What Investors Look For & Why Personal Relationships Matter in VC

Nathaniel Harding, Managing Partner of Cortado Ventures, discusses venture capital and investing in the mid-continent region. He emphasizes the importance of personal relationships and proximity in the investment process, especially for founders outside of traditional tech hubs. He also discusses the challenges of raising capital and the criteria they look for in potential investments.This podcast is powered by LeggUP, the talent development platform that matches professionals with expert coaches to help them achieve their career goals. Click here to learn more: https://www.leggup.com/Subscribe to the Talent Empowerment Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@TomFinnovation 📌TALKING POINTS06:39 Creating Opportunities in Underserved Markets12:24 Investment Criteria and Value-Add26:53 Stacking the Deck for Success36:36 The Challenges and Rewards of Being a VC🌟ABOUT NATHANIEL HARDINGNathaniel Harding is Managing Partner of Cortado Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in growth-driven technology companies. He is also Board Member for Antioch Energy. He is an accomplished senior executive, entrepreneur, technologist, thought leader, and community advocate. Nathaniel was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, and a Most Admired CEO in Oklahoma by the Journal Record. Previously, he and his partner developed a midcontinent resource play which they sold in 2013 for $120M. His broad areas of expertise include operational strategy, financial modeling, statistical analysis, leveraging big data, connecting science with commercial strategy, energy, fundraising, and public speaking.🔗CONNECT WITH NATHANIELCompany Website: https://cortado.ventures/  🔗CONNECT WITH TOM Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomfinnovation/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomfinnovation/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TomFinnovation/  X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/tomfinnovation  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tomfinnovation  Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/TomFinnovation/  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tomfinnovation 🎙️ABOUT THE PODCASTEvery week on the Talent Empowerment Podcast, Tom Finn, the dynamic Co-Founder and CEO of LeggUP, ventures into the minds of trailblazing CEOs, HR executives, and talent... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices