Investor Connect Podcast

What is a whistleblower? Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Internal fraud is often caught by an employee. The employee who sounds the alarm is called a whistle-blower. The whistleblower is someone who reports fraud to the authorities. Whistleblowers fear retaliation for outing a manager or other employee. Those who...

More Ways To Prevent Fraud in a Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are several types of online fraud. Here is a list of attacks to watch out for: Bots -- these automated tools can infect your website and emails with viruses. Denial of service attack -- this disables your website by sending too many requ...

How To Avoid Fraud Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Fraud can be costly to a startup. Take these steps to avoid fraud in your business. Separate accounting duties -- have at least two people handling the accounting and separate their functions. Know your team -- run background checks on new hires and know your busi...

Types of Financial Fraud Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are several types of financial fraud related to startups in the investment industry. Here's a list to consider: Misrepresentations -- fraudsters can lie about the value, risks, and costs of financial investments. This also includes misrepresenting the...

In this Investor Connect episode, Hall T. Martin explores a medical device startup's journey with Marcus, a visionary founder. Marcus, a medical school graduate, envisions a handheld device for diagnosing eye conditions, aiming to enhance at-home healthcare. The company, having validated demand, plans to kickstart production through a $300,000 Kickstarter campaign after a successful WeFunder round...

External Sources of Fraud Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are several sources of fraud from outside a business. External sources of fraud pretend to be someone you trust. They create a sense of urgency and then demand payments. Here's a list of common sources of external fraud: Fake invoices -- the invoices...

Internal Sources of Fraud Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are several sources of fraud within a business. Here's a list of internal sources to review: Identity theft -- the capture and selling of personal information for illegal uses. This is done by fraudsters capturing employee information through bank acc...

Red Flags Indicating Fraud Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Most fraud in businesses comes from employees and the management team. Here's a list of employee red flags to watch for: Lifestyle changes show expensive new possessions such as new cars and homes. Substantial personal debt Addictions such as gambling or a...

What Is Fraud? Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Fraud is officially defined as "The use of one's occupation for personal enrichment through the deliberate misuse or misapplication of the employing organization's resources or assets." Fraud occurs in startups and small businesses and is usually through the action of...

How Does Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Work? Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Chapter 13 bankruptcy reorganizes the debt and sets up a payment plan. The debtor can keep their house as long as they make the payments. The debtor has 3-5 years to pay off the debt in most cases. To use Chapter 13, the debtor must submit a reor...

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall T. Martin welcomes Ronan O'Hagan, President & CEO of Bectas Therapeutics Inc., a groundbreaking biotech company focused on revolutionizing precision oncology. Based in [City, State/Country], Bectas Therapeutics is committed to developing cancer therapies that target over 400,000 patients annually who do not benefit from the existing standard-of-care treatm...

How Does Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Work? Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganizes the company and sets up a debt repayment plan. Here is how Chapter 11 works: It starts with filing a petition with the bankruptcy court. The debtor must file a list of assets and liabilities and a list of income...

How Does Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Work? Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidates the company. Here is how Chapter 7 works: When a company goes into Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings, the bankruptcy trustee takes control of the company to liquidate the assets and pay the creditors. A Chapter 7 pro...

What is Bankruptcy? Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Business bankruptcy is meant to protect the personal assets of the owners of a firm. It gives your company a fresh start by relieving the business of debts. There are several types of bankruptcies. Consider these options for your business: Chapter 7 -- Liquidatio...

Steps to Shutting Down a Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are several steps to shutting down a startup. Here's a list of key steps to follow: Pay what is owed to employees such as accrued vacation. Pay all providers such as contractors, software vendors, and others. Collect invoices from any outstandi...

Preparing To Shut Down a Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Sometimes the startup you launched does not make it and must be shut down. In shutting down a startup take the following steps: Give an early warning signal to the employees. Let them know what is happening such as we're raising additional funding. G...

In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall T. Martin engages in a lively discussion with a seasoned entrepreneur in the tech industry. We discuss the groundbreaking opportunity for a product: a system interpreting brain responses for diagnostic testing, initially designed for ALS patients. We share the challenges and triumphs in securing funding as the guest shares insights into their Dutch company...

Shutting Down a Startup 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 receivables. Sell any inventory left on hand. Notify in...

Best Practices for Building a Company Culture Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In building your company culture consider these best practices: Measure your company culture -- review indicators that show how the company culture is performing such as employee engagement. Create rituals -- establish activities you rep...

How To Foster Your Company Culture Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. A good company culture takes time and effort to build. Here are some steps to build out your company culture: Give outstanding benefits to the employees. Run team-building activities to encourage employee interactions. Participate in community acti...

Signs of a Good Company Culture Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Company culture is important for the success of a startup. Here are signs you have a good company culture: Employees feel they are respected and are treated with dignity. Leaders support the employees and help them succeed. Poor leaders are called out...

How To Setup a Company Culture Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In building your company culture, realize you already have one for your startup. The initial hires have brought a culture to the company. You can grow the company culture to a greater place. Consider these steps to grow and develop your company culture...

Welcome to Investor Connect! I'm Hall T. Martin, and today we dive into the world of fundraising with a candid conversation between a startup founder and me. At Ten Capital, our expertise lies in investor relations, particularly in the thriving life sciences sector. Learn about our strategic approach, crafting impactful pitch materials, and targeted distribution to our extensive network of 20,000...

Before Building Your Company Culture Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Before building your company culture consider the following: Know your purpose Search for why your company exists. Identify your values Understand the core values of the company and what the company stands for. Hire the right people. Choose peopl...

Characteristics of a Good Company Culture Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. A good company culture will manifest itself in several ways. Look for these signs of a good culture: Stable workforce -- the employees stay with the company a long time and there's minimal turnover. Friendly atmosphere -- relationships among...