The Diligent Observer Podcast

John Samore III is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner with over 25 years of experience in forensic accounting, fraud investigations, and litigation. He has worked with Big 4 firms and other professional service firms, collaborating with companies across various industries.

John specializes in financial, managerial, and operational due diligence for M&A transactions, including quality of earnings and working capital analysis. He has also performed internal audits, control testing, SOX compliance, and policy recommendations. His experience spans government entities, nonprofits, and public and private companies in industries such as banking, healthcare, media, retail, real estate, manufacturing, agriculture, and more.

During our conversation, he discusses: 

• The importance of separating emotions from business decisions
• Key takeaways from his experience dealing with financial crimes and fraud cases
• Why quality of earnings is important for early-stage investments
• Typical mistakes angel investors and entrepreneurs make
• Practical questions that angels should consider asking before committing to a deal
• Risk assessment and when to engage professionals for due diligence

Connect with John

LinkedIn | Website

Stuff We Reference

• Medicare
• GAAP
• Shark Tank

Want more? 

• Get essential angel intel straight to your inbox every week with The Diligent Observer Newsletter. 
• Check out the entire show library and follow via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

All opinions are personal and may not reflect the views of The Diligent Observer. Not investment advice. 

Eric Alfuth is an investor and advisor with over 20 years of experience. He is the managing partner of the early-stage VC Caymont Ventures, and he serves as a board member and advisor to multiple emerging companies. He also serves as President of the Houston Angel Network, one of the largest and most active angel networks in the country.Prior to forming Caymont Eric helped launch and sell two energy companies, a public exit and a private sale. Before his entrepreneurial journey, Eric led a high yield credit hedge fund and managed a $4 billion international fund for AIG Investments. He began his career as an equity research analyst with Prudential Securities for a #1 ranked Institutional Investor team.Eric holds two degrees from Texas A&M University and a Masters degree from Harvard University.

During our conversation, he discusses: 

• The impact of quitting a day job to start a company 
• Advice to new angel investors 
• The importance of developing a macro thesis
• Supporting founders beyond providing capital 
• The significance of having a strong advisory board 
• Examples of successful thesis-driven investments 
• Trends and sectors he is watching like personalized medicine and EdTech
• The collaborative nature of the angel investing community

Connect with Eric

LinkedIn | Newsletter | Website | Website

Stuff We Reference

• Fidelity
• Good Morning America
• Reebok
• Nike
• Name, Image, Likeness (NIL)
• OpenAI Board Drama
• Enron
• Theranos

Want more? 

• Get essential angel intel straight to your inbox every week with The Diligent Observer Newsletter. 
• Check out the entire show library and follow via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

All opinions are personal and may not reflect the views of The Diligent Observer. Not investment advice. 

Matt Gore was a BCG consultant and startup founder with the Saturn Five Venture Studio. Along the way, he got hooked on crafting stories that help founders raise money. Now he manages OPTIO, a firm that specializes in crafting pitch decks. OPTIO pitch decks have helped founders raise over $2 Billion dollars in capital from top firms like A16Z. He is a partner in several service businesses, an angel investor, and leads the Aggie Venture Fund, a student VC fund at Texas A&M. 

During our conversation, he talks about: 

• The story of his transition from consulting to founding a pitch deck firm

• Why pitch decks are a proxy for startup quality

• What many investors miss about “technical” founders

• The importance of founder-startup fit

• Why most angels should stick to index funds

• Winning the winners by becoming a true value-add investor

• Building a network for unique deal flow

Connect with Matt

X | LinkedIn | Website

Stuff We Reference

• Aggie Venture Fund

• Evan Loomis

• Quickbooks

• Nike

• Andreessen Horowitz

• Acquired Podcast

Want more? 

• Get essential angel intel straight to your inbox every week with The Diligent Observer Newsletter. 
• Check out the entire show library and follow via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

All opinions are personal and may not reflect the views of The Diligent Observer. Not investment advice.