Investor Connect Podcast

The Ideal Investor Profile of a VC Fund

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

To find the ideal investors for your VC fund, consider the following:

Value proposition

What is the value proposition of the fund?

Answering this question will narrow the field of investors dramatical...

VC Fund References

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Limited partners considering an investment in a VC fund should check the references.

Here's a list of references to consider:

Other funds the VC has worked with before.

This could be in the form of a syndicate for funding...

VC Fund Track Record

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Limited Partners in VC funds look at the team's track record and also that of previous funds.

Here's a list of key metrics to disclose about your track record:

Total Value to Paid in (TVPI) 

Compares the value of realiz...

How LPs Test the VC Fund

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Limited Partners test VC funds before investing.

Here's a list of the criteria LPs use to test the fund:

Does the fund have a track record that is compelling?

Does the fund fit an open slot in the LPs asset allocati...

Types of Limited Partners for a VC Fund

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

In raising a VC fund, there are several types of limited partners.

Here's a list to consider:

High networth individual

This is a person who has a net worth of over a million dollars available for inve...

In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall Martin speaks with Henning Schwinum, the co-founder and managing partner of Vendux, a company specializing in connecting businesses with fractional, interim, and full-time sales leaders. Henning shares his journey from a 25-year career in global sales and leadership roles to identifying a gap in the market for senior sales leadership in fast-growing companies that aren't ready for a full-ti...

Shutting Down a Startup 2

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Not all startups succeed.

For those that don't, there may come a time to shut it down.

Here are some key points to consider in shutting down a startup:

Before announcing the shutdown, collect all accounts receivabl...

Best Practices for Launching a Startup

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Many founders have unrealistic expectations and misguided notions about how startups work.

Here's a list of best practices to consider for launching a startup:

Don't bank on the idea alone.

Startups ne...

The Value of LTV:CAC

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

The Lifetime Value to Cost of Customer Acquisition ratio is called LTV:CAC and is a useful ratio in determining the health of a startup.

To calculate the Lifetime value, take the monthly revenue and divide by the churn rate. 

To cal...

When To Sell Your Business

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Startup founders receive buyout offers throughout the life of the business.

Even in the early days of the startup, they have the opportunity to sell the company.

At each round of funding, the founder has the choice to raise mo...

The Challenge of Regulation

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Regulation by the government of an industry is meant to protect customers and provide a level playing field for the companies.

The downside to regulation is that it inhibits innovation.

It often favors the incumbents in an in...

In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall T. Martin welcomes Mike Sloan, the founder and CEO of Simple Labs. Mike introduces the audience to Cogni, a ground-breaking device designed to address some of the major challenges in the wine and spirits industry, such as product loss due to evaporation and spoilage. With real-time monitoring, Cogni provides distilleries and wineries valuable insights, allowing them to better manage their p...

How To Monitor Your Sales Forecast

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Forecasting revenue is an important skill because investors want visibility into it.

To forecast better, use the Trailing Four Months model.

In this model, calculate the growth rate by taking the average of the growth ...

Mistakes in Scaling the Startup

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

The seed stage grows the business from 0 to $1M.

The growth stage grows from $1M to $10M.

The scaling stage grows from $10M to $100M.

Here are the most common mistakes founders make at the scaling stage:

Investors Look for Execution, Not Ideas

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Startup founders often believe their idea will carry the day with the investor.

They propose their idea to spark interest.

While that may be a good way to get attention, it will certainly not maintain it for long.

Lessons From Napoleon for the Startup

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Napoleon never ran a startup, but his life provides many lessons for the startup founder.

Here are some lessons to take away from his life:

Underestimating risk -- Napoleon underestimated the harshness of the Russia...

Product Strategy for AI

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Artificial intelligence is a disruptive technology that promises tremendous benefits to the tech industry.

Current products will be upgraded to use AI.

New products will be introduced using AI from the get-go.

Here's...

In this episode of Investor Connect, we welcome Kat Delgadillo and Hall Martin from Ten Capital to discuss their innovative platform connecting startups and investors. Kat and Hall introduce Ten Capital's mission to streamline the investment process, spotlighting their robust event lineup that includes the Family Office Roundtable, Virtual Quick Pitch, and Life Science Syndicate. Ten Capital aids growth companies in securing fundin...

Learning From Mistakes

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

A CEO once said, I don't mind people making mistakes.

I mind people not learning from them.

It's important to learn from mistakes.

There are several ways to do this.

Learn from your own mistakes.

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