Investor Connect Podcast

Branding for Your Group Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In running an angel network, it's important to establish a brand for the group and promote it. A brand makes your group look bigger. There are many funding sources in the market, and a brand helps your group stand out from the crowd. A brand helps build trust...

Portfolio Analysis Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In running an angel network, it's important to provide ongoing portfolio analysis for the members. Investors want to know how their current investments are doing. They also need to keep track of their current investments by sector and stage to allocate the remaini...

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Peter Lazaroff, Chief Investment Officer at Plancorp, host of The Long Term Investor Podcast, and author of Making Money Simple. Headquartered in St. Louis, MO, Plancorp is a financial services firm and registered investment advisor founded in 1983. Since then, they've worked tirelessly with individuals, families, and businesses with financial com...

Best Practices for Running an Angel Network For running an angel group, here are some best practices to consider: 1. Build processes and programs. The second time you say something put it into an email template, a procedure document, or a website and make it a part of your program.2. Create an ideal investor profile and incorporate the content into your website, emails, and documents. 3. Create an...

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Pankaj Jain, Managing Partner at Saka Ventures. Saka Ventures is a seed-stage fund based in New York City investing in startups that are targeting large global markets and have a balanced team of founders who can build products that customers can't live without. Pankaj has 25+ years of international experience with a unique background that integra...

Fundraising Challenge for a Benefit Corp Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are many challenges in fundraising for a benefit corp. Here is a list of challenges: Because your company must demonstrate a public benefit, you must first set up a business that provides the benefit and can show the measured result. Ma...

How Angel Investors Engage Impact Investing Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Angel investors fill the gap between family-and-friends funding and institutional funding. They engage with impact startups in several ways: They fund startups with early-stage capital to launch the business. They provide mentorship to the...

What Is a Benefits Corporation? Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. A Benefits Corporation is a legal entity that is set up to provide a public benefit. The company using this entity must commit to producing a public benefit. The board of directors must consider the consequences of its decisions on the community. The...

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes William Glass, CEO and Co-founder at Ostrich, and Host of The Silicon Alley Podcast. Headquartered in New York, New York, Ostrich has built a financial fitness app for low and middle-income families who need a simple way to start improving their finances in order to live happy and fulfilling lives. What makes the Ostrich app unique is the experien...

Impact Investment Thesis Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. An investment thesis states what you will invest in, why it will be successful, and what outcome you anticipate. It's important to determine your investment thesis for impact investing. Here are some guidelines: Impact investing proposes to invest in innovat...

What Is Esg? Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. ESG stands for environmental, social, and governance, and represents the area of focus for socially responsible investors. This is often referred to as sustainable investing. ESG investing incorporates environmental, social, and governance factors as it relates to the m...

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Jeffrey Kamys, Chief Investment Strategist and Portfolio Manager at Inherent Wealth Fund. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Inherent Wealth Fund is a registered investment adviser focused on thematic and sector-specific investing and are the investment advisors to the iBET Sports Betting & Gaming ETF, the only actively managed sports bet...

17 Sustainable Development Goals Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Impact investing focuses on social and environmental causes. The United Nations provides 17 sustainable development goals which serve as the basis for impact investing as follows: No poverty Zero hunger Good health and well-being Quality education Ge...

Investor Motivations for Impact Investing Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors fund impact startups. Here's a list of the primary reasons: The startup furthers social and environmental causes that align with the investor. Investors want to see their investment do more than just generate a return. The startup...

Indicators of a Successful Impact Investment Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Impact investing seeks to fund startups with social or environmental benefits. Those running impact companies must do so with the intention of providing a social or environmental impact with a measured result. The investment must provide...

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Gary Acosta, Managing Partner and President at L'ATTITUDE Ventures (LAT VC), and Co-founder and CEO at the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP). Headquartered in San Diego, California, LAT VC is a purpose-led venture fund that invests in early-stage US Latino-led and owned businesses. NAHREP - also headquartered in S...

How to Measure Impact Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Impact startups provide not only a product or service but also a social or environmental impact. Impact startups need to know how to measure their impact in addition to their financial return. Here are some ways to measure it: The startup could measure the impa...

How to Find Impact Investors Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Impact investing continues to expand in scope. It covers many industries, including clean energy, food, education, healthcare, housing, clean water, and more. For startups looking for impact investors, here are some key steps: Determine your area of impa...

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Candy Messer, President at Affordable Bookkeeping and Payroll, and Host of the Biz Help For You radio show. Affordable Bookkeeping and Payroll is different than other payroll services. They offer options to best suit the client's needs as well as schedule tax payments based on the tax filing schedule - according to the IRS' requirements - rather t...

Startup Boards -- Using Donor-Advised Funds for Impact Investing Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Donor-Advised Funds (DAF) are funds you set up with your brokerage firm to make tax-deductible contributions to foundations and non-profit organizations you want to support. You receive the tax deduction when you trans...

Startup Boards -- Impact Measurements Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Impact is in the eye of the beholder. What impact you see, may not be shared with the investor or company you are working with. You must measure your impact. There are several systems you can use, such as: GIIRS -- stands for Global Impact Inves...

Startup Boards -- Primary vs. Secondary Impact Investing Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In impact investing, there is primary impact and secondary impact. Primary impact comes from the company pursuing its mission. You measure it based on the effect the business has on the cause it supports. For example, how many...

On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Justin Breen, Founder, and CEO of BrEpic Communications LLC and BrEpic Network, and author of the No. 1 International Best-Selling Book, "Epic Business". Headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, and founded in 2017, BrEpic Communications LLC will run your social media sites, write clicky stories that highlight you or your business, and find the righ...

The Challenge of Impact Investing Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Impact investing seeks to make the world a better place through its investments. As with all investing, it comes with its own challenges. Most impact investments underperform the market. The focus on providing social or environmental benefits degrad...

Startup Boards -- Impact Metrics Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, you need to show your metrics. Startups in the impact space should also show their impact metrics, as investors will look for your results there. A common mistake by impact companies is to focus on the size of the market to be ser...