Investor Connect Podcast

In this episode, Hall is joined by Sid Mookerji of Silicon Road, an early-stage fund, accelerator, and advisory group focused on retail and eCommerce. After founding a custom application development firm for eCommerce and retail, Sid saw the opportunity for a good exit and entered the world of venture capital. Sid talks about what excites him in retail today and provides advice for investors looki...

It's About Execution Some startups think their business will succeed based on the idea, the technology, the market or something else. They think their technology will win the day, or that their idea is so great, or the market is growing so fast that they will succeed based on that alone. For the investor, all of these are important, but in the end it's execution that matters most. Execution turns...

In this episode, Hall is joined by Pierre Rogers of PuroTrader, an online cigar-trading platform. Purotrader was created by two aficionados to bring more transparency and access to the global cigar market. The site aims to educate connoisseurs, stimulate conversation and more importantly monitor market trends within the industry. In this episode, Pierre shares exciting developments in non-traditio...

Most startup pitches focus on their future. It's bright. The numbers are growing fast and will be big. The sky's the limit. Just how much do investors put behind those startup forecasts. The answer: It depends on the historical numbers the forecast is based on. If there's a consistent track record of historical growth, then the forecast has credibility. If there's no historical record, then the fo...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Dr. Orrin Ailloni-Charas of RedCrow, a healthcare-focused, early-stage startup investing network. Orrin's background in medicine led to consulting roles with various healthcare startups. He received his MBA from Columbia, and now has a career straddling both the business world and medial and clinical world. Orrin explains how RedCrow incorporates crown-based evaluati...

I'm often asked when you should raise funding. There are funding requirements to consider. Calculate your cash burn and estimate the need for new cash. There are also preparation and timing issues. Start your preparation six months in front of the launch Launch your fundraise six months before you need the funding. Use the six month preparation time to introduce the deal to the investors and educa...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Tracy DeForge of The Players' Impact, a group that connects professional athletes with the world of startups and investing. Tracy has worked in the sports industry for her entire career. At The Players' Impact, she is focused not just on involving athletes as brand ambassadors, but also in bringing startups to market. Tracy advises entrepreneurs to keep in touch with...

There are truisms in the startup world you can always count on. A few that come to mind are: All software has bugs. All startups take longer than expected (to generate revenue, finish the product, fill in your favorite one here). And my newest one is: The only startup without glitches is the one that is already dead. If the business is up and running and especially if it's growing there will be gl...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Karthee Madasamy of MFV Partners. MFV Partners' approach is to back visionary entrepreneurs developing deep technologies and solutions that disrupt traditional verticals and ecosystems across automotive, manufacturing, retail, agriculture and knowledge services. Karthee has been a VC investor for 15 years, following a career as an entrepreneur with an electrical engi...

While unforeseen events can overtake a startup, many CEOs simply don't plan ahead when it comes to fundraising. For every $1M you want to raise, it will take you one calendar year to raise it. Most of the time, an entrepreneur who approaches me is raising funding today and is looking for a check now. In some cases, they need their funding within the next thirty to sixty days or something bad is go...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Amy Salzhauer of Good Growth Capital. Good Growth Capital is a venture capital platform focused on early-stage technology companies. Good Growth Capital's General Fund focuses on the east coast, filling the gap with early-stage technology investing, with partners located in Charleston SC, Boston and NY. The fund leverages proximity to closely support founders and con...

I recently saw a pitch deck from a seed stage startup which had a small amount of revenue. The deck claimed a valuation of $50M because a similar company exited at that valuation. I asked about his valuation, and he said he claimed $50M because "that's what my company will be worth." I reminded him that the example company who exited with a $50M valuation had $15M in revenue at the time of exit. H...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Joe Jesuele of HomeJab, a nationwide real estate media production company. HomeJab applies innovative technology and user-friendly customer experience to make on-demand, professional-quality media services available to the real estate market. HomeJab's professional videos, HDR photography, aerials, and immersive 3D virtual tour services are the most comprehensive off...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Gil Hernandez of GXH Capital. GXH Capital is a minority-owned venture capital firm to alter the diversity landscape in tech. They invest in startups with missions that will help the world. Their goal is to invest in diverse founders and founders that are committed to helping the underrepresented. Hall and Gil speak about his background and what led him to GXH. Gil ha...

Many entrepreneurs approach me for funding. I find the biggest misconception is that you must first raise funding before you can launch and grow your business. In reality, the ones who raise funding have a growth story and can communicate it effectively to investors. Investors funding startups look for market validation and product validation - the product works and people will pay for it. There a...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Wenyi Cai of Polymath Ventures. Polymath is a company builder focused on emerging markets, with offices in Mexico City and Bogota. They are specifically interested in sectors experiencing global disruption enabled by technology in an emerging market setting. Wenyi's background gave him experience with emerging markets, and he applies this familiarity to Polymath's ap...

Today, we'll talk about Impact Investing. There's an old saying about angel investors: "They want to make a little money, have a little fun, and do a little good." The 'do a little good' talks about how investors want to make a contribution to the community with their investment. Some do it through Impact Investing, which means the startup provides a community service beyond generating revenue and...

Today, we'll talk about whether you should be raising a Seed+ round. In startup funding, you raise funding in stages. There's the seed stage, when you have developed the product to some level and potentially have some users. Startups typically raise $500K to $750K for this round. You don't want to raise more at this stage if you can help it, as you'll be giving away too much equity due to your low...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Bá Minuzzi of San Francisco-based UMANA. After starting as an entrepreneur at an early age in Brazil, Bá became interested in capital and joined an investment firm, before starting her own investment boutique focused on real estate. She later moved to the U.S., diversifying her portfolio and expanding into the wealth management space. She recently launched UMANA, whi...

To launch your startup, identify a large market then target a small segment of that market to attack first. Choose your first segment based on ease of access and a close fit to your initial product. In other words, focus on your most ideal customer, and then grow your business from there. Most startups want to take on the world but their efforts are easily diffused. It can be difficult to be all t...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Martin Mulvihill of Safer Made, a VC firm specializing in early-stage companies that bring safer products and technologies to market and protect our health and the natural world. With a background in chemistry, Martin has brought his passion for sustainable, environment-friendly chemistry to investing. For prospective investors in the health and wellness sector, Mart...

As soon as your startup establishes a stock incentive plan and issues stock options to employees or other stakeholders, it's time to work on a 409A valuation. This is a valuation of your startup for assigning a cost basis to the stock options. The U.S. tax code in section 409A requires private companies to show that their common stock options are issued at fair market value. This is similar to the...

Changing the product, the price or the promotion? Today, we'll talk about What to do when the investor says no. In raising funding you'll hear "no" quite often. There are many reasons why investors do not invest. Sometimes, they are busy with other deals. Other times, they are looking for a deal in another sector or stage. If they are saying no because they are interested in investing and want to...

It's important for a startup to have regular communication with investors during the fundraise. It keeps the investor up to date on your progress and helps build the relationship. For updates, find a cadence that fits your business. For fundraising, every two weeks is a good pace. After funding move to monthly or quarterly updates. In your communication in person, over the phone or in email talk a...

I receive requests for introductions from many sources. Startups want to meet investors. Advisors want to meet growth companies. The list goes on. Over the years, I've learned to raise the bar. I could take whatever attachment they have and make the introduction. Instead, I raise the bar by requiring the requestor to make it better. I ask for a proper email address that represents their business i...