The Investor Types for your Startup
Today, we’ll talk about the different type of investors you will find in the startup world. There are four type of investors for your startup — Venture Capital, Angel Investors, Family Offices and High Networth Individuals. There are lenders who provide debt financing but that’s a topic for another day. Venture Capitalists are professionals with […]
Investor Connect – Eric Bielke of GE Ventures
In this episode, Hall is joined by Eric Bielke with GE Ventures. After working with one of the early firms in Data Science, and a foray as an entrepreneur in the solar energy space, Eric joined the VC space focusing initially on energy investments. More recently, Eric has been focusing on aerospace and space tech. […]
Deal Structures
Today, we’ll talk about the deal structure you should use for your fundraise. There’s equity, and then there are convertible notes and SAFE notes. If you want a straight loan, then you should use a promissory note. Equity agreements set the valuation for the company and various terms of governance, preferences, voting rights and more. […]
Investor Connect – Jeff Canin of E8 Angels
On this episode, Hall welcomes Jeff Canin of E8 Angels and Element 8 Venture Fund. Element 8 Ventures is focused on entrepreneurial ideation, experimentation, research and education. They are investing in entrepreneurs that are tackling grand challenges, pushing the boundaries of innovation, and disrupting age-old practices, whilst creating new industries to drive socio-economic development. After […]
Should you Raise Funding?
Today, we’ll talk about should you raise funding and if so, how much should you seek. – Funding accelerates what you already have going in your business today. You should have a core process for acquiring customers and providing a service. If you don’t have it then funding at this stage will only hurt your […]
Investor Connect – Ben Faubion of Reactive Canvas
On this episode, Hall welcomes Ben Faubion of Reactive Canvas, and Austin-based digital design firm specializing in startups. He talks about how design has evolved over the years into a more strategic, problem-solving service. He explains how design is often becoming more and more integrated into a startup’s vision, and a focus throughout the various […]
Investor Connect – Jonathan Olsen of Unorthodox Ventures
In this episode, Hall welcomes Jonathan Olsen of Unorthodox Ventures. Unorthodox Ventures partners with founders who demonstrate disruption and discipline. Dreamers who do something. Tinkerers who create solutions to real-world problems. Jonathan has focused his career on tackling problems that are too quirky to fit into an existing mold. As an investor Jonathan has now […]
Investor Connect – Gabriel Jarrosson of Leonis Investment
In this episode, Hall welcomes Gabriel Jarrosson, founder of Leonis Investment. Gabriel was an entrepreneur at an early age, creating his first company while in engineering school. He then created his second company, Le Vin de France, a community marketplace for French winemakers, after leaving school. When he began investing, Gabriel quickly realized the benefits […]
Investor Connect – Kevin Van Eekeren of Fulcrum Investing
In this episode, Hall welcomes Kevin Van Eekeren, Founder and CEO of Fulcrum Investing. Fulcrum Investing is a private investment group focused on making seed to Series B investments in startups across the United States. Kevin is not only an investor but also an entrepreneur and a farmer. Before Fulcrum, Kevin worked as a civilian […]
Investor Connect – Kevin Koym of Tech Ranch Austin
In this episode, Hall welcomes Kevin Koym Founder & CEO of Tech Ranch Austin. Tech Ranch provides accelerators for pre-seed and seed-stage technology companies of Central Texas entrepreneurs. Kevin has developed a combination of training and web-based systems designed to create a local culture of success and entrepreneurship. Kevin’s mission is to help solve world […]
Investor Connect – Phil Nadel of Forefront Venture Partners
In this episode, Hall welcomes Phil Nadel, Founder and Managing Director of Forefront Venture Partners. Phil is an angel investor, author, and frequent speaker at industry conferences and events. Before he came to early-stage investing, Phil was a serial entrepreneur. His experience in starting and selling several companies led friends and family to look to […]
Investor Connect – Emlyn Scott of CP Ventures
In this episode, Hall welcomes Emlyn Scott, Managing Partner of CP Ventures. Emlyn has over 25 years of financial and business development experience in Australia and Europe. He has made 15 early-stage investments personally since 2012. CP Ventures has built high growth businesses and has invested in over 100 startups. They look to invest in […]
Investor Connect – Namek Zu’bi of Silicon Badia
In this episode, Hall welcomes Namek Zu’bi Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Silicon Badia. Before investing in early-stage companies, Namek has always been fascinated with technology. He moved to the US to pursue a degree in computer science at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh PA. He then went into financial services and wanted to work with […]
Investor Connect – Cole Harmonson of Far West Capital
In this episode, Hall welcomes Cole Harmonson, the President and co-founder of Far West Capital. Before Far West Capital, Cole was the founder and senior vice president of State Bank’s Working Capital Finance Group (WCFG), the asset-based lending and factoring division of State Bank. In 1996, Cole joined State Bank to start the WCFG, where […]
Investor Connect – Gina Luna of Luna Strategies
In this episode, Hall welcomes Gina Luna of Luna Strategies. Gina is a recognized leader with invaluable business insight. She is a trusted advisor to CEOs and business owners. As CEO of Luna Strategies, Gina counsels companies and their leaders on complex strategic issues and growth initiatives. She has established a reputation for partnering with […]
Investor Connect – Jake Ryan of Tradecraft Capital
On this episode, Hall is joined again by Jake Ryan, founder and manager of Tradecraft Capital. Jake brings over 20 years of professional experience in software technology to the world of crypto-asset investing. Following up on their earlier discussion, Jake talks about the state of Bitcoin and the cryptocurrency market. In addition, Jake explains how […]
Investor Connect – Leslie Goldman of The Artemis Fund
On this episode, Hall welcomes Leslie Goldman of The Artemis Fund. The Artemis Fund is the first female-founded, female-focused venture fund in Houston, Texas. The Artemis Fund will be investing $20M in 15-20 female-led US-based companies that disrupt the Consumer Tech, Life Tech, Fin-Tech, and Energy Infrastructure industries. In this episode, you’ll learn Leslie’s background […]
Investor Connect – Chris Hall of Escalate Capital
On this episode, Hall welcomes Chris Hall of Escalate Capital. Escalate Capital is an Austin, TX-based Mezzanine Private Equity Firm, primarily focusing on high-growth late-stage technology companies, including SaaS, tech-enabled services, internet, and healthcare. Before investing in early-stage companies, Chris had his eye on mergers and acquisitions but at the time it was not feasible […]
Investor Connect – Fran Maier of BabyQuip
On this episode, Hall welcomes Fran Maier of BabyQuip. BabyQuip is a sharing economy business that helps families pack light and travel happy to hundreds of destinations in the US and Canada. Powered by a trusted community of trained, insured and amazing independent Quality Providers, BabyQuip delivers and sets up clean, quality baby gear at […]
Investor Connect – Constantine Potamianos of Black Bull Advisors
On this episode, Hall welcomes Constantine Potamianos co-founder and CEO of Black Bull Advisors. Black Bull Advisors is a hedge fund that utilizes a proprietary, artificial intelligence technology, to direct and manage technical trading within the crypto space; and operates as a primarily crypto-focused fund. Before Black Bull Advisors, Constantine began his career in engineering […]
Investor Connect – Karyn Scott of Care2Rock
On this episode, Hall welcomes Karyn Scott of Care2Rock. Care2Rock is a company that is absolutely committed and passionate about helping transform lives through music. This philosophy is rooted in everything they do, especially the teachers they select through a triple-vetting process to teach on the platform. Karyn launched Care2Rock in May of last year. […]
Investor Connect – Chris Bystrom of Ruca
In this episode, Hall welcomes Chris Bystrom of Ruca. Before investing in early-stage companies, Chris worked in UX design firms in Chicago, Tokyo, and New York. He has built large enterprise-grade software platforms for clients and ran his seed-stage startup for two years. During that period, he had a chance to see what worked in […]
Investor Connect – Jay Olshansky of Lapetus Solutions, Inc
On this episode, Hall welcomes Jay Olshansky, Co-Founder and Chief Scientist of Lapetus Solutions. Lapetus Solutions, Inc. (LSI) is a science and technology growth company dedicated to creating products and services that will revolutionize the prediction of life events. By combining biodemography, dynamic questioning, and facial analytics, while harnessing the power of cloud computing, their […]
Investor Connect – Luni Libes of Fledge, the conscious company accelerator
On this episode, Hall welcomes Luni Libes of Fledge, a global network of conscious company accelerators and impact investment funds. Luni is a serial entrepreneur. He started his first company in 1992. Luni then spent 20 years working with tech startups. Right around the 20-year mark, he decided to start a business accelerator and in […]
Investor Connect – Jimmy Frischling of Branded Strategic Hospitality
On this episode, Hall welcomes Jimmy Frischling of Branded Strategic Hospitality. Before investing in early-stage companies, Jimmy has a career spanning just under 30 years in financial and capital markets. He started his career in investment banking with a firm called Kidder Peabody – which no longer exists – and was always on the sell-side […]
Investor Connect – Danish Rizvi of ASA Ventures
On this episode, Hall welcomes Danish Rizvi COO of ASA Ventures. ASA Ventures is a hybrid venture capital firm established in 2003 in Portugal and is currently headquartered in Dubai. It is the combined strength of professional expertise and smart capital, adding value to the start-up ecosystem with a unique investment philosophy and in-house expertise. […]
Investor Connect – Tim Hoerr of Serra Ventures
In this episode, Hall is joined by Tim Hoerr, CEO of Serra Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm focusing primarily on technology companies in the Midwest and West Coast regions. With a background in tech entrepreneurship, he eventually founded a consulting firm which later became the venture firm Serra Ventures. Tim provides his advice […]
Investor Connect – Janine Yorio of Compound Asset Management
On this episode, Hall welcomes Janine Yorio of Compound Asset Management- Janine started her career in real estate right out of college working for a private equity firm called North Star Capital. While there she eventually worked her way up to portfolio manager and was able to work on all types of real estate deals […]
Investor Connect – Ash Kaluarachchi of StartEd Accelerator
On this episode, Hall welcomes Ash Kaluarachchi of StartEd Accelerator. Prior to entering early stage investing in the education technology space, Ash was focusing on helping executives learn from each other. Ash worked with Executive Board in DC, introducing peer groups and best practice research into the corporate learning environment. Ash explains his advice for […]
Investor Connect – Bradley Rotter of Entanglement Institute
On this episode, Hall welcomes Bradley Rotter of Entanglement Institute. Hall and Brad speak about his early interest in markets as well as what led him to the impact sector. As a trader on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, it became apparent to Brad that it was […]
Investor Connect – Sajol Ghoshal of Advanced Telesensors
On this episode, Hall welcomes Sajol Ghoshal of Advanced Telesensors. You’ll learn about Sajol’s beginning before Advanced Telesensors and what led him to where he is today. Sajol developed his sensor career at Austrian Microsystems (AMS), a sensor company that acquired a startup he worked with called TAOS, Texas Advanced Optical Sensors. In that company, […]
Investor Connect – Arthur Veytsman of Immerss
On this episode, Hall is joined by Arthur Veytsman of Immerss. Before investing in early-stage companies, Arthur started his career at Ernst & Young Consulting and after seven years of consulting work with various companies, decided to leave and invest in his businesses. According to Arthur, his thesis has always been how to apply technology […]
Investor Connect – Anu Shukla of Botco.ai.
On this episode, Hall is joined by Anu Shukla of Botco.ai. Before Botco.ai Anu started her career in Silicon Valley working for companies in the marketing, automation and E-commerce space. She then started a company called Rubric, it was one of the pioneers of defining enterprise marketing automation, there were no enterprise tools for marketing […]
Investor Connect – Moshe Shadmon of AnyLog
On this episode, Hall is joined by Moshe Shadmon of AnyLog. Moshe shares his journey before Anylog. According to Moshe, his entire career has revolved around big data projects in companies he founded. Previously his company ScaleDB was a time-series database that optimized data generated from sensors and smart devices. This background eventually led Moshe […]
Investor Connect – Amos Schwartzfarb
In this episode, Hall is joined by Amos Schwartzfarb, Managing Director of Techstars and author of the book Sell More Faster. Amos discusses the background behind his new book, and how it got published. He also details some of the specific sales challenges facing startups, and some of the biggest sales mistakes he sees startups […]
Investor Connect – Gabriel Wyner of Fluent-Forever
In this episode, Hall welcomes Gabriel Wyner of Fluent-Forever, an exciting new language learning app. Gabriel talks about his background as an opera singer and mechanical engineer, and his passion for language. He also discusses the language education space and where it is evolving, particularly for online tools and mobile users. Gabriel talks about what […]
Investor Connect – Lance Dietz of KB Partners
In this episode, Hall is joined by Lance Dietz of Chicago-based KB Partners, an early-stage Venture Capital firm. Lance touches on his background in Chicago, before he came to KB and the venture world. He discusses how KB came to the sports and technology space, and his advice for investors looking to get into that […]
Investor Connect – Marc Michel of Runway Venture Partners
In this episode, Hall interviews Marc Michel of Runway Venture Partners, a New York-based early-stage investing firm focused on post-seed growth companies. Marc talks about his extensive investing background before founding Runway VP. While Runway is focused on SaaS businesses, it also focuses on filling a funding gap between seed funds and typical series-A funds. […]
Investor Connect – Tomas Martunas of Iron Wolf Capital
In this episode, Hall welcomes Tomas Martunas of Iron Wolf Capital, an international Venture Capital firm based in Vilnius, Lithuania and London. After 12 years in the banking industry, Tomas began engaging with and investing in early-stage startups, B2B, eCommerce, crypto-related projects, and more. With this breadth of experience, Tomas provides a wealth of advice […]
Investor Connect – Daniel Ibri of Mindset Ventures
In this episode, Hall is joined by Daniel Ibri of Mindset Ventures, an international Venture Capital firm. Daniel highlights his background in strategic consulting, as well as his work as a mentor and teacher in Brazil, before he came to the venture world. He explains his focus on the B2B sector and how Mindset helps […]
Investor Connect – Mike Jones of Science
In this episode, Hall welcomes Mike Jones of Science, Inc., a Los Angeles-based startup studio and venture capital firm. Mike highlights his background as an internet entrepreneur, CEO, and Angel Investor. Mike provides some invaluable advice for would-be early-stage investors, emphasizing diversification. Mike also provides insight into the internet sector and where it is heading […]
Investor Connect – Felipe Luna of Omniscient
In this episode, Hall interviews Felipe Luna, CEO of Omniscient. Omniscient is a fintech data analytics and software development firm and developer of the fast-growing Omniscient CRM platform. Felipe talks about his start in retail financial services and financial advising, and how he moved into the wealth tech space through the development of Omniscient CRM. […]
Investor Connect – Edward Corona of FinTech Merchant Accounts
In this episode, Hall is joined by Edward Corona of New York-based FinTech Merchant Accounts, a specialty firm providing the leading payment processing platform for the equity financing and crowdfunding industries. Edward touches on his extensive background in financial services and fintech, before explaining how FinTech Merchant Accounts came into being. In addition, Edward talks […]
Investor Connect – Dan Conner of Ascend Venture Capital
On this episode, Hall is joined by Dan Conner of St. Louis-based Ascend Venture Capital. Before coming into investing, Dan worked as an engineer, primarily in the oil, biofuel, and wind energy industries. After getting his MBA, Dan ended up in the VC world, in the enterprise sector. According to Dan, he owes his success […]
Investor Connect – Karen Rands Author of Secrets to Angel Investing
In this episode, Hall welcomes Karen Rands, author of Inside Secrets to Angel Investing. Karen discusses her background prior to early-stage investing, working at IBM as a business manager. She covers topics ranging from the world of angel investing, her advice to investors, and some of the many ways you can get started as an […]
Investor Connect – Bob Bridge of Southwest Angel Network
On this episode, Hall is joined by Bob Bridge of the Southwest Angel Network. Before becoming an angel investor he began his career earning a PhD in computer engineering, which led him to work with high-tech startups, semiconductors and hardware systems. Along the way, he decided that he wanted something different and more meaningful,so he […]
Investor Connect – Hélène Thibieroz of We Grow Green Tech
In this episode, Hall is joined by Hélène Thibieroz, founder and senior managing partner of We Grow Green Tech. We Grow Green Tech focuses on accelerating growth for green technology innovation and impact by partnering with early to late-stage companies. Hélène has an extensive background in technology. She received her PhD in Electrical Engineering from […]
Investor Connect – John Cooper of Minimelife
On this episode, Hall is joined by John Cooper of Minimelife. John has practiced healthcare for most of his life and for the last 14 years as an attending vascular surgeon at Virtual Health System in New Jersey. Over his career, John has witnessed better outcomes when patients are directly involved with their healthcare. He […]
Investor Connect – Patrick Juthberg of Carable
In this episode, Hall is joined by Patrick Juthberg of Carable, an automotive marketplace that connects buyers to sellers directly, completely removing the middleman. Patrick, who hails from Sweden, considers himself a “serial” entrepreneur and has been solving problems for companies for most of his life.
Investor Connect – Paul Van Kleef of Nannocare
On this episode, Hall is joined by Paul Van Kleef of Nannocare. Before Nannocare, Paul started his career attending business school in Los Angeles which led him to work with various consulting companies. Along the way, he decided that his true passion was startups and embarked on starting his own company. Paul began working with […]
Investor Connect – Damon Torgerson of Alludo
In this episode, Hall is joined by Damon Torgerson of Alludo. As the episode begins you’ll learn more about Damon’s background prior to Alludo and what led him on the path to education. He began his career in enterprise IT consulting work, with a technical background and worked for Microsoft consulting both educational and Fortune […]
Investor Connect – Eric Smith of AppBrilliance
In this episode, Hall is joined by Eric Smith of AppBrilliance. AppBrilliance, Inc. is a privately held company based in Austin, TX. As the episode kicks off you’ll learn about Eric’s background prior to AppBrilliance. Before this, Eric ran Unwired Banking, which was a venture-backed mobile banking startup based in Austin. You’ll also learn what […]
Investor Connect – Shawn Flynn of TechCode
In this episode, Hall is joined by Shawn Flynn of Silicon Valley-based TechCode. Before Shawn began investing in early-stage companies, he spent over 4 years living and conducting business in Beijing, China. While there, he founded three companies, one of which succeeded. Returning to the U.S., he ended up in Silicon Valley working at a […]
Investor Connect – Josh Cohen of City Light Capital
In this episode, Hall is joined by Josh Cohen of City Light Capital. Before investing, Josh began his career as an investment banking analyst at Alex Brown in the 1990’s. This led him to heading a corporate development group for a banking client company called Mobility Electronics. From there Josh joined a private debt firm; […]
Investor Connect – James Wang of Creative Ventures
On this episode, Hall is joined by James Wang of Creative Ventures. Before early stage investing, James started out at the hedge fund Brightwater Associates. His background in both finance and technology led him to really being able to focus on risk investing. At Creative Ventures, they tend to look at the biggest problems facing […]
Investor Connect – Rodolfo Bellesi of Ikove Capital
On this episode, Hall is joined by Rodolfo Bellesi of Ikove Capital, a venture development company founded to pursue early-stage investments with an emphasis on technology commercialization in the Midwest. An engineer, Rodolfo actually started his career with real estate development out of Boston. He later returned to his alma mater, Ohio State, where he […]
Investor Connect – Flavio Lobato of Ikove Capital
On this episode, Hall is joined by Flavio Lobato of Ikove Capital, a venture development company founded to pursue early-stage investments with an emphasis on technology commercialization in the Midwest. Hailing from Brazil, Flavio started his career in investment banking after graduating business school. He then went to work with Goldman Sachs in the 90’s […]
Investor Connect – Mendy Ouzillou of MMOmentum Consulting
On this episode Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Mendy Ouzillou of MMOmentum Consulting. In this episode, Mendy illuminates the concept of ‘points of friction’. As Mendy explains, points of friction are any number of things that get in the way of achieving your goals. Mendy focuses on how this concept applies to pre-money startups and pre-revenue […]
Investor Connect – Rita Sudheer of Asa Ventures
In this episode, Hall is joined by Rita Sudheer of Asa Ventures. As the episode begins, you’ll learn about Rita’s background prior to Asa Ventures- Arif Saiyad & Associados (ASA) Ventures, established in 2003 in Portugal and headquartered in Dubai, works on hybrid models of Venture Capital. Rita talks about the state of venture investing […]
Investor Connect – Nathan Low of Raanana Ziontech Partners
On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Nathan Low of Raanana Ziontech Partners. With a background in semiconductor production, logistics, and manufacturing, Nathan started his angel investing career in Israel, eventually expanding to New York and Silicon Valley. Nathan first discusses the importance of diversification for Angel investors, before diving into his experience as […]
Investor Connect – Dougal Cameron of Golden Section Ventures
On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Dougal Cameron of Golden Section Ventures. Dougal came to investing through his family, which provided him operational insight into an investor perspective. Dougal talks about how he and Isaac Shi founded Golden Section Ventures and came into the B2B Enterprise SaaS space. Dougal provides advice investors in […]
Investor Connect – Skyler Fernandes of Venture University
On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Skyler Fernandes of Venture University. Skyler has an extensive background in venture capital and private equity. Venture University, now over a year old, is a multistage venture fund, primarily focused on the seed and series A stage. Venture University sources deals from several areas, including consumer enterprise, […]
Investor Connect – Chris Fisher of Click Ventures
On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Chris Fisher of Click Ventures. With a background in corporate IT, Chris started his angel investing career in Hong Kong, where he eventually teamed up with Carman Chan of Click Ventures. Chris explains how Click Ventures focuses on primarily series A startups using network effects. He explains […]
Investor Connect – Jay Joshi of MD Angels
On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Jay Joshi of MD Angels. Jay, a physician by training, went through undergrad and medical school at the same time in an accelerated medical program. It was there he discovered that he looks at medicine a little differently than the traditional physician. He felt his perspective was […]
Investor Connect – Steve Shapiro of eHealth Ventures
On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Steve Shapiro of eHealth Ventures. Before eHealth, Steve spent years in the cell phone industry before transitioning to a career in consulting and angel investing. He partnered with Israeli-based digital health investor Talor Sax in creating eHealth Ventures, a digital health incubator with a focus on Israeli […]
Investor Connect – Chris Rawlings of JudoLaunch
In this episode, Chris gives his thoughts on how the industry is evolving. He discusses how we are headed towards e-commerce first or e-commerce only, not as a supplement to physical retail. You’ll also get his advice to those investing in this space as well as challenges and risks.
Investor Connect – Lawrence Lerner of Pithia
In this episode, Hall interviews Lawrence Lerner of Pithia, an investment firm focusing on “blockchain realism”. Pithia’s thesis emphasizes foundational businesses that enable blockchain infrastructure.
Investor Connect – Jake Moilanen of Seraph Group
On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Jake Moilanen of Seraph Group. A self described geek, Jake started out working in computer programming. After getting out of that space, and getting his MBA, he headed to Silicon Valley and began immersing himself in the startup world, which eventually led to investing. Jake talks about […]
Investor Connect – Nicole Quinn of Lightspeed Venture Partners
On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Nicole Quinn of Lightspeed Venture Partners. Nicole focuses on early stage consumer technology companies, having invested in companies such as Zola, Rothy’s, Daily Harvest, Dote, Brandable, Girlboss and Goop. Nicole spent nearly a decade at Morgan Stanley covering the European and US e-commerce, retail and consumer companies. […]
Investor Connect – John Pope and James Walker of WellDog
In this episode, Hall interviews John Pope and James Walker of WellDog, an energy-focused technical services company that provides practical engineering and business solutions in a high volume, cost effective manner with a remarkable customer focus.
Investor Connect – Kalman Saffran of Summa Management
On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Kalman Saffran of Summa Management.As the episode kicks off, Kal speaks about his background before Summa Management. A self described businessman/scientist/engineer, Kal started out at the laboratory of the nucleus science at MIT. He then became an entrepreneur founding three companies, one of which is Summa Management. […]
Investor Connect – Mick Connors of Anytime Pediatrics
On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Mick Connors, CEO and Founder at Anytime Pediatrics and Anytime Telehealth, Inc. Mick was inspired to get into the medical field and pediatrics after his brother passed away from pediatric cancer before he was born. It’s been a lifelong passion. In his career in pediatric emergency […]
Investor Connect – Donald Stalter of Global Founders Capital
In this episode, Hall is joined by Donald Stalter of Global Founders Capital. After graduating from the University of Chicago, Donald started out as an investment banker at Credit Suisse in the MNA group in San Francisco. While there, he handled deals like Google/YouTube and Google/DoubleClick, which led to opportunities to do deals in Brazil […]
Investor Connect – Jon Glesinger and Leslie Ackerman of Comprindeo
In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall is joined by Jon Glesinger and Leslie Ackerman of Comprindeo. Jon started his career in the tech sector in the 80’s, coming out with the first IBM computers. This then led him to his first computer startup involving design of CAD/CAM. Working extensively with unstructured data around people […]
Investor Connect – Yoon Choi of Forest Ventures
In this episode, Hall interviews Yoon Choi of Forest Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on investments in innovative technologies in the areas of mobility, AI, and data analytics. Yoon provides some broad advice for early-stage investors, and highlights some of the developments and trends in the mobility industry, including electric vehicles, autonomy, and […]
Investor Connect – Michel Wendell of Nexit Ventures
In this episode, Hall interviews Michel Wendell of Nexit Ventures, the oldest and most experienced VC fund in Finland, focusing on digital disruption. Michel Wendell has 20 years of broad experience in launching and managing international Infocom companies, with expertise in the changing dynamics of globalizing markets and rapidly developing technologies. Michel provides some broad […]
Investor Connect – Mary Ann Azevedo of Crunchbase
In this episode, Hall interviews Mary Ann Azevedo, business writer for Crunchbase News. Crunchbase is the leading destination for millions of users to discover industry trends, investments, and news about global companies–from startups to the Fortune 1000. Mary Ann and Hall focus their discussion on the construction tech sector. Historically, the construction industry is one […]
Investor Connect – Bill Leake of Apogee on Moving from a Startup to a Growth Company
In this episode, Hall talks with Bill Leake, CEO of Apogee Results, an Austin-based digital marketing agency. Bill and Hall discuss how companies can move their marketing functions from a startup stage to a growth stage company. Bill briefly talks about his extensive and varied professional background. Bill and Hall then discuss some of the […]
Investor Connect – Brooke Waupsh of Swoovy
In this episode, Hall interviews Brooke Waupsh, co-founder of Swoovy, a new and unique online dating app. Brooke has 15 years of experience in the consumer sector and has developed expertise in research and consumer insight. Brooke talks about some of the factors that define the online dating industry, including an overview of several of […]
Investor Connect – John Fein of Firebrand Ventures
In this episode, Hall interviews John Fein of Firebrand Ventures, a Midwest-oriented venture fund focused on seed-stage software startups. John is an experienced entrepreneur and founder, who got into startup investing with Techstars in Kansas City.
Investor Connect – Nathan Scripps of Common Sense Growth
In this episode, Hall interviews Nathan Scripps of Common Sense Growth, a for-profit subsidiary of the nonprofit Common Sense Media, which is the largest and leading nonprofit for school-age kids and their families in the country. Nathan honed his investing knowledge through his early experiences with automotive startups. He relates how he came to Common […]
Investor Connect – Andrii Zamovsky of Ambisafe
In this episode, Hall interviews Andrii Zamovsky of Ambisafe, a blockchain software company specializing in software for financial markets. Ambisafe builds complex infrastructure on the blockchain, and provides end-to-end token sale infrastructure. As Andrii puts it, their “mission is to democratize financial markets, to ensure the maximum financial inclusion and make sure that everyone can […]
Investor Connect – Eric Rosenblum of Tsingyuan Ventures
In this episode, Hall interviews Eric Rosenblum of Tsingyuan Ventures, a technology-focused venture fund based in Los Altos, California. Tsingyuan invests in seed to A-round startups in the United States, and is a successor fund to the TEEC Angel Fund. Eric talks about his start investing in China and how they formed their investment thesis. […]
Investor Connect – William Chu of SparkLabs FinTech
In this episode, Hall interviews William Chu of SparkLabs FinTech, a global accelerator program focused on helping promising early-stage fintech companies develop and scale in various markets across the globe. After some success in private equity in Hong Kong, William wanted to get more involved in early stage investing. When Korea-based SparkLabs was looking to […]
Investor Connect – Terry Koehler, a Golf Industry Entrepreneur
In this episode, Hall interviews Terry Koehler, a golf industry entrepreneur. Terry talks about some of the characteristics of the golf space, and what led him to become an entrepreneur. Terry discusses the stability of the multi-billion dollar golf industry, and how it an industry that works well for the right investor that is knowledgeable […]
Investor Connect – Mike Krilivsky of RageOn!
In this episode, Hall interviews Mike Krilivsky of RageOn!, an online store specializing in revolutionary, one-of-a-kind custom printing. RageOn! has developed a patent-pending, all-over-print technology that allows creators, brands, and artists to customize their own merchandise, from T-Shirts to socks to swim trunks. Their app allows users to upload images directly onto their merchandise using […]
Investor Connect – Kim Folsom of Founders First
In this episode, Hall interviews Kim Folsom of Founders First Capital. Kim is a serial tech entrepreneur for over 20 years, who has founded, grew, and funded six tech companies, exited three, and raised over 30 million in venture. Kim talks about her start investing in the under-served service business space. Kim also discusses the […]
Investor Connect – Jorge Azpe and Samuel Gutierrez of Schok
In this episode, Hall interviews Jorge Azpe and Samuel Gutierrez of Schok LLC, manufacturer of retail electronics, including tablets and cell phones. Samuel and Jorge talk about how they got into the mobile device space, and the opportunities they saw there, particularly in the mid-tier of phones. They talk about some of the challenges in […]
Investor Connect – Michael Zavet of Hyperion Exchange
In this episode, Hall welcomes Michael Zavet of Canada-based Hyperion Exchange, a platform for trading tokenized financial instruments using blockchain technology. Michael and Hall discuss the current state of the crypto market in general, and the cryptocurrency market for real estate applications. Michael talks about some of the current blockchain application investments going on in […]
Investor Connect – Travis Farese of Offerd (formerly Real AI)
In this episode, Hall welcomes Travis Farese of Real AI now Offerd. Before founding Real AI, Travis had a previous career in oil and gas services with an engineering and business degree. Travis and his partners then founded a services company, which they successfully sold right before the downturn in 2015. That, in turn, led […]
Investor Connect – Ben Bennett of Omnitude
In this episode, Hall is joined by Ben Bennett, COO of Omnitude. Ben’s background has always been in the commercial side of businesses – anything from telesales, field sales, product sales, all the way through to more strategic and development roles in business. He eventually launched his own company, a consultancy, which focused on startups, […]
Investor Connect – Douglas Raggio of Bias and Blind Spots
Hall is joined by Douglas Raggio of Bias and Blind Spots. Before joining the VC world, Doug’s background was mostly consumer products and services. After college he worked for publicity firms. He then went from to high end consumer goods (Bentley, Lamborghini, Vespa). This led to sports marketing, (Nike, Motorola and Direct TV). He started […]
Investor Connect – Yash Thukral and Sam Yaffa of TRITON FUNDS LLC
Hall is joined by Yash Thukral and Sam Yaffa of TRITON FUNDS LLC. TRITON FUNDS LLC is the largest private student-managed investment fund in the nation. TRITON FUNDS provides students the invaluable opportunity to gain real-world experience investing alongside experienced financial professionals. We invest in high performing teams with revolutionary aspirations to grow their company […]
Investor Connect – Jason Cahill of McCune Capital
Hall is joined by Jason Cahill of McCune Capital. We kick off this episode learning about Jason’s background before he got into early stage investing and what led him there. Jason is an army veteran. He spent seven years of active duty from 1997 to 2004. Thematically as an investor, Jason looks at inefficient markets, […]
Investor Connect – Matthew Jordan of Limitless Crypto Investments
Hall is joined by Matthew Jordan of Limitless Crypto Investments. Before entering the crypto space, Matthews background was developing healthcare solutions for doctors and patients. He purchased his first Bitcoin in 2013 unsure of the technology and followed the same route as many others. He bought his first bitcoin in 2015. Matthew wasn’t really sure […]
Investor Connect – (Part 2) – William Santana Li of Knightscope
In the second part of a three-part interview, Hall is joined by William Santana Li of Knightscope. Bill is a seasoned entrepreneur, intrapreneur and former corporate executive at Ford Motor Company. He was founder and COO of GreenLeaf, which became the world’s 2nd largest automotive recycler (now part of NASDAQ: LKQ) and has a BSEE […]
Investor Connect – (Part 1) – William Santana Li of Knightscope
In the first episode in a three-part series, Hall is joined by William Santana Li of Knightscope. We kick off the episode learning about Bill’s past before joining Knightscope. Bill is a seasoned entrepreneur, intrapreneur and former corporate executive at Ford Motor Company. He was founder and COO of GreenLeaf, which became the world’s 2nd […]
Investor Connect – Aaron Michaels of 1984 Ventures
In this episode, we are joined by Aaron Michaels of 1984 Ventures. Hall and Aaron kick of this episode learning about Aarons background before investing in early stage companies. Aaron has seen both sides of investing both from the startup angle as well as a CEO, he shares advice he’d give to someone investing in […]
Investor Connect – Christian Kameir of Sustany Capital
Hall is joined by Christian Kameir of Sustany Capital. Hall and Christian kick off this episode diving into Christians background before investing in early stage companies. Starting in the 80’s with computer programming, Christian is a technologist at heart. He then got a law degree and did regulatory work for the general federal communication commision. […]
Investor Connect – David Mes of OTG Ventures
In this episode, Hall interviews David Mes of Off the Grid Ventures. OTG focuses on early-stage investment in ‘off the grid’ entrepreneurs – women and foreign founders – specializing in B-to-B technology companies.
