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In this episode, Hall welcomes Adam Weiler, CEO of Sunken Stone. Headquartered in San Diego, California, Sunken Stone is a turnkey performance-based Amazon marketing solution that handles everything from marketing, to brand launch, content, inventory,…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Most of the work in a standard board meeting are perfunctory duties such as approving minutes and reviewing financials and metrics….

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Board members are a key part of a growing startup. Building out the board is an important step in setting up the company for success….

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The board is a key part of the team that makes the startup successful. When you are in the early stage, using family and friends…

In this episode, Hall welcomes back Sajol Ghoshal, CEO & President at Advanced TeleSensors/Cardi/o. Cardi/o is the first-to-market touchless cardiac sensing solution, making in-home health & wellness accessible to over 100 million people….

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. You may want to add independent board members to your board. The independent board member may add value to your company by bringing…

In this episode, Hall welcomes back William Santana Li, Chairman and CEO of Knightscope. Knightscope builds Autonomous Security Robots in Silicon Valley (Made in the USA!) and their long-term ambition is to make the United States of America the safest…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. So, what is a board observer? In general, the board observer is just that, an observer. Someone who listens to the discussion but…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Board meetings are important for gaining input and advice on how to run the business. To get the most out of your board meeting, start…

In this episode, we welcome Beau Flowers, Chief Executive Officer of Flowtex Energy.  Flowtex Energy is an Austin, Texas independent oil & gas producer. They maximize the unique tax benefits and tremendous cash-on-cash returns available…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Board members can help the company in many ways. Here’s a list of potential support:  They can help recruit employees for the…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startups with product-market fit that are generating revenue should consider installing a board. The board of directors provides…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In growing your startup, one of the best assets you can have is a strong and engaged board of directors. The board should have members…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The startup board is typically led by the CEO. Some boards fall into formal roles to tackle specific tasks such as compensation or…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In running a board, there will be conflicts and bad behavior. Here are some to watch out for: The board member who disrupts the group…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Dr. Maria T. Millan, President and CEO of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). CIRM is California’s stem cell agency. Its mission is to accelerate stem cell treatments to patients with unmet medical…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are several types of board members.  Each provides a contribution to the board dynamic. Here are the types you may see in…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Sarah Jennings, Assistant Director of The Cedarville Beyond Angel Network and Yellow Jacket Fund I. The Cedarville Beyond Angel Network and Fund provides early-stage capital to strong entrepreneurial teams with developed…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Board directors can help the company in many ways beyond governance. Here are some key areas: Provide strategy and direction for the…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The board leader can make the board meetings more effective. Here are some points to consider:  Set up meetings that don’t…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Dylan Penebre, CEO and investor of PointOS. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, PointOS is a restaurant management platform designed to help restaurants and bars operate more efficiently and profitably. PointOS…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. For board meetings, it’s important to prepare properly. Set the meeting schedule well in advance, such as a year. Prepare documents…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Nish Krishna, CEO of Lend-Grow. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Lend-Grow is a complete digital growth platform for local lenders. Lend-Grow aims to connect consumers with 1000+ local lenders that are often…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. One of the key roles of a board member is coaching the CEO. Here are some key points to consider: Focus on the team, the financials,…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The board can help the company with building the team. Here are some key points to consider in helping with recruiting: Identify…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Monica Brady, Co-Founder of VUniverse. VUniverse is a female and minority-founded company headquartered in New York and is a Delaware corporation. VU by VUniverse provides programming recommendations based on…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In setting up the board for a startup, it’s important to set the compensation policy for the directors. While some candidates will…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Board members have a fiduciary duty which means they must exercise good business judgment, put the company’s interest first, and act…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Board work brings potential liability for the director. Directors & Officers Insurance protects the board members. Most policies…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, the startup will meet with many investors to answer their questions. So, how should the startup answer the…

In this episode, Hall welcomes James (Jim) Mulford, President & CEO of acQyr eXchange. Located in Denver, Colorado, acQyr eXchange (QX) is the first digital asset marketplace that allows gamers to manage, trade, and sell in-game rewards across…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. A common mistake made by startups is launching a company in an industry in which the founders know little or nothing about. I find…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In pitching investors, you must have a competitive advantage and be able to demonstrate it.  It’s not enough to say your…

In this episode, Hall welcomes John Quinn, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of EXOS Aerospace Systems & Technologies. Located in Greenville, Texas, EXOS Aerospace Systems & Technologies is a small Defense Department Trade Commission…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startups are usually shy about discussing their current revenue when they are early in the process as the revenue is not large. I tell…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. If you are pre-revenue, you can show traction with your startup. We’ll define traction as activity with customers, albeit without…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Edward Dugger III, Founding Partner and President of Reinventure Capital. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, Reinventure Capital is a high-impact, high-return venture practice proven to deliver nonconcessionary financial…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In the deal process, there are always issues that give the investor cause to rethink pursuing the investment.  Here is a short…

In this episode, Hall welcomes back Joy Schoffler, Partner at Ascendant Industries. Ascendant Industries is a New York-based investment management company that focuses on opportunities where they can support senior management to drive rapid growth and…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are over 125 terms in the NVCA glossary for terms sheets. So which terms should the investor focus on? Here are six terms that…

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 using convertible notes. Startups use them primarily for seed rounds and bridge rounds. They are lower in…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Garin Toren, CEO & Founder of ping. Headquartered in New York, ping is a four-time-patented messaging platform that automatically reads your texts, emails, and all other message types out loud when touching your…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are many terms used in terms sheets but there are only a few that have a significant impact. Here are the key ones: Liquidation…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are many terms in a standard terms sheet for investing in a startup.  Six terms have a direct impact on the return the…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In negotiating the terms of a startup investment, the investor should develop a standard terms sheet and modify it for each deal. In…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In setting the valuation for a startup, there are financial calculations, and then there are non-financial factors. I call the…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The terms sheet glossary contains over 125 terms that can be used. For every risk in the startup, there is a term to place in the…

In today’s show, you’ll hear investor perspectives on the growing space sector.   This is Investor Perspectives, I’m the host of Investor Connect, Hall T Martin, where we connect startups and investors for funding. Commercial…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. For a startup to raise funding it must have a legal structure. The two choices are LLCs, which is a Limited Liability Company, or a…

I’m the host of Investor Connect, Hall T Martin, where we connect startups and investors for funding. Therapeutics continues to advance across the board. In today’s show, you’ll hear about a new company in the pharma space called BiorganicPharma…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In launching your fundraise, you should always be in a position to take funding. There are many investors who want to join the deal…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. After diligence, investors who want to move forward will sign the investment documents. For a convertible note raise, the investor and…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Albert Meyer, Founder & Chief Investment Officer at Bastiat Capital. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, and established in 2006, Bastiat Capital is an asset management firm directing a concentrated and conservative…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startup fundraising requires investment documents. Of course, you should seek counsel with your startup-friendly attorney before…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Doug Smith, CEO and Lead Investor at Hawthorne Funds. Hawthorne Funds is a Houston-based private equity firm that couples Doug Smith’s funds with those of other investors to purchase, subdivide and sell large rural…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Terms sheets can be founder-friendly or investor-friendly. The terms sheet provides terms in favor of the founder over the investor or…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In negotiating a terms sheet, there are several key elements to keep in mind. Valuation is the biggest hurdle as it sets equity…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Greg Thomas, Managing Director of 375 Park Associates. Headquartered in New York with affiliates in Asia, Europe, and the U.S., 375 Park Associates is a strategic growth advisory firm which helps private equity firms…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. When I ask startups how much they are raising for investment, they often quote their total raise for the life of the startup. We then…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Ellen Weber, Executive Director at Robin Hood Ventures. Robin Hood Ventures is a group of angel investors, focused on early-stage, high-growth companies in the Greater Philadelphia region. They help entrepreneurs build…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In determining your raise amount, consider what you need for the next 18-24 months and focus on that window rather than the entire…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Brendan Nugent, CEO of Adrenaline. Adrenaline is the leading online supplier of awesome and unique gifts and they have sought out life-defining experiences for their clients for over 8 years. Adrenaline connects…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. I often hear investors say if the company just had revenue then the risk would be gone. But once the startup achieves revenue, the…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startups raising funding should keep track of their cap table which shows who has ownership in the business. If you have one, make…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Depreciation represents the reduced value of assets. Each asset in your business has its own useful lifetime.   Based on…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Your financial projections will be important for your fundraise. Banks will want to see your projections when you apply for a…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Operating expenses are the day to day expenses a business incurs. They support the operational side of the business covering sales,…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. For later-stage startups with revenue, one can use the financial projections to estimate the company’s valuation for fundraising…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Shawn Singh, Chief Executive Officer & Director at VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc. Located in South San Francisco, California, known as the “Birthplace of Biotech”, VistaGen Therapeutics is a clinical-stage…

In this episode, Hall welcomes back Shawn Flynn, Head of Incubation and Managing Director of Business Development at TechCode Accelerator – U.S. Shawn is also the host of The Silicon Valley Podcast. Located in Sunnyvale, California, TechCode…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Your financial statements will generate a wealth of metrics on your business. Investors want to know these metrics – also called KPIs…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In preparing your financial projections, you’ll need to account for investments into assets, also called capital expenditures. These…

In this episode, Hall welcomes back Jef Sharp, CEO of Qnect. Located in Hadley, Massachusetts, Qnect is an intelligent, cloud-based connection app that gives fabricators, detailers, and engineers fast and flexible connections with significant cost and…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Working capital is the capital you need to run the daily operations of the business and includes anything that can be converted to…

In today’s show, you’ll hear investor perspectives on the COVID-19 impact on the chronic pain market. This is Investor Perspectives, I’m the host of Investor Connect, Hall T Martin, where we connect startups and investors for funding. It’s the…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Dr. Amit Mehta, Partner at Builders VC. With headquarters in both the U.S.A. and Canada, Builders VC believes it takes more than great technology to fix an antiquated industry. To truly make lasting and impactful change,…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Nathan Beckord, Founder & CEO of Foundersuite. Foundersuite is a collection of tools, wizards, and templates that help startup founders execute more efficiently and effectively. Their goal is to streamline corporate…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Ziad Moukheiber, President & CEO of Boston Harbor Angels. Founded around 2005, Boston Harbor Angels, like a lighthouse, helps entrepreneurs navigate and grow their startup businesses through the treacherous waters of…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Robert Tushinsky, Founder and CEO of 2XL Swagger Brands. Founded in 2012, 2XL Swagger Brands is a spirit and lifestyle brand that produces herb-infused spirits for him and her with highly-differentiated branding. 2XL’s…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. All businesses must pay taxes, including startups. Taxes include payroll and social security taxes which are based on the salary of…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Any financing you have must also be accounted for in the financial statements.   You’ll need to set up a tab in your…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. For sales forecasting, begin with your current sales funnel and revenue history. The more you know about your sales process — lead…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In setting up for your financial projections model, personnel is straightforward to forecast. Each employee has a salary, benefits,…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Cost of Goods Sold, called COGS forecasting, represents the cost to build and deliver your product or service. This includes the cost…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Financial projections also called the pro forma, is a key document you’ll need for your fundraise.  Investors will want to see…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are two approaches to financial forecasting for startups. The first is top-down forecasting. The second is bottom-up…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are two approaches to financial forecasting for startups. The first is top-down forecasting. Top down takes a macro perspective…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. A financial model provides three outputs. Key financial statements, an operational cash-flow forecast, and key metrics for the…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The most important financial statement is the cash flow statement because cash is the most important financial metric for the…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. After completing the financial projections, you may want to create various scenarios of your financial model.  Startups are often…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Chris Willis, Managing Director, Government Advisory & Programme Delivery, and Will Garner, U.S. Immigration Lawyer and Strategic Partner at Latitude Consultancy Limited. Latitude’s team of specialists offers leading…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Brendan Manley, Co-Founder of iCAMP. iCAMP is a STEAM (approach to learning that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics as access points for guiding student inquiry, dialogue, and critical…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Dick Blanc, Chairman of Beyond Angel Network and Fund and Executive Director of the Beyond Entrepreneurial Accelerator at Cedarville University.  Located in Cedarville, Ohio, Cedarville University is forming a…

In this episode, Hall welcomes David Weaver, Partner & Chief Investment Officer at City Side Ventures. With its headquarters in Birmingham, Michigan, City Side Ventures is a venture group that manages various venture funds and represents investor…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Spencer Graff, Co-founder and CEO of NFuzed. With its headquarters in Boulder, Colorado, NFuzed is a cannabis manufacturer with licenses in Colorado and California specializing in value and innovative products. In the…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. After funding, you need to keep your family and friends investors informed on the status of the startup. Consider the following: Be…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funds from family and friends, you could take it in the form of a gift.   Most family and friends want to help…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The elevator pitch is the short-form version of your presentation for investor opportunities that give you a limited amount of time….

In this episode, Hall welcomes Smoke Wallin, CEO of Vertical Wellness. Vertical Wellness is a leading, vertically integrated, consumer-focused health and wellness brand company with innovative hemp cannabinoid solutions. Their mission is to help…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In your pitch deck, the tenth slide is the Value Proposition slide. The Value Proposition slide shows what value your product/service…