In this episode, Hall welcomes Steve Hoffman, Chairman, Founder & CEO of Founders Space. Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, Founders Space has created an international network of incubators, entrepreneurs, and investors, with over 50 partners in 22 countries. They offer corporate innovation programs, an online startup incubator, tours, and seminars. Steve is an angel investor, limited partner at August Capital, serial entrepreneur, and author of several award-winning books. He was the Founder and Chairman of the Producers Guild Silicon Valley Chapter, Board of Governors of the New Media Council, and founding member of the Academy of Television’s Interactive Media Group. While in Hollywood, Hoffman worked as a TV development executive and went on to pioneer interactive television with his venture-funded startup Spiderdance, which produced interactive TV shows with NBC, MTV, Turner, Warner Brothers, History Channel, Game Show Network, and others. In Silicon Valley, Steve founded two more venture-backed startups, in the areas of games and entertainment, and worked as Mobile Studio Head for Infospace. Steve has a BS from the University of California in Computer Engineering and an MFA from the University of Southern California in Cinema Television. He currently resides in San Francisco but spends most of his time in the air, visiting startups, investors, and innovators all over the world.  Steve explains his investment theses, tells Hall what business model excites him, and gives advice to entrepreneurs and investors. Visit Founders Space at .  Steve can be reached via LinkedIn at , on Twitter at , and via email at vc@foundersspace.com.

Investor Connect Podcast

Investor Connect - 390 - Steve Hoffman of Founders Space

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing So how do Venture Capitalists raise funding? VCs raise funding from limited partners which include family offices, high-net-worth individuals, foundations, pension funds, and other sources. Institutional investors such as pension funds require a track record so first time VCs focus on family offices and high-net-worth individuals.  Also, the VC fund may be too small. In most cases, institutional investors do not like to be more than a certain percent of any one fund due to concentration limits - usually no more than  20%. The VC develops an investment thesis which is a reasoning why their approach to selecting and funding deals will be successful. They build out their investment prospectus which includes the investment thesis, how it’s unique, the fees the limited partners will pay, and how the profits will be distributed. The VC then meets with limited partners to pitch the investment thesis, track record, and view of the market. Limited partners look to fund VCs who have a unique investment thesis and access to deal flow they do not.   Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let’s go startup something today. ----- For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: Check out our other podcasts here: For Investors check out: For Startups check out: For eGuides check out: For upcoming Events, check out For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Startup Funding Espresso -- How VCs Raise Funding

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. You can now start your own VC fund. Venture capital, angel investing, crowdfunding, and most forms of startup funding are best done through a fund model for when deal flow volume reaches scale.    A fund structure also provides diversification. If you have experience finding and screening startups for funding and a track record for successfully investing, then you may want to consider starting your own fund. As of this writing, there are over 4000 microVC funds in the US alone.   These are funds with < $100M of raised capital with most in the $25M to $50M range. Many of these funds are led by those who ran sidecar angel funds, invested their own money into startups and did well, or are experienced VCs who set out to run their own fund. The funds tend to focus on a very tight niche in which they have access to quality deal flow.  Most raise funding from family offices as institutions require long track records and large fund sizes so their investment doesn’t take more than 20% of the round.  You can now take your expertise and run your own fund. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.Let’s go startup something today.-----For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: Check out our other podcasts here: For Investors check out: For Startups check out: For eGuides check out: For upcoming Events, check out For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Startup Funding Espresso -- Starting Your Own VC Fund

Investor Connect is proud to introduce a brand new Podcast series: Investor Perspectives. Over the next month, we will be discussing the Impact of the COVID-19 Economy on Startup Funding with experienced investors from the TEN Capital network. In today’s installment, we’re looking to the other side when the economy will reopen. Today’s episode features insights from:  Evan Cohen of HealthboxRodolfo Dieck of Proeza VenturesDan Kerr of Flyover CapitalKevin King of Texas Halo FundYaniv Sneor of Mid Atlantic Bio AngelsGary Trauner of Silicon Couloir We hope you enjoy listening to this informative new series. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: Check out our other podcasts here: For Investors check out: For Startups check out: For eGuides check out: For upcoming Events, check out For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Investor Perspectives - The Impact of the COVID-19 Economy on Startup Funding Part 3

In this episode, Hall welcomes Sharon Vosmek, CEO of Astia. Located in San Francisco, Astia was founded in Silicon Valley in 1999 as a non-profit organization dedicated to identifying and promoting best-in-class, high-growth ventures that include women leaders. Astia levels the investment playing field by cultivating a trusted global ecosystem of engaged male and female investors and advisors, who offer crucial resources, including capital, networks, and expertise. Unlike most VC’s, investment firms, or accelerators, Astia provides a creative, proven approach that contributes to the success of women leaders and their ventures. Astia is rigorous about using a global process to source and screen their investments and that process is called the Astia's Expert Sift. Astia's Expert Sift leverages the wisdom of a highly curated expert crowd made up of advisors within Astia’s global 5000+ community to source, screen and evaluate high-growth companies. The process identifies best-in-class, investor-ready opportunities, and then presents them to accredited investors. Over 60% of companies achieve funding or an exit within one year of presenting at Astia.  Sharon is not only an angel investor but is also a member on many boards. She is well-regarded around the globe for her opinions, research and commentary on the importance of women leaders as integral to innovation and high-performing entrepreneurial companies. Sharon goes into detail about Astia’s investment thesis and some of the companies within the fund, tells Hall what she is excited about and gives advice to entrepreneurs and investors.Visit Astia at Sharon can be reached via LinkedIn at , on Twitter at , and via email at sharon@astia.org. 

Investor Connect - 389 - Sharon Vosmek of Astia

In this episode, Hall welcomes David Wadler angel investor and CEO of Vendorful, Inc. Located in New York, Vendorful is a standalone SaaS product delivered via public or private cloud. In addition, it can be integrated into existing procurement software stacks, allowing organizations to drive more return on their existing investment. Vendorful saves time and money while driving increased value for businesses of all types and sizes, from SMB to enterprise. David was the CEO and co-founder of a company called Twistage, where he turned an idea into a profitable multimillion-dollar business and an exit to a Fortune 1000 company. He is a seasoned software/digital media executive with a decidedly entrepreneurial bent. Over the course of his career, he’s spent time in sales, software development, product management, and even crafting narratives as a writer.  David tells Hall how he sees the industry evolving, what excites him and gives advice to both entrepreneurs and investors.Visit Vendorful at     David can be reached via LinkedIn at , on Twitter at and via email at . 

Investor Connect - 388 - David Wadler of Vendorful, Inc.

Welcome back to Investor Connect for the second show in our new series Investor Perspectives. This month we will be discussing with investors in our network the following topic: The Impact of the COVID-19 Economy on Startup Funding.  In this installment, we ask the following investors to give us their views:  Christian Kameir of Sustany Capital  Peter Adams of Rockies Venture Club/Rockies Venture Fund Jake Rosenfeld of Bonsai Phil Nadel of Forefront Venture Partners Steve Shapiro of eHealth Ventures We hope you enjoy listening to this very insightful interview.

Investor Perspectives - The Impact of the COVID-19 Economy on Startup Funding

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In calculating returns the timing of the return is a key factor. There are two metrics for measuring return. ROI is return on investment without respect to time, and IRR which is Internal Rate of Return, is ROI WITH respect to time.  If I invest $50K and receive $150K back in three years, then my ROI is 3X. If I receive it back in five years the ROI is still 3X. For IRR the timing makes a difference on the calculated result.  If I invest $50K and receive $150K back in three years, then my IRR is 44%. If I receive it back in five years the ROI is 25%.   The sooner the return comes back the higher the IRR.   That’s why most angels and VCs quote IRR on their investment results rather than ROI. Angels and VCs look for a 20%-30% IRR on their investments. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.Let’s go startup something today.-----For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: Check out our other podcasts here: For Investors check out: For Startups check out: For eGuides check out: For upcoming Events, check out For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Startup Funding Espresso--The Time Element of Returns

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In angel investing the two basic approaches are generalist and specialist.  The generalist funds across all sectors but with certain criteria focused on growth rates, team composition, or monetization models such as recurring revenue. The second is a specialist who narrows the focus to a specific industry vertical or application. The generalist has many deals to choose from while the specialist has a limited supply. The generalist must deal with more markets and segments and often focuses on providing value through the business model rather than industry knowledge. The specialist brings domain knowledge and can provide more value through contacts in the industry and application-specific advice. The trend in the industry is to move to either a generalist approach in which one places a large number of investments to find a hit, or to move into a specialist role and provide more value to a smaller number of deals. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.Let’s go startup something today.-----For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: Check out our other podcasts here: For Investors check out: For Startups check out: For eGuides check out: For upcoming Events, check out For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Startup Funding Espresso-- Follow a Disciplined Investment Strategy

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. You’ll need to gather your basic company documents for investors to review. In preparing a due diligence box also called a dataroom, there are basic documents to include: Income Statement and Balance Sheet Three to five year financial forecast Cap Table including shares outstanding Entity filings (LLC or C-Corp, etc) including Articles of Incorporation Intellectual Property filings including patents, trademarks, etc. C-level team resumes Most early-stage companies don’t have lawsuits, years of tax returns, and other baggage that comes with time.  There may be other documents you may need to add based on your situation. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.Let’s go startup something today.-----For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: Check out our other podcasts here: For Investors check out: For Startups check out: For eGuides check out: For upcoming Events, check out For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Startup Funding Espresso--Key Documents for Your Due Diligence Box

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In diligencing a startup, the team is the most critical factor in the process.  Since the startup has only a nascent product and perhaps some intellectual property, the team is the only thing that you can really dig into. For diligencing the team, first review the resumes of those who are on the team or planned to join when funding becomes available. Placeholders of ‘we’ll look for someone later’ is a red flag. The CEO should know who they are planning to bring on. Next, look for domain knowledge. Who has it and how current is it? After that, look for complementary skills -- is there someone who has sales skills and will spend their time selling the product? Is there someone who is going to build the product and will manage either an internal development team or an external one? Outsourcing the product development with no one actively managing it is a recipe for disaster. Next, look at how long the team has worked together if at all. Ideally the team has some experience working with each other. The more the better. Finally, look at completeness. Many successful teams follow the Designer, the Hacker and the Hustler formula. The Designer knows the customer problem and plans the product development, including how it will be monetized and promoted. The Hacker is the developer who builds the product and the Hustler is the one who sells it. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding. Let’s go startup something today.-----For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org Check out our other podcasts here: For Investors check out: For Startups check out: For eGuides check out: For upcoming Events, check out For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Startup Funding Espresso--How to Diligence the Team

Welcome back to Investor Connect for the first show in our new series Investor Perspectives. This month we will be discussing with investors in our network the following topic: The Impact of the COVID-19 Economy on Startup Funding. In this installment, we ask the following investors to give us their views:  Ash KaluarachchiCharles SidmanBrett NoyesDaniel IbriLydia KinkadeNathan McDonald We hope you enjoy listening to this very insightful interview.

Investor Perspectives - May 2020, 1a - The Impact of the COVID-19 Economy on Startup Funding

In this episode, Hall welcomes back Vic Pascucci, Managing Partner of Energy Capital Ventures. Located in Chicago, Energy Capital Ventures is a strategic venture capital firm serving the needs of the power and utility industry. They invest at Series A through C in technologies that provide clean, intelligent, mobile and distributed solutions.  Vic has over 20 years of experience in venture capital and financial services and has been a part of over $750M in venture capital and M&A transactions. As Managing Partner, he is responsible for the day-to-day operations and strategic direction of the firm. Prior to Energy Capital Ventures, Vic was a Director/Partner at Munich Re Ventures, a Managing Partner for Lightbank, and prior to that, he built and led USAA’s $330 million corporate venture capital program where he led investments in fintech (insurtech, banking, investment management), consumer internet, enterprise technologies and digital capabilities.  Vic tells Hall what excites him and gives advice to both entrepreneurs and investors.Visit Energy Capital Ventures . Vic can be reached via LinkedIn at on Twitter @victorpascucci3 and via email at . 

Investor Connect - 387 - Vic Pascucci of Energy Capital Ventures

In this episode, Hall welcomes Soraya Darabi, General Partner of Trail Mix Ventures (TMV). TMV is an early-stage venture firm investing in the future of living well. TMV backs start-up companies focused on ideas that will reshape industries or inspire new ones. Fund I and Fund II investments focus on: frontier health organizations, marketplaces and design-driven technologies. Soraya began her career in journalism at The New York Times, positioning them on large social networks. She has also partnered with startups large and small, establishing award-winning campaigns. Soraya has appeared on magazine covers, mentored for TechStars New York, and is also a podcast host. She graduated with honors from Georgetown University and completed the Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century module at the Harvard Kennedy School. She is currently on the board of the non-profit Yamba Malawi in New York City and is in her 12th year helping the organization connect to global entrepreneurs. Soraya shares her advice for both investors and entrepreneurs and discusses her fund’s thesis with Hall.Visit Trail Mix Ventures at . Soraya can be reached via LinkedIn at , via Twitter at , via Instagram @Soraya and via email at soraya@trailmix.vc.

Investor Connect - 386 - Soraya Darabi of Trail Mix Ventures

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding you will hear “no” from investors a lot.   When I say a lot, I mean it’s more than most entrepreneurs think. I know one entrepreneur who made 50 investor pitches before he received his first “yes”.    For some startups they perceive this as a negative and after a while it can wear them down. Hearing “no” is not necessarily a bad thing. Instead of hearing “no” and thinking “they don’t like the idea”, consider it as guidance on how to make the business better. When you hear “no”, ask what they would do to improve it. Gain their feedback and guidance on how to position the deal, how to present it, how to run the startup. You’re not bound to use every single suggestion, but you will learn a great deal and your business will certainly be the better for it. You could consider it free consulting. Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.Let’s go startup something today.-----For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: Check out our other podcasts here: For Investors check out: For Startups check out: For eGuides check out: For upcoming Events, check out For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Startup Funding Espresso -- You'll Hear "No" a Lot

Hall T Martin interviews angel and venture capital investors on how they invest and talks with CEOs who discuss their sector and what to look for. Hall T Martin also leads the Startup Funding Espresso series in which you can learn about startup funding and investing in the time it takes to have an espresso. https://investorconnect.org/

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Investor Connect Podcast

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