Business is Blumin!

Mike Spidaliere is a four-time founder, who is currently working on his newest venture, First Time Founder Capital, which was built to be the bridge between founder and funder by offering curated and strategic deal flow to his growing network of active investors while equipping founders with the necessary tools, resources, strategies, and hands-on support to navigate the challenging landscape of early-stage fundraising; additionally, he dedicates time to mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs through numerous accelerators such as Techstars and Founder Institute, and holds advisory board positions at multiple startups

Outline:

00:00 - From Film to Music Startup

02:49 - Challenges of Funding and Emotional Rollercoaster of Entrepreneurship

07:15 - Opening a Cannabis Coffee Shop and Working in Corporate America

12:41 - Lessons Learned from Viewzr and Transitioning to First Time Founder Capital

25:35 - The Changing Landscape of Fundraising

32:03 - Being Hyper-Focused in Reaching Out to Investors

39:00 - Key Factors Investors Look for in Startups

48:39 - AI Becoming Table Stakes in Fundraising

Michael's Links:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelspidaliere/

X - https://x.com/m_spidaliere

First Time Founder Capital - https://first-time-founder-capital.webflow.io/

Podcast Links:

Website - https://www.businessisblumin.com/

Sponsor An Episode - https://www.businessisblumin.com/sponsors

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0Tar39pLa0jpoAkt75aDCP

Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/business-is-blumin/id1698775034

My Links:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-b-717947124/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/danielblumin/

X - https://x.com/DanielBlumin

Finn McKenty has spent the last 20 years building and marketing products: $15 million+ in revenue for online education at CreativeLive and URM Academy, design & marketing for Abercrombie & Fitch, product strategy for Swiffer & Febreze, digital media for Red Bull, Element, and Nike ACG, and projects for bands including A Day To Remember, Periphery, and Of Mice & Men; as a content creator, he's also generated over 110 million views and 700k subscribers on YouTube, 105k followers on Instagram, and more than 13k followers on LinkedIn

Finn's Links:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/finnmckenty/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/finnmckenty/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/finn.mckenty

X - https://x.com/thefinnmckenty

Threads - https://www.threads.net/@finnmckenty

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@ThePunkRockMBA & https://www.youtube.com/@FinnMckentyPRMBA

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@finnmckenty

My Links:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-b-717947124/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/danielblumin/

Mark Herschberg, author of "The Career Toolkit: Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You" and creator of the Brain Bump app, has an extensive career in launching and developing ventures at startups, Fortune 500s, and academia, with over a dozen patents; he co-founded MIT’s Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program, known as the "career success accelerator" and teaches there annually

Mark's Links:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hershey/

Website - https://www.thecareertoolkitbook.com/

My Links:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-b-717947124/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/danielblumin/

Taylor Ros coaches elite athletes and anyone who wants to optimize their mind and body for performance and optimized health; he has trained a world champion MMA fighter, USA Track & Field athletes, professional basketball players, and busy professionals looking to achieve their best in business and life

Taylor's Links:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-ros-b2236498/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tayroruns/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/taylor.ros.1

X - https://twitter.com/thetayro

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@TaylorRos

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@tayroruns

Website - https://crwnathletics.com/

My Links:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-b-717947124/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/danielblumin/

https://windanseacoffee.com/ - Use coupon code BLUMIN for 25% off storewide

Jordan Ryan is a U.S. Veteran, wellness enthusiast, advocate for alternative wellness, and entrepreneur; he is the founder of San Diego’s first and only adaptogen-infused coffee company: Windansea

Jordan's Links:

Jordan's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-ohara/

Windansea Coffee - ⁠https://windanseacoffee.com/

My Links:

My LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-b-717947124/

My Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/danielblumin/

Alex Sanfilippo is an entrepreneur and the founder of PodMatch, a software company specifically focused on matching independent podcast hosts and their guests to elevate their voices through podcasting

Episode Links:

Alex's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexsanfilippo/

Alex's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ajsanfilippo/

Alex's Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AlexJSanfilippo

Alex's X - https://x.com/alexsanfilippo8

Alex's Threads - https://www.threads.net/@ajsanfilippo

PodMatch - https://www.joinpodmatch.com/businessisblumin

Will Nitze is the Founder & CEO of IQBAR: a healthy CPG brand that meticulously formulates IQBAR protein bars, IQMIX hydration mixes & IQJOE instant coffee around functional brain + body nutrients

Episode Links:

Will's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-nitze/

IQBAR Website - https://www.eatiqbar.com/

IQBAR Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/iqbar/

Terrance Diggs is a Baltimore-area-based designer, entrepreneur, and all-around creative and is most notably making his mark as owner of the streetwear and sportstyle brand, D17

Episode Links:

Terrance's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/d17terrance/

Terrance's Website - https://www.d17terrance.com/

Sean Tepper is the founder and CEO of Tykr, a stock screener and education platform all-in-one that helps you manage your own investments with confidence

Episode Links:

Sean's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/seantepper/

Sean's X - https://twitter.com/seantepper

Tykr Website - https://tykr.com/

Tonya Eberhart and Michael Carr are two international bestselling authors, podcast hosts, and co-founders of BrandFace, a company focused on building Profitable Personal Brands - their exclusive branding formulas have helped numerous coaches, consultants, and industry experts "turn their purpose into profit" and go by the simple mantra, "Change How You're Seen & Charge What You're Worth"

Episode Links:

BrandFace LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/brandface-star/

BrandFace Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brandfacestar

BrandFace Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/brandfacestar

BrandFace X - https://twitter.com/brandfacestar

BrandFace YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/brandfacestar

BrandFace TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@brandfacestar

BrandFace Website - https://brandfacestar.com/

Free Personal Branding Guide - https://www.brandfaceforexperts.com/guide