Investor Connect Podcast

Fund Managing Skills Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In choosing a manager for a VC fund, look for the following skills: Ability to raise funding from Limited Partners This means the manager has a network of potential investors and knows how to pitch. Access to quality deal flow and the ability to vet potential in...

Conflicts of Interest Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In setting up a VC fund, beware of conflicts of interest. Funds associated with other groups such as universities, accelerators, or incubators may find a conflict with other funding activities in that group. These groups are often focused on helping the startup...

Communicating With LPs Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In launching a VC fund, you'll need to set up ongoing communication with the Limited Partners called LPs. It starts with setting expectations for the returns on the fund. In many cases, it's 20% to 30% per year, with most funds returning capital in years 7 to...

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Wen Zhang, Fundraising and Startup Advisor, Pitch Expert, Professional Speaker, Founder and CEO of INNW Institute, and Host of "If Not Now, Wen, Podcast." Headquartered in Austin, Texas, the INNW Institute helps individuals, from first-time founders to seasoned executives, polish their pitch, develop the strategy and execute a vision. Making a per...

Sourcing Deal Flow for the Fund Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In running a VC fund, you'll need to set up deal flow sources and run screening processes. First, set up three to five quality deal flow sources that provide a consistent flow of startups to review. Maintain those relationships and provide feedback to...

Team Skills Required Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In setting up your VC fund, you'll need to build a team that can make it successful. Here are the critical skills required: Business expertise and knowledge of the industry. Basic finance related to startup investing. Sales and marketing as it relates to startup...

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Jay Cormier, Founder and CEO of Eyedaptic. Headquartered in Orange County, California, Eyedaptic offers a comfortable wearable device that uses proprietary vision-enhancing software that effectively simulates a person's natural vision. Designed in conjunction with leading ophthalmology retinal specialists, low vision optometrists, and occupational...

Designing the Fund Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In setting up your VC Fund, you'll need to consider the structure and philosophy behind it. Here are some key points to determine: The fee structure and how it relates to the current market rates. The size of the fund and the general partners' investment amount. T...

Fund Reporting Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In setting up your VC Fund, you'll need legal and accounting support. Look for providers who have done the work before and bring experience to the project. You don't want to pay people to learn on the job. You'll need legal support to set up the fund documents. You'll...

Accounting and Governance Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are specific rules for the governance of a VC Fund. The limited partners must be accredited investors. There can be no more than 99 investors in the fund. There can be no "bad actors" in the fund. Venture funds are different from companies in that the...

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Drew Glover, Managing Director at FiatGrowth. FiatGrowth is a $15 million venture capital fund specializing in early-stage funding for fintech companies that are striving to provide social good for their customers. Since 2021, Drew and the team at Fiat Ventures have supported over 100 entrepreneurs, with 67% of them being from communities that are...

How to Track and Report Results Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In running an angel group, it's important to capture and report the investment results to the members. Here are some key points to consider: Capture the investments made into a portfolio management system, so everything is in one place. Keep the syste...

How to Manage the Diligence Teams Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In running an angel group, managing the diligence process is key to successfully funding deals. Here are some points to consider in managing the diligence process: Write out the diligence process for others to use and include templates and key quest...

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Dr. Ipshita Mandal-Johnson, Co-founder and CEO, and Giorgio Reggiani, Co-founder and CFO at Global Bio Fund. GBF is a value-capital fund with a gender smart lens investing in bio sectors, including digital health. They invest and scale women-led bio ventures at early and growth stages, especially those based in the US, UK, Australasia, and selecte...

VC Fund Core Documents Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising a fund, you'll need to set up the legal documents that define how and when the limited partners provide the funds, what the fund manager will do with those funds, and how they will return the funds back to the limited partners. Here are some key det...

Startup Boards -- Investing in Startups Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There's an old angel saying, "Angels like to have a little fun, do a little good, and make a little money." Investing is more than just about money. I've found my successful investments covered all three of the elements of the old angel saying...

Startup Boards -- 3X in 3 Terms Sheets Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The biggest challenge in investing in startups is finding the exit. Time value of money is important and should be part of your return metrics. Startup investors look for a 44% IRR. IRR is Internal Rate of Return and represents the return on in...

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Mike Jarmuz, General Partner at Lightning Ventures. Headquartered in NYC, NYC, Lightning Ventures is an exclusively Bitcoin-focused network of investors, operators, and developers, dedicated to supporting lightning network adoption worldwide. Mike Jarmuz… or Muzz…is a General Partner at Lightning Ventures and is focused on investing in Bitcoin com...

Startup Boards -- Foundation for Startup Investing Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startup investing is a risky business. Not all the investments will work out. Know your risk tolerance and how much risk you want to take. Most investors allocate 3 to 10 percent of their investments into startup investing. Allocate...

Startup Boards -- Becoming an Angel Investor Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. For those who want to become an angel investor to fund startups, here are some key steps: Meet accredited investor requirements. You must meet the SEC criteria for accredited investors. You can see the specifics on the SEC website. In sho...

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Gordon Henry, Host of Winning on Main Street Podcast and Chief Strategy Officer at Thryv. Winning on Main Street Podcast is geared towards helping small businesses with tips and knowledge to run their business in today's evolving landscape. Thryv is a secure, easy-to-use small business management platform that automates tasks and puts your custome...

Where Does the Angel Play? Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. So, what startups do angel investors pursue? Angel investors invest in high-growth startups, most often tech-enabled. Restaurants, retail, and service businesses are not necessarily a fit for angel investors. Angels seek a return on investment in the range...

Startup Boards -- Startup Investor Skills -- Managing the Portfolio Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startup investors need to hone their skills in order to succeed over the long run. Key skills include: Evaluating teams. Assessing products and markets. Accessing financial capital not only for the current round of...

Startup Boards -- Startup Investor Skills -- Accessing Financial Capital Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startup investors need to hone their skills in order to succeed over the long run. Key skills include: Evaluating teams. Assessing products and markets. Accessing financial capital not only for the current roun...

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Joseph O'Bell, Attorney, Founder of Vineyard Sun LLC, and Host of the Moontower Business Podcast. The Moontower Business Podcast was launched when the pandemic started. The goal was to showcase entrepreneurs and the business community in Austin, Texas. The podcast quickly evolved and began to cover entrepreneurs and business leaders all over the U...