Investor Connect Podcast

Should You Pursue a Grant? Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Grants provide seed money to startups. Consider these points in determining whether or not you should pursue a grant. Grant funds can only be used for the stated purpose in the grant proposal. If you need funds for operations, inventory, or administrative...

What Is a Grant? Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. A grant is funding to a startup to further the business but does not take equity nor must be paid back. The government provides grants to startups to help commercialize the technology and foster economic growth. Federal grants are given to startups to promote specif...

Located globally, COREangels International is a brand of hands-on angels investing in early-stage startups through local portfolio funds. Their organization is driven by the energy of determined entrepreneurs and passionate angels, working every day to support innovation. COREangels funds invest in a portfolio selected by the angels from a pool of startups curated by the leaders. They contribute t...

Mistakes in Commercialization Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Commercialization of technology requires key skills in market research, product development, and customer engagement. Avoid these mistakes in commercialization: Focusing on researching the technology only. Set aside time for selling, marketing, and prod...

How To Engage Academics Into Commercialization Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Universities often encourage academics to commercialize their technology to advance their research. Here are some key steps to engage academics into commercialization: Focus on the impact of the research rather than the revenue generate...

Best Practices for Commercialization Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In commercializing technology here are some best practices to consider: Educate the market about the problem you solve and the solution you offer. It's often the case the technology founder assumes the world understands the problem. You must educ...

How To Build an MVP Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. A minimum viable product or MVP is a usable product that has minimal but must have features. Here are the key steps to building your MVP: Research the market and the customer requirements. Start with a customer problem and review the current solutions. These solu...

Using Prototypes To Raise Funding Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, a prototype is invaluable. Here are some reasons why investors fund projects that have a prototype: The prototype demonstrates you can build it. It gives you a tool to engage customers. Prototypes help you define the product bett...

I recently had the opportunity to host the Shaping Funding in MedTech: Insights from Industry Insiders webinar. by Keiretsu Forum. I had the honor of moderating the discussion. The panelists include Paul Gianneschi, Managing Principal and Founder, CEO of Hatch Medical, Dr. Lishan Aklog - Chairman and CEO of Lucid Diagnostics, Todd Wallach - CEO of SOLUtion Medical and serial entrepreneur, and Bria...

Steps to Creating a Prototype Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. A prototype is an early model of your technology to show proof of concept and gather feedback from potential customers. Prototypes can also be used to raise funding from investors. For building a prototype keep these key issues in mind: The current mark...

Purpose of Prototypes in Commercialization Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In commercializing your technology one of the most important elements is building a prototype. Prototypes provide several benefits and should be a high priority to complete as soon as possible. Many inventors use their resources to write an...

Best Practices for Grant Writing Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Raising grant funding is a key step in commercializing your technology. Here are some best practices for grant writing to consider: Research the goals and objectives of grants to understand what is currently of interest. Make sure you have set up a l...

Funding Options for Tech Commercialization Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are several options for funding the commercialization of technology. Here's a list of sources to consider: Self-funding -- consider putting some of your own funds into the business. This proves to others your commitment to the project...

Finding Anchor Customers Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. An anchor customer is one that provides a substantial amount of business on a recurring basis. These customers are important as they give you a base level of business each month. You save the time and cost of prospecting for the customer as they are already...

In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall T. Martin chats with Mike VandenBos, VP of Business Development at KingsCrowd. KingsCrowd empowers everyone to invest in startups confidently through research, ratings, data analytics, founder interviews, and financial products. Mike shares his journey from discovering startups through Michael Lewis's book "The New New Thing" to diving into the entrepreneu...

When Should You License Your Technology Instead of Building a Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In commercializing your technology there are two primary paths: building a startup or licensing the technology to others. You should consider licensing your technology when the following conditions exist: The deve...

How To License Your Technology Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Licensing your technology to another company provides another path to commercialization. Here are some key steps to licensing your technology: Prepare information about the technology including an introduction, product description, and manufacturing in...

What Is Licensing in Commercialization Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Licensing in commercialization is the right to manufacture and sell a product with the technology of another company. In return for the right, the licensee pays a royalty fee for each unit sold. Licensing brings the following advantages to the...

Key Legal Documents Used in Commercialization Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are several legal documents used in the commercialization process Here's a list of key documents to know: Non-disclosure agreement -- referred to as an NDA, this document requires the signatories to confidentiality with regards to...

Different Paths of Commercialization Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are different paths of commercialization. These paths include startups and licensing. Founders license the technology from the source and then establish a company to create a product to sell for a profit. The startup requires a team to buil...

Innovation Models Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Technology commercialization applies new technologies to the formation of a business. Innovation drives technology commercialization. To grow your business you may need to foster the development of the technology and its supporting functions. Here are several innov...

Intellectual Property in Commercialization Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. A key component in commercialization is intellectual property. Intellectual property refers to work or invention that comes from the creativity of the mind such as a design, literature, or artistic works. It comes in several forms including...

Testing Your Idea for Commercialization Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Before commercializing your technology, test the idea with these questions: What product should you build? There are many ways to apply technology to a problem. Who is the target customer and can they pay for it? It's important to gain clarity...

Key Steps in Commercialization Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Once you start down the path of commercialization, there are some key steps to accomplish. Determine patent strategy. There are several ways to protect intellectual property including patents, trade secrets, trademarks, and more. Review each option for...

Elements of Commercialization Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Commercialization is the process of transitioning technologies from the lab into products in the marketplace to create financial value. Here are the key elements of the commercialization process: Assessing the technology. This includes identifying the c...