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Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The best deals have more investors than they need. So how does an investor gain access to those deals? Startups choose investors who…

This is Investor Perspectives. I’m the host of Investor Connect, Hall T Martin, where we connect startups and investors for funding. In our new Investor Perspectives series entitled “How to Understand Blockchain”, you’ll hear about…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. As a startup investor, you will find there are many deals to consider. In fact, there are too many startups to diligence and pursue….

In this episode, Hall welcomes back Jeff Stewart, Co-Founder & Managing Director of GPO Fund. The GPO team invests in tech-driven, founder-led, North American companies that can harness Asia-Pacific public capital markets to achieve growth,…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. So how do you know when to pull the trigger and invest in a startup? After applying the investment thesis, check for the following:…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Luke Hohmann, CEO & Founder of FirstRoot. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, FirstRoot teaches financial literacy and budgeting – through a process known as Participatory Budgeting – and civics, as kids decide…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. While there’s a great number of startups looking for funding, the startup investor needs to set up deal-flow sources. Your personal…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Carl Grant III, EVP of Global Business Development at Cooley. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Cooley is a law practice where clients partner with them on transformative deals, complex IP, regulatory matters, and…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In analyzing potential investments, it’s important to understand their business model and how well it meets the venture investors’…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Reyn Aubrey, CEO of PocketChange. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, PocketChange is a social media platform created to reverse the chaos created by social media 1.0. They do many things differently, including paying for…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The elevator pitch can do more for you than just give you a short-form pitch. It boils down your pitch to the bare essence. This helps…

This is Investor Perspectives. I’m the host of Investor Connect, Hall T Martin, where we connect startups and investors for funding. In our new Investor Perspectives series entitled “How to Understand Blockchain”, you’ll hear about primary…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The elevator pitch is one of the most important pitches you can give. Here are some key points to remember in delivering your elevator…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Jonathan Staenberg, Founder and CEO of Staenberg Venture Partners. Staenberg Venture Partners is a Seattle-based venture capital firm focused on the technology industry mostly between San Francisco and Seattle. Early in…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Today we’ll talk about a rolling close. Closing a fundraising round can be challenging given the schedules of the investors. A…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Bharat Kanodia, Founder and Chief Appraiser at Veristrat. Veristrat is a professional services company, headquartered in Pleasanton, California. They provide various valuation and advisory services. Veristrat provides…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In pitching your startup for funding, you’ll find many opportunities to engage investors. Not all opportunities will provide…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Gayatri Sarkar, Founder of She-VC and General Partner at Advaita Capital. She-VC is a media platform that featured $100B+ combined capital of institutional investors championing the diversity, equity, and inclusion for…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The elevator pitch is a key tool in your fundraise. Here are some best practices to make your elevator pitch a success: Before…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Troy Schlicker, Owner, Broker, and Real Estate Advisor at Reserve Realty, and Host of the Austin Spotlight podcast.   Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Reserve Realty is an Austin real estate company specializing…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Elevator pitches can be used in many ways. The pitch states the problem, the solution, and how to learn more about it. In addition to…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The elevator pitch follows a simple format. Start with the people who have this problem so the listener has context. Show the cost in…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Gady Nemirovsky, Managing General Partner at Inspiration Ventures.  Headquartered in Burlingame, California, Inspiration Ventures is an early-stage investment firm that structures its investments in a way that…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In crafting an elevator pitch, the intro is the most important part. You must grab their attention and make them want to hear more….

In this episode, Hall welcomes Karen Contet, Co-Founder & CEO of AngelHub. AngelHub is Hong Kong’s only SFC-regulated tech investment platform enabling investors to co-invest on a deal-by-deal basis alongside their fund & institutional…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. To craft an elevator pitch, start with the end in mind.  Do you want to pitch an investor? Do you want to sell a product? …

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. An elevator pitch is a short version of your fundraise pitch. Use it when you are engaging investors in situations where the slides…

In this episode, Hall welcomes James W. Day, Senior Corporate Counsel at EquityZen. EquityZen is a FinTech platform and online marketplace for investors and shareholders in alternative assets. If you are an accredited investor, EquityZen helps you…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are pros and cons to working with Corporate VCs. Here are the pros: They take a long-term point of view giving the startup time…

This is Investor Perspectives, I’m the host of Investor Connect, Hall T Martin, where we connect startups and investors for funding. In our new Investor Perspectives series entitled “How to Solve the Cannabis Problem”, you’ll hear about…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In working with corporate VCs, follow these best practices: Consider access to the R&D departments of the corporate VC and how…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Brandon C. White, Host and Editor of Build a Business Success Secrets podcast and playbook. Headquartered in Half Moon Bay, California, Build a Business Success Secrets is a monthly print playbook revealing the inner…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Corporate VCs can leverage their position in the industry to sign up good startups with an investment. The corporate VC brings a…

In this episode, Hall welcomes John Dalton, Managing Partner at Industrial Device Investments (IDI). Headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, IDI invests in manufacturers of industrial devices, sensors, machinery, and instruments. More specifically,…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Companies setting up a corporate VC arm often make the following mistakes: Treating the corporate VC arm as purely an acquisition…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Patricia (Trish) Costello, CEO & Founder of Portfolia. Trish is internationally recognized for her pioneering work in preparing venture capital investment partners through the prestigious Kauffman Fellows Program,…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In setting up a corporate VC fund in your organization, consider the following: Start with the legal structure. You can either create…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Greg Shepard, Founder of BOSS Capital Partners. Headquartered in San Diego, California, BOSS Capital Partners is a boutique consulting firm dedicated to working with technology businesses that need operational expertise…

This is Investor Perspectives, I’m the host of Investor Connect, Hall T Martin, where we connect startups and investors for funding. In our new Investor Perspectives series entitled “How to Solve the Cannabis Problem”, you’ll hear about…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. While traditional venture funds increase their fund size over time, corporate VCs should keep their fund size low. Traditional VCs…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are several approaches corporate VCs can take in setting up their venture program: For finding innovations for current…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Adam Hull, Partner at Redbud Advisors. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Redbud Advisors is the fulcrum to your wealth. They serve as wealth strategists and focus on winning relationships in all forms. Their ideal client…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Corporate VC funding continues to grow as companies look for innovation and startups look for funding opportunities. There are several…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Hubert Vaz-Nayak, Co-Founder and President of the Chicago Booth Angels Network of Texas. The Chicago Booth Angels Network (CBAN) of Texas was formed by Booth alumni in Texas who came together to identify and invest…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are several tools for the corporate VC to use in a venturing program. Here’s a list to consider: Hackathon – invite those in…

In this episode, Hall welcomes David Meltzer, CEO of David Meltzer Enterprises. David is the Co-Founder of Sports 1 Marketing and formerly served as CEO of the renowned Leigh Steinberg Sports & Entertainment agency, which was the inspiration for…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Founders looking to raise funding from corporate VCs should avoid the following mistakes: Not matching the corporate VC to the needs…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Ben Rifkin, CEO at Ten Eighty Capital. Ten Eighty is a single-family office and diversified private investment firm with three primary focus areas. Ten Eighty Trading develops proprietary technical trading strategies for…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startups looking to take corporate VC funding should be aware of the requirements put on founders. Here’s a list to consider: …

This is Investor Perspectives, I’m the host of Investor Connect, Hall T Martin, where we connect startups and investors for funding. In our new Investor Perspectives series entitled “How to Solve the Cannabis Problem”, you’ll hear about…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Chris Fronda, CEO of Logictry. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Logictry, the first-ever Logic Management system, is a no-code, low-code application platform that allows anyone to build business Logic Apps that combine…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The corporate VC must set up and run a program. Here’s a list of core functions the corporate VC must cover: Planning out the…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. With the growing number of startups seeking funding, it’s easy to increase your corporate VC fund to capture more deals. Fund sizes…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Jim Stallings, CEO of PS27 Ventures. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, PS27 Ventures is a veteran-owned venture capital firm that invests in early-stage companies that are driving dramatic changes in high-growth markets….

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Corporate venture capital is venture funding from a company, rather than a fund raised from limited partners. Most corporate venture…

In this episode, Hall welcomes JC Otero, COO & Co-Founder of Change4Change. Headquartered in Austin, TX, Change4Change’s mission is to democratize the political fundraising process by broadening the donor base, making fundraising more accessible…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Corporate VCs follow the startup cycle with many launching their programs at the peak of the cycle. Most Corporate VCs last about 4 to…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Caroline Lewis, Partner at Rogue Venture Partners and Managing Partner of Rogue’s Women’s Fund. Rogue Venture Partners is a venture capital firm specializing in investments in startups. It seeks to invest in new and…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Overall, corporate VCs invest more than traditional VCs by about 2%. Corporate VCs operate the same as traditional VCs with some…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Corporate venture capital is an existing business utilizing venture funding to further the company’s strategic objectives. The firm…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Jim Denholm, Founder & CEO at IronBridge Private Wealth. IronBridge Private Wealth was founded in Austin, Texas, to combine the strength and resources of a large financial firm with the independence of a local…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Corporate venture capital is an existing business utilizing venture funding to further the company’s strategic objectives. The firm…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Gopi Rangan, Founding Partner at Sure Ventures. Sure Ventures is a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm investing with a mission to enable peace of mind. The main areas of focus are pre-seed and seed-stage startups…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. To ensure an advisor engagement is successful, make sure you set up an advisor agreement. This is a contract between the advisor and…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Ganesh Padmanabhan, VP, Global Business Development & Strategic Partnerships at BeyondMinds, technologist, entrepreneur, and early-stage investor. Founded in 2018, BeyondMinds has built the first enterprise AI…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. For family and friends funding, sometimes a promissory note is used to set up a loan. Here are some key points to consider in reading…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Jeffrey Cherry, Founder and Managing Partner at Conscious Venture Partners, LLC, and Founder/Executive Director of Conscious Venture Lab. Headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, the Conscious Venture Fund II (the…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In negotiating the valuation, it’s important to understand the impact of that valuation on follow-on rounds and the exit. A…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Connor Davidson, Partner at Atlanta Seed Company. Established in December of 2019, the Atlanta Seed Fund I aims to expand upon their mission of bringing access to high-quality, early-stage investments to their clients….

In this episode, Hall welcomes Jim Thomas, Partner at Kirenaga Partners. Kirenaga is a Japanese term used to describe a knife or sword blade. It literally translates to the duration of sharpness or amount of edge retention. Headquartered in Orlando,…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The Cap Table is an important part of any diligence process. In reviewing a startup’s Cap Table, look for these signs of a problem: …

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors review the cap table as part of their diligence process.  They look for the following in the cap table: The founders…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Eric Levine, Fitness Expert, Investor, and Founder and CEO of Eric Levine Global. Eric started in the fitness industry in 1979, when he was the first franchisee for Golds Gym, and opened up a chain of six clubs. These…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. A fully-diluted cap table shows the impact of the conversion of convertible notes. A convertible note has a date of issue, an interest…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Phil Pelucha, Chief Empowerment Officer at Billionaires in Boxers. Billionaires in Boxers currently provides podcast publicity for circa 100 current and future industry leaders, produces over 50 business podcasts, and…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. It’s important to manage your cap table as you go. Fixing it later will cost you time and money. Here are some key points for…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Filipe R. Portela, Managing Partner at COREangels Impact. COREangels Impact makes angel investing professional and global, improving outcomes while contributing and enjoying the journey. They are a pre-seed impact…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. It’s important for investors to see your cap table in its fully diluted form. The total number of shares issued or outstanding will…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Tom Byrnes, Founder and CEO of ThreatSTOP. Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, ThreatSTOP uses real-time curated threat intelligence to block threats at firewalls, routers and DNS servers, which isn’t new, but until…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. If you have too many former founders with stock who no longer work at the startup, then you may need to clean up your cap table. …

In this episode, Hall welcomes Jeremy Carter, Managing Partner at Soterra Capital. With offices in Austin, Texas, and Louisville, Kentucky, Soterra Capital invests in small to mid-size private companies with capable management teams and fundamentally…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. So, who gets access to the cap table? In general, the CEO, CFO, the board of directors, and investors with information rights get…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Francisco Jardim, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at SP Ventures.  Founded in 2007, SP Ventures is one of the most traditional Venture Capital managers in Brazil. They temporarily acquire equity interests in small…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The cap table stands for capitalization table and tracks the equity ownership in a company. It’s important to be able to read a cap…

In this episode, Hall welcomes George Ferris, Founder and Managing Member at Bilgola Capital LLC. Bilgola Capital invests in small dynamic companies with fundamentally strong business models that are led by ambitious and professional management teams….

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Term sheets tend to favor the founder over the investor or the other way around.  Here is how to tell if you have a…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The cap table tracks the ownership in the company. In applying the company’s equity to the business there are several mistakes to…

In this episode, Hall welcomes David Hornik, Founder and General Partner at Lobby Capital. Lobby Capital is a venture capital firm headquartered in San Francisco, California. They join forces to collectively fund, advise, support, and mentor the next…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. As the startup grows it will add new entries to the cap table including new hires, option pools, advisors, as well as new investors….

In this episode, Hall welcomes Harlan T. Beverly, Ph.D., Ambassador and Advisor at Disruptive Labs, and author of “Lean Startings: A novel about creating a lean startup and life’s interruptions” and “Navigating Your Way to Startup…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Cap Table stands for Capitalization Table and tracks the equity ownership in the company. This includes the number of shares each one…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Isidoros Sideridis, CEO and co-Founder at Pobuca. Pobuca offers a go-to-market platform for brands and retailers that helps them boost their customer experiences. With Pobuca you can engage your customers and empower…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. An advisory board is a group of three to five people who provide advice on how to grow your startup. They bring experience, contacts,…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Bradford Shepherd, Managing Partner at Sugarhouse Investments. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Sugarhouse Investments is a real estate private equity firm that provides investors with passive investment opportunities in…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Once you’ve found an advisor you want to bring on board, consider the compensation. It’s important to pay the advisor something…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Donna Hamlin, CEO, & Nola Masterson, Partner at Boardwise. Boardwise provides companies and executives with the highest quality solutions, tools, education, independent evaluations, research, breaking news, and…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In recruiting an advisor, check to see if they have what it takes to be a good one: Have they been through the wringer?  …

In this episode, Hall welcomes Don Rainey, General Partner at Grotech Ventures. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, Grotech Ventures is a team committed to helping creative and driven entrepreneurs build technology companies that last. Their…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Here are some warning signs you may be talking to the wrong advisor: Their primary business-building experience came two tech…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Christian Czernich, CEO/Founder/Managing Partner at Round2 Capital Partners.  Round2 Capital Partners is a financing partner for European scale-ups with digital and sustainable business models. In the scale-up…