Hall is joined by Michael Smerklo, co founder and managing director of Next Coast Ventures. Hall and Michael kickoff this episode learning about Michaels background before investing in early stage companies. Michaels background includes being a CPA and investment banker before attending business school. Once he completed school, Michael move to SIlicon Valley where he first worked with Morgan Stanley followed by Loudcloud for two years. Michael then decided to buy a company. He worked as CEO for 13 years before retiring. At that point he decided that he really wanted to give back to the entrepreneurial community since he enjoyed working with early stage companies and became a VC as the next logical step in his career. Michael also shares his advice to new investors in the startup world as well as how he sees the industry evolving. In this episode, you’ll learn Michaels own personal investment thesis and he came to it. Hall and Michael touch on challenges, risks and opportunities to pursue in this sector.  

 

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Disclaimer:
Hall T Martin is the director of Investor Connect, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to the education of investors for early-stage funding. All opinions expressed by Hall and podcast guests are solely their own opinions and do not reflect the opinion of Investor Connect. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon for the basis of investment decisions.