The Angel Nest

How can startup founder build their brands through thought leadership and digital distribution in a way that actually gets customers? In this episode, we’re talking about marketing for startups.   This is another in our series of podcasts with Johnnie Walker of Rooled Outsourced CFO and Accounting Services about how founders are getting creative to get their businesses off the ground, raise money...

It takes more than a good idea to have a successful launch. With funding harder to come by for companies of all sizes, proven technology and the partnerships to get it to market are more valuable than ever.  In this episode of the Angel Net, we meet a venture studio that is helping founders get funded and connecting them to leading academic and government institutions - all with the idea of solvin...

Investor Tom Wisniewski knows what companies need to do to get funded. He’s a New York Angel, the Managing Partner at Newark Venture Partners, and he’s leading and investing in large seed rounds for firms specializing in B2B software.  He joins host David Hemenway and Johnnie Walker of Rooled Outsourced CFO and Accounting Services, the startup finance experts. Tom will share his take on what you n...

If you think it’s harder than it used to be to find financing for your start up all the data says, you’re right. In this episode, we continue our series with Johnnie Walker of Rooled Outsourced CFO and Accounting Services about how founders are getting funded in this new environment.  We’re also pleased to get timely advice from one of the most experienced and prolific angel investors anywhere. Da...

EdTech deals with some of society’s most important challenges, but sometimes doesn’t get the same attention it’s SaaS or AI siblings get from investors. Ash Kaluarachchi’s StartEd is changing that by helping founders accelerate their EdTech vision and turn good ideas into great companies.  In this episode of the Angel Nest, we’ll hear about EdTech Week coming up in New York, and how Ash and his ac...

There may be no better place for investors to find innovative companies than at leading colleges and universities that not only develop the tech, but also lead the charge into the marketplace.  Brown University has become a big player in tech innovation, including life sciences, software, Greentech and more. They put Brown developed technology first, but partner with innovators and entrepreneurs e...

Newport, Rhode Island is famous for recreation. Now, investors get a chance to mine a startup ecosystem that has some truly unique advantages at The Newport Investor Summit , September 26-27.  Situated between Boston and New York with a more affordable cost of living and some of the world’s leading educational institutions, the small state of Rhode Island has been making big gains in the innovatio...

Brown University has become a big player in tech innovation. In this episode, we’ll meet some of the game-changing companies they’ve helped develop and talk about how you can meet them at their Innovation@Brown showcase, which happens September 26. Adept Materials makes paint that helps regulate moisture in ever-more energy efficient but air-tight houses - and yes, that can be a problem. Derek Ste...

Technology has changed so much in finance and accounting. But with all the disruption one thing stays the same. Companies want to invoice efficiently and get paid faster. In this episode, Johnnie Walker of Rooled and Ali Hussain of Tabs join us on the Angel Nest to talk about how they’re using AI to boost their clients’ bottom lines. This is another episode in our series with Walker, founder of Ro...

There is a revolution happening in how America moves freight, and we are not talking about EVs or hybrids. Trucking companies, including many smaller fleets, are quickly professionalizing their financial management with the help of a modern payments platform for invoicing, financing and payments. In this episode of the Angel Nest podcast, we meet Outgo which Bain Capital says it’s one of the top 5...

Everyone is watching their diet, and it’s not just calories anymore. Heightened awareness about allergies and intolerances – along with the food-as-medicine movement – has led to a whole host of issues that people are trying to solve for themselves with smarter eating. But what do you do when you eat out? How do you know what’s really in that food?  Well, there’s an app for that. Today, we meet Fo...

The path for founders to get their business funded is increasingly challenging. How long will this environment last and what can founders do now to get access to the capital they need to grow?  In this episode, another in our series with Johnnie Walker of Rooled Outsourced CFO and Accounting Services, we’ll talk about the challenges and opportunities facing these startups.  We’re joined in the dis...

Celtic Renewables is making green chemicals from low-value waste products. With the world going green and consumers demanding products with less environmental impact, demand seems set to soar. But, can the supply keep up? And, will the cost of raw materials needed to make green chemicals increase to the point where it disrupts the model? In this episode of The Angel Nest, David talks with CEO Mark...

The technology is already changing the world, but where are people actually making (and saving) money from AI? We continue our series of podcasts with Johnnie Walker of Rooled Outsourced CFO and Accounting Services about how founders are getting funded in this new environment. Rooled are startup finance experts and early adopters of AI.   David and Johnnie also welcome Colin Rogister to The Angel...

Celtic Renewables is revolutionizing their industry by replacing harmful petrochemicals with biologically derived “green” chemicals for a more sustainable future. In this episode of the Angel Nest podcast, we’re joined by their founder and CEO Mark Simmers, who has been on a 12-year mission to source Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol to the companies everywhere that use them to make many of the products we...

The pandemic made home testing common for COVID, but now it’s possible to diagnose all kinds of acute and even chronic conditions without leaving your home. It’s the next revolution in tech and AI-enabled healthcare designed to save lives, time and money. In this episode of the Angel Nest podcast, we meet TachMed founder Paul Christie and COO Mark Kessler. Their company is changing the way we diag...

While EVs get the headlines in the fight to reduce climate change and carbon emissions, you can’t tackle climate change without finding a way to also get the petroleum out of petrochemicals. It is in everything our modern society uses – from food to pharmaceuticals, to household cleaners, personal care products and more. In today’s episode of the Angel Nest podcast, we meet Celtic Renewables, emer...

A tightening VC market and a higher interest rate economy has made it much more difficult to get past the “friends and family” round and to the big A-Round of funding.  In this first episode of our second season, we’ve again teamed up with Johnnie Walker of Rooled, the start-up finance experts who provide outsourced accounting and CFO services. This series talks to investors and founders about how...

Individual investors are not always welcomed into hot startup VC funds. Micro VC Mike Kocan of Outbound Capital is changing that and in this episode you’ll learn how this former Accenture consultant and fund manager is making B2B software bets accessible to angel investors.  This is another in the continuing series of partnership podcasts with Johnnie Walker from Rooled, outsourced CFO, accounting...

Entrepreneurs are 100 percent focused on their big idea, as it should be. But investors and early customers want to know the finances are solid.  In this episode of the Angel Nest podcast, we talk with Johnnie Walker from Rooled, outsourced accounting and CFO services, and Alex Lee from Truewind, an AI powered bookkeeping and finance software for startups. Together, they’re forming a partnership t...

Business is now global so shouldn’t your financial consultants also offer worldwide expertise? In another of our continuing partnership podcasts with Rooled, outsourced CFO and accounting services, we examine the state of the startup world and the importance of financial reporting. Company president Johnnie Walker shares how Rooled has helped their clients to achieve financial success.  Our guests...

OpenTable and Resy apps have streamlined restaurant reservations, but what about private events? They’re still pretty much stuck in the dark ages of Google searches, emails and phone calls.  In this episode of the Angel Nest, we meet a serial entrepreneur who is changing that with his new company, RestauRent. Nick Cianfaglione already has one successful venture exit under his belt. Now he wants to...

High tech innovation happens everywhere these days, often powered by leading universities and their incredible reservoir of talent and technology. This fall, September 29th begins Startup Week in Rhode Island and the first-ever Innovation Showcase from Brown University Technology Labs. And if you’re a life sciences, medical device or software investor, you’ll want to be there! Venture Café Provide...

The best startups know what the customers want, but how do even the smartest CEOs know what investors want in order to finance the business? Many startups find that their biggest challenge doesn’t come from customers, supply lines or technology. Often the toughest part of getting started is finding funding. That’s ironic because investment in startups skyrocketed in the years leading up to 2021, a...

It's not as easy as it used to be for startups to find investors and the bar is higher to win them over.   2021 was the height of startup funding evaluations. Fast forward to today, though, and the landscape has changed dramatically. Valuations are down, so it's not a great time to raise money. But, if you have to, extending your runway may buy you time and also show your potential investors that...