Customize the Fundraise for the Investor

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

In raising funding, the founder will find that investors vary in their approach to the startup's fundraise.

Some will want a valuation set while others just want to be in the deal.

Some will invest because of the team, others because of the product or sector.

Founders should customize the fundraise for the investor.

For those who want to be in the deal, the founder should use a convertible note to capture them in the round.

For those who want a valuation set, the founder should keep those investors updated so that when the price gets set, those investors will join the round.

The founder should customize the presentation for each investor to highlight what is important to them.

In most cases, the presentation deck is the same, but the emphasis shifts to the interests of the investor.

For investors interested in investing in the team, focus on the team and their skills.

For investors interested in the sector, show the trends in the industry and how the startup is taking advantage of them.

The more you know about the investor, the more you can customize the presentation for them.

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.

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Key Characteristics of Fundable Founders

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Investors funding startups look for founders who have the right characteristics for success.

Here's a list of key characteristics of fundable founders:

Grit is top of the list.

Launching and running a startup is hard work and takes years to see an exit.

Founders with grit who can last through the ups and downs is a major factor.

Flexibility is important.

The startup founder must constantly change to adapt to the market, customer needs, and their stage.

Vision to implementation.

The founder must have the ability to envision a solution and then implement it.

Hacker skill.

The founder must be creative enough to find solutions.

In sales, this is often referred to as hacking, which is the ability to find shortcuts to solve a problem.

Likeability.

Investors look for founders who are likable as they know they will spend a substantial amount of time with the founder.

Founders who are difficult to work with will find it challenging to raise funding.

Consider these points before investing in a startup.

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

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In this episode of Investor Connect, we welcome Jeffrey Stewart, Managing Director at GPO Fund, who shares his global IPO thesis and why he believes capital markets are undergoing their biggest structural shift since 2000, driven by globalization, technology, demographics, geopolitics, and regulation.

Jeffrey explains how companies staying private too long can create brittle capital structures, make it harder to recruit talent, complicate acquisitions, and misalign investors, while going public can simplify the cap table, lower the cost of capital, and raise credibility and visibility.

He also discusses why companies like Oracle and AOL went public earlier in past decades, what changed in the US markets (including decimalization, regulation, reduced research, and litigation), and how GPO Fund builds diversified international investor bases to help founder-led technology companies accelerate global expansion and IPO readiness, highlighting the growing role of emerging middle-class capital, AI-driven market efficiency, and evolving tokenization and settlement trends.

Visit GPO Fund at www.gpofund.com/

Reach out to at www.linkedin.com/in/stewartjeffrey, and on x.com/UrgentSpeed

________________________________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org

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Who Controls the Board

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Founders who take on funding start the process of transferring control of the company to the investors.

As the funding moves from Seed to Series A, the investors increase their control.

Most seed-stage companies have no board of directors.

Instead, they often have a board of advisors who can provide advice and direction.

At the Series A, the board of directors is often formalized with two from the investor side, two from the company side, and one independent who brings industry knowledge.

As the company takes on additional funding, it brings new investors onto the board.

Most board positions last two to three years.

As new investors come on the cap table, they take the place of previous investors on the board.

There are exceptions, as some founders are able to maintain control of their board.

This is rare, as most founders lose their influence as their strength lies in establishing and growing the startup.

At some point, the influence shifts to board members who bring new skills, such as scaling and working towards an exit.

Founders should know that funding brings a change of control, even if it's a little bit at a time.

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: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
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Bringing an International Company Into the US Market

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

There are several reasons international companies expand into the US market.

The US market is the largest market in the world and provides the most opportunities to the company to sell its products.

Funding in the US is more available than in most other countries.

Startups moving to the US should locate near current customers or in cities with a concentration of startups in the sector.

Those coming from Europe focus on New York City, as it gives the most time overlap with Europe.

Most companies hire a sales or business development manager to build revenue in the US market, which is the initial work to be done.

Once established in the US, the company can start to raise funding from US investors.

It's difficult to raise funds from US investors without a US presence.

This is due to the timezone issues and the ability to meet with investors for follow-ups.

International startups should consider establishing a presence in the US for not only sales growth but also fundraising.

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: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
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How To Foster the Startup Community

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Investors should foster the local startup community.

The more vibrant the community, the better the deal flow.

Here are some key ways investors can foster it:

Provide events and activities that connect and network startup founders with co-founders.

It takes a complete team to make a startup successful, so it's best to foster team building.

Connect startup founders with business owners who can use the startups' solution.

This fosters more funding for the startup through customer revenue.

Connect startup founders with startup-friendly service providers.

These include attorneys, fractional CFOs, and accountants.

Those with startup-friendly services can help the startup community grow.

Finally, change the community's perception of startup founders as looking for something to do while between jobs.

Some communities look down on startups as the unemployed.

Foster the perception that startup founders are doing important work and need the support of the community.

Consider these steps in fostering the startup community in your area.

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: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
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Please follow, share, and leave a review.

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Painkillers vs Vitamins

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

In startup investing, look for startups that solve real-world problems.

Focus on the ones that provide a solution tantamount to a painkiller.

The customer has a problem that causes them enough pain that they'll pay for a solution to get rid of it.

There tend to be fewer painkiller solutions in the market, so there's less competition.

Avoid the startups whose solution acts more like a vitamin.

It makes you better, but only just so.

Most people know vitamins make you better, but if you don't take them, you'll be okay anyway.

The problem with vitamin solutions in the startup world is that fewer people will pay for them.

Also, there tend to be many substitutes for vitamin-level solutions.

This fosters a more competitive marketplace.

Invest in painkillers and skip the vitamin solutions in your startup investing.

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: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Please follow, share, and leave a review.

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Invest in the Capable

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

The team is often the key indicator of a successful startup.

In startup investing, look for competency and experience in the team.

Competency and experience can be a relative thing.

There's an old saying in the angel world,

Invest in the A team working on a B project.

The team's skills are more than enough to accomplish the task at hand.

For the startup under consideration, understand well the skills required for it to be a success.

Look for the skills needed in the business, the technical, and the domain area.

Missing key skills is often the cause of startup failure.

Most everyone's resume shows extensive experience and knowledge.

Test out the team's skills by asking questions and giving them a task.

Test to see how they solve problems and how they think.

Look for how well they know the space and what is going on in it.

The ideal team is one that needs no additional help from the investor.

Invest in the capable where possible.

For all other startups, be prepared to fill in the gaps.

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: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Please follow, share, and leave a review.

Music courtesy of Bensound.