Best Practices in Telling Your Story Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Storytelling is a key skill in fundraising. Use these best practices in telling your story in the…

How Much Funding To Raise Based on Valuation Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In planning the fundraiser, the amount of funding is a key factor to determine. The…

How To Wrap Up a Pitch Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In a pitch to an investor, there’s no need for an agenda slide or a summary slide.  The investor knows…

Basic Mistakes in Fundraising Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In the startup world, there are mistakes founders make in their fundraisers. Avoid these basic mistakes…

Basic Due Diligence Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors pursuing an investment in a startup should perform due diligence on the business. The purpose is to…

Key Slides in Your Pitch Deck Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In the pitch, there are specific slides that are key to the investor. Here’s a list of key slides to…

Burn Multiple Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Burn rate is the amount of cash spent over and above the revenue received. It’s typically calculated on a monthly…

Pre Seed Seed Seed+ Seed++ Series A Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In startup funding, the raises come in rounds.   The startup can raise a pre-seed round…

The First Raise Is a Minimum Round Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In startup fundraising, many founders try to raise too much funding in the first round. This causes…

Valuation Is the Primary Factor Impacting Returns Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are many terms in a startup fundraising terms sheet. Valuation is the primary…

Consider Dilution in Setting Your Fundraise Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In startup fundraising dilution is a key issue for founders. At each stage of funding…

Diligencing AI Startups Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Artificial intelligence or AI brings new capabilities and applications. Many startups launch their business…

Medical Device Milestones Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The medical device startup has a well-defined list of milestones to achieve to bring a product to market….

Overcoming the Investors’ Hesitancy Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In fundraising, there comes a time when the investor must decide to join or pass on the round….

How Private Equity Differs From Venture Capital Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Private equity and venture capital are different types of investment. Here are the key…

The Gap Between Seed and Series A Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In startup funding, we talk about preseed, seed, Series A, Series B, and so forth. It sounds like…

The Startups Advantage Over Big Companies Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. While big companies have size, resources, and reach, the startup holds advantages of their…

Startup Stages Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The startup goes through several stages before it achieves product market fit and then scaling. Here are the key steps…

No NDAs Before the Investor Pitch Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In startup fundraising, the NDA comes near the end of the process, not at the beginning. An NDA…

Fundraising – Important but Not Urgent Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Fundraising can be hard for startups because it falls into the important but not urgent…

What Angels Can Do for Your Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Angels can bring more value than just funding to your startup. Here’s a list of what angels can…

Comparing Funding Sources Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In startup fundraising, there are four distinct groups to consider for funding. The list includes venture…

How To Fundraise in Down Markets Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The venture world cycles up and down based on technology breakthroughs, stock market gyrations, and…

Core Slides in the Pitchdeck Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The pitch deck tells the startup’s story and provides key information about the investment opportunity to…

Startup Business Models Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Businesses sell to consumers, which is called B2C, or to businesses called B2B. Startups aggregate users,…

The Pre-Seed Pitch Deck Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The pre-seed company raising funding faces a challenge. There are no revenue, traction, or performance metrics…

Help the Investor Understand Your Pitch Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors hear a great number of pitches. In each pitch, the investor must figure out what the…

Negotiating the Valuation Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Negotiating the valuation is a key step in the fundraising process.  Here are some helpful strategies…

Best Practices for Series A Fundraising Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Fundraising for Series A is fundamentally different from fundraising for a seed round. In the…

Matching Risk To Reward Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso — your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In choosing an investment, the investor matches risk to reward. A public stock may go down but most likely…

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…