Discussion Topics

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In your pitch deck, the fifth slide is the monetization slide. It answers the question on how you make money.  Show the business…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Stephen Rice, President and CEO of Upskill Enterprise. Located in Belfast, United Kingdom, Upskill Enterprise helps companies overcome the inertia of traditional HR processes with TalentSensus, an online, intuitive and…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In launching your startup you must consider your intellectual property strategy. Intellectual property or IP includes patents,…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising equity funding, you can only raise from investors who are accredited. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In launching your startup you must consider employment law.  You should check to see what contracts your prospective employee may…

In this episode, Hall welcomes back Jake Moilanen, Austin General Partner at Seraph Group. Located in Austin, Texas, Seraph Group brings together successful individuals who share a passion for investing in technology startups. Opportunists join Seraph…

In today’s show you’ll hear investor perspectives on the COVID-19 impact on the cannabis 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…

In this episode, Hall welcomes back Mark Peter Davis, Founder and Managing Partner of Interplay.  Interplay co-founds, incubates and invests in companies. The firm is sector, geo and stage agnostic focusing on disrupting industries through the…

In this episode, Hall welcomes back Graham Forman, Managing Director and Founder of Edovate Capital. Edovate Capital is a seed and early-stage venture capital company investing in early-stage companies that are innovating in K12 education. They look…

In this episode, Hall welcomes back Eric Bielke, Investment Director at GE Ventures. GE Ventures is committed to identifying, scaling and accelerating ideas that will make the world work better. Focused on the areas of software and analytics, advanced…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In launching your startup you must have a legal entity to raise funding. Start with an LLC or Limited Liability Company. This can be…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. All startups need to have a legal entity. Before you launch your fundraise make sure you have a legal entity filed as you’ll need it…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. If you want to raise venture capital funding, then check these points to see if you are venture fundable: Do you have the following: …

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Raising funding requires document and business preparation as well as pitching and extensive followup. Throughout the process…

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

In this episode, Hall welcomes back Christian Kameir, Managing Partner at Sustany Capital. Sustany Capital is a blockchain venture fund headquartered in Newport Beach, CA. Aside from investing in blockchain-related projects, the firm lends its…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Deepak Gupta, Managing Partner at Blue Bear Ventures. Blue Bear Ventures (BBV) engages founders working on the frontiers of science and technology with the potential to solve some of the most pressing challenges we face…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Jens Lapinski, angel investor and Co-Founder of Angel Invest Ventures. Based in Berlin, Germany, Angel Invest Ventures is one of Europe’s most active angel investors, making 10-20 investments per year. Their initial…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Joel Brightfield, Principal at SixThirty Ventures. Located in St. Louis, Missouri, SixThirty Ventures is a venture fund that invests in early-stage enterprise technology companies from around the world building FinTech,…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Equity funding is just one source of funding for your startup. There are many others such as anchor clients. Anchor clients are those…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Equity funding is just one source of funding for your startup. There are many others such as consultation funding. Consultation…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Equity funding is just one source of funding for your startup. There are many others. In general, equity funding is for launching and…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Equity funding is just one source of funding for your startup. There are many others such as grants. Grants are typically provided by…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Equity funding is just one source of funding for your startup. There are many others such as crowdfunding. There are several forms of…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Minnie Ingersoll, Partner at TenOneTen Ventures. Located in the Greater Los Angeles Area, TenOneTen Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm. They invest in entrepreneurs that apply data and technology to disrupt…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Chelsea Burns, angel investor, Founder of Escaladora Ventures, a member of Pipeline Angels, and an avid rock climber. Chelsea was left with an inheritance following the passing of her father. She decided to use her…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Heidi Ellenberger Jones, Founder and Principal Broker of ModernJones. Located in North Arlington, Virginia, and established in 2018, ModernJones breaks boundaries to offer clients a partnership that goes well beyond a…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Drew Tulchin, founder of UpSpring. Located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, UpSpring, previously Social Enterprise Associates, is a boutique management-consulting firm supporting the design, growth, and measurement of values…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Hershel Mehta, Head of US Investments at Mehta Ventures. With offices in Mumbai, India, and La Habra, California, Mehta Ventures is an independent, privately-owned boutique family office that invests in early-stage…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Many startups use equity to fund their business.  Equity is an ownership stake in a company.  Equity aligns everyone’s…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Another source of funding is supplier funding. Supplier funding comes from those who provide services to your company such as contract…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Equity funding is just one source of funding for your startup. There are many others such as a line of credit. A line of credit is a…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Equity funding is just one source of funding for your startup. There are many others such as bootstrapping and barter. Bootstrapping…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In today’s startup world it seems everyone is a startup investor in some form or fashion. Startup investors call me to discuss deal…

This is Investor Perspectives, I’m the host of Investor Connect, Hall T Martin, where we connect startups and investors for funding.  In today’s show, you’ll hear about healthcare and its impact on startups. COVID-19 has changed the…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Angela Lee, founder of 37 Angels.  Founded in 2012, 37 Angels activates the untapped capital and experience women can bring by investing in female and male-led startups. The fund’s mission is to close the gender…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Mary Long-Irwin, Executive Director of Northern Ontario Angels (NOA). Located in Ontario, Canada, Northern Ontario Angels is an organization that matches entrepreneurs with investors across Northern Ontario. The creative…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Chenoa Farnsworth, Co-founder and Managing Director of Hawaii Angels. Located in Honolulu, Hawaii, and established in 2002, ​​Hawaii Angels provides a forum for members to review investment presentations and share…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Elena-Cristina Conacel, Co-founder and Managing Partner of BootstrapBay. Located in Buzău, Romania, BootstrapBay is a marketplace for premium Bootstrap themes and templates and they “Build beautiful websites in…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Denis Coleman of Life Science Angels. Located in Palo Alto, California, Life Science Angels is a not-for-profit corporation with 130-150 accredited investor members, 12-18 highly qualified Fellows, and 12-15 Sponsor…

Investor Connect is proud to introduce a brand new Podcast series: Investor Perspectives. In this, our last episode of part one of our series, we conclude our discussion on the Impact of the COVID-19 Economy on Startup Funding with experienced…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Grace Belangia, Executive Director and Founding Member of theClubhou.se.  theClubhou.se is a co-working and collaboration space in the heart of downtown Augusta, Georgia. Today, theClubhou.se is a co-working space,…

Investor Connect is proud to introduce a brand new Podcast series: Investor Perspectives. Over the next few weeks, we continue our discussion on the Impact of the COVID-19 Economy on Startup Funding with experienced investors from the TEN Capital…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Equity funding is just one source of funding for your startup. There are many others such as equipment leasing. Equipment leasing is…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Equipment leasing lets you borrow funds to obtain assets such as computers, machinery, and other items you may need to build your…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Olusegun Okubanjo, Managing Partner of Obsidian Capital. Based in London, Obsidian Capital is a boutique investment banking firm that arranges infrastructure-oriented, transaction-based funding for mid-sized clients in…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In fundraising, milestones are specific goals you have accomplished. In crafting your fundraise story, focus on key milestones both…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Equity funding is just one source of funding for your startup. There are many others such as licensing. You may be able to reduce the…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Equity funding is just one source of funding for your startup.  There are many others such as factoring. Factoring is selling…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. When you sell a physical product and invoice the customer, it can take 30, 45, 60 days or more before they pay.   Factoring…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Equity funding is just one source of funding for your startup. There are many others such as loans. Loans are debt instruments that…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Equity funding is just one source of funding for your startup. There are many others such as accelerators and incubators. Accelerators…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. So how do Venture Capitalists make money? VCs charge the limited partners a management fee on the funds raised. This is traditionally…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Tarek Assaad, Managing Partner of Algebra Ventures. Algebra Ventures is Egypt’s leading technology VC firm. Based in Cairo, the company is a $50-million venture capital fund that invests in early-stage technology…

Investor Connect is proud to introduce a brand new Podcast series: Investor Perspectives. Over the next few weeks, we continue our discussion on the Impact of the COVID-19 Economy on Startup Funding with experienced investors from the TEN Capital…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Eyal Lifschitz, Co-Founder & General Managing Partner at Peregrine Ventures. Peregrine Ventures is Israel’s leading venture capital fund and they invest in promising early-stage high-tech companies with a strong…

Investor Connect is proud to introduce a brand new Podcast series: Investor Perspectives. Over the next few weeks, we continue our discussion on the Impact of the COVID-19 Economy on Startup Funding with experienced investors from the TEN Capital…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Mireya Manigault founder and CEO of Foundation LLC, founder at WeDemption, and an angel investor at 37 Angels. Located in Chicago, Foundation, LLC provides end-to-end support for targeted business needs in corporate…

Investor Connect is proud to introduce a brand new Podcast series: Investor Perspectives. Over the next few weeks, we continue our discussion on the Impact of the COVID-19 Economy on Startup Funding with experienced investors from the TEN Capital…

Investor Connect is proud to introduce a brand new Podcast series: Investor Perspectives. Over the next month, we continue our discussion on the Impact of the COVID-19 Economy on Startup Funding with experienced investors from the TEN Capital network….

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. When a Venture Capitalist makes an investment, they place a portion of their allocated investment upfront in the first round and save…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Both angels and venture capitalists often invest in syndicates.   In a syndicate, one of the investors leads the round and…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. A venture fund brings a fiduciary responsibility to those raising the funds from limited partners.  A fiduciary means the VC must…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Steve Hoffman, Chairman, Founder & CEO of Founders Space. Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, Founders Space has created an international network of incubators, entrepreneurs, and investors, with over 50 partners…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing So how do Venture Capitalists raise funding? VCs raise funding from limited partners which include family offices, high-net-worth…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. You can now start your own VC fund. Venture capital, angel investing, crowdfunding, and most forms of startup funding are best done…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Sharon Vosmek, CEO of Astia. Located in San Francisco, Astia was founded in Silicon Valley in 1999 as a non-profit organization dedicated to identifying and promoting best-in-class, high-growth ventures that include…

In this episode, Hall welcomes David Wadler angel investor and CEO of Vendorful, Inc. Located in New York, Vendorful is a standalone SaaS product delivered via public or private cloud. In addition, it can be integrated into existing procurement…

Welcome back to Investor Connect for the second show in our new series Investor Perspectives. This month we will be discussing with investors in our network the following topic: The Impact of the COVID-19 Economy on Startup Funding.  In this…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In calculating returns the timing of the return is a key factor. There are two metrics for measuring return. ROI is return on…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In angel investing the two basic approaches are generalist and specialist.  The generalist funds across all sectors but with…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. You’ll need to gather your basic company documents for investors to review. In preparing a due diligence box also called a dataroom,…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In diligencing a startup, the team is the most critical factor in the process.  Since the startup has only a nascent product and…

Welcome back to Investor Connect for the first show in our new series Investor Perspectives. This month we will be discussing with investors in our network the following topic: The Impact of the COVID-19 Economy on Startup Funding. In this…

In this episode, Hall welcomes back Vic Pascucci, Managing Partner of Energy Capital Ventures. Located in Chicago, Energy Capital Ventures is a strategic venture capital firm serving the needs of the power and utility industry. They invest at Series A…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Soraya Darabi, General Partner of Trail Mix Ventures (TMV). TMV is an early-stage venture firm investing in the future of living well. TMV backs start-up companies focused on ideas that will reshape industries or inspire…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding you will hear “no” from investors a lot.   When I say a lot, I mean it’s more than most…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Charlie Banks, Co-Founder & Managing Director of VentureSouth. VentureSouth based in Greenville, South Carolina, is one of the largest angel investment infrastructures in the US. The firm develops and manages angel…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. So many entrepreneurs think the most important moment in the investor engagement is the pitch.   In fact, the pitch is the…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In running a fundraise campaign you’ll need to set up calls and meetings with investors who are busy and may struggle to find time…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Gary Trauner, Executive Director of Silicon Couloir. Silicon Couloir, based in Jackson, Wyoming, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that strives to be the hub connecting local entrepreneurs to all resources needed to…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing.So how do VCs make a decision to invest? Venture Capital investors make investment decisions as a group. As an associate, partner, or…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In pitching you can position your startup in more than one way.  You could pitch for the sector it is in — such as Edtech. Many…

In this episode, Hall is joined by Randy Myer, Managing Director at Carolina Angel Network. Established in 2016, the Carolina Angel Network (CAN) brings together the UNC-Chapel Hill entrepreneurial community, University alumni network and innovative…

In this episode, Hall welcomes back Maggie Sprenger, Managing Director at Green Cow Venture Capital (GCVC).  GCVC is an early-stage venture fund based in San Francisco and New York City. They invest at the Seed and Series A stages into dynamic…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing.So, how do investors decide to commit to a startup investment? Entrepreneurs look at the opportunity in the deal. Investors look at the…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. At each stage of funding, investors bring not only funding, but also some level of support.  From crowdfunding you receive not…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Dougal Cameron, Director of Golden Section Ventures (GSV). GSV is a seed-stage venture investment group focusing on B2B SaaS companies that are posted revenue and post product, but still early in the revenue cycle….

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, start with your own network. Set up calls with angels, family offices, and others who you already know. Since the…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are many sources of capital.   There are family and friend loans. There are bank loans. There are revenue share loans….

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In the Coronavirus lockdown, we’re seeing trends that will establish the next cycle of startup innovation. We’ll see the…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Jak Knowles, Vice President Venture Investments and Head of Pharma at Leaps by Bayer.  Leaps by Bayer was “created in 2015 to break boundaries in life sciences investment—in scale, risk, collaboration, and…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Lydia Kinkade, Managing Director at iiM (Innovation in Motion) located in Merriam, Kansas. iiM is an angel investment group that invests in high-growth, early-stage animal health, human health and agribusiness companies….

In this episode, Hall welcomes William Bissett, President and Founder of Portus Wealth Advisors and podcast host at Charlotte Angel Connection. Portus Wealth Advisors is a Private Wealth Management firm based in Charlotte, NC and serves clients across…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In developing the pitch deck, there are several mistakes I often see. One of the most common is trying to explain in great detail how…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In the Coronavirus lockdown we’re seeing trends that will establish the next cycle of startup innovation. While already underway,…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In evaluating a team, there are elements to look for in a CEO for early-stage companies. The first is character. The CEO must have…

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In the Coronavirus lockdown we’re seeing trends that will establish the next cycle of startup innovation. While physical events for…

In this episode, Hall welcomes Yaniv Sneor, founder of Mid Atlantic Bio Angels (MABA). MABA is a life-science angel group focused on therapeutics, devices and diagnostics. Yaniv started a career in physics and moved to working as a consultant with…