Investor Connect Podcast

Bringing an International Company Into the US Market Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are several reasons international companies expand into the US market. The US market is the largest market in the world and provides the most opportunities to the company to sell its products. Funding in the US is more available than in most other countries. Startups moving to the US should locate near current customers or in cities with a concentration of startups in the sector. Those coming from Europe focus on New York City, as it gives the most time overlap with Europe. Most companies hire a sales or business development manager to build revenue in the US market, which is the initial work to be done. Once established in the US, the company can start to raise funding from US investors. It's difficult to raise funds from US investors without a US presence. This is due to the timezone issues and the ability to meet with investors for follow-ups. International startups should consider establishing a presence in the US for not only sales growth but also 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/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

How To Foster the Startup Community Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors should foster the local startup community. The more vibrant the community, the better the deal flow. Here are some key ways investors can foster it: Provide events and activities that connect and network startup founders with co-founders. It takes a complete team to make a startup successful, so it's best to foster team building. Connect startup founders with business owners who can use the startups' solution. This fosters more funding for the startup through customer revenue. Connect startup founders with startup-friendly service providers. These include attorneys, fractional CFOs, and accountants. Those with startup-friendly services can help the startup community grow. Finally, change the community's perception of startup founders as looking for something to do while between jobs. Some communities look down on startups as the unemployed. Foster the perception that startup founders are doing important work and need the support of the community. Consider these steps in fostering the startup community in your area. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Painkillers vs Vitamins Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In startup investing, look for startups that solve real-world problems. Focus on the ones that provide a solution tantamount to a painkiller. The customer has a problem that causes them enough pain that they'll pay for a solution to get rid of it. There tend to be fewer painkiller solutions in the market, so there's less competition. Avoid the startups whose solution acts more like a vitamin. It makes you better, but only just so. Most people know vitamins make you better, but if you don't take them, you'll be okay anyway. The problem with vitamin solutions in the startup world is that fewer people will pay for them. Also, there tend to be many substitutes for vitamin-level solutions. This fosters a more competitive marketplace. Invest in painkillers and skip the vitamin solutions in your startup investing. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Invest in the Capable Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The team is often the key indicator of a successful startup. In startup investing, look for competency and experience in the team. Competency and experience can be a relative thing. There's an old saying in the angel world, Invest in the A team working on a B project. The team's skills are more than enough to accomplish the task at hand. For the startup under consideration, understand well the skills required for it to be a success. Look for the skills needed in the business, the technical, and the domain area. Missing key skills is often the cause of startup failure. Most everyone's resume shows extensive experience and knowledge. Test out the team's skills by asking questions and giving them a task. Test to see how they solve problems and how they think. Look for how well they know the space and what is going on in it. The ideal team is one that needs no additional help from the investor. Invest in the capable where possible. For all other startups, be prepared to fill in the gaps. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall Martin welcomes Andrew Byrnes, founder and principal of Byrnes Impact, who shares how investors can separate real technical substance from narrative-driven hype in early-stage AI companies. Andrew explains why investors should validate claimed technical improvements with real-world proof beyond demos, assess the technical depth of teams and advisors, and demand clear, plain-English explanations of what the company actually does and why customers would pay for it. Andrew also discusses regulation and policy as dynamic forces that shape which AI companies can operate, scale, and build durable margins, and he argues founders can turn policy engagement into a competitive moat by educating policymakers and stakeholders early. He highlights signals of high-potential startups, including customer empathy, go-to-market execution, and a well-thought-out data strategy that creates an AI-native flywheel and defensible advantage. The conversation closes with practical guidance on traction in AI—moving from pilots to deep deployments tied to core business data, creating internal champions, and maintaining a credible path to profitability given compute costs—as well as how storytelling can help fundraising when it anticipates objections without hiding behind buzzwords. Visit Byrnes Impact at www.byrnesimpact.com/ Reach out to at www.linkedin.com/in/andrewbyrnes/, and on [email protected] ________________________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https:/_/tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

How To Solve Large Problems Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startups raising funding should have a grand vision. That vision must inspire investors to join the cause. It takes years for the vision to come to full fruition. To take on a large problem, consider the following: Start small. In the early days, the startup will be small and sometimes insignificant. Solve problems very well. Look to new technologies and business models to deliver the product. Tie into market forces that provide a tailwind to your solution. Focus on the customer, and their challenges and needs. Avoid direct competition and define the market in a unique way that helps your startup stand out from the crowd. Launch an initial product as soon as you can. Take the initial solution and then build on it. Make it better every day. Add new features and capabilities continuously. Over time, the product will grow and will provide more value. Eventually, the product will solve a big problem. Every day not spent on building the core product is a wasted day. It just takes time. You can accomplish any large problem with time and consistent follow-up. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

The Role of Intuition in Startup Investing Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startup investing requires several skills, including business model analysis, domain knowledge, and team evaluations. The early days of the startup provide only a glimpse into what that startup will be in the future. Startups often look unable to achieve greatness in the early days, as the team is not built out. The business case can be difficult to assess because the market is new or the technology behind it is nascent. While business acumen is the primary tool for vetting a startup, there's also intuition. Startup investors use their intuition and prior startup investing experience to identify key patterns that lead to success: Intuition plays a role in startup investing as follows: Look for evidence that the team has the right mix of skills and motivation to achieve the goal. Look at how well the product solves the customers' problem. Look at how profitable the business model is on a unit economic level. Look at the scalability of their fundamental business model. These are the key elements that require intuition to suss out the strength of a startup. Consider these elements in screening startups for 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/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Growth Is the Paradigm of the Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startups are different from small businesses in that they are based on the growth paradigm. Small businesses such as restaurants and retail are good businesses, but they are not startups. A startup seeks high growth throughout its life. Startups build their businesses to foster growth. Through the products and services they offer to the business models they use, they seek high growth. Startups often look to technology, in particular disruptive technologies, to foster that growth. Startups need capital to achieve it. To be considered for funding, the growth rate needs to be at least 50% or more year over year. Anything below, and investors will not consider the startup to be in the growth mode. Startups also need a team that can foster and manage growth. This high-growth paradigm either takes the company to new heights or sends it crashing down. In startup investing, look for these drivers of growth in a startup before investing. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Legal Entities for Startups Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are many entity types used in forming businesses. Here are the key ones to consider for your startup: LLC -- Limited Liability Company Startups use this structure to protect themselves from liability. It's issued by the state, which can vary the rules across the country. It doesn't allow for issuing stock but rather ownership units. S -- Corporation This is an LLC that elects to defer paying taxes to the owner. This provides a tax advantage but comes with a limitation on the number of members. It should not be used for startups seeking to raise outside capital. Delaware C Corp This is the ideal legal entity for a startup as it provides the most protection of assets and limitations of liability. The entity exists beyond the life of the founders. It can have an unlimited number of shareholders. The drawback is that there is double taxation. First at the corporate level and then at the personal level. The Delaware C is the best C Corp to use as it has substantial case law behind it in the event of litigation. Consider these points in selecting the legal entity 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 Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Where To Find Startup Ideas Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Founders looking for their next startup seek ideas for launching a business. Some look at what other founders are doing and then copy the idea. It's best to start with a customer problem that has not been solved. Once you have a startup idea, test it with the following: Are there customers who will pay to solve the problem? It's easy to come up with startup ideas that have no paying customers. Do those customers have enough money to pay for the solution so it can become a business. Many problems exist because the customer simply doesn't have any money. Are there enough customers who will pay for it? Look for a path from a corner case problem to a broader market solution. Imagine what the future may look like. Now fill in the parts that are missing. The best ideas come from identifying something interesting, such as finding people will pay good money for something considered trivial. Look for the pain points that must be solved. Avoid the nice-to-haves that may be useful, as there won't be enough revenue to sustain the business. Consider these points in identifying startup ideas. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall walks new and experienced investors through the term sheet basics that trip people up most often, starting with the type of security (SAFE, convertible note, or priced round), the total investment amount, and how pre-money valuation works in startup investing. He shares a simple ownership framework—pre-money plus investment equals post-money, and the investor's ownership is investment divided by post-money—then points out additional items to watch for, including price per share (in priced rounds), conversion triggers (especially for SAFEs and notes), and dividends. Hall then explains how term sheets tend to be founder-friendly or investor-friendly, and how to spot the difference. Founder-friendly signals include no expiration date on the offer, the option pool coming from both founders and investors, no confidentiality agreement, no liquidation preference, and the company not paying investor legal fees; flip those and you're looking at investor-friendly terms. He emphasizes that term sheets aren't formulas—they're negotiations—and that valuation, liquidation preferences, investor/founder rights, and redemption rights can be traded to balance a deal. Hall closes with a practical overview of convertible notes as a rolling-close debt instrument that converts to equity at maturity or a qualified priced round, along with the risks of stacking notes and creating more dilution than expected ahead of a Series A. He notes that many notes have few protective provisions (though the Angel Capital Association released a model note bringing more investor rights back in), and that notes typically don't confer QSBS tax benefits because QSBS requires an equity holding period. Finally, he introduces 10 Capital's "3x and 3" note, which gives investors a sole-discretion redemption right at year three for 3x the original investment and then moves to a revenue share agreement, invites interested investors to join the deal-review group, and wraps by moving the audience into breakout rooms and sharing that the recording and event details will be sent afterward. ________________________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https:/_/tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Key Elements of a Successful Acquisition Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In acquiring a company, there are indicators pointing to success. Here are the key elements leading to a successful acquisition: Outgoing CEOs Acquirers with outgoing CEOs often lead to successful outcomes. They have the ability to project their vision onto others. Their personality can sway the negotiations to a successful conclusion. Matching cultures. Companies with dissimilar cultures often struggle to make the acquisition successful. It's best to match company cultures when seeking an acquisition. Early acquirers. Acquisitions come in waves as the market dynamics change. Those who move early do better as there's a better selection. Those who arrive late will find the best ones already taken. Experience with acquisitions. Those companies that make many acquisitions have an advantage over those that make few. With each acquisition comes more experience, which can be applied to the next one. Consider these key elements in your acquisition process. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Should You Start a VC Fund? Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are more venture capital funds in the market today than ever before. It's never been easier to launch a VC fund. Here are some key steps to consider before launching one. Do you have a track record in startup investing? Limited Partners in the fund will want to know that the team has experience deploying capital. If you don't have a track record, consider partnering with someone who does. How will your fund stand out from the crowd? While it's easier to start a fund, there are many VC funds in the market today. Consider focusing on a niche or segment of the market that is not already well covered. How does the fund leverage your current investing? It's best to start a fund that extends the investing already underway. Having your own money in will help greatly with raising funding from investors. Do you have the time and commitment to see the fund through to completion? Most funds are deployed in the first three years but require ongoing support and maintenance for up to ten years. Consider carefully the support offered and the strategy behind follow-on funding. Answer these questions before launching your VC fund. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

How To Create a Herd Effect With Investors Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, it's important to create a herd effect. A herd effect is building a larger group of investors that gives your fundraiser credibility. Here are some key steps to create a herd effect with investors. First, show how other investors have either invested or are following your deal. The more investors focus on your deal, the greater its value of it. This shows others have reviewed the deal and decided to join. This gives investors confidence that the basic diligence has been done by others. Show the diversity of investor types, including angels, venture capital, family offices, and others who are in the deal. This shows there's broad-based support beyond family and friends funding. Call out high-profile individuals who are in the deal. This indicates you can attract brand-name investors. Roll up the investment value of all those who are circling the deal, including interest and committed. This shows there's ample interest in the deal. Show how there's more investor interest than there is availability in the round. This creates the FOMO -- fear of missing out that spurs some investors to join. Capture investor comments about the deal and share with others, as investors care a great deal about what other investors think. Consider these steps in creating a herd effect around your fundraiser. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Pitching Without a Deck Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Founders pitching investors almost always use a pitch deck. It's a convenient way to organize the story. Graphics, charts, and glyphs help tell the story in a short, concise fashion. In some cases, the pitch deck is not available for the pitch. For example, the founder receives an impromptu introduction in the coffee shop. The investor expresses interest, so the founder presents the deal without a deck. The key to pitching without a deck is to focus on the elements that the investor is most interested in. Financial investors want to hear the numbers behind the deal. Cost of the problem, size of the market, revenue and traction, and months to break even are the key numbers. Strategic investors want to hear about the strategy behind the business. The problem to be solved and the uniqueness of the solution the founder has will intrigue them. Business model investors want to hear about multiple revenue streams. This could come from recurring revenue, monetizing data, and applying AI. Impact investors want to hear the positive impact of the business on the community. This could be increasing graduation rates for students, removing plastic bottles from the waste stream, or lifting others out of poverty. Consider the primary interest of the investor in pitching without a deck. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

The Advantage of Being the Nice Guy Investor Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The investor holds sway over the startup founder since they hold the decision of who to fund. Some investors take advantage of this and treat founders poorly just because they can. It's better to be the nice guy investor. Here's why: The nice guy investor builds relationships rather than burns them. The more positive relationships the investor has, the more founder referrals he will get. The more positive the investor's brand, the more likely other investors will seek him out to syndicate deals. The most successful investors are the ones with the best brand and access to the most deals. As the world increasingly moves fundraising online, the investor's track record with startups becomes more widely known. Through social media, the investor's actions will be made known to more people. With each startup interaction, the investor is building their brand. Make each interaction valuable to the founder. Over time, the interactions will add up, and the investor will gain a reputation for being the nice guy. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

In this episode of Investor Connect, we welcome back Angela Lee of 37 Angels and Columbia Business School to share an update on the angel investing landscape and strategies for investing in turbulent markets. Angela reviews today's venture market dynamics, including deal volume near peak levels, a "barbell" effect where mega-funds dominate capital raising and drive larger early rounds (often in AI), and a challenging exit environment with underperforming venture-backed IPOs and fewer distributions back to LPs—making it especially hard for emerging VC fund managers. She also addresses questions on AI valuations, emphasizing the need to understand which layer of the AI stack a company plays in and cautioning investors who lack deep AI expertise. Angela then moves into practical investing tactics, highlighting the power-law nature of venture returns and the importance of diversification by making more investments rather than doubling down too early. She warns that angel follow-ons and bridge/extension rounds often correlate with weaker outcomes and encourages investors to evaluate bridges rigorously, including whether terms and valuation truly compensate for risk. She also advises pressuring test burn and runway assumptions, noting that founders often under-raise and that today's environment may require planning for 24–36 months of runway even as some AI-enabled teams run leaner. The conversation wraps with term-sheet and valuation considerations, including the importance of post-money SAFE caps, the increasing prevalence of "cap-only" SAFEs (and 37 Angels' refusal to invest in uncapped instruments), and how investors should think about valuation discipline given that many exits are acquisitions under $200M. Angela answers audience questions on secondaries, noting the market is still a small slice overall, pricing has been volatile, and investors must understand what they're buying—often common stock with fewer protections—especially in hot names that can trade at a premium. Visit 37 Angels at www.37angels.com/ Reach out to at www.linkedin.com/company/37-angels , and on x.com/37angelsny ________________________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https:/_/tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Seeing the Future in a Nascent Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startups carry with them a glimpse of their potential future. Most companies look small and insignificant in their early days. The challenge for the investor is to see their future and know how to help them achieve their potential. Successful startups have a vision of the future and work to fill in what is missing. It's best to have a nonconsensual view of the world. Success comes when no one knows how the market will develop, and there are many paths it could take. If everyone knows there's a missing piece in the future, then there will be too much competition for any one startup to win the market. In this case, the startup that looks into the future can see what will be needed for it. To be successful, the startup needs to be only directionally right. There will be many pivots and modifications along the way. As an investor, look for the founder's vision of the future and what they see as missing. This informs your decision to align with the founder. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Startup Founders Are Team Builders Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startup founders must build a company from scratch. After fundraising, team building is one of the biggest challenges. The founder must be able to recruit qualified people to the team. Startup failure most often comes down to hiring the wrong people for the job. A founder must have charisma and the ability to connect with potential team members. The founder must be able to take a disparate group of people and align them with a common goal. To achieve business success, the founder must be able to bring people together and have them work well together. This means ensuring everyone on the team is on the same page. The objective is to set up a team that is productive. The founder must keep morale high through the ups and downs that come with starting and running a business. The founder does this by building bonds and connections with the team. Startup founders are team builders. Look for this skill in startups to invest in. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Key Legal Documents for Your Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are several key legal documents every startup will use. Here's a list of those documents: Business Entity filing -- this establishes the legal entity of the business, such as a Delaware C Corp, an LLC, or other. Non-compete documents -- employees sign these to prevent competition with the company. Non-disclosure agreements -- the employees sign these to prevent them from sharing confidential information with others. Intellectual property assignment -- the employees turn over rights to all IP discovered while working with the company. Employment agreements – set forth the rules for working with the company as an employee. Patents/trademarks -- startups use these to protect their intellectual property. Contracts -- startups use these to set the rules of engagement with clients, suppliers, and partners. Terms of service -- this establishes the rules relating to the use of the firm's products and services. Capitalization table -- lists the owners of the entity with their number of shares and percent of ownership. Make sure you have these documents in order in 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 Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

How To Build a Moat for Your Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors look for protection against the competition. The stronger the moat around the business, the more compelling the offering. Here are some key steps to build a moat into your startup: Develop a unique brand that stands out. This prevents others from copying the business model and diverting revenue away from the startup. Build lock-ins into the business. Design your product into the workflow of the business, making it difficult to replace. Install infrastructure that reduces the cost of the product. This removes low-end competitors that lack the financial resources to build large-scale systems. Develop a truly unique product that can be protected with Intellectual Property tools such as patents or trade secrets. This makes it difficult for competitors to simply copy the business. Focus on a market niche or sub-segment so there's not enough business available for competitors to pursue. The startup could develop patents around its solution for that niche, giving it an additional advantage. The stronger the moat, the more the investor will be interested. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Benefits of an Accelerator Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Founders face a daunting challenge in launching a startup. There are many things the first-time founder doesn't know. Accelerators bring many benefits to the startup founder. Here is a list: Accelerators bring education to the founder to fill in their knowledge gaps. This is often around sales, marketing, and finance. Accelerators provide support. This is often in the form of administrative support, such as email marketing and graphic design. Accelerators bring a network for finding co-founders, developers, and providers. The startup founder leans on their network for help with legal, financial, and HR support. Accelerators bring an additional level of credibility to the startup. Investors will appreciate the fact that an accelerator provides the basics of business development. This takes the burden off the investor. Finally, many accelerators provide access to funding. Through pitch events and demo days, founders can hone their presentation skills and meet prospective investors. Consider an accelerator for 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 Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

In this episode of Investor Connect, we hear a pitch from Jason on Ticket Rewards, a ticketing company offering "live entertainment as a service" to help enterprise brands drive engagement, retention, and loyalty through access to live event tickets. Ticket Rewards works directly with presenters, promoters, sports teams, and venues, with about $500M in consigned ticket inventory and access to $1B+ of marketplace inventory across 35,000+ events, powering a mobile-first, co-branded, white-labeled redemption platform that integrates into loyalty programs via email and push notifications. Jason shares case studies showing how ticket offers outperform typical brand messaging, including Celebrity Cruises' "Captains Club" emails delivering 40% higher open rates and 20% higher click-through rates, and a six-month pilot with Max (HBO Max) moving forward into their loyalty program. He explains how monthly ticket credits (such as $25 that expires each month) can reduce churn, provide unsubscribe leverage, and create emotional connection back to brands like Hearst and newspaper partners, with Ticket Rewards also moving about $2M in tickets through its own marketplace. The conversation covers monetization through SaaS subscription fees (including flat fees or per-member pricing), ticket sales margins up to 40%, incentive codes sold in volume, and advertising/packaging partnerships, along with current margins (~36% overall and ~80% in SaaS). Jason outlines a $2M raise with $320K committed on a SAFE with a $10M cap to scale sales and marketing beyond a seven-person team, noting an acquisition-focused exit strategy and interest from strategic partners; the segment ends as the program transitions to "term sheets 101." ________________________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https:/_/tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

An Overlooked Factor of Startup Success Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors screening deals look for momentum and traction before investing. They also look for the team and its capabilities. An often overlooked factor is the team's genuine interest in the field. Passion for solving a particular problem can be a strong factor in startup success. The founder who wants to solve the problem no matter what can carry the business through the down times. Many teams are motivated by money, success, or other factors. Investors should look beyond the current revenue growth to the team's motivations. Those with a passion have a stronger chance of success than those who are just running a game plan around a business model. Look for founders who are driven to solve a particular problem and then back them. This could be by making an investment, fostering connections, or providing guidance on running a startup. Consider the founders' motivations. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Ability To Learn From Mistakes Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In the startup space, one is always learning. There's a new technology, a new business model, a new market, or other to grasp. It's important that those in the startup space can make mistakes and learn from them. The faster one can learn, the better. The startup often has two advantages over larger incumbents: technology and speed. The mode for a startup is 'fail fast'. Figure out quickly if something is working or not. The startups that succeed are learning organizations. They improve themselves automatically by finding ways to be better. Here are three ways to build learning from mistakes into the business: Perform a review of each event or project to see what can be improved. Look for the next level up in performance and strive for it. Practice transparency by assessing it as it actually is. This keeps improving as part of the startup's mindset. Consider these steps on how to learn from mistakes and improve one's process. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Adjust Expectations to the Current Market Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Some founders find fundraising to be frustrating. The founder expects more to happen than is realistic. Progress is slow, and the results are not coming in as expected. In most cases, the expectations for the fundraising results are not aligned with the current market conditions. Most deals are done several months before they are announced. Watching the news of funding is similar to recording the news from three months ago and watching it now. The information is out of date due to the time lag in processing the funding. It will be easier to start a fundraiser campaign at the beginning of the year rather than during the holiday season. Consider the holiday and vacation cycle and schedule a campaign that makes the best use of the investors' available time. After setting your expectations based on the current market conditions, go back to work with your campaign. Fundraising continues throughout the year and over seasons and economic cycles. Fundraising will be easier in up markets and more difficult in down markets. Adjust your expectations to the current market. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

How To Sell Into the Enterprise Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The best asset in raising funding is growing traction with customers. Knowing how to sell into the enterprise is a key skill that founders should have. Here are the steps for selling into the enterprise: Find a champion for your product within the target company. This is typically the person who owns the problem your product solves. They need to be at the executive level in order to make buying decisions, or someone who has a connection to them. Find out their plan for buying software and building out capabilities. Look for opportunities to be a part of existing initiatives within the company. It's easier to sell into an enterprise when there's already a budget in place for it. Identify the competition they are considering. This could be buying from another company, building it in-house, or doing nothing. Assess how the enterprise tests new software tools. This could be free pilots, paid pilots, beta tests, or more. Show the ROI your product brings to the table based on the results from previous customers. Devise a plan for testing out the software and where it will go into the organization after the pilot is complete. Understand the company's data management practices, security systems, and privacy policies. Set the price for the product and negotiate it with the decision makers. Finally, prepare to defend your product against internal forces with another agenda. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

How To Close Investors Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Closing an investor for funding is a critical skill founders need to have. Here are some key steps in closing an investor: Investors look for startups that show evidence of success. They avoid startups with red flags and problems. To close, you must show key elements of success already in the business. Predicting success will not work. The first step is to show alignment with the customer. This could be growing traction or high engagement with a few key accounts. The second step is to know your market well, including the customers and the competition. Investors look for signs that the target market is large and growing fast. It's important to educate the investor about the market as most will not know it well. The third step is to show a strong team with a track record. Highlight the key skills of the team that point to success in this startup. Instead of telling the investors the team is great, it's better to show it. This includes past experiences, current wins with the company, and how well the team works together. In addition to these three steps, remove any red flags from the startup before 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/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Sue Xu, Managing Partner at Amino Capital. Located in Palo Alto, California, Amino Capital is a global venture capital firm investing from seed through growth stage, with over $1 billion in assets under management and a track record that includes backing companies such as Chime, Webflow, Rippling, and Grail. Sue shares how the firm's name—drawn from "amino acids," the building blocks of life—reflects its mission to invest early, often at the pre-seed and seed stage, in founders within their trusted ecosystem. With a background as a Stanford-trained scientist, she brings a deeply technical lens to venture investing, focusing on AI, data infrastructure, and frontier technologies where long-term defensibility matters more than short-term hype. As Hall likes to say, it's not just about seeing deals—it's about knowing how to underwrite them. Amino Capital differentiates itself by emphasizing data moats, network effects, and true workflow ownership in an era where many AI startups are simply "wrappers" around large language models. Sue breaks down how to distinguish sustainable businesses from impressive demos, noting that the real winners are those that integrate deeply into user workflows and replace meaningful labor. The conversation also explores the evolution of AI investing—from infrastructure to copilots to today's agentic systems—and why durability comes from strong first principles rather than broad diversification. Along the way, Hall and Sue touch on global innovation ecosystems, the importance of resilience in founders, and why small, disciplined teams with high agency continue to outperform. Sue also shares how Amino Capital is leveraging AI internally, building its own data-driven investment systems to evaluate deals, support portfolio companies, and provide real-time insights to LPs. She emphasizes the importance of developing a clear investment thesis, staying humble yet decisive, and building systems that improve decision-making over time. Visit Amino Capital at www.aminocapital.com/ Reach out to at [email protected] , and on www.linkedin.com/in/suexu/ _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https:/_/tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Pivot Opportunities for Startups Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The pivot brings additional opportunities to the startup. Consider using a pivot to add additional revenue streams and touch points to your business. Here are some examples: Consider monetizing the data flowing through your business by capturing and reselling it. Partner companies are ideal customers for this type of data. Add artificial intelligence tools to your product line. This could be chatbots that make it easier to interact with your product. Consider adding fintech tools to your product to help the customer buy the product. This could be a Buy Now Pay Later financial option. Turn your product page into an online marketplace and invite other companies to place their product on sale with yours. This will attract more customers to your site and provide valuable information about what customers are looking for. Finally, consider selling your product online through e-commerce sites. This will attract a new type of customer and generate additional revenue. Consider these pivot opportunities for your business. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Your Network Determines Your Focus Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Success in most endeavors comes down to having the right skills and the right connections. Your network determines your focus. In startup fundraising, you'll need skills such as how to pitch, how to grow a business, and more. You'll also need a network of investors to tap for funding and to find more investors. Before launching a fundraiser campaign, check your network. Who do you know that is an angel, VC, or family office investor? Who do you know who knows angels, VCs, and family offices? Where do the angels, VCS, and family offices hang out? What do they read? What do they care about? Research investors and start building out connections to the communities that hold investors. Reach out to individual investors to build relationships. Start by offering something of value to them with no ask in return. Build up 'credit' with investors by offering them free market research and connections to those who can help them. If your network doesn't have investors, then you'll need to extend your network to include 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/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

How To Grow Your Revenue Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors want to see momentum and traction before funding a startup. It's important to have a growing revenue stream to gain investor interest. Here are some key ways to grow your revenue. Look for disruptions in the market and take advantage of those opportunities. This could be external factors, such as the pandemic, changing the way people buy products. It could be technology changing, such as AI becoming a new platform to use. Consider hiring talent to spur revenue growth. This could be hiring more salespeople or generating more leads through marketing. Research the data in your company to find new opportunities for revenue. Data comes from external sources such as customers who give ratings and reviews. It comes from partners and what they are doing. It also comes from internal sources, such as a breakdown of product sales by channel or location. Explore new areas of the company to grow. If the company is strong on product development, consider focusing on sales. If the company is strong in sales work, consider technology as a potential growth area. Consider these steps on how to grow your revenue. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Reasons To Pivot the Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Pivots are part of the startup journey. Most startups pivot at some point along the way. Here are some reasons to pivot your startup. The revenue traction is simply not coming up. Consider a pivot to a more profitable business model, such as SaaS. This can generate a great deal more revenue for the company Consider moving to a different point in the value chain. Moving closer to those with money enables the startup to charge more. Customers use the product in a way that it was not designed for. Consider a pivot to enhance the new use case. A new business model may be in order, given the new application. Finally, one product does very well while the rest of the line languishes. Consider a pivot to focus on that product alone. Shift to provide extensions of that product as a path to growth. When things aren't going as planned, consider a pivot to solve the problem. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Disadvantages of Investing in a Fund of Funds Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. While a fund of funds investment approach may have benefits, there are disadvantages. Here is a list: The returns on a fund of funds range widely. It's rare that a fund of funds makes more than 25% IRR. It's just difficult to do with the funds spread across so many investment theses. Fund of funds are expensive. Consider the management fees and carried interest before committing to one. Too much access. Some fund of funds offer access to anything and everything. With so much choice, it can be difficult to build a winning fund of funds. Exits often come through the secondary market. These give very poor returns. Before investing in a fund of funds, check for references with other investors who have been in the fund. Talk with those who have been in it for a substantial period of time, say three years or longer. This should provide guidance on how well they work. A fund of funds has benefits and disadvantages. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Lu Zhang, founder and managing partner of Fusion Fund. Calling in from downtown Palo Alto, Lu shares how Fusion Fund, based in the heart of Silicon Valley, backs early-stage companies with difficult-to-copy technology across enterprise AI, healthcare AI, industry automation, edge computing, networking, and data privacy, with an emphasis on heavy engineering, research, and execution. She explains how the firm evaluates deals by starting with market size and timing, then validating defensible technology through in-house technical diligence, and she outlines what makes durable AI in a crowded market, including unique high-quality data access, efficient architecture for cost and deployment constraints, domain expertise to reduce hallucinations, and strong enterprise go-to-market execution. Lu also describes Fusion Fund's hands-on support through corporate CXO networks, fundraising and board-structure guidance, talent and expert networks, and M&A/IPO preparation, while discussing diversity's role in innovation, global talent pipelines, their internal AI analyst "Ada," healthcare AI as a major opportunity, and advice for first-time founders on investor fit, timing, dilution, and milestones. Visit Fusion Fund at www.fusionfund.com/ Reach out to at www.linkedin.com/in/luzhangvc/ , and on x.com/luzhangvc?lang=en _________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https:/_/tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

How To Approach a Founder Seeking Funding Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors looking to fund startup investments often receive unsolicited calls from founders. In most cases, the founder is not yet fundable but is making a go of it. To find quality investments, investors need to be proactive in their outreach to founders. Here are some key steps in approaching a founder about funding. An introduction will be helpful, especially if the founder has a great deal of interest from the investment community. A warm introduction will open the door for a call or meeting. Many founders are open to discuss with investors, so a cold email or call will suffice. In taking the call, the investor should ask, "What help do you need?" A startup has many needs, and a founder is always looking for help. The investor can use this as a way of building rapport with the founder. It's also a good way to learn more about the startup and where they are on the growth path. By providing mentorship and networking, the investor can test out how well the founder takes feedback and, most importantly, how well they execute on it. Consider offering help to a founder in your investing outreach to learn more. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

What Investors Look for in a Biotech Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Biotech startups bring a unique set of value propositions and exit opportunities to the startup investor. Here's what investors look for in a biotech startup: Investors look first and foremost for a novel target to pursue. These receive outsized funding rounds at the early stage. Investors look for platform-based approaches rather than individual products. The platform promises multiple products at a lower cost to develop. Some investors look for a fast follower of a recently proven therapeutic. This could be an alternate target with the same mechanism of action. Given the amount of funding required to take it all the way to the market, most investors look to exit sooner in a clinical trial or upon FDA approval. Investors look for exits in the 5 to 7-year window. They look at how much additional funding will be required to reach the exit. They avoid substantial follow-on raises as it causes dilution. Finally, they look for an experienced team, both on the technical side and the business side. The customer in the biotech industry is not the patient who uses the therapeutic, but rather the pharma company that buys the startup. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

How To Introduce Yourself to an Investor Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In engaging investors, startup founders should master the self-introduction. It's important to make a good first impression. While some introductions come from others, most often the founder will be introducing themselves. Here are some key points in introducing yourself to an investor: Begin with gratitude for their time. Avoid the entitled attitude, as most founders are not entitled to anything from the investor. Introduce your name, company, and what your company does. Use a five to seven-word tagline to describe your company. Based on the person you are meeting, customize the next sentence to show how the startup is relevant to the investor. For example, if they are a fit for your fund, indicate that your research shows that. Avoid the long-winded explanation of what you do and instead engage the investor in the conversation. The goal is to elicit what interests them the most and take the introduction in this direction. Investors look for the following in founders to fund: They have good communication skills. They know how to prioritize the talking points, putting the most important at the beginning. They know how to make their information relevant to the one they are speaking to. They are not nervous or uptight. They know how to build rapport with the investor. Finally, they demonstrate confidence even though startups come with a great deal of uncertainty. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

The Best Pitch Wins the Lion's Share of the Funding Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The power law drives the startup investment return. Only a small number of startups are going to have an outsized return. The power law also applies to startup pitching. The best pitch in a group wins the lion's share of the funding. While investors may view each startup differently, the overall best pitch will typically capture the majority of the funding. In pitching a group of investors, it's important to bring your best effort as you must first win out over other deals in the room. The investor has only so much time for diligence and follow-up. Most investors choose one or two deals to pursue, no matter how many pitches they hear. Since the pitches came at the same time, investors compare each deal to the other. It's not often the startup has the ability to choose who they pitch against. To the extent possible, avoid pitching in a group of very strong startups, as investors will compare your deal to their deals. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Founders Should Show Credibility to the Investor Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors see many pitches from a wide range of founders. To stand out, the founder should show credibility to the investor. Those with exits should put that first in the pitch. This shows you know how to reach a successful exit for your investors. Those who were part of companies that exited should also bring up that win. This shows you know what success looks like and have a hand in it. Those who have achieved success in their previous job, such as leading a business unit at a major corporation. This shows you know how to lead people and manage projects. Those who have substantial technical experience, such as building a significant product. This shows you know how products are built. Those who have led successful marketing or sales initiatives. This shows you know what it takes to run a successful sales and marketing operation. Founders should showcase their experience to build credibility with the investor. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes PPaola Torre, venture partner at Acquilus Ventures and board member at Life Science Angels. Located in the United States, Life Science Angels invests exclusively in early-stage life sciences companies at the seed and early Series A stages, combining capital with deep operational, scientific, and clinical expertise and hands-on mentoring beyond the check. The group emphasizes translational credibility, unmet medical need, team quality, and risk management, pressure-testing IP, regulatory strategy, and timelines, and increasingly values pharma partnerships as predictive for 2026; it also collaborates through syndicates with other angels, VCs, and strategics. Paola is a PhD scientist with hands-on R&D experience at BioMarin Pharmaceutical across fibrosis, neurometabolic disorders, and cardiovascular disease, and she works at the intersection of biotechnology, venture capital, and healthcare innovation. She shares LSA's approach to deal structures and valuation discipline (including a $15M pre-money cap and use of convertible notes), how angels help de-risk capital-intensive biotech, what makes founders successful, and her views on next-generation therapies, AI-enabled platforms, non-animal models, and AI risks, standards, and FDA priorities. Visit www.lifescienceangels.com Reach out to at www.linkedin.com/in/paola-torre-phd/?locale=en_US ________________________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https:/_/tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

When Investors Turn You Down Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors say no to most of the deals they see. Founders should take 'no' in stride and do the following: Review the deal for the risks the investors see. Some investors worry about risks that don't exist, as they are not familiar enough with the company or the market. Founders should show how they mitigate those risks anyway. Founders can also review the valuation to see if it's out of market. If only some investors have a problem with the valuation, then the founder can use warrants with those investors to help close the gap. Founders can also review the business to see if all the values in the business are coming through on the pitch deck. Finally, the founder should review the positioning of the startup. There are many ways to position the deal so it is attractive to the investor. Potential positionings include financial. This shows how the business makes money and can scale to make a great deal of money. Other positionings include impact. This shows how the business is providing a community benefit. Another position is the low-risk option. This shows how the business is running a known business model, with a proven team that has already exhibited significant success. Consider the valuation, the values in the business, and the positioning of your startup when the investors say no. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Why Brokers Are Not a Fit for Startup Fundraising Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Fundraising is a time-consuming challenge for founders. Some consider outsourcing the fundraising process to brokers who will take a success fee for what they raise. This works well in later-stage funding but is not a fit for startup fundraising. Portions of the fundraising process can be outsourced, such as the following: Outbound marketing to prospective investors to generate initial interest. Investment document preparation, including the pitch deck and financial forecasts. Advisory work on how to raise funding. But the actual fundraise needs to be done by the CEO. The investor will lean heavily on the qualities of the CEO in making an investment. The founder must build a relationship with the investor to achieve funding. Brokers try to gloss over the relationship aspect of the fundraise. For later-stage rounds where there's ample financial data to show traction and product market fit, a broker can be effective. For the early stage, building a relationship with the CEO is a must. The broker is not a fit. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Challenges in Running a Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Running a startup brings many challenges. Here's a list of key challenges to overcome: The startup is a rollercoaster ride from the highs to the lows. Be prepared to have your emotions go through turmoil. The founder must move everything. There's no corporate flywheel behind you. There's no brand that attracts customers. Every single customer must be won with hand-to-hand sales combat by the founder. Sales is filled with many no's and a smattering of yes's here and there. Hiring people is a challenge. There's an infinite number of prospective employees and contractors, but only a few that fit. It's a full-time and a half job. The hours are long and intense. The founder must build the culture from the start and carry it through to all new hires. Building culture takes time, as nothing is won quickly. Investors should take this into account when considering funding the startup. Going from nothing to something is one of the biggest challenges in the business world. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Key Risks in a Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors reviewing a startup for a potential investment know there are many risks to consider. Here's a list of key risks to look for in a startup: Team risk. Does the startup have the right team with the right skills, and can they work together? Market risk. Will the market provide enough opportunities for the startup to succeed? Competition risk. Will the competition outrun the startup? Timing risk. Is now the right time to launch this startup? Funding risk. Will the startup be able to raise enough funding to accomplish the milestones? Marketing risk. Will the startup be able to get its message across? Sales risk. Will the startup choose the appropriate sales channels and hit the forecast? Technology risk. Will the technology landscape move against the startup and obsolete their technology? Product risk. Can the team build the proposed product? Hiring risk. Can the team hire the right people based on their location and position in the market? Consider these risks in making a startup investment decision. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Testing for Product Market Fit Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, investors look to see where the startup is in finding product/market fit. Here are some key tests to check how close your startup is to product-market fit: Demand outstrips supply. The startup finds itself constantly adding more server space for customers. The startup finds itself hiring more team members to manage the customer load. The product value shows through. Customers find value in the product and tell you so. Sales appear to be closing more quickly. The word of mouth from the users generates a faster close rate. Cash in the bank account appears to be growing faster than before. There's buzz in the market. The press wants to write about your company. You receive unsolicited comments about the excitement around your startup. Proof of product market fit shows up in customer usage, increasing sales, financial metrics, and word of mouth. It's often clear to see when you have product-market fit. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

In this episode of Investor Connect, we welcome David Vulcano, Vice President for clinical research, compliance and integrity at HCA Healthcare and president of Music City Angels, who shares how the Nashville chapter fits within the multi-city Community Equity Partners network and how the group invests through both angel funds and a club model. David walks through their process—light initial screening via the website, chapter-based prescreening, and monthly live pitches—along with what they want to see in early companies, including an MVP (not R&D), clear problem/solution, strong team, investment terms, and an exit strategy. David discusses the sectors they find compelling, including healthcare, fintech, advanced materials, EV/battery technology, and infrastructure, and he notes that "AI" alone isn't enough without a real problem being solved. He highlights what separates strong founders in the room—preparation, coachability, and hitting key points within a short pitch—and outlines common red flags such as uncapped SAFEs or convertible notes and founders who haven't thought through realistic exit scenarios. We also cover how Music City Angels adds value beyond capital through board roles, connections, syndication, and shared diligence across investor networks, as well as Tennessee ecosystem resources like Launch Tennessee matching funds and the Entrepreneur Center for pitch help. David offers advice to new angel investors to learn through group meetings and shared diligence, and he emphasizes that founders should submit through the Community Equity Partners website for the fastest path to a clear answer. Links mentioned: Community Equity Partners website. Reach out to at [email protected] ________________________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https:/_/tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Avoid Out-of-Market Valuations Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, the founder should avoid out-of-market valuations. There may be investors who become so excited about the deal that they offer a valuation that is above the current market. While this may appear to be a great opportunity to get a better price, the founder should avoid it. Out-of-market valuations can put off other investors. It will be difficult to finish the raise when the valuation is far off from the norm. The founder should put that valuation into the context of the company's overall fundraising plan. Pose this question: if the founder takes funding on that valuation, what will it take in revenue to raise the next round at a higher valuation? If this revenue level seems daunting, then it means the proposed valuation on this round is too high. Raise at a valuation that gives the founder the opportunity to raise the next round without too much of a challenge. Be able to point to other companies raising at that valuation so as to convince investors to join. While out-of-market valuations may seem like a gift, they're short-lived and will become a problem later. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

How To Use an Investor List in a Fundraise Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, a founder starts with their own network. When that runs out, he looks for additional sources. There are many investor lists available through online resources. Here's how to use an investor list in a fundraise. Check your connections to the investor through your network, including social media. If you have mutual connections, then note those as well. Capture the information into the list so you can use it later in the follow-up process. Reach out to the contacts on the list with a customized message just for each one. This puts you on their radar that you exist and are in the same space. Next, reach out to their portfolio companies for mutual connections. Build a relationship with the founders of the portfolio companies by offering something useful to them. By building these relationships, one can then ask for introductions. This takes time, so it's best to start this process in advance of launching a fundraising campaign. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

The Next Round Will Require More Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, the bar goes up with each round. The revenue must be higher, and milestones must be achieved. In raising funding, consider how to build a steady growth rate into the business. Look to avoid those businesses that have strong seasons and cycles throughout the year. Rework the revenue model to smooth out the bumps. Just because you have raised substantial funding doesn't mean that you should hire a great number of people. It's best to keep the fundraise small, so you have time to build momentum in your sales. No matter how many salespeople you hire, it will take time for customers to work your product into their process. Start with small rounds and then increase them. The next round will require more revenue, team, and product. So plan on a careful hiring plan with a thoughtful product rollout. Work to turn products into revenue Keep expenses to a minimum. Showing a steadily increasing revenue rate is the best story to tell in 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/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact [email protected] Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.