Investor Connect Podcast

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startups make many of the mistakes. Here are two common ones to avoid: Thinking you must have the perfect product before you talk with anyone - including customers. Many startups go into development mode until they have their first product, and then launch it to the world. Often wit...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Samara Gordon of Hyperplane Venture Capital. Hyperplane Venture Capital is an investment firm focused on exceptional founders building machine intelligence and data companies. They partner with exceptional founders who are leveraging machine intelligence, sensor technology, and cloud computing to solve the world's hardest problems uncovering the underlying structure...

I've talked with numerous startups who has a founder that no longer works with the company and has taken their equity with them. One solution to this problem is called Founder Vesting Many startups choose to structure the founder shares as restricted stock. This reserves some shares which must be "earned back" by the founder over time. The longer the vesting schedule the more shares the founder ea...

In this episode, Hall welcomes back Henry Yoshida Founder and CEO of Rocket Dollar Inc. Rocket Dollar was founded in 2018 with the belief that retirement is changing. They believe that people should not be limited in their investment options as they work towards the retirement they envision for themselves. Rocket Dollar makes it safe, simple, and fast for people to take control of their retirement...

The terms sheet sets out terms such as Pari passu, Last Money in Rules, Exclusivity and confidentiality, and Conditions of Financing Pari passu is a Latin phrase meaning equal footing and without preference. This clause basically states that if the startup issues any new classes of stock then it shall have equal rights with prior classes. This applies to liquidation preferences, voting rights, and...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Nick Iovacchini of KettleSpace, a New York City-based drop-in coworking that partners with local businesses. A former college baseball player, Nick has been an entrepreneur since leaving college. He used his experience in the restaurant space to co-found KettleSpace as a way to provide affordable coworking spaces as well as support local restaurants. Nick discusses t...

The terms sheet sets out Drag along rights and Protective Provisions Drag along rights give the investor the right to force the shareholders (founders and others) to sell the startup. Drag along rights are common in VC deals. The primary reason for a drag along rights clause is that the lead investors want out and require others to join. Protective provisions state that if the founders want to tak...

In this episode, Hall is joined by Manuk Hergnyan co-founder and managing partner of Granatus Ventures. Granatus Ventures is the first Venture Capital firm in Armenia to provide funding, expertise, and networks to promising technology-driven startups based in or having core value-add activities in Armenia. Granatus Ventures is backed by an experienced team of investment professionals with a passio...

The terms sheet sets out the Information Rights for the investors. The Information Rights section defines what information and reports are required and the reporting schedule, and sometimes which investors are entitled to receive the information. The standard set of financial reports that investors require include profit and loss (P& L) statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements. For ear...

In this episode, Hall is joined by Brian Morin of the Soteria Battery Innovation Group. Soteria Battery Innovation Group is dedicated to enabling portable electric power without the risk of fires, no matter the circumstances. Their material architecture eliminates the spark on the inside of a battery that can cause fires. Soteria's goal is to ensure that materials are available to every battery ma...

The terms sheet sets out the board composition. For an early stage company, the board is comprised of three (3) individuals with one (1) representative being the CEO of the Company, one (1) representative being the Lead Investors or his designee (the Series A Director), and one (1) representative being an individual mutually agreed upon by the Lead Investor and the CEO of the Company. For a growth...

In this episode, Hall welcomes back Paul O'Brien of MediaTech Ventures. MedicaTech Ventures is an Austin-grown venture development group and holdings company that connects capital and people in the media and technology industries. An online technology and startup veteran, Paul is known as SEO'Brien for his extensive past in the search industry. Paul works in Venture Capital Economic Development, s...

The terms sheet contains several investor rights relating to Governance and Control. Here are three of them: Right of First Refusal The Right of First Refusal clause says that if a founder sells his or her shares, then the preferred share investor gets the right to buy those founder shares first. Doing so results in increasing the investor's equity ownership in the company. Participation Rights Th...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Mikael Krogh, Managing Partner and Founder of Investigate VC. Mikael has experience as both an entrepreneur and investor across four continents, Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America. Investigate is a Singapore-based VC investing in startups with the Network Orchestration business model – companies facilitating information sharing and transactions within their n...

You may come across the term warrants in a terms sheet. Warrants are a type of security that gives investors the option to buy more stock over a designated time frame, at a specific price. Three parameters define the details of a typical warrant clause: the term, the coverage, and the price. The term sets the window of time the investor has the option to exercise the warrant. The coverage sets the...

In this episode, Hall is joined by Jason Todd of Thinker Ventures, business development and consulting firm specializing in startups and small to mid-size growth companies. An entrepreneur with a background in sales/marketing, programming, and eCommerce, Jason uses his expertise to grow and develop small companies and startups. Jason gravitates to companies that have a good idea where they are at...

Pay to play is often used in terms sheets. A pay to play clause is intended to create an incentive for existing preferred share investors to invest on a pro rata basis in future financing rounds. The clause spells out that, if the existing investors choose not to participate in future rounds, they will lose some or all of their preferential rights. For example, if a preferred investor in a down ro...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Daniel Hallawi of KapVista, a global platform showcasing emerging companies across 15+ countries to over 15,000 high net worth, professional, and international investors. Through an investor-focused website and tailored matchmaking, private companies can present their company to potential investors, advisors and board members. As a natural by-product, KapVista also p...

Terms sheets use anti-dilution clauses to protect the investors. Anti-dilution comes into play during down rounds in which the founders raise funding at a lower valuation than a previous round. There are three scenarios: No Anti-Dilution Protection - Investors and founders share in dilution from any follow on rounds funding. Full Ratchet Anti-Dilution - With full ratchet, the investor's share pric...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Matt Johnson of Johnson Venture Partners, a micro VC fund investing in high-growth startups in the Southeast. Matt's curiosity about the founding stories of successful companies led to a passion for early-stage investing. While JVP is sector agnostic, Matt points to his particular interest in machine learning, cognitive computing technology, and early-stage innovatio...

Liquidation preference is a right commonly found in terms sheet. It provides the investor the right to receive their investment back and then the remaining profits are distributed pro rata to other stakeholders. It's often expressed in multiples such as 1X, 2X, or 3X. This means the investors with those rights will receive 1X their investment before distributing the remaining exit funds based on t...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Rob Wray, CEO of BlueStar SeniorTech. BlueStar provides aging-in-place technologies to seniors, particularly those in families with veterans. Multi-faceted businessman/admiral: fluent in technology, people, processes, energy, defense, and general P&L business Rob is a Mechanical Engineer from the Naval Academy, Admiral Wray. He spent seven years of active duty as a n...

Here are some Financial Parameters to look for in a terms sheet: Type of Security: Convertible Preferred Stock, Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, or Series Seed Preferred Stock. Investment Amount: How much is being raised. Pre-Money Valuation: What the business is worth before the investment. The pre-money valuation can also appear in the "Price Per Share" section. Price Per Share: The price p...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Brett Commaille of Hlayisani Capital. Hlayisani's investment philosophy is focussed on the acquisition of either significant minority or majority ownership stakes in market leading organizations that are high-growth and high-impact revenue generating private equity businesses. With over 20 years of investment and management experience and 12 years Venture Capital, Br...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Jon Trauben of Altitude Investment Management. Altitude Investment Management, LLC is a U.S.-based global venture capital fund manager investing in the legal cannabis industry. The manager's strategy is to invest in a range of early-stage to growth companies that support this rapidly-growing industry, both in the United States and globally. Jon is an active participa...