On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Dougal Cameron of Golden Section Ventures. Dougal came to investing through his family, which provided him operational insight into an investor perspective. Dougal talks about how he and Isaac Shi founded Golden Section Ventures and came into the B2B Enterprise SaaS space. Dougal provides advice investors in the B2B Enterprise space. He highlights the need for 'healthy skepticism', finding partners that know the end user market, and resisting the urge to chase investments down round. Finally, Dougal advises investors to seek out founders that are very invested, and that have no way out but to make the deal a success.

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Skyler Fernandes of Venture University. Skyler has an extensive background in venture capital and private equity. Venture University, now over a year old, is a multistage venture fund, primarily focused on the seed and series A stage. Venture University sources deals from several areas, including consumer enterprise, Fintech, blockchain healthcare, and 'frontier tech'. Skyler talks about how Venture University fulfills the increasing need for a scalable funding model. In addition, Venture University is also part 'trade school', a competitive training program with a full-time admissions team for people to get into venture capital and private equity.

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Chris Fisher of Click Ventures.  With a background in corporate IT, Chris started his angel investing career in Hong Kong, where he eventually teamed up with Carman Chan of Click Ventures. Chris explains how Click Ventures focuses on primarily series A startups using network effects. He explains how network effects can lower customer acquisition costs and create aggressive growth. Click Ventures is very quantitatively focused, seeking to drive the model forward faster as well as use the data that's being generated to make better decisions.

Chris discusses market trends in network effects, in particular as it relates to consumer privacy. In addition, he provides a small-scale example of the type of startup Click looks for - a high-end photography equipment rental company in NYC. Chris and Hall talk about some of the challenges to consider when funding network effects startups. Chris explains how the sector can be highly competitive from an investment standpoint, which means that it is important for investors to be able to add value above and beyond the funding. Finally, Chis highlights how blockchain can and will impact network-based startups in the future.

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Jay Joshi of MD Angels. Jay, a physician by training, went through undergrad and medical school at the same time in an accelerated medical program. It was there he discovered that he looks at medicine a little differently than the traditional physician. He felt his perspective was different and he thought that would translate into hospital administration. Between medical school and his residency, he learned that he liked to take risks and was a little bit more entrepreneurial and venture-oriented, as opposed to the more risk-averse nature that you'll typically see in health care. This led him to his first startup, a medical device company. Though that, he learned that many investors in the Midwest considered pre-revenue medical device companies too risky. So, he gravitated towards physicians.

Jay found that in the investment community, physicians are often a disparate group of investors that don't always have the cohesion necessary to make the right decisions. And so, along with some of the physician investors who came in on his medical device company Output Medical, he ended up creating what is now the largest physician-based angel investment group in the Midwest, MD Angels.

In this episode, Jay speaks about MD Angels’ focus within the healthcare space. He gives some insight into the key startup criteria that lead to successful funding. In addition, Hall and Jay discuss where the healthcare industry is heading, regulatory considerations, and much more.  

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Steve Shapiro of eHealth Ventures. Before eHealth, Steve spent years in the cell phone industry before transitioning to a career in consulting and angel investing. He partnered with Israeli-based digital health investor Talor Sax in creating eHealth Ventures, a digital health incubator with a focus on Israeli innovation.

Steve explains how he came to focus on the digital health sector, and why and how Israel has been at the forefront of innovation, particularly in the healthcare space.

Steve goes on to give advice for potential investors in the space. To Steve, and new digital health technology must solve a problem. Secondly, in the healthcare sector, you must understand the sectors unique revenue and payment process. Finally, it is critical to grasp the strict regulatory processes.

In addition, Steve discusses how the health care industry is evolving, and what changes we can expect in the future. For example, Steve highlights the shift from traditional in-person healthcare to a telehealth ecosystem. He also discusses how the healthcare industry is leveraging applied analytics. Finally, Steve discusses eHealth's investment thesis, some of the companies they've funded, and why.

In this episode, Chris gives his thoughts on how the industry is evolving. He discusses how we are headed towards e-commerce first or e-commerce only, not as a supplement to physical retail.

You’ll also get his advice to those investing in this space as well as challenges and risks.

In this episode, Hall interviews Lawrence Lerner of Pithia, an investment firm focusing on "blockchain realism". Pithia’s thesis emphasizes foundational businesses that enable blockchain infrastructure.

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Jake Moilanen of Seraph Group.

As we kick off, Jake talks about what he did prior to investing in early stage startups. A self described geek, Jake started out working in computer programming. After getting out of that space, and getting his MBA, he headed to Silicon Valley and began immersing himself in the startup world, which eventually led to investing.

Jake talks about the three advantages you can have as an investor - informational, analytical, and behavioral. He goes on to explain how he sees early stage investing as an opportunity to use all three, and why early stage investing appeals to him.

Jake explains how, to succeed in early stage funding, you really need to have an ‘edge’. As he puts it, “if you're going to start out in the area, [the] thing you need to do is go in an area that you know better than someone else.” In addition, Jake highlights the importance of diversification when it comes to early stage investing.

Jake discusses where he sees the startup investment world headed, particularly as it pertains to overvaluation. Additionally, Jake talks about some of the challenges of measuring long term risk with startups, and how quant algorithms can help. Finally, Jake highlights some of the sectors he feels are especially promising for investment in the near future.

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Jake Moilanen of Seraph Group.

As we kick off, Jake talks about what he did prior to investing in early stage startups. A self described geek, Jake started out working in computer programming. After getting out of that space, and getting his MBA, he headed to Silicon Valley and began immersing himself in the startup world, which eventually led to investing.

Jake talks about the three advantages you can have as an investor - informational, analytical, and behavioral. He goes on to explain how he sees early stage investing as an opportunity to use all three, and why early stage investing appeals to him.

Jake explains how, to succeed in early stage funding, you really need to have an ‘edge’. As he puts it, “if you're going to start out in the area, [the] thing you need to do is go in an area that you know better than someone else.” In addition, Jake highlights the importance of diversification when it comes to early stage investing.

Jake discusses where he sees the startup investment world headed, particularly as it pertains to overvaluation. Additionally, Jake talks about some of the challenges of measuring long term risk with startups, and how quant algorithms can help. Finally, Jake highlights some of the sectors he feels are especially promising for investment in the near future.

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Nicole Quinn of Lightspeed Venture Partners. Nicole focuses on early stage consumer technology companies, having invested in companies such as Zola, Rothy’s, Daily Harvest, Dote, Brandable, Girlboss and Goop.

Nicole spent nearly a decade at Morgan Stanley covering the European and US e-commerce, retail and consumer companies. In 2014, she went to Nutmeg, a London-based technology company, and completed a fund raise of $32m in their Series B. She’s passionate about angel investing in healthcare and consumer companies.

Hall and Nicole discuss the state of media investing. Nicole explains that, although some investors are cooling, there is still something there to be had. However, instead of just looking at media as ad revenue, Nicole highlights some of the other avenues that merit a look. Nicole also highlights which sectors in media she believes are gaining momentum and traction, and where she thinks the early wins will occur. In addition, Nicole provides expert advice for investors joining the media sector.

In this episode, Hall interviews John Pope and James Walker of WellDog, an energy-focused technical services company that provides practical engineering and business solutions in a high volume, cost effective manner with a remarkable customer focus.

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Kalman Saffran of Summa Management.As the episode kicks off, Kal speaks about his background before Summa Management. A self described  businessman/scientist/engineer, Kal started out at the laboratory of the nucleus science at MIT. He then became an entrepreneur founding three companies, one of which is Summa Management. In between MIT and building businesses, Kal was also a corporate staff member at a fortune 100 company, United Brands Company.Kal and his partners jumped into the Ai space after selling off a previous company. After researching state of the art ideas in the field it was determined that a new theory had to be developed and that theory would be dependent upon large amounts of data and large amounts of processing. So they took a so called big data approach to the data and artificial intelligence approach to the process.In this episode, Kal gives his advice for people jumping into the Ai space and what to look for. He says that investors should look for new out of the box approaches to quantitative trading. Those should hold the highest returns.Kal also gives his views on where he sees big data in the Ai space moving and most importantly, where it is evolving. He also gives advice to those looking to invest and much more.

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Mick Connors, CEO and Founder at Anytime Pediatrics and Anytime Telehealth, Inc.

Mick was inspired to get into the medical field and pediatrics after his brother passed away from pediatric cancer before he was born. It's been a lifelong passion. In his career in pediatric emergency medicine he is seeing more and more fragmentation of care, with children going into many different varieties of healthcare opportunities. When he developed the concept of Anytime pediatrics, he wanted to connect patients and families to the right care at the right time.

Mick gives his advice on what investors should look at when going into and investing in healthcare. According to Mick, in general everyone is looking for ways to save costs. He encourages the investors to look at the long track record of the medical home, the primary care practices, because the data is all there. Connecting patients with their primary care provider and not fragmenting care is really the only thing that's ever been shown to lower healthcare costs. His hope is that investors will see that opportunity through solutions. As with Anytime Pediatrics, they're trying to create that hub back to the primary care provider and then be able to connect them with all the important services that they need.

In this episode, Hall and Mick also discuss the growth rate of telemedicine technology and approximately how many companies are involved. They also speak about the challenges and risks that need to be overcome. They also touch on how Anytime Pediatrics puts trust into the system.

In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall is joined by Jon Glesinger and Leslie Ackerman of Comprindeo. Jon started his career in the tech sector in the 80’s, coming out with the first IBM computers. This then led him to his first computer startup involving design of CAD/CAM. Working extensively with unstructured data around people led Jon to build platforms in the HR space, ultimately leading to Comprindeo.

After college, Leslie’s met musicians in London who were having trouble finding affordable studio space. They decided to purchase and rent out studios to musicians in need. At the same time, Leslie was involved with a band that was one of the first to sell albums online. This led to a development of a merchandise platform to sell albums and marketing materials.

In this episode you will learn why they focus on AI and deep learning technology. More than half of the internet data is already in video format of some kind. This presents a challenge - how do you find out the content of podcasts and videos online? Jon and Leslie explain how Comprindeo uses AI to unbundle that hidden data.

Jon and Leslie share what advice they’d give to investors joining the AI space as well as what they should know about AI and deep learning before investing. They’ll also discuss challenges you have to overcome when you're building a deep learning or AI application.

Hall is joined by Donald Stalter of Global Founders Capital. After graduating from the University of Chicago, Donald started out as an investment banker at Credit Suisse in the MNA group in San Francisco. While there, he handled deals like Google/YouTube and Google/DoubleClick which led to the opportunity to do deals in Brazil and in Europe. This peaked his interest on the international side very early on. Donald then joined a growth fund out of London, a spinoff of Jefferies Investment Bank. In this episode, you’ll also learn about Donald's investment focus on consumer businesses and a little about what he is currently working on. Hall and Donald speak about emerging areas in the blockchain sector, his advice to those investing in the blockchain startup world as well as his views on where he sees it going and evolving.

In this episode, Hall interviews Yoon Choi of Forest Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on investments in innovative technologies in the areas of mobility, AI, and data analytics.

Yoon provides some broad advice for early-stage investors, and highlights some of the developments and trends in the mobility industry, including electric vehicles, autonomy, and data processing and analytics. Yoon talks about the state of investing in the space, and her main investment thesis for mobility solutions - practicality and scalability. Hall and Yoon discuss some aspects in urban transit, and how it is representative of the larger themes of mobility and integration.

Finally, Yoon and Hall discuss some of the challenges in investing in mobility technologies, and some of the immediate investment opportunities out there.

In this episode, Hall interviews Michel Wendell of Nexit Ventures, the oldest and most experienced VC fund in Finland, focusing on digital disruption. Michel Wendell has 20 years of broad experience in launching and managing international Infocom companies, with expertise in the changing dynamics of globalizing markets and rapidly developing technologies.

Michel provides some broad advice for investors in early-stage companies. He goes on to discuss some of the trends in the European startup industry, and some of the advantages of investing in European companies. Michel talks about some of the challenges European startups face in moving to the US, and the advantages and challenges of doing a so called 'Delaware flip'.

Finally, Michel and Hall discuss some of the specific sectors that may be most ripe for investment in Europe.

In this episode, Hall interviews Mary Ann Azevedo, business writer for Crunchbase News. Crunchbase is the leading destination for millions of users to discover industry trends, investments, and news about global companies–from startups to the Fortune 1000.

Mary Ann and Hall focus their discussion on the construction tech sector. Historically, the construction industry is one that has been slow to innovate. However, Mary Ann highlights some of the reasons why it has a lot of potential and is ripe for disruption. Mary Ann provides some advice for potential investors in the construction space. A founding team that has first-hand experience in the field is a big advantage.

Mary Ann talks about how rising costs have played a big role in fueling innovation as companies seek to build new efficiencies in the space. While the number of startups in construction is not as many as in other spaces, there is still a large opportunity for funding. Mary Ann explains that, since construction is such a big area, there are opportunities in a variety of component industries - from HR, to project management, to manufacturing.

In this episode, Hall talks with Bill Leake, CEO of Apogee Results, an Austin-based digital marketing agency. Bill and Hall discuss how companies can move their marketing functions from a startup stage to a growth stage company.

Bill briefly talks about his extensive and varied professional background. Bill and Hall then discuss some of the differences between marketing at startup companies and marketing at growth companies, and what their goals are. Bill details why the tech stacks for startups and growth companies shouldn't mirror those of more mature companies. He recommends that startups remain "light and flexible" in their marketing approach. Once they've reached the growth stage, he advises, additional support systems are needed. Bill goes on to provide detailed discussion of the challenges involved in implementing tech stacks.

Bill talks about how seed-stage companies can go about choosing which marketing channel to focus on. In addition, Bill and Hall discuss how to handle the marketing transition from a seed-stage to growth stage company. Finally, Bill provides some advice on marketing budgets for different levels.

In this episode, Hall interviews Brooke Waupsh, co-founder of Swoovy, a new and unique online dating app. Brooke has 15 years of experience in the consumer sector and has developed expertise in research and consumer insight.

Brooke talks about some of the factors that define the online dating industry, including an overview of several of the major players. Brooke goes on to discuss the market trends of consolidation, but also how the vast demand means that new smaller players can still be extremely lucrative. She discusses some of the unique advantages in the sector, as well as the specific pitfalls that happen when you must balance a need for rapid customer growth while still bringing in revenue.

Finally, Brooke explains how Swoovy has approached the online dating space, with a focus on in-person connections. She also touches on Swoovy's distinctive integration with social and community impact-driven non-profit and volunteer work.

In this episode, Hall interviews John Fein of Firebrand Ventures, a Midwest-oriented venture fund focused on seed-stage software startups. John is an experienced entrepreneur and founder, who got into startup investing with Techstars in Kansas City.

In this episode, Hall interviews Nathan Scripps of Common Sense Growth, a for-profit subsidiary of the nonprofit Common Sense Media, which is the largest and leading nonprofit for school-age kids and their families in the country. Nathan honed his investing knowledge through his early experiences with automotive startups. He relates how he came to Common Sense Growth, and how the idea of working in a nonprofit governed environment, focused on improving the lives of kids, appealed to him.

In this episode, Hall interviews Andrii Zamovsky of Ambisafe, a blockchain software company specializing in software for financial markets. Ambisafe builds complex infrastructure on the blockchain, and provides end-to-end token sale infrastructure. As Andrii puts it, their "mission is to democratize financial markets, to ensure the maximum financial inclusion and make sure that everyone can use the same services like changes, investment services, fundraising and so on".

In this episode, Hall interviews Eric Rosenblum of Tsingyuan Ventures, a technology-focused venture fund based in Los Altos, California.

Tsingyuan invests in seed to A-round startups in the United States, and is a successor fund to the TEEC Angel Fund. Eric talks about his start investing in China and how they formed their investment thesis. Specifically, they consider investments that are comparatively valuable in China, that can assemble a team that can function well in China, and that focus on cross-disciplinary technology.

In this episode, Hall interviews William Chu of SparkLabs FinTech, a global accelerator program focused on helping promising early-stage fintech companies develop and scale in various markets across the globe.

After some success in private equity in Hong Kong, William wanted to get more involved in early stage investing. When Korea-based SparkLabs was looking to expand into China and other areas, William put together a partnership with China's Ping An, a world-leading personal financial services provider. Willam elaborates on SparkLabs FinTech, their particular interests in FinTech, Healthcare, and Smart Cities, and how those interest overlap.

In this episode, Hall interviews Terry Koehler, a golf industry entrepreneur. Terry talks about some of the characteristics of the golf space, and what led him to become an entrepreneur. Terry discusses the stability of the multi-billion dollar golf industry, and how it an industry that works well for the right investor that is knowledgeable and passionate about the sport.

Terry explains how the golf industry is like other consumer product areas, but that, as luxury durable goods, golf products require perhaps a greater deal of awareness of your customers.As Terry puts it, this involves "learning about the people that are buying your product and learning how you can leverage them through the funnel of awareness to transaction to advocacy". One of the challenges that Terry has encountered is that many investors will defer to their local golf professional - someone who, while they may have local knowledge, is usually not an industry expert.

In this episode, Hall interviews Mike Krilivsky of RageOn!, an online store specializing in revolutionary, one-of-a-kind custom printing. RageOn! has developed a patent-pending, all-over-print technology that allows creators, brands, and artists to customize their own merchandise, from T-Shirts to socks to swim trunks. Their app allows users to upload images directly onto their merchandise using their handy app. And with the first-ever patent protection technology of its kind, brands and artists never have to worry about intellectual property theft, and can expect money on their account every time their IP is used.

In this episode, Hall interviews Kim Folsom of Founders First Capital. Kim is a serial tech entrepreneur for over 20 years, who has founded, grew, and funded six tech companies, exited three, and raised over 30 million in venture.

Kim talks about her start investing in the under-served service business space. Kim also discusses the attractiveness of the market from a impact investment standpoint, particularly for those looking to diversify their investment. Kim explains that the current number for impact investment is about 280 billion, and that number is growing at a very fast pace. At the same time, investors are recognizing that there's an investment gap in the growing sector of businesses started by under-served, underrepresented founders (women, minority, military veterans, etc.).

In this episode, Hall interviews Jorge Azpe and Samuel Gutierrez of Schok LLC, manufacturer of retail electronics, including tablets and cell phones.

Samuel and Jorge talk about how they got into the mobile device space, and the opportunities they saw there, particularly in the mid-tier of phones. They talk about some of the challenges in the manufacturing space - and what sets them apart in terms of quality of manufacturing and design. They've analyzed their competition and focused on several quality differentiators that will help set their products apart. Samuel and Jorge emphasize the importance of developing the right strategic partners on the manufacturing side. They also discuss some of the marketing, design, and price point choices they made, and why.

In this episode, Hall interviews Michael Zavet of Canada-based Hyperion Exchange, a platform for trading tokenized financial instruments using blockchain technology.

Michael and Hall discuss the current state of the crypto market in general, and the cryptocurrency market for real estate applications. Michael talks about some of the current blockchain application investments going on in the real estate space. Michael and Hall go over some of the regulatory hurdles that companies are now facing, and Hyperion's strategies for unlocking secondary markets.

In this episode, Hall welcomes Travis Farese of Real AI. Before founding Real AI, Travis had a previous career in oil and gas services with an engineering and business degree. Travis and partners then founded a services company, which they successfully sold right before the downturn in 2015. That, in turn, led him into commercial real estate.

Hall is joined by Ben Bennett, COO of Omnitude. Ben’s background has always been in the commercial side of businesses - anything from telesales, field sales, product sales, all the way through to more strategic and development roles in business. He eventually launched his own company, a consultancy, which focused on startups, enabling businesses to understand their value proposition and then then take it to market. It was on that journey that he met Chris Painter, future CEO of Omnitude.

Hall is joined by Douglas Raggio of Bias and Blind Spots. Before joining the VC world, Doug’s background was mostly consumer products and services. After college he worked for publicity firms. He then went from to high end consumer goods (Bentley, Lamborghini, Vespa). This led to sports marketing, (Nike, Motorola and Direct TV). He started a tech company with two friends which gave him his first real exposure to venture capital.

In his episode, Doug offers his advice to those wanting to invest in the CPG space- “ Have realistic expectation. I think that's probably very broad and candid advice. But food and beverage venture capital was created in back when unit costs weren't really a consideration. Scalability is quite infinite.”

Hall is joined by Yash Thukral and Sam Yaffa of TRITON FUNDS LLC. TRITON FUNDS LLC is the largest private student-managed investment fund in the nation. TRITON FUNDS provides students the invaluable opportunity to gain real-world experience investing alongside experienced financial professionals. We invest in high performing teams with revolutionary aspirations to grow their company into industry leaders. TRITON FUNDS creates an ecosystem that assists talented entrepreneurs in successfully launching their ideas and maintaining strong community ethical standards. We provide strategic capitalization, business development support, and engineered exits to organizations we believe have a viable future in the modern economy.

Hall is joined by Jason Cahill of McCune Capital. We kick off this episode learning about Jason's background before he  got into early stage investing and what led him there. Jason is an army veteran. He spent seven years of active duty from 1997 to 2004. Thematically as an investor, Jason looks at inefficient markets, but really inefficiency followed him throughout his career in the military. He felt it was inefficient people getting humans to be more efficient, more effective motivation and workforce management. Jason left the military in 2004 and became a consultant in and around the DC metro area. In 2012 he got his MBA, started a company, sold the company and has been investing ever since.

Hall is joined by Matthew Jordan of Limitless Crypto Investments. Before entering the crypto space, Matthews background was developing healthcare solutions for doctors and patients. He purchased his first Bitcoin in 2013 unsure of the technology and followed the same route as many others. He bought his first bitcoin in 2015. Matthew wasn't really sure about the tech, and looked at in terms of kind of having skin in the game. In the healthcare side, you actually look at personal health records, electronic health records, and you see the platform and how doctors transact data, how it goes back and forth, which hospitals use what and the network effect. And so that's when he came into the platform tokens in terms of these platforms like ethereum how they really caught his eye and he took a deep dive into the technology.Matthew says he started looking at some of the application tokens, looked at some of the application companies and basically started the fund in August 2017 and landed where he is now.

In the second part of a three-part interview, Hall is joined by William Santana Li of Knightscope. Bill is a seasoned entrepreneur, intrapreneur and former corporate executive at Ford Motor Company. He was founder and COO of GreenLeaf, which became the world's 2nd largest automotive recycler (now part of NASDAQ: LKQ) and has a BSEE from Carnegie Mellon University and MBA from University of Detroit Mercy.

In this episode, Hall and Bill speak more about the state of robotics. They speak about what stage we are at in the robot revolution, and what Bill predicts will happen in the next 12-24 months in the sector. You’ll also learn more about the challenges faced in the robotics field.

In the first episode in a three-part series, Hall is joined by William Santana Li of Knightscope. We kick off the episode learning about Bill’s past before joining Knightscope. Bill is a seasoned entrepreneur, intrapreneur and former corporate executive at Ford Motor Company. He was founder and COO of GreenLeaf, which became the world's 2nd largest automotive recycler (now part of NASDAQ: LKQ) and has a BSEE from Carnegie Mellon University and MBA from University of Detroit Mercy.

In this episode, Bill and Hall speak about the state of autonomous technology. Are we going to be all being chauffeured in self-driving cars in the next couple of years? They speak about how much money is being invested in autonomous self-driving technology, how many companies are working on the same, major challenges and barriers, and what Knightscope has done in this field.

In this episode, we are joined by Aaron Michaels of 1984 Ventures. Hall and Aaron kick of this episode learning about Aarons background before investing in early stage companies. Aaron has seen both sides of investing both from the startup angle as well as a CEO, he shares advice he’d give to someone investing in startups. As the interview progresses you’ll learn about the investment thesis at 1984 Ventures- They invest in back office, healthcare, fintech and other companies disrupting mature, stable and antiquated industries. Aaron also speaks about challenges, risks and immediate opportunities to pursue in his chosen sector.

Hall is joined by Christian Kameir of Sustany Capital. Hall and Christian kick off this episode diving into Christians background before investing in early stage companies. Starting in the 80’s with computer programming, Christian is a technologist at heart. He then got a law degree and did regulatory work for the general federal communication commision. After recently hosting the Emerge ICO Summit, one of the key takeaways is that everything that can be digitized on the blockchain, will be digitized. Hall and Christian discuss his outlook on digitized assets.

In this episode, Hall interviews David Mes of Off the Grid Ventures. OTG focuses on early-stage investment in 'off the grid' entrepreneurs – women and foreign founders - specializing in B-to-B technology companies.

In this episode, Hall interviews Paul McNeal of cryptomarket360, a one-stop shop for cryptocurrency information.

Paul talks about his varied background before coming to the crypto space. He and Hall talk about the state of investing in blockchain, and how the industry is evolving, and future regulatory influences. Paul discusses how the industry is moving on from ICOs to security token offerings for accredited investors.

In this episode, Hall interviews Andrey Voronkov of Voronkov Ventures. Voronkov Ventures is an investment and consulting company working in the field of blockchain and cryptocurrencies, and provides services on ICO analytics, investment and consulting. Leaning on the its own ranking system, the company gives detailed analysis of ICOs to investors. Voronkov Ventures has developed several projects based on a principle of decentralization and using blockchain technology.

In this episode, Hall interviews Tim Enneking, Director of Digital Capital Management. DCM focuses on managing investment portfolios of digital currencies and related assets through fund structures designed for investment by US and Non-US high net worth individuals and institutional investors, including strategic investments in promising early-stage blockchain projects.

In this episode, Hall interviews Brett King of Moven. Brett and Hall discuss some of the fintech challenges that startups can pursue, including the growth of mobile payments, and how the bank branch model is being disrupted by startups that can provide a different experience. Brett talks about how startups are reforming the core of financial services, and how they can access the "sandbox" for testing out new services and applications.

In this episode, Hall interviews Eric Bahn of Hustle Fund. Before his start in early stage investing, Brett worked in technology in Silicon Valley, as a founder, and as a product manager at Facebook and Instagram. Brett talks about his start as an investor, and his advice for new investors with a small amount of liquidity, using resources such as AngelList, or working as an unpaid advisor in exchange for a small amount of equity.

Hall is joined by Allan May of Life Science Angels. Hall and Allan kick off this episode talking about Allens journey into angel investing that he began in 1997. They speak about Life Science Angels approach to investing in both the wet and dry science. Biology, genomics,

tools and instruments on the wet side and devices, diagnostic and catheters on the dry side as well as digital health. They speak about startups trying to raise funds in these areas and who would be a candidate and who is not. Allan gives examples of a milestone that would get him interested and excited in a deal. In this episode, you’ll also learn more about the digital health side of investing and how they decide a deal is right. Hall and Allan also discuss his general investment thesis and how is it going to make money.

Hall is joined by Sarah E Brown, author of Power to the Startup People. Sarah is the Director of Content Marketing at BuildingConnected, the leading cloud-based pre construction bidding platform that enables owners, general contractors and subcontractors to communicate easily and efficiently throughout the bidding process. She is also a mentor at Techstars, a world-renowned startup accelerator with more than 1,000 portfolio companies with combined market cap of $16 Billion. Sarah speaks about her journey and how she got to where she is today. Sarah grew up wanting to be a journalist and has a liberal arts background. Sarah realized what she loved most about being a journalist was really telling stories. You can tell stories and make a huge impact in the startup world.

Sarah is the author of Power to the Startup People and talks about how she was inspired to write this book. In her book, you learn practical advice on topics including how to ask for a promotion and raise, level up in your career, find a company aligned with your values, navigate startup failure (and success!), and more.

Hall is joined by Michael Berolzheimer of Bee Partners. Bee Partners was founded in 2008 by Michael, a Haas MBA with undergraduate degrees in business and computer science. A youthful angel investment in Bear Naked Granola led the way to venture. Michael speaks about how he got into early stage investing. He started in New York, with both investment banking and private equity. He made his first angel investment in 2004 and has not looked back. He now invests across fifty four separate companies. Michael also speaks about how his company came to be called Bee Partners as well as what they look for in a startup when investing. Hall and Michael also speak about what exactly Bee Partners wants the company to accomplish before going to Bee Partners. In this episode, you’ll also learn Michaels unique investment thesis. He believes pre seed is an outstanding place to generate excess return. Michael also shares what companies he has dealt with that fit his thesis.

Hall is joined by Michael Smerklo, co founder and managing director of Next Coast Ventures. Hall and Michael kickoff this episode learning about Michaels background before investing in early stage companies. Michaels background includes being a CPA and investment banker before attending business school. Once he completed school, Michael move to SIlicon Valley where he first worked with Morgan Stanley followed by Loudcloud for two years. Michael then decided to buy a company. He worked as CEO for 13 years before retiring. At that point he decided that he really wanted to give back to the entrepreneurial community since he enjoyed working with early stage companies and became a VC as the next logical step in his career. Michael also shares his advice to new investors in the startup world as well as how he sees the industry evolving. In this episode, you’ll learn Michaels own personal investment thesis and he came to it. Hall and Michael touch on challenges, risks and opportunities to pursue in this sector.  

In this episode, Hall interviews Brent Martin, who manages Revenue Growth opportunities at In Focus Brands, a brand agency, business management consultancy, and capital funding firm focused on executing strategies that launch and accelerate client's needs and goals.

In this episode, Hall interviews Brenda Irwin of Relentless Pursuit Partners. Brenda talks about her start in healthcare venture funding in Canada in drug development, diagnostics, and biotech companies. Brenda now runs Relentless Pursuit Partners, which focuses on health, sport fitness, and nutrition. Relentless focuses on marrying the network of professional athletics with healthcare venture experience, with a consumer product focus.

Hall is joined by Michael Noel of Blockchain Weekly. In this episode, you learn about Michael's background before entering the blockchain space. Michael also shares his views on the state of Investing in blockchain and how the industry is currently evolving. Michael also shares his thoughts on the direction the industry is taking and how the  landscape for investing has changed in the blockchain sector. Michael gives his personal investment thesis and what companies may match the profile. Michael and Hall also discuss the current challenges and risks in blockchain sector and what Micheal views as immediate opportunities to pursue.

In this episode Hall is joined by Eric Desai of Greenhouse Capital Partners. We start out this episode learning how Eric got into early stage investing. Eric joined Greenhouse Capital Partners over four years ago when he found there was a gap in the type of investing they do, food, agriculture and environmental technologies. Hall and Eric speak about what Greenhouse Capital focuses on in detail. Greenhouse Capital Partners invests in small established, early growth business models that promote health, wellness, and sustainable living to create a positive impact on people, communities, and the environment. Eric speaks a little about about what startup funds fit the focus and what Greenhouse looks for. In this episode, you’ll also learn how the food agriculture and environmental technology industry is evolving and how the landscape of investing is changing and growing. Eric gives his own personal investment thesis for this particular sector and how he approaches it.  

In this episode Hall is joined by Duke Rohlen of Ajax Health. The interview starts off with Duke speaking about how he got into early stage investing for over the last fifteen years. He got into this space between his love for innovation, technology as well as healthcare. Hall and Duke speak about the current trends in the medical device space and where he sees it moving both strategically and with innovation. You’ll also get Duke’s advice on how and what new investors in the medical technology space should look for when investing. Hall and Duke also speak about how to fill the gap in medical technology development.

In this episode Hall is joined by Wayne Wu of VMG Partners. We kick off this episode learning about Waynes background before VMG Partners. Wayne offers his advice on entering the CPG space as an angel or VC who has not been previously. He speaks about investors being able to separate their personal viewpoints and being more of an objective investor. Hall and Wayne speak about VMG Partners and how the company invests and what they tend to focus on. VMG works intimately with founders and leaders of branded consumer product companies, providing the resources and guidance needed to propel them to their next level of growth and value. In this episode, you’ll learn more about the changing CPG space from direct to consumer purchase versus online. Wayne gives his own unique viewpoint on his investment thesis, challenges and risks as well as opportunities to pursue.  

About VMG Partners- VMG works intimately with founders and leaders of branded consumer product companies, providing the resources and guidance needed to propel them to their next level of growth and value.

Beyond capital, our value-added investment philosophy commits our deep experience, strategic guidance and passionate focus to help our partners accelerate growth, brand awareness and achieve their own definition of success.

VMG has worked closely and successfully with brands such as Ancient Nutrition, Babyganics, Bare Snacks, Daily Harvest, Drunk Elephant, Health Warrior, Humm, Justin's, KIND Healthy Snacks, Lantana Foods, Mighty Leaf Tea, Natural Balance Pet Foods, Nature's Bakery, Perfect Bar, Pirate's Booty, Pretzel Crisps, Quest, Smashmallow, Spindrift, Vega, Vermont Smoke & Cure, and Waggin' Train Pet Treats.

In this episode Hall is joined by Anish Sheth. Anish started his career as finance lawyer before jumping into the CPG space. He decided to follow his passion and started a healthy snack  food company called World Peas based out of Austin. He gives his views on what he would tell a prospective investor before investing in a CPG company. The CPG space is constantly evolving and Anish shares his views on both sales and marketing and its evolution. In this episode Hall and Anish all talk about what big companies do to lose their credibility with consumers. Anish talks about his investment thesis and what he looks for before investing in a potential company.

In this episode, Hall T. Martin is joined by both Michael Gord and Rasheed El-Hindi of MLG Blockchain. MLG Blockchain is a global consulting and development firm that builds solutions using blockchains and smart contract technology. We are headquartered in Toronto and New York City with a decentralized team that provides end-to-end solutions for startups, enterprise and government clients. MLG is a blockchain agnostic firm with expertise that covers all aspects of the ecosystem. Our years of industry experience and international network will accelerate your understanding and implementation of blockchain technology to stay competitive. In this episode, you’ll learn about Michaels and Rasheeds backgrounds before entering the crypto sector and what advice they have for those investing in Crypto startups. They discuss the state of investing in blockchain, how the industry is evolving. Michael and Rasheed also offer their insight on the landscape for investing and how  it has changed in the Blockchain sector.

More from this episode:

Both Rasheed and Michaels  investment thesis for this sector

How they came to that thesis?

Challenges and Risks

What are the challenges in the blockchain space

They talk  about the risks they see in this space

And the immediate opportunities to pursue

Hall T. Martin is joined by Lisette Tellez of Ocean Azul Partners. In this episode, Lisette speaks about the Dorm Room Fund, a student run venture fund that invested in student startups. The Dorm Room Fund invested in twelve student run startups per year. Lisette currently works with Ocean Azu Partners and she speaks about criteria, they look at team, product, market and investment fit. You’ll also learn Lisette’s thoughts on agriculture as a sector and innovation. She also shares her views on what other sectors she sees coming up that she finds interesting.

About Ocean Azul Partners- Ocean Azul Partners is a venture capital firm in Miami, Florida. Our fund was inspired by success. We invest in startups and early stage companies across various industries including, but not limited to, emerging technologies and professional services. We invest seed and growth capital with a focus on founder-owned companies that enjoy transparency and collaborate effectively. We value leadership, commitment and inspired teams. We add value through our operating experience, strategic insights and relationships.

Hall T. Martin is joined by Matthew Sullivan of QuantmRE. The interview begins with Matthew speaking about his background before engaging in the blockchain sector. Matthew has been involved in technology and finance since the late 90’s when the internet began its mass adoption. Matthew speaks about what led him to pursue the blockchain sector. Matthew believes that you only get a handful of opportunities that are as impactful as the blockchain. You’ll learn Matthew’s advice to anyone who wants to invest in the blockchain space as it is still in early development and how he believes the industry evolving.

Hall T. Martin is joined by Daniel Cawrey of Pactum Capital. In this episode, you’ll learn how Daniel got into investing and how he landed in the crypto sector. Daniel has been into cryptocurrency since 2013 and was previously a writer at CoinDesk. Daniel gives his advice on what investors should look for in the crypto and blockchain space as well as what they might expect. In this episode, you'll also learn Daniels thoughts on how the blockchain industry is changing and evolving and where he sees it moving. Hall and Daniel also talk about the state of investing in blockchain, Daniel’s investment thesis and how he got there and immediate opportunities to pursue.

A little about Pactum Capital- Pactum Capital is a financial services firm focused on cryptocurrencies. The company offers various services:

• Over-the-counter trading to help large stakeholders buy, sell or convert cryptocurrency.
• Risk management utilizing over-the-counter cryptocurrency forward derivatives.
• Pactum Fund, LP., an arbitrage fund focused on opportunities in the ethereum and bitcoin markets.

About Daniel- Daniel earned his BS in Information Science from Central Michigan University. His background is information science, including work in power systems for Consumers Energy, a public utility providing natural gas and electricity to 6.6 million of Michigan's 10 million residents. Daniel first became involved with blockchain technology in 2013 as Contributing Editor for CoinDesk, the largest information resource for the blockchain and digital currency industry. He also co-wrote the Velocity whitepaper, a decentralized derivatives concept that was prototyped on the Ethereum protocol.  

In this episode, Hall T. Martin is joined by James Sowers an Angel Investor, and Co-Host of Exploring the Block. Before James got into early stage investing, he was always interested in buying and selling, even as a child he was self proclaimed hustler. James jumped into investing after he purchased his first Bitcoin in 2013 and then moved into crowd funding. James gives his advice to people who want to jump into the ICO space and what they should keep their eye on. The crypto, blockchain and ICO world is rapidly growing and evolving and James give us his views on its evolution and where he sees it moving. In this episode, you’ll also get James’s take on the challenges in this space,

the risks he sees and immediate opportunities to pursue.

About James- James is An experienced angel Investor, featured speaker @ MIT Media labs and blockchain strategy advisor. Mentor @ alchemist Accelerator Director @ Greater  Good Society . He is a mentor for CS359B at Stanford University Designing Decentralized Applications on Blockchain. James believes in joining the best founders in projects that are creating the future as we know it .

He as been quoted saying:

"The key to redefining a category is to see possibly where others don't".

"Talent is hitting a target no one else can hit

“Genius is hitting a target no one else can see"

In this episode, Hall T. Martin is joined by Nikolai Oreshkin of Elysium Venture Capital . After Nikolai sold his first company, one of the first private internet providers in Belarus, he moved to Silicon Valley and began to primarily focus on venture capital investment in blockchain. Nikolai shares his advice on investing in blockchain startups and what to look for. He also gives his views on how the industry is evolving and his view on what is trending. You’ll also learn his investment thesis in the blockchain sector as well as challenges and risks along the way.

About Elysium Venture Capital - Elysium Venture Capital is a premier investment management group focused on helping high growth technology companies access the global market. With strong ties in Silicon Valley, Europe, and China, the group runs venture funds, fund-of-funds, and special purpose investment vehicles across the world. Members of the group are world famous tech entrepreneurs, founders of publicly traded companies, and professional investors. With hands-on experience, Elysium VC  invests in the most promising innovative companies and bridges the gap in emerging tech across North America, Europe, and Asia.

About Nikolai- Nikolai is an investment professional and experienced entrepreneur with a proven track record in bringing early-stage technology from idea to disruptive growth. For more than 5 years of investment experience across the US, Europe, and China, Nikolai was involved in over 30 transactions, including cross-border and M&A, valued at more than $1,5 billion USD. Previously, Nikolai founded an ISP and was one of the first entrepreneurs who offered internet access to people of Belarus and promoted the use of social networks. Crypto-holder since early 2011.

In this episode, Hall T. Martin is joined by Wendy Nunnelley an Angel Investor. We kick off the interview learning about Wendy's background and how she got into investing in early stage startups. Wendy offers her own personal take and advice to people who are just starting to invest in the CPG space. Wendy and Hall speak about how the consumer product good space is always changing and evolving, where she sees it going and how the landscape has changed in investing in the CPG sector. You’ll also learn about Wendy's investment thesis and types of companies that fit into it. Wendy give her thoughts on challenges, risk and what she thinks are immediate opportunities to pursue.  

About Wendy- Growth leader and investor, skilled in strategy, planning, ops, business development, and revenue management, including pricing/promotion. Delivers on strategic, operational, and financial priorities in the short and long term. Builds a culture that drives change and growth, with a track record of developing the next generation of leaders. Investment experience in deal sourcing/screening, leading deal teams, due diligence, portfolio advisory and support. On-the-ground experience in US, Asia, Europe, and Central America.

Hall T. Martin is joined by Abe Minkara of Mark Cuban Companies. In this episode Abe speaks about his current role as Managing Director at Mark Cuban Companies and what they do. He is part of a group that manages Marks early stage investments. Most of the early stage deals come through Shark Tank, and Abe speaks on the process that Shark Tank uses for finding startups for the program and what is looked at when coming through for an investment. They speak about companies that stood out for being being prepared and what that entails. Abe also details what happens from being on the show to actually investing and what the due diligence is. In this episode you’ll also learn about challenges and risks in investing in the consumer product goods space and immediate opportunities to pursue.  

A little about Mark Cuban Companies- Mark Cuban Companies is a venture capital firm specializing in angel investing. Mark Cuban Companies is based in Dallas, Texas.

About Abe- Abe Minkara Director of Business Development at Mark Cuban Companies Abe oversees the portfolio of Shark Tank, Tech, and CPG companies at Mark Cuban Companies. Abe also manages a team that supports these companies with accounting, business operations, ecommerce, sales, and marketing services. He received his MBA from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.

Hall T. Martin is joined by Pedro Anderson of Winding Tree. In this episode, you’ll learn about Pedros background and what he did before Winding Tree, a decentralized distribution platform for the travel industry. Pedro speaks about his first hand experience raising funding and launching an ICO, the groundwork for building the application as well as getting ready for the token raise. Pedro speaks in depth about the process they went through from the start and they challenges, what worked and what didn't. Hall and Pedro also speak about challenges and risks in the crypto space and immediate opportunities to pursue.     

A little about Winding Tree- Winding Tree is a non-profit foundation that drives the development of open-source protocols to allow any company, big or small, or even an individual developer, to try them out and integrate with the platform in no time.

About Pedro- Pedro Anderson, Founder and COO of Winding Tree – Pedro is a social entrepreneur, fundraiser and proponent for decentralized systems. Prior to Winding Tree Pedro sold millions of dollars of SaaS products and raised funding for numerous non-profit projects including his foundation to help disadvantaged youth start careers in hospitality. Winding Tree is a non-profit foundation that drives the development of open-source protocols for the travel industry, to allow any company, big or

In this episode, Hall T. Martin is joined by Glenn Argenbright of Quake Capital. As we kick off the interview, you learn Glenn’s background and how he got into early stage investing as well as what led him to Quake Capital. Glen has been on both sides of the table as a startup and investor, and he gives his insight on what should be looked for in early stage companies. Hall and Glenn also speak about the quickly evolving VC world and where it's headed. In this episode, you’ also learn about Quake Capitals investment thesis and specific criteria they look out for. Other key elements discussed are challenges faced by startups to achieve their goals and the main risks that stand out during deal flow for a successful exit.

A little about Quake Capital- Quake Capital is a seed and early stage venture capital fund and accelerator program. Their investments are about more than just money-- through their accelerator program, teams receive world-class coaching, personalized mentorship targeted at each company's specific needs, and access to our extensive network of investors and strategic partners.

About Glenn-  Glen is a founding partner at Quake Capital. Glenn has over 20 years’ experience operating and running a variety of private, pre-IPO, and public technology companies. He has founded over a dozen startup ventures, resulting in three public offerings, 9 exits, and billions in shareholder returns. His background includes expertise and projects in software, firmware, middleware, hardware, enterprise, SAAS, consumer goods, and Web and mobile applications.

In this episode, Hall T. Martin is joined by Brian Axelrad of Beyond Capital. Brian is the Chief Investment Officer of Beyond Capital, he oversees the investment decision-making process, guides the investment due diligence process and coordinates overall investment, portfolio and fund strategy with Beyond Capital's CEO.

A little about Beyond Capital: Beyond Capital Fund is a social impact fund that invests in for-profit social enterprises throughout India and East Africa. We invest in businesses that are focused on greater access to health care, water, sanitation and energy, as well as food security and financial inclusion, which can increase the quality of life and standard of living for consumers at the bottom of the pyramid. Though we seek market rate financial returns, Beyond Capital is structured as a nonprofit, which permits us to emphasize fidelity to our social mission alongside our financial mandate. Investments in India include Frontier Markets, Karma Healthcare, ERC Eye Care (exited) and Bodhi Health. Investments in East Africa include Sanergy (Kenya), East Africa Fruits (Tanzania), Kasha (Rwanda), Numida (Uganda) and Tulaa (Kenya).

Hall kicks off this episode learning about how Brian got into early stage investing and what Beyond Capital’s focus is. In this episode, you’ll learn about impact investing, how the landscape is changing, the evolution and its impact on Beyond Capital, where it's going and what the risks are. Brian talks about how and why he got into impact investing, and offers advice to those who are interested in this type of investing.

Hall and Brian also speak about Beyond Capitals investment in East Africa and India, Brian's role and travels, challenges to long term success in the region.

In this episode, Hall T. Martin conducts an interview with Jonathan Heiliger of Vertex Ventures. They kick off the interview learning how Jonathan got into early stage investing as well as what his fund focuses on. In this episode, Jonathan also shares his views on:

• The continued landscape change in enterprise software
• Outsourcing to the cloud and how it continues to progress
• Data governance and data privacy is coming to the forefront as witnessed by the launch of GDPR
• Industry 4.0--digitization across the heavy industries
• $90B of direct spend on industrial IoT will be spent
• Blockchain and 3D printers and other technologies will eliminate spare parts and provide them upon demand.

A little about Vertex Venture: They seek founders who want to tackle fundamental challenges. People who identify with a problem or concern that’s kept them up late at night — broken tools, broken lines of communication, broken processes, broken boundaries of trust.

Sometimes this will require new skills; sometimes it will require different processes. Sometimes, it will require a completely new organization.

Whichever of these is necessary is ultimately beside the point, because there is just one result when the solution is in place and the naysayers have bought in to the vision: Things will simply be better.

Hall is joined by Miles Lasater of Purpose Built Ventures. Purpose Built Ventures works with driven founders to help build pre/seed companies by providing capital, advice and connections. Miles is a successful serial entrepreneur and investor. He founded Higher One and helped scale it to over $200mil in revenue and public offering. As founder of SeeClickFix and OneUni, he has experience with mission-driven startups. At Yale, he started the Y50k business plan competition, instigated the accelerator for student ventures and served on the selection committee. He also co-created and taught the popular Yale business school course on managing software development. He has invested in and advised dozens of companies at the earliest stages.

In this episode, we learn what Purpose Built Ventures is all about as well as their mission as a company. Miles shares what specific criteria his company looks for and his investment thesis is.

They invest at the earliest stages in companies working to increase human wellbeing expand economic opportunity and improve the public sphere.

In this episode, Hall is joined by Fraser Hall of VFF. Fraser is a lifelong entrepreneur, activist, and technology leader who brings order and calm to fiery situations. He has a wealth of experience founding and operating both bootstrapped and venture-backed businesses – most notably: Article.com and Recon Instruments. Fraser is also a longstanding animal activist who has served as Captain for Sea Shepherd on many campaigns worldwide.

In this episode, you’ll learn how Fraser got into investing and what his focus is as well as what he looks for in a startup. Fraser talks about how he runs a micro vc fund and what they look for specifically. VFF sees about 600 deals a year and actually work with only four or five. Fraser gives insight to his advantage over a vc that has never been an operator. As a founder-led team, you are better equipped to be a recruiter and therapist for CEOs.

In this episode, Hall is joined by Alexander Varvarenko of ShipNEXT. ShipNEXT is a digital, automated, shipping Marketplace and a Blockchain based eco-system. It not only allows an instant matching of Cargo with Ship/Transport mode, but allows for freight-auctioning, Contract management (including Smart-contracts), freight exchange, and eventually tracking.
ShipNEXT now welcomes other blockchain systems to join ShipNEXT in building an ecosystem that would include trucking companies, warehouse logistics provides, ports, suppliers of fuel and spare-parts, and regulatory bodies to create a global blockchain aiming at an automated, transparent, cost-efficient delivery of cargo (goods, dry- and wet-bulk commodities) worldwide.

In this episode, you’ll learn about Alexander’s background and he got to where he is today. Alex shares his thoughts on the state of investing in blockchain as well as his thesis on investing in this sector. Alexander speaks about blockchain and how it will definitely happen because the industrial players are looking for growth path.

In this episode, Hall is joined by Mark Mullen of  Bonfire Ventures.

A little about Mark: Mark Mullen is co-founder and Managing Director of Bonfire Ventures. Mark has been investing in private VC-backed businesses for 17 years. Previously Mark founded and served as Managing Partner of predecessor firms Double M Partners and Mull Capital.  All of the funds focused on investing in internet, media and technology with primary emphasis on business to business software solutions. Prior to Double M Partners, Mark served as COO of the City of Los Angeles (Office of Economic Policy) and Senior Advisor to the then-Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, where he oversaw several of the City’s assets including the LA International Airport (LAX), LA Convention Center, the Planning and Building & Safety Departments, as well as the Office of Small Business Services. From 1993-2007, Mark ran the international M&A and private equity group for Daniels & Associates, a boutique investment bank focused on the cable and broadband industry. Mark was a senior partner of Daniels when it was acquired by RBC Capital Markets in 2007 where he stayed until 2010 as Managing Director. Mark serves on the board of Fama, Trinity Mobile Networks, and Altice USA Inc (ATUS.N).  Mr. Mullen earned his BSBA with cum laude honors from the University of Denver in 1986 and earned his MBA in international business from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in 1992. Mark has lived and worked in San Francisco, Paris, London, Denver and New York City and currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.

A little about Justin and Netki: Justin is an early Internet pioneer and technology startup veteran. His last four companies: AboveNet, NetZero/United Online, Demand Media and Blackline Systems have all exited with $1 Billion + IPOs. He was responsible for architecting each company’s platform for global scale and preparing their data systems for Sarbox compliance. He founded The Internet Service Provider’s Consortium (the first trade association for ISPs) and was their Public Policy Director. Justin is currently the founder and CEO of Netki. Netki’s products allow companies to make blockchain applications easy to use and able to meet regulatory/compliance requirements. Justin currently serves on the Industry/Law Enforcement Portal Working Group of the Blockchain Alliance and the State Legislative Working Group of the Chamber of Digital Commerce. He is also on the Board of Directors of Adra Match Software.

In this episode, Hall is joined by Andrew Gaiziunas of Turbadium. Andrew is a first-generation American technologist, aviator, and high-tech visionary, who has spent the last two decades creating new billion-dollar business units at Fortune 100 companies including IBM and Hewlett Packard. He is currently one of the Co-Founders and Chief Technology Officer at Turbadium. Turbadium is a platform for the tokenization of traditionally illiquid assets such as residential or commercial real estate properties.  It connects property owners directly with investors of all sizes and facilitates instant trading of real estate assets through the use of the Turbadium asset-backed cryptocurrency.

In this episode, Hall is joined by Robert Crea of KL Gates. Robert is a financial and legal professional specializing in private equity fund formation, startup/emerging companies, corporate governance, investment adviser compliance and cryptocurrencies. As the interview kicks off Hall and Robert speak about his background and what led him to where he is today. In this episode you learn more about the state of investing in blockchain and how the industry is constantly evolving. Robert gives his views on where he sees the market going, options for issuing securities tokens, US securities laws and best practices for ICOs. You’ll also learn how he screens for quality clients, the best way to set up an ICO today, challenges, risks and other considerations. Robert also discusses what he anticipates will happen in the months and years to come in the crypto space. Robert is joining TEN Capital group as a guest speaker at the Emerge ICO Summit this October in Austin, Tx. 

In this episode, Hall is joined by Jonathan Crowder of Intelis Capital. Jonathan is a founding partner of Intelis Capital and a member of its investment committee. Jonathan serves in all aspects of the firm’s operations, with particular focus on developing investment theses, creation of internal processes and systems, sourcing potential investments, providing operational and strategic support to portfolio companies. Jonathan speaks about his start and growing up in a family full of entrepreneurs after his dad took a shot at opening a software company which led him to take a different route in business rather than a traditional corporate job. He talks about his path after attending SMU in Dallas to his current day at  Intelis Capital. In this interview you’ll also learn his thoughts on

• Thesis driven investors
• Healthcare, education, and real estate and how they are at historical lows in productivity growth and ripe for expansion.
• The differentiating factor of success in startups is a deep understanding of the customer problem and not cutting edge technology.
• How Intelis invests in underserved ecosystems.
• His focus on geographies including Dallas, Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Nashville, Research Triangle, Atlanta, and potentially others.
• His focus on tech-enabled companies.
• His thoughts on internal value principle- every time they meet with an entrepreneur they should get some value from it.

In this episode, Hall welcomes Jeff Stewart of Urgent VC. Jeff is an inventor, entrepreneur and investor, focusing on technology enabled business. He’s also a blockchain enthusiast. Urgent VCs mission is to accelerate the growth of technology companies through capital investment, global expansion and opportunistic venture co-creation. Urgent is a unique hybrid between an operating company and an investment company. They invest in growth stage equities via the Global Public Offering Fund. Hall and Jeff speak about how Jeff got into early stage investing and a little about the Urgent fund and its focus. Hall asks Jeff the advantage of going public in the Asia-Pacific markets and you learn more about what Jeff looks for in startups, and the GPO fund (Global Public Offering). Hall and Jeff also dive into what they do for Series B/C investments to get companies ready for public engagement.  

In this episode, Hall welcomes Breanna Faye of Rloop Incorporated. Breanna is a trained architect, designer and Experience Design Lead at rLoop, a SpaceX award-winning, globally-distributed organization currently developing the Hyperloop. With a background in MIT’s Media Lab and Department of Advanced Urbanism, her research emphasizes the link and impact between cities, people, and transportation technologies. Her experience has led her to tackle projects from urban scale to product scale, including the hyperloop, autonomous vehicle concepts, and gps-enabled bike helmets. With rLoop, the aim is to decentralize high-technology and design solutions by utilizing Blockchain and crowdsourcing technology. Hall and Breanna talk about Best practices for starting and running a blockchain company and blockchain trends. In this episode, you’ll also learn Breanna’s advice to people investing in blockchain startups as well as challenges, risks and immediate opportunities to pursue. Breanna is joining us as a guest speaker this October at the Emerge ICO Summit in Austin Texas.

In this episode, Hall interviews Paul Foley, co-founder and CEO of Smart Capital, an equity crowdfunding platform that enables anyone to invest in venture funds for the very first time.

In this episode, Hall interviews Amos Schwartzfarb, managing director of Techstars Austin, a horizontal accelerator that focuses on the founding team and their ability to build a big business. Amos talks about the importance of finding a CEO that has a track record of "getting things done" and is passionate about their business.

Daniel is a well-known prolific Silicon Valley SuperAngel/advisor in 115+ seed to A round startups who has invested alongside the most successful and famous Angels and VCs alive today, enjoying exclusive access to the next Valley unicorn and decacorn deals.

In this episode, Hall T. Martin interviews JP Bauman of Altira Group. JP is a Principal at Altira Group, a Denver-based venture capital firm that works closely with entrepreneurs to provide funding for emerging software and technology companies that are helping meet the increasingly complex digital and operational challenges of today’s energy industry. JP has extensive experience investing in and building value in growing businesses. He is responsible for all aspects of the investment process at Altira, including deal sourcing, due diligence and structuring, as well as serving in operational advisory roles for portfolio companies. He currently serves on the board of Seeq Corp, Agile Upstream, and FlexGen Power Systems. Hall and JP speak about how Altira focuses on the energy space- in particular technology and software in the oilfield. Hall and JP also discuss what is happening in the industry today that makes now the right time to invest.

In this episode, Hall T. Martin welcomes Shruti Gandhi of Array Ventures.  Shruti is the founder and managing partner of Array Ventures. Array invests in enterprise deep tech early stage companies. Shruti spent her early career as a developer on mainframe security, collaboration tools, and data analytics. Post engineering, she was investing in early stage companies at True Ventures and Samsung's venture fund. She has an MBA from University of Chicago and MS from Columbia University. In this episode, you’ll learn about Array VC’s Investment in AI, Robotics and other technology that impacts industries not yet touched by technology as well as their unique twist to venture capital. Arrays team of investors, advisors, and mentors is invaluable and contributes to the success of your company and the fund. They are in it with you and want to understand who would be your ideal customer. If they can help bring them onboard then it's an easy investment decision for them.

In this episode, Hall T. Martin conducts an interview Erica Duignan Minnihan of 1000 Angels.
Erica is the Managing Partner at 1000 Angels, a private digital venture investment network. They provide a platform for high net worth individuals, family offices, and Venture Funds to make direct investments in a curated selection of high-growth, early-stage investment opportunities. They typically invest in companies raising Seed and Series A rounds, and focus primarily on the technology sector, although they are open to all opportunities with exceptional risk adjusted return potential. Hall and Erica discuss a number of topics including Erica’s path from the investment banking world to the startup world to invest in the seed and Series A stage. They speak about 1000 Angels and how they work with accredited investors and provides a pipeline of companies seeking funding. 1000 Angels is a digital venture investment network for accredited investors looking to build a portfolio of direct private equity investments at the Seed and Series A stage.

In this episode, Hall interviews Cain McClary, MD is the founder and Managing Partner of KdT Ventures. Cain talks about how he started a VC fund focused on the intersection of healthcare/science and computation.

In this episode, Hall interviews Andrey Morozov, founder of FinHub Global Ventures in San Francisco, CA. Andrey is technology entrepreneur and investor, who has been a founder and CEO of several successful payment companies before becoming an angel investor and startup mentor. He is a regular speaker at the biggest FinTech events, such as Money2020 and Transact.

In this episode, Hall interviews Cliff Hinrichs of Steele VC. Cliff talks about what Steele ventures invests in, and provides some examples of high quality investments such as MyRepublic and AgFunder.
Cliff and Hall discuss what angels starting out should look for.

In this episode, Hall interviews John Hinckley, CEO and co-founder of Modern Message, creator of an online resident engagement platform for apartment communities. Since its inception in 2012, Modern Message has seen average growth of 79 percent year over year, and works with nearly 2,500 apartment communities and allows more than 1 million residents to engage with Community Rewards each month across North America.

In this episode, Hall interviews Morgan Simon, founding partner of Candide Group. Morgan has close to two decades of experience making finance a tool for social justice. In that time she has influenced over $150B and is a regularly sought out expert on impact investing. Her first book, Real Impact: The New Economics of Social Change has been featured everywhere from Harvard Business School to the United Nations.

In this episode, Hall interviews Gaurav Chakravorty, co-founder and CIO of qplum, wealth management powered by A.I. Prior to qplum, Gaurav built one of the most profitable high-frequency trading operations at Tower Research Capital. He holds a Bachelor of Technology from IIT Kanpur, India and a Masters in Computer Science from University of Pennsylvania, and is Series 3 and Series 65 certified.

In this episode, Hall interviews Don Plotsky, Founder and Managing Partner at Uitna Partners. Don was Head of Product Development and Product Management Western Asset Management from 2002, and prior to WAM, Mr. Plotsky was Head of Global Client Service and Marketing at CDC Investment Management (now part of Natixis) and was responsible for product management and structuring. He was a Portfolio Manager at Advisors Capital Management, Equitable Capital Management and Hutton Risk Management. He has an MBA from New York University, Stern School of Business.

In this episode, Hall T. Martin conducts an interview with Navroop Sahdev, a Connection Science Fellow at MIT. Navroop works at the cutting edge of the Financial Services industry, vertical technologies (like Blockchain) and Economic theory (drawing upon Innovation, Networks theory and Complex Systems), creating valuable Business Intelligence. Her experience includes scientific research, business development, team building and business strategy. She holds a host of leadership roles in the DLT space, both as a practitioner as well as a researcher, and speaks regularly at FinTech and blockchain conferences. She also serves on the advisory boards of a tech-driven companies, across industries. Hall and Navroop speak about Framework for valuing tokens, Impact of blockchain transparency on valuation as well as Implications of the SEC regulations on token valuations. We welcome Navroop as a guest speaker at our upcoming Emerge ICO Summit.

In this episode, Hall T. Martin conducts an interview with James Donnellan of  Lusso Capital. James is currently focused on launching several start-ups within the luxury travel, entertainment, technology, lifestyle and apparel industries. Also assisting in raising capital for many others too. Another focus is working with off-market investment opportunities that include but not limited to commercial real estate, sports mergers and acquisitions, oil/gas, technology, fashion, cosmetics and apparel. James talks about how he got in to investing and his journey leading to Lusso Capital. In this episode you’ll also learn Lussos investment thesis, what Lusso looks for when investing, their criteria and what they like.

In this episode, Hall T. Martin conducts an interview with Andrew Heintzman of InvestEco. InvestEco’s main focus is investing in expansion-stage companies in North America that promote health and sustainability in the food and agricultural sector. Their companies typically have between $1 – 30M in revenue at the time of their initial investment, and they aim to hold their position for about seven years. Their goal is to make a strong financial return for their investors while supporting companies that are contributing to a healthier world. Hall and Andrew talk about how Andrew got started in early stage investing as well as what InvestEco looks for in a startup. Andrew also talks about some of the specific things he looks for when investing, trends in the industry as well as how health and sustainability are driving the trend in equal parts

In this episode, Hall T. Martin conducts an interview with Isaac Baabs of Handmade Ventures

Handmade is a mobile and software executive advisory and angel investor group that assists great entrepreneurs and new start ups in a co-founding partnership. Handmade helps teams by adding expertise, relationships, and capital from inception through Series A funding and ultimately a liquidity event. Handmade specializes in companies with mobile platforms, systems, and services among the following areas: mobile VR, mobile SaaS, advertising, monetization, Boomers, cyber security, sensors/BTLE, productivity, entertainment, and cloud. Handmade is west coast focused and does a combo executive advisory/angel investing. In this episode you'll learn about Isaacs start in early stage investing, where he began and the journey thus far. They also speak about what Handmade focuses on as well as what they look for when investing in a company or an idea. Isaac also speaks about what he thinks is the next big big thing with mobile and in the ai industry.

In this episode, Hall T. Martin conducts an interview with Mark Casady of Vestigo Ventures. Vestigo Ventures invests in early-stage financial technology companies from seed to “A” round. Vestigo’s senior staff and their twelve-member advisory board possess the unique mix of disciplines and experience needed to spot the most promising FinTech innovations. These professional peers operate at the nexus of the larger network of entrepreneurial pioneers in academia and the corporate world who are cultivating the most potent emerging technologies to meet the needs of the $12B annual market for FinTech services. Mark and Hall discuss his entry into the VC world and early stage investing. They also talk about what Mark looks for in a startup as well as what his fund focuses on.

In this episode, Hall interviews Mark Peter Davis, venture capitalist and managing partner of Interplay VC. Interplay is a foundry and venture capital firm that builds, incubates and invests in companies.

In this episode, Hall discusses blockchain technology with Tamim Abdul Majid, principal at OCA Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on equity investments in companies with dramatic growth potential, primarily in technology and highly-scalable services businesses. OCA invests in many industries, with a preference for technology, financial services, education and healthcare technology.

In this episode, Hall interviews Jouko Ahvenainen, entrepreneur and co-founder of Grow VC Group, a pioneer in new funding solutions, including equity p2p investments and crowdfunding. Jouko is a founder, partner and board member in several innovative digital finance companies. Jouko is also an advisor for US, European and Asian investing and finance programs.