The Secret Is in the Iterations Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Many founders try to tell everything to the investor in the first pitch. This is not possible as…

What Not To Say in a Fundraise Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, startups should avoid these statements to investors. “We have no competition.”…

What Is a Value Proposition Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. A value proposition is a feature that makes the startup valuable to the customer. It’s not your mission…

Don’t Overhype It Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, it’s important to articulate all the values in the deal. If you don’t mention it, then it…

How To Enhance an Investor Update Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In writing an investor update, include the status of the business, key milestones achieved, and…

Add Investor Relations to Your Website Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, prospective investors use your website to learn more about the business….

The Importance of Your Website in a Fundraise Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Your website plays a key role in your fundraising. The first place an investor goes…

How To Use Round Closings Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In planning out a fundraise, it’s best to break the raise into a series of round closings. Communicate the…

Steps To Plan Your Fundraise Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Before you launch a fundraise, first plan out your investor engagement: Follow these steps to prepare:…

Building the Fundraise Funnel Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, it’s important to build a funnel into your fundraising. Just as you have a funnel…

Milestone Your Valuation Caps Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In strategizing your fundraising, it’s best to break your raise into tranches. Most raises start with…

You’re Too Early for Us Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startup founders raising funding will often hear an investor say ‘You’re too early for us.’ Many…

Keep Going Till the Money Is in the Bank Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In fundraising, the deal is not done till the money is in the bank. Many founders stop their…

Fundraise Closing Rate Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In sales, the average close rate of prospects is 5% to 10%. This often seems low to first-time salespeople who…

Research Your Investors Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Just as investors do research on the startup so the founder should do research on the investors. Research…

Demonstrate Credibility With Investors Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding either as a startup looking for investors or a VC fund manager looking for…

Identify a Champion in the Group Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding look for those who believe in your project and believe in you. Don’t spend too…

You Need To Have Thick Skin Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In the fundraising process, the startup founder will hear ‘no’ many times from investors. For the…

It Takes Seven Touches Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. It takes seven touches to close a sale. So it takes seven touches to close an investor. In the selling process,…

Recruit an Expert To Help With the Fundraise Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In the fundraising process, the first-time founder is at a great disadvantage. Investors…

Highlight the Investors Who Are Already in the Deal Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In a fundraising round, many investors do not want to go first.   In…

In raising funding, founders should show investors that they are thinking about the exit. While no one can predict the outcome the investors want to know you are building a company that can be sold for a high price. This means the business will have facets that generate high returns….

Tell the Story Why This Will Work Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In pitching, many founders focus on how the product works or how the technology performs. In life…

Show the Support for Your Fundraise Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding from investors show the support for your fundraiser. In addition to talking…

Use Incentives To Attract Early Investors Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Incentives can entice investors to join the round. In the early days of the raise, you may…

Update the Investors on the Fundraise Progress Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding it’s important to build a list of prospective investors and keep…

Creating Scarcity in Your Fundraise Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In structuring your fundraise it’s important to design scarcity into it for the investors. If…

How To Handle Toxic Customers Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Toxic customers can ruin employee morale and distract them from their work. Here are some steps to…

Signs of a Toxic Board Just as employees can be toxic to the company, so can the board. Here’s a list of signs that your board may be toxic: The board breaks their non-disclosure agreements and discusses confidential information with outsiders. The board members put their own agenda above that…

Signs of a Toxic Customer Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Just as founders, employees, and board members can be toxic, so can your startup’s customers. Here are…

Startups form boards to guide and direct the company. Some board members can be problematic. Here are the signs a board member  is toxic: Their ego outweighs their fiduciary duty to look out for the best interests of the company. They bully others to get their own way. They act…

Toxic employees can have a detrimental impact on your employees, company culture, reputation, and revenue. It can be easier to find a new employee than to change an existing one. If behavior change doesn’t work then one must replace the toxic employee. Here are the steps to making the change:…

There are many types of toxic employees. It’s important to minimize the damage they do by taking action. Here are some key steps in handling a toxic employee: Identify the problem and discuss it with the employee. For this step, gather information about the bad behavior and then talk to…

Types of Toxic Employees Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Toxic employees come in many forms. Here’s a list of the types of toxic employees: The bulldozer — they…

Toxic Employees Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Toxic employees can ruin a startup’s culture. Here are signs you have a toxic employee: Overconfidence — they…

Signs of a Toxic Culture Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. A toxic culture indicates that employees have an unhealthy set of habits and practices. Here is a list of…

Toxic Culture Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startups build a culture starting from the launch. The founder is the key determining factor for the type of culture in…

How To Handle a Toxic Co-Founder Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. If you find yourself with a toxic cofounder it’s important to take action. Here are the steps to…

Toxic Founder-Co-Founder Relationship Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startups should have a complete team at all times. In the early stages of the startup, this…

Toxic Founders Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Founders will make or break a startup. Here are signs of a toxic founder: They are the loudest people in the group….

Toxic Cap Table Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors funding a startup should review the cap table to determine the health of the startup. Here are signs of a…

A toxic fundraising round provides funding but makes it difficult for the startup to raise follow-up funding. Here are some signs of a toxic round: Giving up too much equity for an early stage round of funding. This makes it difficult to provide enough capital to future investors. Raising too…

Signs of a Toxic Investor Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, it’s important to choose the right investors for your startup. Avoid toxic investors…

Toxic Startups Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startups can be great or they can be toxic. Investors should look out for these signs you are talking to a toxic…

Recurring revenue brings many benefits to a business. There are challenges in scaling a recurring revenue business. Consider these challenges for your business: Manual processes — these slow down the growth of your business. The more processes you automate the easier it will be to scale your business.   Automated sales,…

Challenges in Recurring Payments Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Recurring revenue brings many benefits but it also brings a few challenges. Lookout for these issues…

Metrics for Tracking Recurring Revenue Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are several metrics to track the health of a recurring revenue business. Here are some…

Systems for Selling Recurring Revenue Products Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing Recurring revenue gives the company several sales opportunities. Here are the key…

How To Add Recurring Revenue Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In addition to turning your core product into recurring revenue, there’s also adding additional…

How To Integrate Recurring Revenue Into Your Business Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In transitioning your business to recurring revenue you’ll need to make…

Many businesses can be moved to recurring revenue. Here are several examples of transitioning a business to a subscription. Lawn care — a repeat business that is often paid for by the hour or the visit. Replace a variable pay for the service each time it is performed to a…

Once you’ve decided to move to recurring revenue you’ll need to set up a plan to switch your business process over to it. Moving to recurring revenue can be done by following these steps: Identify the services that are used repeatedly such as support, replenishment, and updates. Recast these services…

In a non-recurring revenue business, one focuses on finding new customers.  Once you have moved to recurring revenue, you’ll also need to focus on retaining existing customers. To retain customers you’ll need to create a strong customer experience. This comes from solving the customer’s problem efficiently and building a relationship…

How To Switch to Recurring Revenue Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Businesses without a subscription model can move to recurring revenue. Here are some ways to take…

Recurring Revenue Business Examples Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In the venture world, the recurring revenue business model is the preferred method. The recurring…

How To Maintain a Recurring Revenue Business Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. After setting up a recurring revenue business model, one must maintain the business. Here…

Types of Recurring Revenue Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Recurring revenue can be implemented in many ways. Here’s a list of the different types of recurring…

Why Move to Recurring Revenue Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Businesses with recurring revenue find benefits over companies without it. Here are a list of reasons…

Top Blockchain Business Models Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Here are the most common business models for blockchain. Utility tokens — this business model provides…

Business Benefits of Blockchain Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Blockchain brings many benefits to businesses that use it. Here’s a list of key benefits to…

Simple Agreement for Future Governance Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The blockchain brings new investment structures for ownership. The Simple Agreement for Future Equity called a SAFE gives the investor ownership in an entity through…

Blockchain and the Future of Work Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The traditional company has a hierarchical structure of leaders, employees, and investors. Blockchain enables a new structure called the Distributed Autonomous Organization or DAO….

Creating a Network for Your Blockchain Startup Blockchain startups build value through network effects. The architecture of the blockchain creates several layers with which to foster a network. Here are some key incentives to create a network for your blockchain startup: Utility — the system delivers a service such as…

Business Models for Blockchain Traditional businesses provide a product/service and earn profit from the sales. These businesses are in manufacturing, distribution, or retailing. Blockchain uses a different business model due to the decentralized nature of the network. Here are the key business models: Blockchain as a service — provides the…

Ethereum Tokenomics Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The Ethereum network is one of the largest blockchain networks available. Here are the tokenomics for ETH, the…

Token Vesting Strategies Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Vesting is the process for distributing an asset to someone who is entitled to it. This could be shares of…

Token Distribution Strategies Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are several strategies for distributing tokens. Here are three key areas to consider when…

Generating Network Effects With Tokens Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Network effects increase the value of a community. The greater the network the higher the…

How To Build Tokenomics for Your Project Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In designing tokenomics the goal is to incentivize the community toward a common goal. This…

Elements of Tokenomics Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Tokenomics focuses on the supply and demand of the token in an ecosystem. Supply and demand determine the price…

What Is Tokenomics Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Tokenomics is a combination of “token” and “economics” and encompasses the creation, distribution, supply…

How To Value a Token Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In valuing equity one looks at the revenue for high-growth companies and cash flow for low-growth startups. From…

Cap Tables With Tokens Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Web3 introduces tokens into the startup world. Tokens bring a new layer of incentives and must be accounted for…

Using Tokens As Incentives Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Tokens bring a new layer of value to the internet startup. Startups can provide incentives to their…

Applications for Tokens Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Tokens work well in creating a digital representation of a physical asset. Here are four applications for…

Designing Tokenomics Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In designing the tokenomics for your business there are four key areas to consider: Role of the token — what…

How To Apply a Token Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Tokens bring a new level of incentives to your business. Consider these steps in tokenizing your business model….

When Is a Token a Security Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Tokens provide either utility or represent securities. Utility tokens give access, the right to vote,…

Social Tokens Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Social tokens represent individuals, in particular creators. Tokens capture the value a creator generates in the form of…

Types of Wallets Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are several types of wallets used in the blockchain space. They can be hot or cold wallets. Hot means the…

What Is a Blockchain Wallet Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. A blockchain wallet is an online wallet with which users store and manage their digital assets. These…

Blockchain Use Cases and Applications Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Blockchain brings transparency, governance, and security to the internet. Here’s a list of use…

How To View the Blockchain World Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Blockchain brings a new technical paradigm to the internet. Here are the key players and components…

What Is a Blockchain Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Blockchain is a way of recording information that is hard to hack or steal. It is a ledger of transactions that…

Decentralization in Web3 Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Web3 brings a new level of decentralization to the internet. Web3 lets users build their own economic…

Web3 CFO Skills Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Web3 brings new challenges to the startup leadership. Here are some key skills a Web3 CFO should have: In addition to…

Web3 CEO Skills Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Web3 brings new challenges to the startup leadership. Here are some key skills a Web3 CEO should have: In addition to…

Web3 Business Models Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Web3 brings new business models. Here are some key business models to consider: Native assets — the value of the…

Go to Market Strategies in Web3 Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In the Web2 world go-to-market strategies focused on free products and services. In the Web3 world, go…

Reputation, Credentials, and Identity in Web3 Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Reputation, credentials and identity are new use cases brought about by Web3. Since…

Treasury Function in Web3 Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Web3 brings a new function the startup must manage:  the treasury. The treasury function exists in the…

Difference Between Web2 and Web3 Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are several differences between Web2 and Web3. Web2 centralizes the control of information kept…

Composability Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Web 3 brings software composability to a new level. Composability is the ability to select and combine components to…

Benefits of Web3 Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The next generation of the web, called Web3 seeks to decentralize the internet and give control back to the users….

Web3 Innovations Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Web 3 brings new innovations to the internet. Here are some key innovations: Web 3 uses blockchain technology which…

What Is Web3? Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The current internet is controlled by a few players with concentrated power over the users. The next generation of the…

How To Write a DAO Constitution Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In setting up a DAO it’s important to write a constitution defining the governance and establishing…

Delegated Voting in DAOs Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. DAOs bring many benefits to online communities such as member control over the direction of the DAO. One of…

VC Usage of DAOs Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. DAOs bring many benefits to the startup fundraise. These include a community focused on supporting a common cause….

Fundraising With DAOs Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. DAOs bring a new level of community engagement to startup fundraising. The community within the DAO can support…