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Investor Connect Podcast


Investor Connect is for investors interested in learning more about investing in startup and growth stage companies. Experienced investors share their experiences and advice with those who are considering an investment into startups and growth companies. It includes a podcast series of interviews with investors to inform others about the process of funding startups as well as a resource list and a discussion board.  

Topics include sourcing, analyzing, and researching companies. Other topics include valuations, terms Sheets, board of directors, board of advisors, due diligence, syndicates, venture capital, angels, angel networks, family offices, crowdfunding, exits, and more.

Investor Connect is a community program. We welcome your suggestions for speakers and topics which you can send to us through the Contact page. No registration is required to use the resources.  Discussion boards are available to post and answer questions about startups and growth company investing through which registration is required.

Investor Connect is a program under the Texas Open Angel Network which is a 501(c3) non-profit dedicated to the education around startup funding.

Disclaimer: Hall T. Martin is the Director of Investor Connect which is dedicated to the education of investors for early stage funding. All opinions expressed by Hall and podcast guests are solely their own opinions and do not reflect the opinion of Investor Connect. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

Jan 30, 2020

In this episode, Hall welcomes Yigit Ihlamur of Vela Partners. Vela Partners is an investment firm, composed of five partners supported by technology, commercial and legal advisors. Their main focus is software companies, with investments spanning from angel to VC stages.

Before Vela, Yigit Ihlamur worked in Google’s Cloud division, at the company’s headquarters in Mountain View, on product strategy, management, and startup partnerships. Yigit’s tenure at Google also included several years spent in the company’s European headquarters in Dublin, where he was initiated into European business and technology working on technical operations for G Suite.

In this episode, Yigit shares his advice to first-time investors in startups, in particular in the machine learning and data sector. According to Yigit, see as many companies as you can. It’s easy to get excited about a good story and dream of what can happen. Visit with at least twenty to thirty companies before deciding so you can benchmark those companies.