gerardo gained relevant experience in credit transactions, capital markets, due diligence process, structured financing, among others.

Gerardo has a master’s in finance from London Business School, terminating his master’s degree in 1995. From that moment he has worked for more than 25 years in the financial sector, working in Oppenheimer & Co. in New York from 1995 to 1997 as an associate in the investment banking area. In 1997, Gerardo joined UBS in the investment banking area. Between 1997 and 2001, he worked in a numerous set of transactions, including the privatization of the main airports in Mexico as well as M&A advisory for Latin American companies. In 2002, Gerardo was designated to lead the Corporate Debt team in UBS, where he advised some of the most important companies in Mexico and Latin America in their debt issuances. Finally, from 2008 to 2013, he was Managing Director in UBS for Latin America, supervising more than USD 18 billion in AuM and a team of 180 employees.

Gerardo discusses his investment thesis and some of the challenges investors and entrepreneurs face. 

You can visit Altum Capital at www.altumcapital.mx, and via LinkedIn at  www.linkedin.com/company/altumcapital/.

Gerardo can be contacted via email at glegorreta@altumcapital.mx, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/gerardo-legorreta

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For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ 
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Direct download: Gerardo_Legorreta_of_Altum_Capital.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

Organizations of a Startup Ecosystem

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

Take inventory of your startup ecosystem for what currently exists and what does not.

Here’s a list of organizations to look for:

  • Universities that provide the founder talent.
  • Angel groups and other investor networks for funding the startups.
  • Venture capital funds providing funding.
  • Incubators and accelerators for coaching the startups.
  • Service organizations to provide legal, accounting, and financial services.
  • Coworking spaces to provide spaces for startups.
  • Government groups providing funding such as grants and loans.
  • Startup and business plan competitions providing funding for startups.
  • Event programs that bring the community together.
  • News and media companies covering the startup community.

In building your startup ecosystem, seek to recruit or build these organizations.


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

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Bill Reichert, General Partner at Pegasus Tech Ventures.

Pegasus Tech Ventures is a global venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley with over $1.5 billion in assets under management. Pegasus offers intellectual and financial capital to emerging technology companies around the world. In addition to offering institutional investors a top-tier venture capital investment approach, Pegasus also offers a unique Venture Capital-as-a-Service (VCaaS) model for large, global corporations that wish to partner with cutting-edge technology startups. Some of the 35+ corporate partners that have partnered with Pegasus include ASUS, Aisin, SEGA, Sojitz, and Omron. These corporations are able to have access to over 200 Pegasus portfolio companies such as SpaceX, 23andMe, SoFi, Bird, Color, Carbon, Vicarious, and many more.

Bill has led Pegasus investments in AI, robotics, quantum computing, neuromorphics, space, life science, and other sectors. He is also the Chief Evangelist for Startup World Cup, a platform that connects and supports startup ecosystems all over the world.

Bill started his investment career as the co-founder and Managing Director of Garage Technology Ventures and has served on the boards of many startups. He also has several years of experience as a serial entrepreneur and operating executive. Prior to Garage, Bill was a co-founder or senior executive in several venture-backed technology companies, including Trademark Software, The Learning Company, and Academic Systems. Earlier in his career, Bill worked at McKinsey & Company, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., and the World Bank.

He has authored many articles and delivered many speeches on entrepreneurship, venture capital, innovation, and other topics. Most recently, he co-authored a book for entrepreneurs called, “Getting to Wow! Silicon Valley Pitch Secrets for Entrepreneurs.” The book premiered as “#1 New Release in Venture Capital” in 2020.

Bill holds a B.A. degree from Harvard College and an M.B.A. from Stanford University. He has been a member of the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley, where he taught Venture Finance. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York and is a former Chairman of the Churchill Club in Silicon Valley. He is a Beachheads Advisor for New Zealand Trade & Enterprise and is also an Advisor to the Women’s Startup Lab, Nordic Innovation House, and the Korea Innovation Center.

Bill advises investors and startups and discusses the state of startup investing. 

You can visit Pegasus Tech Ventures at www.pegasustechventures.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/pegasus-tech-ventures/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/PegasusTech_V

Bill can be contacted via email at bill@pegasusventures.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/billreichert/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/billreichert

________________________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

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

How to Attract Startups to Your Startup Ecosystem 

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

In building your startup ecosystem, recruit startups to move to your area.

Here are some best practices to attract them:

It takes technical and business talent to build and grow startups.

Highlight the talent available in the area, both experienced and those fresh out of university.

Set up programs to foster virtual access to developers and others as work increasingly goes online.

It takes someone building the business as well as someone selling it to create a complete founder team. 

Foster founder and co-founder connections through special events. 

Attract venture capital to the area and foster a local angel network to fund the startups.

Set up coworking spaces to give the startups a place to work and connect with others.

Set up events to celebrate startup successes such as companies raising funding or going public.

Connect your startup ecosystem to the larger startup ecosystems around the country to foster an exchange of ideas.

Create a branding and promote it to the rest of the world about the value of your startup ecosystem.


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/ 
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Direct download: How_to_attract_startups_to_your_startup_ecosystem.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 “Impact Investing in a post-COVID World”, you’ll hear about the primary trends and what makes for a successful company.

As the COVID pandemic passes, we emerge into a new era. The impact space is now undergoing tremendous change as we shift to a post-COVID world. Impact investing in the areas of sustainability and the environment takes precedence in the financial industry. We have investors and startup founders describe the changes coming up.

Our guests are:

Brad Gurrie, CEO, Socialsuite [01:13]
Luni Libes, Founder and Managing Director, Fledge [02:58]
Vishal Arora, Managing Partner, VDOSH [08:35]
Chelsea Burns, Principal, Escaladora Ventures [11:39]
Richard Samuelson, Chief Investment Officer, SWAN Venture Group [13:49]

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/  
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Direct download: IP_Impact_-_Show_2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

Where to Focus Your Startup Ecosystem

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

In building your startup ecosystem, focus on the strengths of the community.

Interview the local economic development group to find out what startups already exist.

Talk with investors to find out their interest in startups to fund.

Review the local businesses in the community to see what skills their employees have.

Based on those interviews, determine the strengths of the community, the types of businesses, skill availability, and past successes.

Focus your startup ecosystem on these strengths.

Successful serial entrepreneurs should be at the foundation of your activities.

Invite those entrepreneurs to share their experiences with others.

Interview them to find out what additional opportunities in their industry are open for innovation.

Foster that strategy with the investors and other companies for growing the ecosystem.

There are many hot topic areas in the startup world.

Those topics change yearly.

Don’t chase the latest hot topic but instead focus on the founders, investors, and successful startups in your area to build your ecosystem.


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

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes SC Moatti, Managing Partner at Mighty Capital.

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Mighty Capital is an early-growth Silicon Valley venture capital firm. They deliver exceptional returns by investing in great products that are also great businesses, like Airbnb, MissionBio, and Amplitude.

SC is the Founding Managing Partner of Mighty Capital, the Founding CEO of Products That Count, the most influential product acceleration platform, and a lecturer at Stanford and Columbia Universities. Prior, SC built products that billions of people use at Facebook and Nokia. Andrew Chen, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, called SC “a genius at making products people love.” SC serves on the boards of public and private companies, earned a master’s in electrical engineering, a Stanford MBA, and is a Kauffman Fellow.

SC shares with Hall what excites her now and discusses the disruption of the Silicon Valley startup ecosystem. She advises investors and startups and explains some of the challenges they face.

You can visit Mighty Capital at www.mighty.capital, and via LinkedIn at  www.linkedin.com/company/mighty-capital.   

SC can be contacted via email at sc@mighty.capital, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/scmoatti, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/scmoatti
_____________________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ 
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Direct download: SC_Moatti_of_Mighty_Capital.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

How to Build Out a Startup Ecosystem

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

In building out your startup ecosystem, consider these points:

Start with five successful serial entrepreneurs.

Identify their sector and type of business.

Interview them on how to multiply those businesses.

Target their sector for growing new businesses.

Figure out what additional resources are needed.

Set up leadership resources to carry the program over a sustained period of time, such as two five-year programs.

Recruit other startups to join through meetups, events, and communications.

Bring in programs and speakers from outside the area to foster the community.

Cater to the non-technical skills as well as the technical ones.

Identify sponsorship support from the local service providers and engage them in the programming.

Showcase the core serial entrepreneurs throughout the program but take care of the administrative and tactical support.

Grow your startup community on those strengths and resources.

Put the entrepreneurs at the foundation of your program.


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

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Zacary Sherman, Director of Strategy and Business Development at cielo24.

Headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, cielo24 has blended the best of human intelligence with AI technology to create caption, transcription, and intelligence data at scale to make video and audio accessible, searchable, and more engaging. They are one of the leading providers of scalable compliance and professional-grade video accessibility solutions (captions, subtitles, transcription, translation, audio description, data tagging, video exploration, and more) for mostly mid-to-large organizations within the education, enterprise, and entertainment verticals.

Zac has been an investment and business strategist for his entire professional career. Prior to cielo24, Zac spent four years on the investments team at Pereg Ventures, a Manhattan and Israel-based venture capital firm investing in early-stage tech startups focused on AI/ML and big data solutions disrupting consumer-driven industries. At Pereg, he led sourcing, research, and due diligence efforts for potential new investments, as well as participated heavily in the active management of the existing portfolio as a board observer on five companies. Zac began his career by spending three years at a special situations hedge fund doing equity and credit research. He graduated from Rutgers University with bachelor’s degrees in Finance and Economics, and is a CFA charterholder. 

Zac advises startups and investors and shares some of the challenges they face. He also discusses the state of startup investing and its evolution.

You can visit cielo24 at www.cielo24.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/cielo24/,  and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/cielo24.  

Zac can be contacted via email at zacary.sherman@cielo24.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/zacary-sherman-cfa-

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For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ 
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ 
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Direct download: Zacary_Sherman_of_Cielo24_inc.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

Steps to Building a Startup Ecosystem 

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

In building the startup ecosystem, the entrepreneurs drive it.

The role of the ecosystem builders is to create connections and networks.

Here are some tools for building connections in your startup ecosystem:

Robust set of meetings, happy hours and coffees, and activities that bring the founders, investors, and providers together.

Meetings foster education and awareness about the topics relevant to startups.

Happy hours and coffees foster networking and making new connections.

Activities such as hackathons attract creatives and developers who want to build new things.

Capture the history behind the startup community.

Tell the stories about entrepreneurs including their successes and failures.

Provide support through the local university and government programs.

This includes coworking spaces, coding schools, Chamber of Commerce programs, and more to support startups.

Finally, keep startups in the community dialog through blog posts, PR announcements, and economic updates.


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/ 
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usic courtesy of Bensound.

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

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Ashmeet Sidana, Founder and Chief Engineer at Engineering Capital.

Founded in 2015, Engineering Capital partners with great entrepreneurs driven by technical insights and boldly invest before traditional venture firms are willing. They lead and anchor the seed round in companies with the ambition to shape the future of information technology and define new categories.

Ashmeet’s experience includes running venture capital funds and leadership positions helping build industry-leading products VMware ESX Server and Silicon Graphics WebFORCE. Ashmeet came to venture capital from VMware, where he ran product management for their flagship product - ESX Server. His successful investments include Azure and SignalFx, recently acquired by Splunk for $1 billion, Tubi.tv (acq: FOX). He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Concentric, Evinced, and ShiftRight. His active investments include Asimily, Baffle, Kentik, Menlo Security, Nexla, Prismo Systems, Robust Intelligence, vFunction, and YotaScale – in all of which he was the seed investor.

Ashmeet received an MBA from Wharton with Honors, MS in Computer Science from Stanford University, and a BS in Computer Science summa cum laude from USC. In his spare time, he can be found planning his second trip to Mt. Everest.

Ashmeet shares with Hall what excites him now as an investor and explains his investment thesis. He discusses the state of startup investing and what he thinks will be the biggest change we will see in the next 12-24 months. 

You can visit Engineering Capital at www.engineeringcapital.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/engineering-capital, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/engineeringcap

Ashmeet can be contacted via email at sidana@engineeringcapital.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/sidana, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/ashmeetsidana

____________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ 
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Direct download: Ashmeet_Sidana_of_Engineering_Capital.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

Components of a Startup Ecosystem

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

A startup ecosystem is a network of startups, investors, and others who come together to foster startup formation and growth.

It is fueled by talent, funding, and customers.

In building your startup community, tap successful serial entrepreneurs to lead.

Use their star power to capture attention and draw investors and startups to your area.

Focus your efforts on the strengths of the local community and build startups in those domains.

Develop clusters of startup activity to create density as it’s the interactions between the startups, investors and providers that count.

Foster collaboration with other startup ecosystems to share resources.

Generate publicity for your ecosystem through events and articles.

Metric your results by capturing the number of startups formed, funded, and exited.

Building a robust startup ecosystem takes a decade, but the results will last many more years.   


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/ 
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Please follow, share, and leave a review.

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

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Joe Tonnos, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Ketch Ventures.

Headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida, Ketch Ventures partners with early-stage entrepreneurs and management teams to add value and grow businesses to the next level. Ketch focuses on emerging consumer-facing businesses that have established a foundation, are differentiated, and/or solve a problem and engage with customers and followers. 

While they will consider all kinds of investments, Ketch Ventures primarily invests in post-revenue seed and pre-series capital raises, with a quality over quantity approach. They focus on ambitious and authentic companies that are already proving out a thesis.

Joe has over ten years of experience investing in and advising companies across a number of different sectors. He previously worked at Mistral Equity Partners, a consumer and retail-focused investment platform including growth equity and middle-market buyouts. While at Mistral, Joe was also a Senior Vice President of three consumer-focused SPACs under the Haymaker Acquisition Corp. banner. He also worked in consumer and retail investment banking at Lazard and Bank of America Merrill Lynch and started his career as a foreign exchange trader at CIBC Capital Markets. In addition to Ketch Ventures, Joe also serves as a Principal and Associate Portfolio Manager at Meteora Capital and a Venture Partner at Natureza Growth Partners.

Joe details his background before investing in early-stage companies, and shares what excites him now in the consumer industry. He explains some of the challenges startups and investors face and discusses his investment thesis.

You can visit Ketch Ventures at www.ketchventures.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/ketch-ventures

Joe can be contacted via email at jt@ketchventures.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/joetonnos/.

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

What Is a Startup Ecosystem?

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

A startup ecosystem is a network of startups, investors, and others who come together to foster startup formation and growth.

The network fosters innovation through shared resources such as capital, talent, and mentorship.

At the core of the network are startups led by founders who launch high-growth businesses.

Accelerators and incubators provide education around the initial launch of the business.  

Investors, including angels, venture capitalists, online crowdfunding sites, and grant providers, provide capital.

Universities provide the talent for launching and supporting startups.

Freelancers provide additional talent in the form of labor. 

Providers offer support for legal, financial, marketing, and other services.

Mentors provide coaching and guidance on how to grow the business.

Events, newsletters, and blogs foster the community through communication.

Local corporations may also participate through sponsorship and other support.

Look for these elements in building your startup ecosystem.


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 

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Direct download: what_is_a_startup_ecosystem.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 “Impact Investing in a post-COVID World”, you’ll hear about growth in the impact investing industry.

As the COVID pandemic passes, we emerge into a new era. The impact space is now undergoing tremendous change as we shift to a post-COVID world. Impact investing in the areas of sustainability and the environment takes precedence in the financial industry. We have investors and startup founders describe the changes coming up.

Our guests are:

Brad Gurrie, CEO, Socialsuite [01:12]
Luni Libes, Founder and Managing Director, Fledge [03:29]
Vishal Arora, Managing Partner, VDOSH [05:24]
Chelsea Burns, Principal, Escaladora Ventures [07:32]
Richard Samuelson, Chief Investment Officer, SWAN Venture Group [09:46]

We hope you enjoy the show.
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For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ 
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ 
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Direct download: IP_Impact_-_Show_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

University Angel Network vs. Traditional Angel Network

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

The university angel network has similarities and differences to a traditional angel network.

They both consist of a group of investors interested in funding startups.

They both want to make a return on their investment.

They both want to socialize with others.

They differ in several ways:

The university angel network puts the give back to the university as their first priority.

Providing a student experience and job placement for the student is primary.

The university angel network has a built-in target audience of anyone associated with the university.

Traditional angel networks come together because they live in the same city.

The university angel network can tap into the university entrepreneurship and finance programs and startups accelerators for support.

Traditional angel networks must look for local programs to partner with.

The university angel network must work within the rules and regulations of the university.

The traditional angel network has no restraints beyond SEC regulations.

It’s important to understand the differences before joining either a university angel group or a traditional one.


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

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Denise Dunlap, Founder and Managing Partner at Sage Growth Capital.

Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Boise, Idaho, Sage Growth Capital makes revenue-based investments in companies that need growth capital. It is their mission to provide a more flexible funding option to growing companies that do not fit traditional equity or lending models.

Denise has a record of successfully building and operating companies as well as coaching startups and entrepreneurs. Two of her former roles include CEO of an IT services company and Director of Boise State University’s business incubator. She has been an active angel investor and leader in the angel investment community since 2008 and travels the country teaching angel investing courses as an Instructor for the Angel Capital Association’s Education program. (Post-COVID update: she now teaches courses via Zoom….)

Denise co-founded Loon Creek Capital Group in 2010 and has grown the company to provide consulting and administrative services to hundreds of angel investors across the country.

Denise discusses her investment thesis and some of her investments that fit that thesis. She also advises startups and investors and shares some of the challenges they face.

You can visit Sage Growth Capital at www.sagegrowthcapital.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/sage-growth-capital/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/sagegrowthcap.  

Denise can be contacted via email at denise@sagegrowthcapital.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/denisedunlap55, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/sassydd55  

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For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

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

Finding the Champion

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

In launching an angel network at a university, it takes a champion to see it to fruition.

In addition to a business school sponsor and five check-writing angels, you’ll need someone who will be the champion for the group.

The champion needs to be well connected with the university, the alumni, and the investor community.

The university angel network lives at the intersection of those three groups.

The champion must have a solid reputation in the community and be recognized for their contributions to the university.

The champion needs to be good at crafting the message and effective at delivering it to faculty, university administrators, alumni, investors, and students.

The champion must show how the university angel network benefits all of the groups and not just one or two.

It takes time to build momentum in launching the group, so anyone signing up for the champion role needs to commit at least three years to getting the group launched.

The alumni have a strong affinity for their alma mater and want to support it.

The university angel network provides an ideal platform for connecting the alumni back to the university.

Before taking on a university angel network, make sure you’ve identified the champion.


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

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Barbara Clarke, Angel Investor, and Founder and President at The Impact Seat.

Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, The Impact Seat invests in ideas that solve the world’s biggest problems – focusing on the most innovative, diverse, early-stage startups. Their approach combines advocacy, philanthropy, and investment to build a new and more equitable economy.

Investor, economist and entrepreneur, Barbara enjoys interacting with professionals who believe in creating diverse teams to drive innovation and business success. Called ‘The Force’, Barbara fuels change in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, stimulates growth in early-stage tech startups, and boosts organizational excellence with her investment expertise and global insights.

Barbara has been investing in emerging technologies, including medical devices, for almost a decade. To date, she has invested in more than 60 companies and 12 funds in North America and Europe. Barbara has been creating opportunities for under-represented entrepreneurs by investing in companies that are either led by women of color, or have women on their funding teams – even before it became fashionable to do so. As a key member of the investment community, she also advises entrepreneurs and innovators on launching companies, accessing capital, and leveraging the international network of investors.

Barbara serves on several boards, including Portfolia, Founders First Capital Partners, and Boost.

Prior to launching The Impact Seat, Barbara spent more than a decade in management consulting firms, including KPMG and PwC, and launched a nationwide nonprofit to support grieving children. She holds a bachelor’s degree in quantitative economics from Tufts University, and a master’s in international economics and finance from Brandeis University. A polyglot, she speaks several languages, including German, French and Italian.

When she is not scoping out promising startups to invest in, Barbara enjoys exploring new cities, supporting local artists, and listening to alternative/indie rock.

Barbara speaks about the state of angel investing and its evolution, her biggest challenge as an angel group leader, and some of the companies she has invested in.  

You can visit The Impact Seat at www.impactseat.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/the-impact-seat, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/impactseat?lang=en.  

Barbara can be contacted via email at barbara@impactseat.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/barbaraeclarke/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/beclarke?lang=en.  

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For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org  

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ 
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ 
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Direct download: Barbara_Clarke_of_The_Impact_Seat.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

Retaining Members

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

In running a university angel network, the attrition rate is often lower than for non-university angel networks.

The university group has a great answer for “Why invest in startups?”.

Many members join to support the university.

The group’s primary purpose is to provide the student an educational experience and help prepare them for their first job after graduation.

An effective tool for retaining members is to have the graduating students send a “Thank You” note to the investors they worked with.

Another tool is bringing the students who have graduated from the program back to the university angel meetings to update the investors on their job placement and career progress.  

Showing the investors the results of their work in this way inspires the angels’ continued service to the investor group and the students.


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

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Erwin Jager, Chairman, and CEO at Barrows Hotel Enterprises.

Headquartered in Dubai, Barrows is a family-owned private company, established in 2008, with a successful track record in property investment, development, and strategic land promotion in the Middle East, Africa, and the USA. 

The hotel company focuses on the development and sale of internationally oriented hotel real estate with locations in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Seychelles, and the USA. In addition to the development and sale of hotel real estate, the company also focuses on management consultancy for hotel operators. 

Barrows' retail business focuses on the development and sale of supermarket real estate in strategically located locations. Related to supermarket real estate came the demand for logistics-oriented real estate. An area that the company has been focusing on since 2020 following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the massive increase in online purchases by consumers and businesses.

With the residential department, Barrows mainly focuses on new vacant locations on which communities are developed. Together with the other business elements, many elements come together here, which increases sustainability. In the Middle East and Seychelles in particular, there is an enormous increase in demand-oriented real estate within residential real estate.

Erwin is married to Dyane with whom he has two children. In his spare time, Erwin likes to travel to foreign countries such as Africa, India, Indonesia, New Sealand, Australia, and French Polynesia. He loves to read books, sail at sea, and swim in the ocean with turtles and dolphins. To stay, fit Erwin runs 12 kilometers every day combined with fitness and kickboxing. In the presence of family and friends, Erwin loves to cook and drink a good glass of quality wine. Fashion and design are as well a great interest of his. He loves Italian suits and Italian and French fashion and likes to do business with a tie.

Erwin discusses how he sees the hotel industry evolving and some of the changes he thinks we will see in the next 1-2 years. He also shares some of the challenges investors and entrepreneurs face.

You can visit Barrows Hotel Enterprises at www.barrowshotels.com/, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/barrowshotelinvestments/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/barrows_hotels

Erwin can be contacted via email at management@barrowshotels.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/barrowshotels/#.

_________________________________________________________

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