Investor Connect Podcast

Thriving on Chaos Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startups have to go through the rollercoaster ride of highs and lows. There will be good times and bad times. Founders should identify what good problems are and what bad problems are. Good problems indicate you are doing well. These include the following: Increasing sales that outstrip your current team. Growing headcount such that you outgrow your current office space. Customers demand more products and services than you can supply. Bad problems indicate you are not doing well. These include the following: Another missed forecast, making it three in a row. The loss of key accounts, such as that you now have more employees needed. Customers are slow to sign up for the product, and retention is low. Startup founders thrive on chaos. It brings an energy to the startup that galvanizes the team. Learn the difference between good problems and bad problems. 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, Hal hosts Andy as he introduces Tenacious Founder, a platform built to help founders and investors navigate rapid change in the startup world by replacing "winging it" with a structured, data-driven build process. Andy likens today's investing environment to the oil industry's evolution from 70% dry holes to under 7% by using better information before committing capital, arguing the same shift is happening as investors demand succinct proof and AI increasingly analyzes pitch decks before founders ever pitch. Tenacious Founder maps startup maturity across eight stages, distills common requirements from leading pitch frameworks into 17 core elements, and turns them into sequenced project plans with playbooks, checklists, downloadable templates, and an interactive Notion-based workspace, with an AI-assisted SaaS operating system planned next. Andy shares his background in process-driven execution and startups, outlines his team, and answers questions on using multiple ChatGPT engines with task-specific guardrails, handling hallucinations, data input via templates, gating funding by milestones, and upcoming work on IP security and evolving compliance expectations. ________________________________________________________________________ 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 an Anchor Client Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Anchor clients are crucial to early-stage startups. They provide a predictable revenue stream for the company. Here are key steps to close an anchor client. Identify a client that fits the ideal customer profile. Build a relationship with that client. Connect with them on a regular basis. Make sure you are in contact with the decision maker. Identify three potential solutions to offer them. Close at least one of them. Provide superior service to the client. Go above and beyond the normal level of support. Build at least three anchor clients in case one falls out. The other two can hold you over till you find a replacement. Make sure no one client is more than thirty percent of the business. If that client drops out, then it will be difficult to continue.. Having a solid set of anchor clients makes it easy to attract other clients who can fill out the revenue stream. Consider these steps in closing an anchor client 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.

How Fast Can You Spin Up the Flywheel Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors want several things from a startup. Here's a list for investors to consider when investing: Team -- They want a strong team that can not only build the product but also sell it. Product-market fit -- This is a focused solution for a clearly defined problem. The users are engaged, and traction is underway. Large market potential -- The market is big and growing, and there are inflection points that catalyze it. Vision -- the team can see the vision beyond the current problem solution to the next level up. Competitive advantage -- the company has a unique solution or capability that gives them an edge over the competition. Quality investors -- the company has investors who provide value and can help propel the startup forward. Fast start -- finally, the company can spin up the flywheel quickly. Investors want a startup that knows how to build a business and generate revenue in short order. Look for these elements in a startup for funding. 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 Journey Is the Reward Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Founders launching and running a startup will experience highs and lows throughout the life of the startup. Some will find the experience exhilarating while others will find it debilitating. The difference between the two extremes comes down to the founders' expectations relative to the reality of the startup world. The startup world can be brutal. The best-laid plans can go awry from black swan events. There are many exogenous factors that impact the outcome of the startup. Those who find it exhilarating expected the challenges that would come up. Those who find it debilitating most likely expected few, if any, challenges and only success. In the end, value the startup for the experience it provides and what it reveals about yourself. To navigate the startup experience, expect the worst from the market and bring the best of yourself to it. The relationships you make along the way and the knowledge acquired will stay with you for a lifetime. The journey is the reward. 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.

MVPs for the Purpose of Fundraising Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Minimum viable products or MVPs help the startup not only engage with the customer but also with the investor. Here's how MVPs can help progress the fundraise. It demonstrates the product concept is viable. This shows the product can be built. An MVP demonstrates the founders' commitment to the business. It's easy to talk about a product, but building one takes more. Reduces the risk. A working prototype reduces the risk that one cannot build the potential product. It generates customer feedback. The MVP engages the customer conversation, giving the founder evidence that customers will buy it. Finally, the MVP demonstrates market interest. It shows there is a market for the product. The investor wants to know the product works and customers will pay for it. The MVP helps paint that picture. Consider building an MVP as part of your fundraising strategy. 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 Support a Founder Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors looking to find good deals should consider how to support founders. The more the investor can support the key founders in their network, the better chance they have at finding a place on their cap tables. Good founders launch a new startup every five years in most cases. The previous startup may or may not have succeeded. Investors looking for strong teams should consider supporting good founders on a day-to-day basis. This builds a network of potential CEOs who need funding. Here are some key steps on how to support a founder: Find out what is top of mind for them currently. Knowing what they are focused on will tell the investor how to add value. Ask the founder about the current milestone they are trying to achieve. Finally, ask what the biggest challenge they face today is. Through simple questioning, one can figure out how to support the founder at this time. Consider building a network of successful startup founders and supporting them in their work. 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 welcomes by Laura Hilty, Principal at HealthX Ventures and Chief Strategy Officer at Ignite Data, to discuss her path from Epic to building and launching seven software products at a clinical research startup, supporting acquisitions, and ultimately seeing the business sold to Blackstone for $5B—before moving into early-stage health tech investing. Laura shares how digital health opportunities are shifting as Epic expands into AI, creating new investment risk and pushing startups toward deep niches and tech-enabled services Epic won't replicate, like devices or clinician staffing. We also cover the FDA's push toward real-time clinical trials and questions around participant-level data, plus innovations addressing clinician shortages through automation and peer support, including Sober Sidekick's relapse prediction. Laura closes with advice on proving product-market fit before VC, defining moats in an AI-driven world, and avoiding overly frothy early valuations. Visit HealthX Ventures at www.healthxventures.com/ Reach out to at www.linkedin.com/in/laura-hilty001/ ________________________________________________________________________ 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 of the Venture Studio Model Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The Venture Studio model is a form of venture capitalism that brings numerous startups together and fosters their growth through shared resources and learning. Not all startups make it. The Venture Studio model takes the best of each failed startup and finds a place within a successful startup in the program. Here are some key challenges with the Venture Studio model: The Studio must have ongoing revenue streams. The program is labor-intensive, so there must be some way to pay the salaries. Make clear the program you are running and the output of it. Since the startups will change and reconfigure themselves regularly, it's important to make clear what the outcome will be. This could be to create five successful startups that raise funding by the end of the year. Funding for each startup will be a key challenge to overcome. The Studio will not be able to fund each startup completely, so outside funding must be found. Consider these challenges in your Venture Studio model program. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ 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.

Building Advocates for Your Fundraise Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, it's best to have a network of accredited investors to pursue. For those who do not, one can start building that network. Figure out where the angel investors in your area hang out. Find out what they read, listen to, and talk about. Based on this information, find individual angels and those who gather in groups. Then recruit angel investors to join your startup's network. Find ways to connect them into the group through investment, networking, or mentorship. For those investing, offer a special incentive such as warrants. For networking, figure out who they want to network with and foster that through meetups and online events. For those who can provide mentorship, gather them into a board of advisors. There will be those who don't meet any of the above criteria but can still be useful as connectors. Include them as well as they have connections they can leverage to help you build your group. With a group of investors behind the startup, the fundraise will gain momentum. Consider building advocates for your fundraise. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ 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 Risks in Family and Friends Funding Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Raising investment from family and friends is often a key step in a startup's fundraise. In the early days, there's no team, product, or customer traction. The founder has only an idea but lots of enthusiasm. It's a sign of validation that a founder's family and friends will invest money. They may not invest a great deal, but investing sends the signal of support. Angel investors and others will look for this validation. For those raising from family and friends, make clear the risk they take. They could lose all their money. If the business succeeds, they will suffer a great deal of dilution as there will most likely be many rounds of funding to follow. Family and friends often have no rights or preferences. In most cases, there's no board, so there will be minimal oversight over the startup. Founders will do well to make clear the risks the family and friends funding will take. In fact, it's best to raise small amounts of funding from family and friends and indicate that no one will be paid back. In many cases, family and friends are supporting you and will treat it as a donation rather than an 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.

The Go-to-Market Slide Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The Go-to-Market slide is important for seed-stage companies pitching for funding. It shows how the startup will enter the market. Consider setting up an initial target market. List the top twenty customers who will buy your product and gather them into a group called the beachhead market. This shows a focused strategy with a predetermined list of companies to pursue. Show how these companies are a great fit for your product. Then mention that you have already talked with all of them and they are interested in buying. Next, show how these companies will lead to more and bigger companies in the market. Avoid the percent of market approach in which 1% of a billion-dollar market is a big number. This fails with investors as it doesn't indicate what customers you are going to pursue. It demonstrates a lack of understanding of the market. Focus on identifying the customers and their segment and show how you have already sold to 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.

Alternatives to an MVP Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Building a full-blown product is unwise at the early stage, as the startup will inevitably build the wrong thing. It's best to test the market first. Minimum viable products or MVPs are a better solution than a product, as it's cheaper and easier to do. The goal of the MVP is to generate a dialogue with customers and estimate demand. There are alternatives to building an MVP. Here are some examples: Create a datasheet showing the product you intend to build and sell. Show the features and benefits of it. Use this to spark a dialog with customers. In-person interviews work best so as to gauge interest and capture feedback. This can be especially useful in setting the initial price for the product. Another alternative is to create a website landing page with key information. Then drive traffic to it. This will demonstrate how interested or disinterested the target market is in the proposed product. Set up the landing page to take orders for the product to see how many actually sign up. Tweak the content till you have interest in the product. Pretend you have the proposed product available today and try to sell it. This will inform your decision about what to build and is far cheaper than an MVP. 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 from Randy Hubbell, CEO of Soliris Endovascular, a medical device company developing peripheral endovascular technologies for PAD and dialysis access. Randy outlines the company's two advanced programs: Soliris SX, a self-expanding covered stent approved in 45 countries with over 15,000 sold and about $5M in recurring revenue, and a breakthrough-designated drug-eluting version that adds sirolimus to the stent edges to address edge restenosis. He shares Phase 2 interim results from a 115-patient study showing 95% patency compared to 70–75% for covered stents and about half failing after balloon angioplasty, with imaging consistent out to 12 months. Randy explains Soliris' tuck-in acquisition strategy aimed at multinationals, updates investors on a $5M bridge round and an upcoming $25M Series A to fund a single pivotal study and PMA toward a projected $550–$600M exit, followed by Q&A on Anvisa, global distribution, and strategic acquirer interest. ________________________________________________________________________ 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.

Customer Intimacy in Fundraising Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Customer intimacy is a strategy in which one builds a relationship with the customer about their care abouts and expectations. The more one knows about the customer, the better one is able to support and meet their needs. In fundraising, customer intimacy can be a compelling value proposition for the investor. Investors look initially at startups for traction with customers. Once that is in place, the investor looks for customer intimacy. How well does the founder know the customer? How can this be used to build an ongoing relationship with them? The more the founder knows about the customers, the more they can build products and services to meet their needs. For investors seeking to fund startups, look beyond the initial traction to how well the founder knows the customer. Test their knowledge of the customer with the question, now that you have sold the first product to the customer, what will you sell them next? See if the founder knows the customer well enough to chart a product roadmap. Consider customer intimacy as a key value proposition for fundraising. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _______________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ 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 Who Got Lucky Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Some founders get lucky and achieve a successful exit of their business. They were in the right place at the right time with the right solution. Investors should be wary of founders who got lucky. Their luck may have come early in the life of the startup. It's often the case that they haven't built the skills necessary to launch and grow a startup. Successful founders typically have several years of experience, but an early exit may have cut this short. When those who got lucky start their second business, they assume the conditions will be the same. They assume they will have a great product, and traction will come easily. But the conditions that played out on the first startup will rarely be there for the second one. The challenges of a startup are what make the founder. The hard times become the lessons that they take with them throughout life. If they skipped the hard times, then chances are they don't have the skills needed to take a startup through to an exit. As an investor, be wary of founders who got lucky. 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 First Round Should Have an Investor-Friendly Valuation Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, the first round is always the hardest. Here's why it's so difficult: There's often no product or revenue to prove traction. The team, in most cases, is unproven. The market is not yet well defined. The ideal target customer has not yet been identified. How the business will make money is not yet known. The founder is inexperienced, as this is often their first rodeo. The first round of funding should have an investor-friendly valuation. Use family and friends' funding to raise at least half of the round. Show investors how funds have already been raised. It's a positive that family and friends believe enough in you to invest. Invest your own money and show prospective investors that you are committed. Show how the valuation will go up in the next round when you have more values in business. Make the first round small so as not to incur too much dilution. With so few values in the business, most investors will not pay a higher valuation. 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.

Mitigate the Risks Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In a pitch, founders focus on the opportunity while the investors focus on the risk. Founders who raise funding have successfully shown how they mitigate those risks. Here are some key risks to mitigate: Team risks -- show how the team works well together. Cite a substantial project the team has already taken on and successfully completed. Product risks -- show how the product works, and customers will pay for it. Show the revenue from the product and how customers are happy with it. Technical risks -- show how you have already solved the technical issues. Describe the technical solution and the benefits that come from it. Launch risks -- show how you have already solved the launch challenge. This can be done by showcasing the results of the launch of the product. Market risks -- show how the market exists and will engage your product. Describe the market, including size, structure, and careabouts and list each segment you have already sold into. Revenue risks -- show how the revenue will be sufficient to cover the costs of doing business. Use unit economics to show how the product, which is already selling, is profitable. The more risks you mitigate, the easier it is to raise funding. 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.

Keys to a Successful Preseed Fundraise Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Raising pre-seed funding is one of the bigger challenges in startup fundraising. This round comes at the idea stage, so there are no metrics around traction or product-market fit. Here are the keys to a successful pre-seed round. The current team must have strong experience in the domain and a track record of growing and exiting startups. The team must have a unique insight into solving the problem in the industry. This will become the company's competitive advantage. The insight must be compelling enough to create a business that can generate more revenue or run the business at a substantially lower cost. The team must know the industry segment well and have enough connections to find customers, partners, and providers. In pre-seed funding, the team becomes the proxy by which the investor will judge the startup, as all values of the business will come from the initial group. Consider this in setting up your pre-seed fundraise. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ 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 Aether on addressing the global opioid epidemic with ATX-1209, a neuromodulator designed to modulate the mu-opioid receptor by suppressing dependence signals while preserving analgesic benefit when used alongside opioids, with additional development plans for opioid use disorder and neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS). The team cites completed human safety work, clean toxicology, and consistent animal data across species, along with validation from neuroscientist Dr. Phil Skolnick, and outlines a stage-gated, capital-efficient plan to run two clinical studies in Australia over roughly 2.5 years for about $10M to reach a key value inflection point. Ethair is raising $10M on a convertible note at a $13.3M pre-money valuation (with a lead investor already in for $4.5M on a $9M note), targeting an early exit if Phase 2A data shows reduced dependence scores with no loss of analgesia, or alternatively pursuing a pediatric orphan NOWS registrational study tied to a potential PRV voucher. ________________________________________________________________________ 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 Choose a Vertical SaaS Niche Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Vertical SaaS is a known business model that narrows the focus to a single application. This reduces the cost of capital to raise and gives the startup the opportunity to go deep on an application. Here's how to choose a vertical SaaS niche. Look for industry segments that are highly fragmented. It works well where market share is not concentrated. Find niches where technology can improve the efficiency of the business. Combining these two factors, one looks for a highly fragmented market that is currently inefficient. The market segment needs to be able to spend on tech efficiency. There needs to be enough money to implement SaaS systems. In prioritizing highly fragmented markets with low current efficiency, one looks to find the largest submarkets. The vertical must be big enough to produce a profitable business. Applying this methodology to each NAIS industry segment category provides a prioritized list of markets to apply vertical SaaS to. Consider these steps in selecting a niche for a vertical SaaS play. 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 Not To Follow Up With an Investor Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Founders raising funding should consider their approach to following up with an investor. Here's a list of ways not to do it: Have an admin send out the email follow-ups. At this stage, the founder should be building a relationship with the investor and should send all correspondence. Sending a formal email. The founder should make the email warm and friendly. Passing a new entrepreneur to the investor. It's best to focus on your own deal at this stage. Introducing others may come later. Fill the email with buzzwords and cliches. The email should be informative and not a brochure website. Jumping straight to the ask in the first sentence. It's best to set the context of the email, such as new information about customers. Skipping the updates about the business. Never send an email without some new information about the startup. It's best to continually inform and educate the investor. Consider these steps when following up with an 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.

Investor Questions and What They Mean Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Founders pitching investors can learn a great deal about an investor by the questions they ask. Investors apply the founders' pitch to their investment thesis. They work through the pitch to see how it does or does not fit. For example, questions focused on the financials show the investor makes decisions based on the numbers. Questions focused on the team show the investor makes decisions based on the skills of the founder. After assessing the interest of the investor, the founder can position the deal as a good fit by focusing on the investor's area of interest. For investors focused on financials, the founder can showcase the other numbers in the deal that are relevant, such as growth rate, gross margins, and the time to break even. For investors focused on the team, the founder can discuss further the experience and skills of the team. Consider the interests of the investor and reposition the discussion to focus on that 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.

How Angels Are Different From VCs Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Both angels and venture capitalists invest in early-stage companies. Here are the key differences between the two: Angels invest their own money while VCs invest other people's money. This makes the angel investor more risk-averse, while the VC often takes bigger risks. Most angels hold down a day job while most VCs are full-time in that role. Angels don't get paid to invest while VCs charge a management fee on the funds they deploy. Angels typically invest small amounts on their own unless they gather into groups and make a joint investment. VCs employ larger sums of money because they collected funds from many Limited Partners during their own fundraise. Most VCs lead the round if there isn't one, while most angel investors join party rounds rather than lead the deal, as it takes a great amount of time. Angel groups can bring some of the angel investors closer to some of the benefits of the venture capitalist. In pitching angels and VCs, keep these points in mind. 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.

Gaining Sales Traction for Fundraising Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, revenue traction is a key driver in attracting investors. Here are some key steps to gain sales traction for your fundraise. Early-stage companies don't have a large number of users, as that will take time. Instead, start with a small but dedicated set of users. Engagement with the product comes before revenue. Bring a strong story of initial users engaging with the product. Show how they are daily, weekly, and monthly active users. Calculate a customer ROI for the initial cohort of users and share that number with the investors. Large numbers of users who rarely use the product will fail to convince investors. A small group of users who can't live without the product will attract investors. Show how customer acquisition is a repeatable and predictable process. This shows the investor that you can increase sales as needed. Consider these steps in gaining sales traction for fundraising. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ 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 from Dr. Swarna Balasubramaniam, a surgeon-turned-founder, who presents Noleus Leaf, a perioperative therapeutic device designed to restart bowel function and shorten the long, complication-prone recovery after major abdominal surgery, where patients often remain hospitalized 2 to 14 days waiting for intestines to "wake up." She explains how excess IV fluids swell the intestines, contributing to ileus, and how Noleus Leaf uses negative pressure (vacuum) therapy placed at the end of surgery for six hours and then removed at the bedside to remove fluid and help patients eat and drink sooner, supporting healing. Dr. Balasubramaniam shares first-in-human study results conducted outside the US showing patients tolerated internal negative pressure therapy and bedside removal, and recovered bowel function two days earlier than supportive care. She outlines the market opportunity, citing about 2.9 million patients affected, additional use cases in inflammatory or infectious GI conditions, and economics including a device cost under $300 at scale and potential pricing tied to saving roughly two hospital days. The discussion also covers regulatory and commercialization plans, including pursuing a 510(k) pathway leveraging negative pressure wound therapy predicates rather than a De Novo approach, targeting large tertiary and quaternary surgical centers first, and building a sales motion that requires both surgeon champions and hospital value analysis approval. Dr. Balas notes the company has been capital efficient (under $4 million to date), is raising $1.4 million to support a 10–15 patient trial and verification/validation work for FDA clearance, and anticipates commercialization in about two and a half years, with potential exit paths to large medical device or wound care companies. ________________________________________________________________________ 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 Maintain Presence With a Prospective Investor Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, it takes several touches to close an investor. It's best to create additional interactions with the investor beyond asking, 'are you ready to invest yet?' Here are some key steps to maintain presence with a prospective investor: Offer to provide a special discount on your product or service to the investor's portfolio companies. This expands the relationship beyond the fundraise and provides value to the investor. Engaging with the investor's portfolio company generates many new interactions. As you encounter the portfolio companies, new conversations with the investor will arise. Ask for advice in a different way that goes beyond the startup. This adds a new dimension to the relationship and brings another set of touch points. Interact with mutual contacts who may then mention you in their own conversations with the investor. The unbiased third-party source of information is the most valuable. It shows others trust and believe in you. Look for ways to generate additional interactions with the prospective 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.

When the Investor Says No Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, the founder hears the response 'no' many times. Here's what to do when the investor says 'no'. Show gratitude. Thank them for their time and attention. Ask for feedback. Find out more about what they like about your deal and what they don't. Connect on social media. Use the interaction to make a connection. Add the investor to the future prospective investor list.Some investors are risk-averse and want to see the outcome of the current round. If the founder does well, the investor may come in on the next round. Ask for other investors to contact. Investors know many other investors and may know someone that is a better fit. It's often the case that the investor will fund a founder's second venture because they are now more familiar with him. The objective is to use the short-term interaction to build a long-term relationship. Consider these steps for when the investor says 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.

Fundraising Is Project Management Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Fundraising is project management. In launching a fundraise, treat it like a series of projects. Here are the key steps: Start with investor documentation and build out the materials needed. Build a list of potential investors. Gain introductions to those investors. Set up meetings with each one. Follow up on the investor meetings for next steps. Negotiate the terms of the deal when working with a lead investor. Finally, close the investor. As with all project management, it's best to plan out each step. Communicate the plan to others on the team. Use project management tools to keep track of each stage, such as a CRM and a scheduler. Each project takes time and focus to build. Apply project management skills such as delegation and prioritization of tasks. Consider these project management steps and tools for your fundraise. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ 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.

Starting a Relationship With an Investor Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding from an early-stage investor, the founder must build a relationship with that investor. Here are some key steps to starting a relationship with an investor. Learn their background and experiences from online sources. It's important to know their education and work experience. Research the investor by talking to their portfolio companies. Talk with mutual connections to learn more. Broach the discussion about the level of support the investor can provide. Adjust the expectations you have for the investor. Check their interest in joining an advisory board. In the early stages, this is often an informal board that meets from time to time to discuss key issues. Actively solicit feedback from the investor and make clear it's always invited. Set up a time to meet on a regular basis in person. Finally, find a mutual interest outside of work so the discussion can focus on other things from time to time. 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.

Overcoming Sales Call Anxiety Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startups raising funding need to show a growth story. Investors look for traction and momentum in businesses to fund. The ability to sell the product is a key skill for early-stage founders. Some founders are not good at selling and have sales call anxiety. Here are some key steps to overcome it: Know the product very well. Mastery of the product and how it works brings confidence. Know the customer's application. Research how customers are using the product to share with new customers. Create a sales script. Know what to say at each point in the sales process. Define a sales process for the product. Create a repeatable process to take customers through to a close. Generate warm leads. By investing in marketing, a founder can generate warmer prospects to pursue. Make sales a priority in the company. Turn the sales team into heroes, and others will aspire to pursue sales as part of their career. For founders, consider these steps in overcoming sales call anxiety. For investors, look at the sales skills of the founders and their sales 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.

In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall T. Martin opens the new TEN Capital Connect event focused on applying AI to investing, bringing investors together to share tools, get feedback, and hear pitches while highlighting TEN Capital's work since 2009 connecting startups and investors, supporting fundraising strategy, and running multiple monthly events (https://tencapital.group/events) alongside expansion into the MENA region and the launch of the "TEN Capital Connect" Substack newsletter on AI in startup investing and funding. Hall then introduces investors in the room, including entrepreneur Andy Fogarasi, Incisive Ventures managing partner Martin Tobias (a B2B software pre-seed investor and early DocuSign backer), and other early-stage investors and operators. The first company pitch features Pete Ferrari of Healthy for Life Foods presenting Jaca (Allulose) as a sugar alternative with claimed metabolic benefits, early traction including repeat purchase and subscription growth, a distribution network, AI-driven demand capture, and a pending patent for cleaner manufacturing, while raising $5M in equity at a $20M pre-money valuation, followed by investor Q&A on defensibility, clinical trials, and go-to-market execution. ________________________________________________________________________ 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.

Building a Moat Into a Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startups in the early days have little to protect the business beyond intellectual property. As the company grows, the startup can build a stronger moat. Here are some key steps for building a moat into a startup: Network effects -- grow the network within your customer base to strengthen the business. Design the product and the marketing to connect others to the customer base. Platforms -- design a platform into the solution offered. A platform brings reduced cost and greater capabilities versus one-off products. Integrate with partners -- use APIs and other technical connections to create a seamless solution for customers. Integrations add value and are difficult to compete against. Bundle products -- package several services into a single product. Through bundling, one creates a better solution that appeals to a broader audience. Long-term sales contracts -- signing long-term contracts provides a moat. Customers who want to switch will find it costly, and competitors will get tired of waiting for the customer to come back to the table. Proprietary data -- data that is unique to the business adds value. Unique data can be mined for additional products and services. Brand -- build a brand that provides a unique promise to the customer. Brands take time to build but can provide an additional moat for the company. Consider these steps in building a moat into 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 Capital-Efficient Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors look for capital-efficient businesses to invest in. Founders looking to raise funding should first consider building a capital-efficient startup. Here are some key steps to building a startup that is capital-efficient: Look for a business opportunity that generates good revenue from the customer. The customer will pay a high price for the product. This often comes from a good product-to-market fit. The business runs efficiently and doesn't need a great deal of money to provide the product or service. Businesses in this category are considered frugal and spend carefully. Salaries are kept low, which raises the value of the equity of the business. The startup is in a high-growth market segment generating organic growth. The startup is highly scalable and doesn't need a great deal of capital to grow. Capital-efficient businesses in the long run should do better because they don't have to raise capital as often. Investors should look for these drivers in potential startup investments. 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 Sales Metrics To Look For Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In reviewing startups, here are the key metrics investors should look for: Annual contract value -- the value the customer spends on the product in one year. This needs to be a meaningful amount of money in order to grow a startup. Customer lifetime value -- the total amount of money the customer spends on the product. This indicates how well the product meets the customer's needs. Sales pipeline -- the number and revenue value of sales prospects. This shows ongoing demand for the product from new customers. Conversion rate -- this shows how many leads turn into sales. This needs to be a known figure so as to calculate how many leads to generate to meet a sales goal. Sales team turnover -- this shows how long sales reps stay with a company. This shows how many salespeople need to be recruited and trained. Referrals -- shows how many leads come from partner channels. This shows how many partners need to be recruited and trained. Customer retention -- this shows how long customers use the product. This determines how many new customers need to be recruited. The goal of metrics is to define the current business model so it can be tuned to operate efficiently. Look to see how well defined these metrics are for a potential startup 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.

How To Get the Most out of a Pitch Session Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. For those setting up a pitch session, here are the key steps so the presenter and investor get the most out of it. Decide the goal of the pitch session. This could be providing practice for the presenter, or giving feedback on the pitch, or making an investment decision. Determine the criteria for selecting the presenters. Recruit startup presenters who meet the criteria. Set up an agenda for who will pitch and how long. Provide documentation upfront about the pitches, including the deck or executive summaries. Set aside time for general questions after each pitch. Set expectations about what will be covered in the pitches and what will not. Encourage questions that drive to the goal of the pitch session. Discourage questions and feedback that distract from the goal. Set aside time for one-on-one discussions between the investors and the presenters. Make available the presenters' contact information. Encourage follow-up by the investors. Consider these steps in how to get the most out of a pitch session. 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.

Fundraising Is a Sales Process Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Fundraising is a sales process. Consider these steps in setting up your fundraiser: First, build the investor documents, including pitch deck, terms sheet, and data room. In fundraising, you are selling equity in your company. This is the same as a brochure or data sheet for your product. Second, build a list of prospective investors to pursue. Just as you have an ideal customer profile for selling your product, so you also have an ideal investor profile. Search for investors that fit your ideal profile. Third, research your investor prospects to learn more about them. Fourth, make initial contact with the investor. Update them on your fundraiser. Fifth, and most importantly, follow up to check interest Answer their questions and update them on your progress. Sixth, identify your best investor prospects and move to close. It takes seven touches to close a sale so it takes seven touches to close an investor. Seventh, review the characteristics of the investors who came in to learn more about how you found them, where they hang out, and what they wanted. This will inform your process on how to find more investors. 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, Hall Martin and Kat DelGaudio host a Ten Capital investor education session highlighting how Ten Capital connects growth startups with accredited investors through relationship-driven events and coaching, and they point attendees to tenthcapital.group/events and a QR code for startups seeking to raise. Hall introduces Ava, Ten Capital's AI venture assistant on startupfundingespresso.com, built from over 500 blogs, podcasts, and calculators to answer startup funding and investing questions. The investor panel features Vadim Balashev of Viaduct Ventures, a Series A B2B AI-focused VC writing roughly $500K checks, and Nola Masterson of Portfolia, a venture fund with 2,000+ investors (about 90% women) across 14 funds and $70M deployed in areas including women's health, active aging, and sustainability. Founder Nathan Monte pitches Enamel Pure's $35K laser-and-camera hygiene device that cleans plaque, hardens enamel as a fluoride replacement, whitens via a mouth guard, and creates 2D/3D dental scans for AI-driven diagnostics and aligner measurement files; he cites FDA clearance, distributor-led go-to-market, per-procedure recurring revenue, and an upcoming $8M Series A at a $32M pre after finishing a $1.5M round. ________________________________________________________________________ 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.

Product Launch Strategy Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso—your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Founders often mistake their pitch deck for their product launch strategy. But the two serve different goals. The pitch is meant to raise capital — the launch is meant to earn trust. A strong product launch strategy doesn't just announce features. It builds a narrative: who it's for, what it solves, and why it matters now. The best launches create momentum by aligning messaging, channel, and timing. Savvy founders build launch strategies in layers: — First, define the minimum viable message. — Next, build social proof and use cases. — Then, plan waves of release — from insider demos to public unveilings. Launch isn't a moment. It's a sequence. The most common mistake? Using the investor pitch template for customer activation. Investors want vision and scale. Customers want relevance and clarity. Don't confuse one for the other. Plan your product launch with intent. Make every stage of rollout a proof point — not just of what you built, but of how well you understand the 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.

Finding an Investor Is Like Finding a Date Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Founders looking for investors face the same challenge as those looking for a date. Just as in the dating world, both the investor and the startup exaggerate their strengths. Some don't know exactly what they want from the other. Just as there are marriage contracts, the startup world has term sheets. A substantial number of startups don't succeed, just as many marriages do not. Drawing from the world of dating, one becomes more successful the more they know what they want. Founders should figure out what they want from the investor. This includes not only funding, but also follow-on funding, mentorship, and networking. Next, look for where to find investors that meet the criteria. Specialize in how to talk to these particular investors. Finally, figure out what they are looking for and how to present your startup. Just as it takes time to find the right date, so it will take time to find the right investor. Consider the dating game as a model to find your 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.

What Investors Want To Know About Your Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Founders raising funding should consider what investors want to know about their startup. Here are some key points to make before the meeting: Show how your startup fits the investment thesis of the investor. This should include how it fits with the sector, stage, and trajectory of the startup. Investors want to work with A players who are passionate about this project. Highlight the strength of the team and how they can execute. The investor wants to know if your product has interest from customers. Show how you have identified customers and you know how to sign them up. They want to see that customers will pay for it and that the product works. The investor wants to know the team understands the challenge in front of them and how they are going to succeed. The investors want to see who the competition is and how the team is going to compete against them. The investor wants to know the team is setting up the business to scale. The investor wants to know you have an exit in mind and that it will be a good return for the investors. Consider these points in setting up a meeting with an 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.

Common Mistakes With Investor Introductions Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Founders raising funding need introductions to investors. Here are some common mistakes introducers make with investor introductions. Lack of information Most founders ask for an introduction but fail to provide enough information for the introducer to make a meaningful introduction. It's best to include some context in the request. Lack of a ready-to-mail email. Many founders would do well to provide the introducer a ready-to-mail email. This contains the relevant information, including why there's an introduction. Make sure to write the email in the voice of the introducer and include an appropriate subject line. Slow follow-up to an introduction. After the investor responds to the email introduction, it's important to follow up in a timely manner. Waiting a day or two can degrade the introduction as the recipient may have forgotten that an introduction was made. Not returning the favor. Asking someone to make an introduction and then not returning the favor could degrade the relationship with the introducer. It's important to pay it back. Consider these points in making an investor introduction. 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.

Hiring the Team for Your Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. After fundraising comes building the team. The core team may already be in place, but growth will demand new hires. Here are some key points in hiring the team for your startup: Have your high-performing team members interview new candidates. The high performers tend to hold others to their standard. They are more likely to be frank about a candidate's abilities. Where did they work before? Does it have a reputation for quality and professionalism? Check their thinking ability. Give them a problem and ask them to articulate out loud their thought process in solving it. Give them a task and check their speed of execution. Does it match the pace of the company? Review their past experiences to see how that has shaped them. Check their interest in the company and dig into why they want to work there. Is it only a paycheck, or is there a deeper reason? Consider these steps in hiring the team 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 welcome Zach Holman of Signed, a former GitHub engineer and advisor, who shares how he moved into advising and angel investing and what he looks for in early-stage companies, emphasizing the importance of team, culture, ambition, and market. Zach discusses how AI is changing startup building by making it easier for small or even solo teams to ship product and reach revenue quickly, shifting the key scarcity from answers to asking the right questions and having the discipline and "taste" to choose the right product direction. He explains how his technical background helps him assess real product progress and technical challenges, and he outlines common fundraising mistakes, including getting onto the VC treadmill without a venture-scale plan when bootstrapping may be better. Zach also introduces signed.com as a portfolio tool built to replace messy spreadsheets and help angels treat equity as a real investment. Visit Signed at signed.com/ Reach out to at www.linkedin.com/in/zachholman/, and on zachholman.com/ ________________________________________________________________________ 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 Become a VC Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Venture capital is a job that many aspire to hold. It's challenging, but it provides great experiences. For those who want to become a venture capitalist, there are several paths. Start by working in a startup in a sales role. Some of the most effective VCs are those who have operational experience in the startup world. This provides a strong foundation for what it takes to launch and build a startup. Work in a high-growth startup that is scaling. This brings a different experience around fast growth, fast hiring, fast everything. It shows the pace of a startup and how to keep up. Work for a Venture Capitalist as a scout or analyst. Scout work teaches the fundamentals of deaflow and how to find the best ones. The analyst position teaches one how to research a startup and what to look for. Find a mentor VC who will share insights into the world of venture capital and how things really work. With real-world startup and venture capital skills in hand, one can become a VC. 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.

Starting With the Beachhead Market Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors look for large target markets that are growing well. Founders looking to launch a startup often look for huge problems to solve. Since startups are limited in their resources, they must find a way to solve a large problem with few people and products. One solution to this problem is to identify a beachhead market. Look for a niche in the market that needs the solution. Ideally, this niche can become the beachhead market. This initial market must be readily accessible to the founders. They must know players in this space and have access to them for feedback. While the beachhead market may not be the biggest market, it should be one of the easiest to take over. After securing the beachhead market, the startup can pursue bigger markets adjacent to it. The beachhead market validates the problem and utilizes the startup's solution. This provides revenue to the startup to launch and grow the business. Look to solve a problem in a large market, but focus on the beachhead market for entry into it. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let's go startup something today. _________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ 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 Screen a Startup for Investment Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors looking for startup investments need to screen deals efficiently. Here's a set of criteria to apply to startups before pursuing diligence. Check the team. Do they know what they are doing? Do they have the skills to achieve the goal? Do they have passion and grit? Check the business. Does it address a large market? Will the business scale? Will it make good money on a unit economic level? Check the investment terms. Is the valuation in line with the market? Are the terms reasonable? Check the business for alignment with the investment thesis. Does the business track with current market trends? Does it fit the investor's view of the world? Consider this criterion in screening a startup 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.

How To Scale a Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In the early days of a startup, the founder seeks to build and sell a product. In the later days, the founder seeks to scale the business. Here are several ways to scale a startup: Raise funding to fuel the scaling strategy. This could be a substantial amount of funding to achieve the growth target. Apply technology to the operations to minimize the cost of running the business. This could also bring access to new markets and applications. Pivot to a higher level in the industry, providing services at a higher price. Build related products and services to further monetize the client base. Remove low-volume products and services that don't scale. This frees up resources to apply to the high-volume products. Reorganize the startup to run with fewer resources. Automate as many functions as possible, such as accounting, customer service, support, and more. This reduces the cost and allows the company to scale as fast as sales can grow. Consider these points for scaling 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 Write a Press Release for Your Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Press releases can help the startup gain exposure in the marketplace. This helps recruit employees, find customers, and attract investors. Founders can do this upon closing a round of funding. Here are the steps to write a press release for your startup: Start with a compelling headline that motivates the audience to read further. Describe in the first paragraph the content you want every reader to have. In most cases, this will be all that they read. Create a standard paragraph explaining what the business does. This can be reused in future releases. Include quotes from the founder on the mission and values of the company. Add visuals such as photos of the team. Action pictures are more interesting than posed pictures. Add links to the website and other relevant information. Include enough information that a journalist can tie your press release to a current story. Finally, add your contact details and include the name and phone number of someone the reader can contact for more information. 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 John Kim, Managing Director at Aphelion Capital, a healthcare-focused venture firm investing in early and mid-stage medical device and digital health companies. John shares Aphelion's evolution from an evergreen, medical-device-only strategy to a stronger focus on cardiovascular and brain health, including a mission-aligned fund built with the American Heart Association, alongside a smaller home health effort. He discusses how the firm became fully remote after COVID, enabling efficient sourcing and meetings with companies nationwide, and explains what he looks for in opportunities—especially reimbursement pathways, clinical need, capital requirements, and experienced teams. John also covers founder traits tied to performance, improving sentiment around exits and acquisitions, how portfolio construction has shifted toward companies with stronger human data and commercial traction, the challenges of investing in standalone AI without defensibility. Visit Aphelion Capital at www.aphelioncapital.net/ Reach out to at www.linkedin.com/in/john-kim-4316b318/, 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.