Screening Criteria – the Team Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In screening startups for funding, here are the key criteria for vetting the team: Number of team members It’s best to have a complete team of three to five. Short of that, one looks for a team that covers the basic skills required — someone is building it, and someone is selling it. Many founders. More than two founders can be a problem. There are too many leaders and not enough people to execute on all the ideas. Technical founder. The lack of a technical founder is cause for concern, as the group may find it difficult to grow. Lack of industry knowledge. Founders who made it elsewhere often take up startups in high-growth areas. Make sure they know the industry well. Startup experience. Corporate types often leave the big company to start their own business. The work model between a big company and a startup is very different. Too many other jobs. Founders who work part-time on the business will find it difficult to gain traction as a founder’s job is full-time, if not more. Consider these factors in vetting the team. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let’s go startup something today. _________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group Please follow, share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of Bensound.

Copyright (c) 2026, Hall Martin and investorconnect.org. All rights reserved.

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.