Investor Connect Podcast
Hall T Martin interviews angel and venture capital investors on how they invest and talks with CEOs who discuss their sector and what to look for. Hall T Martin also leads the Startup Funding Espresso series in which you can learn about startup funding and investing in the time it takes to have an espresso.
Episodes
Startup Funding Espresso – Be Founder-Friendly To Gain More Dealflow
Be Founder-Friendly To Gain More Dealflow Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Founders live in the center of the startup world and thus see many companies raising funding. A startup investor will do well to tap into the knowledge of founders about other startups raising funding. An investor who treats founders well wi
Startup Funding Espresso – Founderflow vs Dealflow
Founderflow vs Dealflow Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startup investors spend their day looking for quality deals. There are business plan competitions, demo days, and other formats where founders pitch. Then there's warm introductions and referrals. The quality of these deals tends to be higher. Most investors
Startup Funding Espresso – How To Qualify an Investor for Your Startup
How To Qualify an Investor for Your Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Founders searching for investors need to qualify the investors for their deal. Here are key questions to ask an investor before pursuing your fundraise: Are they currently investing? What was the most recent investment made? How many of yo
Startup Funding Espresso – Investing in Climate Tech
Investing in Climate Tech Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Climate Tech is an up-and-coming investment opportunity. Here are the sectors, benefits, and risks. The key sectors include the following: Renewable energy such as solar, wind, and geothermal. Carbon capture for capturing, storing, and utilizing carbon emis
Investor Connect 898: Jake Ryan of Tradecraft Capital: Digital Asset Investing, Trend-Following Strategies, and the Age of Autonomy
On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Jake Ryan, Founder and Chief Investment Officer at Tradecraft Capital, a digital asset management firm focused on cryptocurrency, blockchain, and emerging technologies. Jake shares how he moved from software engineering and artificial intelligence into digital assets after early angel investing in a blockchain company and buying his first Bitcoin
Startup Funding Espresso – How to Diligence an AI Startup
How to Diligence an AI Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Artificial intelligence companies bring new challenges to the diligence process. Here are the key steps to diligence an AI startup: Does the AI startup have a clearly defined market that needs the product? How competitive is the startup over other prov
Startup Funding Espresso – Technical Due Diligence
Technical Due Diligence Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investing in startups requires due diligence. In addition to financial diligence, an investor should consider technical due diligence. Here are the key areas to review for technical due diligence: Scientific risk. This is the risk in deep tech startups that c
Startup Funding Espresso – Why VC Funds Should Build a Community
Why VC Funds Should Build a Community Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. A community is a network of contacts who come together for a common cause. Venture capital funds should build a community. Here are the reasons why: A community will generate more and better deal flow. Those in the network will know of the ventu
Startup Funding Espresso – How To Validate the Startup's Potential
How To Validate the Startup's Potential Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors considering funding a startup should test the startup's potential. Here are some key techniques for evaluating the startup. Try to sell the startup's solution to a potential customer. Gauge their reaction to the product and its price
Startup Funding Espresso – Regulatory Around the Fund Manager
Regulatory Around the Fund Manager Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are regulations around the fund manager. A fund manager is considered an investment advisor, which is defined as anyone who provides advice to others regarding securities in exchange for compensation. VC fund managers must register with the S
Investor Connect 897: Renewable Energy, Greenhouses, and Rural Resilience with Al McGregor of Perfect Energy, Inc. & AgroEnergy Farms, Co.
On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Al McGregor, COO of Perfect Energy, Inc. & AgroEnergy Farms, Co. Through Perfect Energy in Colorado with partners in Texas, Al connects solar and wind generation to practical commercial and agricultural use, arguing renewables and fossil fuels must be balanced to preserve fossil fuels for hard-to-electrify needs like big trucks and airplanes. Thro
Startup Funding Espresso – Regulatory Around the Fundraising Process
Regulatory Around the Fundraising Process Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are regulations around startup funding. These regulations provide an exemption from the securities laws. Here's a list of key regulatory terms to know: Rule 506b Founders or issuers of a stock can raise an unlimited amount of capital.
Startup Funding Espresso – Regulatory for Private Funds
Regulatory for Private Funds Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Regulatory for private funds includes venture capital funds. VC funds can find an exemption from regulatory requirements by one of the following: Having fewer than 100 owners in the fund. This excludes entities created for the purpose of investing in the
Startup Funding Espresso – Automating Your Dealflow Process
Automating Your Dealflow Process Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startup investors see a tremendous amount of deal flow. Finding quality deals is the challenge. Here are some key steps to automate the dealflow process: Set up tools to search for founders with a specific background. For example, one can set a searc
Startup Funding Espresso – Key Criteria for Venture Capital Investment
Key Criteria for Venture Capital Investment Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Venture capital requires a specific type of startup to meet its investment objectives. Here's a list of key criteria VCs look for: Large market size. The market is large and growing fast. This provides the startup numerous opportunities to
Investor Connect 896: Andrew Kazlow on Building Better Angel Due Diligence with The Diligent Observer
On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Andrew Kazlow, entrepreneur, writer, and host of The Diligent Observer. Andrew shares how he moved from an engineering background into the business side of industrial automation, then returned to Texas A&M for an MBA where he studied what's "broken" in angel investing and found that volunteer-driven investor networks often create a slow, painful p
Startup Funding Espresso – How To Handle Soft Commitments
How To Handle Soft Commitments Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors provide soft commitments to hold their place in a fundraise but delay the actual investment. The soft commitment is not legally binding. Investors often provide soft commitments while they go through their own diligence process. It's often th
Startup Funding Espresso – How To Perform Due Diligence on an Investor
How To Perform Due Diligence on an Investor Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, the founder should be doing as much diligence on the investor as the investor is doing on the startup. Here are some key steps to perform due diligence on an investor: What type of investor are they? Angel, venture capi
Startup Funding Espresso – The Basic Due Diligence Process
The Basic Due Diligence Process Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors funding a startup must first complete the due diligence process. The objective is to understand all the particulars about the company and the team. Here is the list of the basic due diligence process: The investment. This includes the term s
Startup Funding Espresso – The Importance of Vesting Shares
The Importance of Vesting Shares Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Vesting shares means taking shares granted to an employee and having them earned over time. A typical vesting schedule is four years with a one-year cliff. This means the employee granted shares will not have ownership of the shares for the first yea
Startup Funding Espresso – What Is Reverse Due Diligence
What Is Reverse Due Diligence Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Due diligence is the process of reviewing the condition of a company to be acquired. The purpose is to understand the company's current status, including risks, assets, liabilities, and potential opportunities. Reverse due diligence is when the company
Startup Funding Espresso – The Importance of a Data Room
The Importance of a Data Room Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. A dataroom is a collection of the key documents of a startup for a fundraise. The dataroom can be kept in software specifically designed for dataroom access or in a simple storage folder. These documents include legal entity filings, patents, financials
Investor Connect 895: Jason Taylor of CodeLaunch on Solving the Pre-MVP Catch-22 with Venturetainment
In this episode of Investor Connect, we welcome Jason Taylor, founder and president of CodeLaunch, who shares how he created the program in 2012 to help early-stage tech founders overcome the catch-22 of needing a product to raise funding but needing funding to build the product. Jason explains how CodeLaunch runs regional competitions that narrow hundreds of applicants down to six finalists per r
Startup Funding Espresso – How To Invest Using a Fund of Funds
How To Invest Using a Fund of Funds Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investing in a series of venture capital funds is one strategy for venture investing. This is a fund of funds investment strategy. Venture funds give the Limited Partner access to the best VCs in the industry. Each of the funds used will also brin
Startup Funding Espresso – Best Practices for Networking
Best Practices for Networking Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Networking is a key skill in startup fundraising. The founder must be able to navigate a community to find investors for their fundraise. Here are some best practices in networking in advance of a fundraise campaign: Always ask for referrals. In each di
Startup Funding Espresso – Dilution by Startup Stage
Dilution by Startup Stage Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Dilution is a major issue for founders. Each stage of fundraising causes another reduction in the founder's ownership. Here are the levels of dilution at each startup stage based on current data: Seed round -- 20% Series A round -- 20% Series B round -- 17%
Startup Funding Espresso – Problems Are Startups Waiting To Happen
Problems Are Startups Waiting To Happen Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Ideating a new startup begins with a problem. Here are the steps to ideating your next startup: Scan the market for problems. Review the news to find startup ideas. Review customer reviews of products and services. Talk with others about the p
Startup Funding Espresso – High-Value Startups Do Things Other Startups Cannot
High-Value Startups Do Things Other Startups Cannot Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In ideating a new startup, focus on things other startups cannot do. High-value startups do things other startups cannot This value comes from several sources as follows: Technology edge. The startup has technology that translates
Investor Connect 894: Per Nordling of Partinc Capital on Scaling B2B SaaS with AI and Active Investing
In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall T. Martin welcomes Per Nordling, an entrepreneur, angel investor, and SaaS operator who co-founded Medius in 2001, bootstrapped it to about $10M in revenue, raised capital to accelerate expansion, and helped scale the company internationally across Europe, North America, Australia, and parts of Asia before selling his stake. Per shares what founders need b
Startup Funding Espresso – How To Reach Out to an Investor
How To Reach Out to an Investor Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Founders raising funding must first get the attention of the investor. Some connections come through warm introductions. Others can come through cold email. Here are some key steps to take in reaching out to an investor: Research the investor to under
Startup Funding Espresso –Preparing Your Network for a Fundraise
Preparing Your Network for a Fundraise Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. One often hears of other founders raising funding in a matter of weeks. While it appears the founder raised funding with little effort, this happens because the founder spent years building relationships and curating investors. Before launching
Startup Funding Espresso –Importance of Warm-Up Meetings
Importance of Warm-Up Meetings Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In preparation for raising funding, be sure to include warm-up meetings. Six months in advance of launching the fundraise, set up meetings with investors to indicate you will be raising funding soon. The purpose of the warm-up meeting is to gauge initi
Startup Funding Espresso – Require Investors To Track Your Deal
Require Investors To Track Your Deal Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Founders raising funding pitch many investors. It's often the case that the founder doesn't know who is interested and who is not. One idea is to require investors to track your deal. They must remain engaged with it at some level or they are out
Startup Funding Espresso – The Best Startups Pick the Investors
The Best Startups Pick the Investors Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Successful startup investing requires a consistent flow of quality deals. The best startups pick the investors. It's the law of supply and demand. Where there are more investors than capital available to invest, the founder chooses. Here are some
Investor Connect 893: Fundracer BV's Rene Wiertz on Investing in Micro-Mobility Safety and Scaling Mobility Startups
In this episode of Investor Connect, we welcome Rene Wiertz, founder and managing partner of Fundracer BV, who shares how his experience building and leading premium bicycle brand 3T led him to launch a micro-mobility-focused fund that he believes has been overlooked by traditional venture capital. Rene discusses the post-COVID stabilization and renewed double-digit growth in cycling and micro-mob
Startup Funding Espresso – Founders Should Have a Nationwide View of Their Fundraise
Founders Should Have a Nationwide View of Their Fundraise Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Founders raising funding should start with family and friends. It's not the amount of funding raised that counts, but rather the fact that one's family and friends support the founder. From there, the founder draws the circle
Startup Funding Espresso – Investor Focus at Each Stage of the Startup
Investor Focus at Each Stage of the Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startup investors invest across all stages of startups. For each stage, the investor should focus on a key point. Here's a list of the investor focus at each stage of the startup: Pre-seed -- focus on the team. At this stage, there's littl
Startup Funding Espresso – Making Money as an Angel Investor
Making Money as an Angel Investor Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Angel investors are high-net-worth individuals who invest in startups for a profit. They make money when the startup exits by selling the business to another company or going public. The vast majority of exits are through sales to another company. T
Startup Funding Espresso – Advantage of Sending the Pitch Deck in Advance
Advantage of Sending the Pitch Deck in Advance Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors often ask for a pitch deck in advance of the meeting. Here are the advantages of sending the pitch deck ahead of time. The investor has time to review the deck and prepare for the meeting. If the deal is completely out of scope fo
Startup Funding Espresso – The First Call With an Investor
The First Call With an Investor Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The first call with an investor is an important one, as it sets the stage for follow-up calls. Here are some key steps to take in the first call: Keep the conversation two-way rather than letting one side or the other monologue. The founder doesn't le
Investor Connect 892: Why Climate Tech Is Hard for Angels and the Rise of "Unventure" Funding with Brian Kerns
In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall Martin welcomes Brian Kerns, a mentor, angel investor, and product executive working with VentureWell, to discuss why climate tech can be a tougher fit for traditional angel investing. Brian explains that many climate tech startups involve deep technology that requires more capital, longer timelines, and multiple rounds, and some segments—like ocean and bu
Startup Funding Espresso – Standard Practices for M&A
Standard Practices for M&A Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Achieving an exit is the final hurdle in launching a startup using investor funding. Here are some key practices in going through the M&A process. The factor driving the entire process is the company's business model and how it will sustain over time. Recu
Startup Funding Espresso – Validating a Startup Idea
Validating a Startup Idea Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Before launching a startup, a founder should first validate the startup idea. Here's a list of key steps to validate your startup idea: Is the idea big enough to justify a startup? Many ideas are simple side gigs with little return to the founder. Are you s
Startup Funding Espresso – When the Investor Fails To Respond to a Fwup
When the Investor Fails To Respond to a Fwup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The key to a successful fundraise is to follow up with the investor to close. It's important to maintain communication with an investor to carry the funding process through diligence. In some cases, the investor fails to respond to a fwup
Startup Funding Espresso – Highlight the Benefits of the Solution
Highlight the Benefits of the Solution Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In pitching for funding, the founder identifies the problem to be solved. And then describes the solution to be offered. It's important to show not only the solution with its features but also the benefits. Show how well the solution solves the
Startup Funding Espresso – How To Build a Better Product
How To Build a Better Product Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Having a better product than the competition is no guarantee of success, but it does help with your fundraise. Here's how to build a better product: First, understand the customer and the work they must do. Know the overall process flow and how the cust
Investor Connect 891: Building Stronger Networks in Venture Capital with Sophie Winwood
On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Sophie Winwood, venture capital investor, ecosystem builder, and co-founder of UnlockVC. Based in the UK, UnlockVC is a global community supporting women in venture capital and connecting investors across Europe and the U.S. Sophie has spent the past seven years in venture capital, including investing at Anthemus with a focus on early-stage compan
Startup Funding Espresso – Startups Fail for Many Reasons
Startups Fail for Many Reasons Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startups fail for many reasons. Here's a list of the more common ones: Ran out of cash. This is the most common reason of all. Could not raise additional funding. Lost too much business to the competition. Did not generate enough revenue to make the bu
Startup Funding Espresso – The Challenge of Angel Investing
The Challenge of Angel Investing Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Angel investing can be a rewarding experience, providing not only investment returns but also making the world a better place. It also comes with challenges. Here is the challenge of angel investing: There's a small number of investable startups. The
Startup Funding Espresso – What Are the Odds?
What Are the Odds? Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Early-stage investments require follow-on funding to reach a substantial size, providing a return to the investors that justifies the risk. Here are the odds that a startup will raise its next round of funding. After the first round, about half go on to raise a se
Startup Funding Espresso – Evaluating the Team
Evaluating the Team Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In startup investing, the team is the most important factor pointing to success or failure. Here are some key steps in evaluating the team for your startup investment. Look for examples of execution on the current startup. Execution trumps the idea. If there's no
Startup Funding Espresso – How To Close a Soft Commitment
How To Close a Soft Commitment Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Founders raising funding often ask for general interest first with no commitment. A soft commitment is an interest from an investor just short of a commitment. Investors use this to maintain the dialog with the founder as they learn more about the deal
Investor Connect 890: Digital Twins, AI Guardrails, and the Hidden "Iceberg" Costs of Industrial Deployment with Hemanth Sheelvant
In this episode of Investor Connect, we welcome Hemanth Sheelvant, who currently works in manufacturing consulting with Bosch Manufacturing Co-Intelligence. He discusses how digital twins and AI are reshaping industrial operations—and why even well-funded projects still fail. Hemanth explains the "iceberg problem" in enterprise and AI deployments, where teams focus on the visible technology while
Startup Funding Espresso – How To Expand Product Sales
How To Expand Product Sales Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startups raising funding must show a growth story. The best growth story is a revenue curve going up and to the right at a 45-degree angle. For venture, the growth curve must be at least 50% year over year. Here are some key steps to take to expand sales:
Startup Funding Espresso – How To Calculate Burn Rate
How To Calculate Burn Rate Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Burn rate is a key metric investors use to check the health of a startup. Based on the burn rate and cash in the bank, one can calculate how much time the startup has. Here's how to calculate burn rate. Use incoming cash as the first data point. It's a mis
Startup Funding Espresso – How to Diligence a Crowdfunding Deal
How to Diligence a Crowdfunding Deal Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Angel investors are familiar with startups raising funding who come through their normal channels. Deals are often submitted on their software platform or referred by a trusted source. In the world of crowdfunding, startups come through a new com
Startup Funding Espresso – How To Be a Good Startup Investor
How To Be a Good Startup Investor Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startup investors not only provide capital but also ongoing support to the startup. Here are some key steps to be a good startup investor: Research the market and provide actionable recommendations to the team about customers to pursue. Provide ongo
Startup Funding Espresso – How To Make Your Pitch More Engaging
How To Make Your Pitch More Engaging Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Founders raising funding must capture the attention of the investor. Here are some key steps on how to make the pitch more engaging: Include market research to validate the problem to be solved. This touches on the target market, the competition,
Investor Connect 889: Deep Tech Investing Outside Silicon Valley with Dave Blivin of Cottonwood Technology Fund
In this episode of Investor Connect, we welcome Dave Blivin, founder and managing director of Cottonwood Technology Fund, who shares how he invests at the intersection of science, capital, and commercialization to turn hard technologies into real companies. Dave explains Cottonwood's focus on early-stage deep tech across areas such as photonics, advanced materials, sensors, med tech, energy, robot
Startup Funding Espresso – It Takes a Process
It Takes a Process Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors looking to invest in a startup often look at the revenue as a sign of traction. In the very early stages, the presence or absence of revenue indicates the fundability of a company. As the company grows, one can look at the growth rate as a sign of tracti
Startup Funding Espresso – How To Get Your Fundraise Started
How To Get Your Fundraise Started Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Starting a fundraise can be a daunting task for the first-time founder. Here are some key steps on how to get your fundraise started. Research the market by talking with other founders who are raising funding. Check the current climate for fundraisi
Startup Funding Espresso – Return on Mission
Return on Mission Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startups generate a return on investment for their investors by measuring how much their business generated funds returned compared to investment. For the impact space, one can calculate the return on mission. Here is how to measure the return on mission for your i
Startup Funding Espresso – How To Connect With Investors in Your Pitch
How To Connect With Investors in Your Pitch Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In pitching investors, founders should strive to connect with them. Here are some key steps to connect with investors: Fit the startup fundraising standards. Too many out-of-standard details such as fundraise amount, terms, and valuation w
Startup Funding Espresso – Core Skills for Biotech Drug Development
Core Skills for Biotech Drug Development Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors looking to invest in a biotech drug startup should diligence the team for key skills. Here are the key skills needed for biotech drug development: Knowledge of how to drug a target. This means identifying a molecule, often a protein
Investor Connect 888: Transforming Healthcare: Virtual Care and AI with Lyle Berkowitz
In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Dr. Lyle Berkowitz, Founder and Chairman of KeyCare, a virtual care medical group that helps health systems deliver telemedicine tightly integrated with the Epic electronic health record. With coverage across all 50 U.S. states, KeyCare focuses on expanding access, coordinating virtual and in-person care, and reducing physician burnout by building
Startup Funding Espresso – What Investors Look for in a Market Slide
What Investors Look for in a Market Slide Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Part of the startup's pitch deck should be a market slide. Here's what investors need to know about your startup's target market. Who is the target customer? A good market slide segments the customers into categories and highlights the ideal
Startup Funding Espresso – How To Pitch the Business Case for Your Startup
How To Pitch the Business Case for Your Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Most first-time founders talk about the product and how it works. In pitching, it's important to make the business case for your startup. Here are some key steps to use to make the business case: Start with the problem and show how it
Startup Funding Espresso – Growth Startups Are Not Profitable in Year One
Growth Startups Are Not Profitable in Year One Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startups require up-front costs to set up and build the company. Any financial projection that shows profitability in the first year is suspect. Upfront costs include building the website, filing the company legal entity documents, pate
Startup Funding Espresso – Delusions in the Early-Stage Startup
Delusions in the Early-Stage Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The early-stage startup has its own set of delusions founders must overcome. Here's a list of delusions to watch for: Everyone else is a professional but not the founder. The reality is that the founder has the opportunity to build a great busine
Startup Funding Espresso – Best Practices for Explaining a Technical Concept
Best Practices for Explaining a Technical Concept Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In pitching investors, founders must explain how their product works. For those with highly technical products, here are some best practices for explaining it to others. Start with what the audience knows. Bridge the gap between thei
Investor Connect 887: Innovating Health: Dan Wasserman on Commercializing Canadian Innovation
In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall talks with Dan Wasserman, founder of Mammoth Health Innovation, about what it takes to turn biomedical and medical technologies into commercially viable healthcare solutions. Dan shares Mammoth's origins from a Canadian innovation center, his "Health Ecosphere" framework for pulling together the elements needed to commercialize health innovation, and how a
Startup Funding Espresso – The Negative Checklist for Startup Investing
The Negative Checklist for Startup Investing Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Most investors have a checklist for what they look for in a startup investment. The counter to this is the negative list for startup investing. This list shows what the investor does not invest in. Here are some examples: Investments that
Startup Funding Espresso – Look for Founders With Balance
Look for Founders With Balance Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors funding startups know that the team is the most important element. In reviewing the team, look for founders with balance. There are some founders who can work on multiple aspects of the business, such as sales, product development, and team b
Startup Funding Espresso – Key Skills Founders Need at Each Stage
Key Skills Founders Need at Each Stage Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. At each stage of the startup, the founder needs to have key skills to succeed at that level. Here are the key skills founders need: Seed stage -- grit and jack of all trades. The founder at this stage needs to have grit to grind through obstacl
Startup Funding Espresso – Best Practices for Investor Introductions
Best Practices for Investor Introductions Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Fundraising requires connections to investors. After a founder exhausts his own network, he must draw the circle wider to reach out to investors he does not know. Here are some best practices for investor introductions: Personalize the reque
Startup Funding Espresso – Thriving on Chaos
Thriving on Chaos Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startups have to go through the rollercoaster ride of highs and lows. There will be good times and bad times. Founders should identify what good problems are and what bad problems are. Good problems indicate you are doing well. These include the following: Increasi
Investor Connect 886: TEN Connect May 2026 - Part 5
In this episode, Hal hosts Andy as he introduces Tenacious Founder, a platform built to help founders and investors navigate rapid change in the startup world by replacing "winging it" with a structured, data-driven build process. Andy likens today's investing environment to the oil industry's evolution from 70% dry holes to under 7% by using better information before committing capital, arguing t
Startup Funding Espresso – How To Close an Anchor Client
How To Close an Anchor Client Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Anchor clients are crucial to early-stage startups. They provide a predictable revenue stream for the company. Here are key steps to close an anchor client. Identify a client that fits the ideal customer profile. Build a relationship with that client. C
Startup Funding Espresso – How Fast Can You Spin Up the Flywheel
How Fast Can You Spin Up the Flywheel Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors want several things from a startup. Here's a list for investors to consider when investing: Team -- They want a strong team that can not only build the product but also sell it. Product-market fit -- This is a focused solution for a cl
Startup Funding Espresso – The Journey Is the Reward
The Journey Is the Reward Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Founders launching and running a startup will experience highs and lows throughout the life of the startup. Some will find the experience exhilarating while others will find it debilitating. The difference between the two extremes comes down to the founders
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