Investor Connect Podcast

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. SAFE stands for Simple Agreement for Future Equity. SAFE notes were created to provide a convertible note-like structure for startup funding but without interest rates or maturity dates. The SAFE note operates like a warrant which gives the investor the right to buy shares in a futu...

This is Investor Perspectives, I'm the host of Investor Connect, Hall T Martin, where we connect startups and investors for funding. In our new Investor Perspectives series entitled "COVID's Impact on Cybersecurity", you'll hear about the primary trends and what makes for a successful company in the cybersecurity segment. As the COVID pandemic passes, we emerge into a new world. The cybersecurity...

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The traditional method of going public with an IPO is being challenged by a new model called Direct Listing. The IPO is typically run by an investment bank which hypes the new offering to investors to create a market. This oversubscription creates artificial demand for the stock. Af...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Daniel McCarthy, Co-Founder of Theta Equity Partners and Assistant Professor of Marketing at Emory University. Founded in 2018, Theta Equity Partners is a Seattle, Washington-based valuation services firm. The firm specializes in customer-based corporate valuation that prefers valuing firms by forecasting their current and future customer's behavior and predicting th...

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding or selling your business you may consider using an investment banker. Here are some key points to consider in making the decision: They can build out the dataroom and do the appropriate research of competitors and comps. An investment banker can create competition...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Vernon Howard, CEO & Co-Founder at Hallo. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Hallo is an online events platform that builds authentic relationships with diverse candidates. Hallo's versatile platform helps teams and passionate employers connect with candidates in natural ways. Vernon was a math prodigy, who graduated high school at 16 years old, when he test...

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In negotiating the exit with an acquirer, you'll need to know the following: Key metrics about your business, both those that show the company in a positive light as well as a negative one. The total addressable market for your company. The top three opportunities your company can a...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Charles Sunnucks, investor and author of "The Company Valuation Playbook". "Apple, Amazon, Tesla, Microsoft – great companies perhaps, but are they great investments? While there are a variety of investment styles an investor might apply, investing over any reasonable period ultimately boils down to a simple reality – if you overpay for a stock you are likely to get...

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Most startups are launched with the idea of selling the business for a substantial gain in five to seven years. Many companies reach that stage and find they can't sell the business, at least not for the price they want. Here are some options: Reduce your burn rate to zero and keep...

In this episode, Hall welcomes David J. Neff of Neon Syndicate. Neon Syndicate is a privately held real estate and investment company run by Chelle and David J. Neff in Austin, TX, with investments in Veritas Beauty, Peace Love and Betty as well as real estate holdings. David has 20 years of creating experiences that impact people's lives, from his work in eCommerce, marketing, and digital strateg...

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In setting the exit, most investors look to maximize the exit value. It's important to remember that the metric investors use, IRR or Internal Rate of Return has a time component to it. The faster the exit, the higher the IRR. As an investor, consider pursuing the highest IRR and no...

This is Investor Perspectives, I'm the host of Investor Connect, Hall T Martin, where we connect startups and investors for funding. In our new Investor Perspectives series entitled "COVID's impact on Cybersecurity", you'll hear about growth in the cybersecurity segment. As the COVID pandemic passes, we emerge into a new world. The cybersecurity space is now undergoing tremendous change as we shif...

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Most exits come from another company buying the startup. It takes six months to a year to complete a buyout. Delays often come from the startup not being prepared or ready for the M&A process. Also, setting valuation and final terms can take substantial time for research and negotia...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Bruce Wayne Meleski, Ph. D., Executive Director at Neuroception360. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Neuroception360 helps individuals achieve their prime brain performance through mind integration. They aim to be the premiere Light, Color, and Vibration (LCV) system for mental well-being. LCV is a broad set of measurable embodied techniques that can create quick shif...

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In selling a business there are two types of buyers: strategic buyers and financial buyers. Strategic buyers look for companies that can enhance their current business. Financial buyers look for companies that generate cash. Their motivations and careabouts are different. The strate...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Emmie Chang, CEO and Founder of Hoo Inc. Hoo.live is a livestream platform intended for interactive content designed like a tv show. They are a new way for performers to interact with their audiences and for audiences to interact with their friends. More importantly, performers can monetize directly on the platform by charging whatever they want for content that they...

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startups should start planning for an exit after they achieve product-market fit. Here are some key points to consider when planning your approach to an acquirer: What are the key metrics the acquirer will look for? What are the company's metrics and how do they currently look? How...

This is Investor Perspectives, I'm the host of Investor Connect, Hall T Martin, where we connect startups and investors for funding. In our new Investor Perspectives series entitled "How to Solve the Fintech Problem", you'll hear about changes expected in the coming 12 months and our guests' final thoughts. As the COVID pandemic passes, we emerge into a new world. The fintech space is now undergoi...

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are several ways to exit a business. You can sell the business to another company or investor. This provides liquidity to the owners. The downside is, it's not clear what happens to the employees and the direction of the company. You can develop an employee stock ownership pla...

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Most startup exits come through acquisition by another company. In planning for an exit, you need to develop a strategic plan that prepares your business for the target acquirer. Here are some key steps: Identify the target acquirer and make contact with the CEO and VPs of the compa...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Raleigh Melancon, Founder & CEO of StylizeNOW. Located in Austin, Texas, Raleigh's company owns and operates a platform (available on iOS Apple Store, Google Play Store, and a website www.stylizenow.com.) StylizeNOW, their platform provides on-demand mobile hair and nail salon services that cater to customers' residences. For now, the platform is focused on the centr...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Eyal Amir, Founder and CEO of Parknav. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, and founded in 2015, Parknav revolutionizes real-time on-street parking with a highly accurate and scalable solution. Using big data and AI, Parknav brings the most advanced precise parking availability information for mobility, smart city, transportation, and automotive. They provide...

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors should gain alignment with the startup about the exit before making the investment. This includes the size and timing of the exit. There needs to be some clear thinking and research about who will buy the company and how much they will pay. The investors and the startup ne...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Willie James Mandrell III, Owner & Broker at The Mandrell Company. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, The Mandrell Company is a residential & commercial real estate brokerage firm that prides itself on its knowledgeable agents, friendly personal service, and up-to-the-minute knowledge of the latest market data. They specialize in multi-family homes ranging from...

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are several options for selling your business. Here are some of them: Strategic - This is a buyer that buys your business as it provides strategic value for their company. Financial - This buyer looks solely at the financials, in particular, the cash flow, and buys the company...