What LPs Look for in First-Time Fundraisers Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Limited Partners investing in venture capital funds are similar to startups raising funds from venture capitalists. In pitching LPs to invest in a fund, include the following: They need to know the basic context of the fund. Show the sector, stage, investment thesis, and the target fund amount. Summarize this information so it’s clear and easy to find. Show why the target sector is ripe for investment today. Investors want to know the track record of the team. While the team may not have raised funds before, they must have experience with funding startups, such as angel investing. Show the track record from this work. Showcase the team’s diligence process and how they screen and analyze startups. Articulate the team’s competitive advantage.   This is most often from their network of who they know. Include the cost of the investment, such as management fees and carried interest. Note the payback terms to the VC and when it starts. This is often after the investor receives their initial investment back. Showcase this information in summary form on the first slide of the deck, as investors will want to know more before digging into the details.   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 [email protected]    Please , share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of .

In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall Martin sits down with Tien Wong, CEO and Chairman of Opus8, a private investment advisory firm focused on life sciences, health tech, and marketing tech. Tian shares his extensive experience in leading and funding high-growth technology ventures and discusses the evolution of the Connect Preneur networking event, which has become the world's largest virtual pitch event and hosts eight in-person events annually across the East coast and Mid-Atlantic region. He highlights the current 'funding winter' and offers advice to entrepreneurs on surviving this challenging time by staying focused on building traction and maintaining profitability. Tien also emphasizes the importance of building authentic relationships with investors and shares insights into how diverse founders and investors enhance better outcomes and innovation. He outlines Opus8's strategy in expanding nationally and internationally, focusing on high-quality companies and investor relations.    Visit Opus8 at Reach out to at or   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 [email protected]    Please , share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of .

How To Perform Investor Diligence Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startup founders raising funding should ask as many questions of the investor as the investor asks the founder. Here are some key points in the founders' diligence on a prospective investor: Before engaging investors, research them online regarding their portfolio, investment thesis, and investment team. The more one knows about the investor, the better one can approach and engage them. Review the investors' online content. Research the investors’ social media, blogs, and other postings to learn more about their position in the market.  Evaluate the investor's reputation.  Ask other startup founders about the investor and how they work with founders. Talk with the investor's portfolio companies about their experience. This may give a somewhat biased viewpoint since the founder received funding. Assess the investor's operational capabilities and how they can help the startup. The investor team often indicates what support they can offer the startup. Understand the investors' values and what they prioritize in a startup. For example, impact investors will look for a social benefit in addition to a financial return. Consider these points in diligencing a potential investor for your 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:   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 [email protected]    Please , share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of .

The Cost of a Fundraise Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Fundraising will take time and money to complete. For the early stage, it’s primarily the time spent.  Later-stage fundraising will cost money as well. Here are some key costs to consider when planning a fundraiser campaign: For those using a broker to raise funding, they take 5 to 8% of the raise and an additional 2-3% for expenses, often in the form of a retainer. Short-term loans in the venture space cost around 25% of the funds raised. A portion of this is paid in cash, and some in equity. Those who use factoring to fund product builds will pay around 15% of the funds raised. For crowdfunding raises, the cost of social media and email marketing ranges from 10-20% of funds raised. Legal fees for papering the deal cost around 1% of the funds raised. A $2M funding will cost around $20K in fees. While in the past, the investors may have paid the legal fees to paper a deal, it’s more common today that the startup will pay for it. A savvy investor will also know that the startup is paying for the fees out of the funds raised. Consider these costs in raising funds for your 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:   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 [email protected]    Please , share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of .

Trigger Words To Show a Value Proposition Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors look for the startup's value proposition to make an investment decision. In pitching, investors use these trigger words to show a value proposition: High growth. Note the growth rate of the company and the speed at which things happen in the startup. Scalability. Show how the business model and the virality of the product position the company to scale. Traction. Show the current revenue run rate and how it is increasing. Track record. Show the team’s track record in starting, growing, and exiting businesses. Pain point. Show how the product is a painkiller and not just a vitamin. Disruption. Show how the company is disrupting the industry with new technology or business models. Inflection point. Show how the growth story has hit an inflection point and is trending higher. Milestone. Show how the growth of the business has reached a milestone event, triggering the fundraiser. Use these trigger words to show a value proposition.   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 [email protected]    Please , share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of .

Taking VC Funding Means Taking the VC’s Business Model Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In taking venture funding, the startup is also taking the VC's business model. The VC must provide the Limited Partners a venture-level return. It’s a high-risk, high-reward endeavor. A venture-level return requires the following: Continually raising funding. Startups will need to raise funding all the way to the exit to achieve the milestones. This can be challenging as venture sectors move in and out of favor over time. Dilution. The founders will find they are continually diluting their positions on each round of funding. As the valuation grows, the dilution becomes less, but hopefully the pie is getting bigger to offset it. Selling before the full potential. The VC must return funds to the LPs, and needs exits to do so. Most funds are on a ten-year cycle.   At some point, the LP will require an exit even if the business is not at its full potential. VC  funding brings with it venture risk and the costs associated with a high-growth company. Consider these points before taking VC funding.   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 [email protected]    Please , share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of .

Show How Your Startup Is Scalable Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Many startup fundraising pitches focus on the product.  It’s important for the investor to know what the product is and its basic functionality.  The investor is also interested in how the business will scale. Instead of describing the product in great detail, use that time to show scalability. Here are some key points to show how your startup is scalable: Show how the process for buying and using the product will scale. This includes the business model and how the customer will discover it. Also, show how the product usage will spread from one user to another. The virality and the monetization model give the product scalability. Consider how to build virality into the product so it’s easy to connect the product to potential new customers. To track usage, it’s best to connect the product to the web. This also provides a method for upgrading the product and providing support. Scalability means the product can grow and generate revenue faster than the cost of selling and supporting it. Include scalability in your startup fundraising pitch.   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 [email protected]    Please , share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of .

Key Elements of a Seed Pitch Deck Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The goal of the pitch is to bring the investor up to speed on the deal in a short amount of time. Here are some key elements to consider when crafting your seed pitch deck: The core information an investor needs includes the problem, the solution, traction, team, and fundraising. After this basic context, the investor looks at the business model, the market size, and the competition to gain more details. Next, the investor reviews the team to see if there are sufficient skills and experience to accomplish the plan.  Finally, the investor looks at the fundraising to see if it’s appropriate for the stage of the company, and it is realistic based on their traction. Ensure your deck provides the information investors need to know. Structure the deck so it’s easy for the investor to pick it up. Craft this information into a flowing narrative as it’s easier for the investor to track. Consider these steps in building the seed pitch deck.   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 [email protected]    Please , share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of .

In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall Martin speaks with Alicia Castillo Holly, the founder and general partner of Wealthing VC Club. Alicia shares her intriguing journey from being a scientist concerned about the limited impact of her lab research to becoming an entrepreneur and eventually a venture capitalist.  She discusses the inspiration behind her transition and the concept of 'welthing,' which redefines traditional wealth-building models by emphasizing a dynamic, resource-positive approach rather than a static view of money and wealth. With years of experience managing multiple VC funds across different continents, Alicia underscores the importance of respecting money, making impactful investments, and maintaining a balance between optimism and humility in entrepreneurship and early-stage investing. She also sheds light on evaluating purpose-driven ventures for both impact and return, offering a structured yet flexible strategy for emerging investors, particularly in underserved markets.   Visit Wealthing VC Club at Reach out to at    and on   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 [email protected]    Please , share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of .

How To Make a Persuasive Pitch Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The goal of the pitch is to persuade investors to support your startup. Here are some key techniques to make a more persuasive pitch: Identify what the audience seeks to do and play to that reward. Investors seek a financial return, so they play up the potential exit. Conversely, identify what the audience fears and bring that into the pitch. Most investors fear losing their money, so show how the startup will not fail. Create an image in the audience’s mind that captures their imagination. This could be a story about a recent customer use case that shows how compelling the product is. Consider positioning and how it can persuade the audience. For example, showcasing your product as designed very well for a customer’s workflow gives confidence to the investor that it will be sticky. Demonstrate credibility and build trust. Show the experience and credentials of the team to build confidence.  Ask questions to generate curiosity and build a little mystery into the pitch to keep the audience engaged. Finally, answer questions with confidence to show you’re familiar with the subject and have a plan for it.  Consider these techniques in building a persuasive pitch.   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 [email protected]    Please , share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of .