Investor Connect Podcast

In this episode, Hall welcomes James Somauroo of HS. Ventures. James is a Founding Partner at HS. Ventures, which build, scales and invests in the best health tech startups. James is a health tech contributor for Forbes and hosts the HS. Health-Tech Podcast, which is listened to in 80 countries. He's an anesthetics and ICU doctor by training, he's held roles in leadership, management and innovatio...

Competitive advantages increase revenue by 30% over the competition or decrease cost by 30%. A platform-based solution is a competitive advantage over a single-product company, as a platform brings an inherent cost advantage. Platforms reuse the research, design, architecture, and product packaging. Customer support is also reused. Consider adopting a platform-based approach to your business. Than...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Kevin King, Managing Director of Texas Halo Fund. Texas Halo Fund (THF) is an investment company that specializes in investing in early-stage businesses with promising growth prospects and exceptional management teams. Their investment approach identifies compelling businesses from multiple sources and without regard to the industry or geographic location. They seek...

Competitive advantages increase revenue by 30% over the competition or decrease cost by 30%. Recurring revenue is a key competitive advantage. In today's world you would think every business has recurring revenue. Yet, I find most businesses who are raising funding did not structure their business for recurring revenue. Recurring revenue helps your business in several ways. It opens up your busine...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Stephen Meade of MonetaPro, a B2B sell-for-credit exchange using blockchain technology to deliver better efficiency, liquidity, and trust to global trade. Stephen is an entrepreneur, executive, and founder who has built numerous successful technology companies over the past 20 years. Stephen talks about how he entered the FinTech space and the importance of blockchai...

A competitive advantage increases revenue by 30% over the competition or decreases cost by 30%. Channel access is a key competitive advantage. Channel access lets you connect to a set of customers that others cannot. Perhaps your previous job gave you contacts throughout the industry that you can now leverage for your startup. Perhaps you have found a social media channel, SEO, email, or other mar...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Gary Madsen of ProTransit Nanotherapy. Gary Madsen, Ph. D., has over 30 years of experience in developing and launching biotechnology products in a wide variety of markets at companies of various sizes. He spent 17 years at Abbott Laboratories in product support, new product development and business development. His expertise in product commercialization has helped h...

In raising funding you need to find investors. So how do you get in front of them? First, identify the right type of investor and build up your network in that area. Know your sector, stage, and revenue category and look for those who invest in it. If your target investor funds biotech then you should skip pursuing investors who fund fin-tech. Second, start building a list of your target investor...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Djalil Reghis of Agroecology Capital. Agroecology Capital is a mission-driven early-stage venture fund that invests in technologies that help agriculture transition toward practices focused on safety, sustainability, productivity, and equitability. Djalil is an AgTech early-stage investor with an experience that spans roles in investment, M&A, Government Affairs, and...

Entrepreneurs are often enchanted with the idea behind their business that they think investors will write them a check based on the idea alone. Many have great ideas but I always say no matter how great your idea is standard startup metrics apply. New technologies can capture the imagination such as blockchain in 2017 that sent startups through a hyper funding phase, but this only lasts for a sho...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Stephanie Campbell of Houston Angel Network and The Artemis Fund. Stephanie is the Managing Director of the Houston Angel Network, one of the most active angel networks in the country. She is also Managing Partner at the Artemis Fund, the first female-founded, female-focused venture fund in Houston, Texas. The Artemis Fund is investing $20M in 15-20 female-led US-bas...

When I ask an entrepreneur what their competitive advantage is, most point to their product and say it's better. Of course, they spend ten minutes citing anecdotal stories to "prove" it. My definition of a competitive advantage is that it increases revenue by 30% over the competition or is a decrease in cost by 30%. Here are five sources of competitive advantage: - Channel access - Recurring reven...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Manuela de Paula of Babel Ventures. BABEL Ventures is a VC firm based in Silicon Valley that focuses on investing in early-stage startups founded by antifragile entrepreneurs. They focus on innovation and technology, partnering with revolutionary startups. In this episode, Manuela shares how she got into investing before Babel Ventures. She also shares what she finds...

When I started angel investing over twenty years ago, there were angels, venture capital funds, and accelerators. That was about it. Today there are many more investor types in the early stage funding arena. Here's my experience with the investor types including how much they invest and what they expect as a return in general: Crowdfunders -- Invest $500 to $2500, expect 2X to 3X their investment...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Rufo Guerreschi CEO and Founder of Trustless.ai. Rufo is an entrepreneur, activist and researcher in the area of leading-edge IT security and privacy. As a founder of startups and NGOs over the last 20 years, he has strived to radically advance the state-of-the-art of security and privacy of private digital human communications and transactions. Trusteless.ai is focu...

How Investors can find an exit in a Startup Investment. One of the challenges for investors funding startups is finding the exit. Startups typically exit through an IPO or an acquisition by a larger company. As a startup investor you have little to no control over the exit and can end up in a deal for ten years or more. So how can an investor find an exit? The solution is to define the exit before...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Faris Ghawi of Vytalize Health. Vytalize Health enables primary care providers to enhance the scope of care provided for Medicare patients. Their comprehensive services include in-home, remote and brick-and-mortar care, as well as on-demand urgent care. Faris provides advice for investors coming into the healthcare space and highlights how the space has changed. As F...

I meet a great number of entrepreneurs and have seen numerous approaches to raising funding. Some approach it as an opportunity to meet new people and explore another part of the entrepreneur ecosystem. Others see it as a chore that distracts from the real business such as product development, closing sales, creating the next unicorn (take your pick). Some bring their sales skills to the process a...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Bader Alam of CAVU Venture Partners. CAVU Venture Partners is a consumer-focused investment firm founded by operators, that aims to partner with operators in building high-growth and disruptive businesses. They are partners and operators first, investors second. Bader is the Senior Vice President at CAVU and has over 10 years of private equity experience, focusing on...

There are some statements I've never heard a startup Investor ever say. Here are some of them: No startup investor ever said: -I hear way too often from that startup that I invested in. -There are so many good deals to invest in- where do I start? -The payback on that startup investment came fast. -Of course the startup hit their forecast- they all do -I love leading new investments. -Due Diligenc...

In this episode, Hall welcomes back Forbes' Top-50 angel investor James Sowers. Since we heard from James last, he has been speaking at several family-office conferences and working with corporations to further educate them on blockchain technology, and whether it is a realistic solution for them. James talks about some of the latest companies he is working with in the blockchain space. In additio...

There are some statements I've never heard a startup CEO say. Here are some of them: -Fundraising just flew by. I didn't have a chance to really enjoy it. -Sales is the easiest part of the business. -All my customers are happy and no one is complaining. -There are so many good people to choose from for that new position we opened up. -Why are these terms sheets so simplistic? -The product features...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Mark Lesney of Chilligence. Early in his career Mark worked in the retail-automotive space as Vice President of Operations with a large automotive company that was acquired by the Blackstone Group. Mark had colleagues in the entrepreneurship and startup space and was intrigued. He decided to change paths when his partner's father was going through an acquisition and...

Raising funding can have the same effect as winning the lottery. Those who raise funding are both exhausted and exuberant. It's a big win for the team and promises a brighter future for the company. Just like the lottery, the sudden inflow of cash can change one's perspective. Be careful to keep your spending in line during the times you are flush. A leading angel investor once said, "The IQ of a...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Flavia de la Fuente of BuildGroup. BuildGroup is an operator-led investment company that provides permanent capital to entrepreneurs building the next generation of technology businesses. Their innovative structure allows them to invest for the long term, so founders can focus on running their companies instead of raising the next round. Flavia started her career as...