Investor Connect Podcast

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Corporate VCs can leverage their position in the industry to sign up good startups with an investment. The corporate VC brings a network of partners, distribution channels, a brand, an existing product line, and more. An investment can leverage their research dollars and achieve mor...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Patricia (Trish) Costello, CEO & Founder of Portfolia. Trish is internationally recognized for her pioneering work in preparing venture capital investment partners through the prestigious Kauffman Fellows Program, which she launched in 1994 with the Kauffman Foundation, and continues as CEO Emeritus. At Kauffman Fellows, she created the first training program for ven...

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Companies setting up a corporate VC arm often make the following mistakes: Treating the corporate VC arm as purely an acquisition pipeline. There are several other ways to gain value from a corporate VC structure than just recruiting target acquisitions. Not taking enough risk in se...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Greg Shepard, Founder of BOSS Capital Partners. Headquartered in San Diego, California, BOSS Capital Partners is a boutique consulting firm dedicated to working with technology businesses that need operational expertise and guidance to achieve capital-efficient and rewarding outcomes. By utilizing the BOSS - Business Operating Support System - the BCP team assists po...

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In setting up a corporate VC fund in your organization, consider the following: Start with the legal structure. You can either create an LLC legal entity for the fund or move the fund inside the corporate structure. Next, establish your investment thesis in alignment with your corpo...

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 Cannabis Problem", you'll hear about participation in the cannabis sector and what investors look for. As the COVID pandemic passes, we emerge into a new world. The cannabis space is now undergoing tr...

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. While traditional venture funds increase their fund size over time, corporate VCs should keep their fund size low. Traditional VCs seek higher compensation and can do so by increasing the size of the fund which increases their management fee. Corporate VCs are often compensated as e...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Adam Hull, Partner at Redbud Advisors. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Redbud Advisors is the fulcrum to your wealth. They serve as wealth strategists and focus on winning relationships in all forms. Their ideal client makes a multitude of financial decisions in a day, week, and throughout the year. Redbud brings them the strategies needed to achieve their goals and...

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are several approaches corporate VCs can take in setting up their venture program: For finding innovations for current challenges the corporate VC can use collaborative innovation tools such as coding sprints, hackathons, or Xprize competitions. For generating new business con...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Hubert Vaz-Nayak, Co-Founder and President of the Chicago Booth Angels Network of Texas. The Chicago Booth Angels Network (CBAN) of Texas was formed by Booth alumni in Texas who came together to identify and invest smartly in startups. They focus on early-stage companies that are looking for a diverse, high caliber of investors who can leverage their capital, experti...

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Corporate VC funding continues to grow as companies look for innovation and startups look for funding opportunities. There are several types of corporate VC funds. Here are three: 1. Traditional investment fund This fund looks and acts like a traditional VC fund. They've set up a fu...

In this episode, Hall welcomes David Meltzer, CEO of David Meltzer Enterprises. David is the Co-Founder of Sports 1 Marketing and formerly served as CEO of the renowned Leigh Steinberg Sports & Entertainment agency, which was the inspiration for the movie Jerry Maguire. Considered one of the top esports entrepreneurs and investors, David is also a three-time international best-selling author, a To...

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are several tools for the corporate VC to use in a venturing program. Here's a list to consider: Hackathon - invite those in the industry or area to participate in a coding challenge to solve a particular problem. Shared resources - provide the community with a set of tools an...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Ben Rifkin, CEO at Ten Eighty Capital. Ten Eighty is a single-family office and diversified private investment firm with three primary focus areas. Ten Eighty Trading develops proprietary technical trading strategies for the public markets. Ten Eighty Capital invests time, capital, and expertise into operating companies ranging from concepts incubated in-house to lat...

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Founders looking to raise funding from corporate VCs should avoid the following mistakes: Not matching the corporate VC to the needs of the startup - corporate VCs bring not only money but strategic value. Not understanding the corporate VC investment strategy - some corporate VCs i...

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 Cannabis Problem", you'll hear about primary trends and what makes for a successful company in the segment. As the COVID pandemic passes, we emerge into a new world. The cannabis space is now undergoi...

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startups looking to take corporate VC funding should be aware of the requirements put on founders. Here's a list to consider: Corporate VCs may seek consent rights on contracts the startup enters with competitors. They may seek higher levels of compliance on the part of the startup....

In this episode, Hall welcomes Chris Fronda, CEO of Logictry. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Logictry, the first-ever Logic Management system, is a no-code, low-code application platform that allows anyone to build business Logic Apps that combine learning and productivity for instant expertise. Logictry helps businesses systematize their processes and institutional knowledge into interactive, ac...

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The corporate VC must set up and run a program. Here's a list of core functions the corporate VC must cover: Planning out the portfolio - this includes estimating the size of each investment as well as the type of company to invest in. There needs to be a target valuation and percen...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Jim Stallings, CEO of PS27 Ventures. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, PS27 Ventures is a veteran-owned venture capital firm that invests in early-stage companies that are driving dramatic changes in high-growth markets. Their investments focus on healthtech, e-commerce, fintech, SaaS, and sustainability companies. They work with a diverse group of founders to provide...

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. With the growing number of startups seeking funding, it's easy to increase your corporate VC fund to capture more deals. Fund sizes in many corporate VCs increase almost every year. For many startups, too much funding can bring unexpected problems. It's best to start small and grow...

In this episode, Hall welcomes JC Otero, COO & Co-Founder of Change4Change. Headquartered in Austin, TX, Change4Change's mission is to democratize the political fundraising process by broadening the donor base, making fundraising more accessible to all, while combating the influence of big money in politics. It is this monumental challenge that compelled JC to join forces with Nik Kulkarni to star...

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Corporate venture capital is venture funding from a company, rather than a fund raised from limited partners. Most corporate venture capital invests for strategic reasons rather than financial ones. Reasons for corporations to invest in startups include the following: - Gain market...

In this episode, Hall welcomes Caroline Lewis, Partner at Rogue Venture Partners and Managing Partner of Rogue's Women's Fund. Rogue Venture Partners is a venture capital firm specializing in investments in startups. It seeks to invest in new and growing businesses in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. The company invests in entrepreneurs that reject the status quo, and who are driven by market tra...

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Corporate VCs follow the startup cycle with many launching their programs at the peak of the cycle. Most Corporate VCs last about 4 to 6 years, at which point the economic cycle creates a challenging environment for the company. To be successful at running a corporate VC, you'll nee...