Dr. Margaret Bacheler is the Director of Educational Initiatives for the Angel Capital Association, where she oversees the Ann and Bill Payne ACA Angel University program. Dr. Bacheler is passionate about inclusive economic development, facilitating opportunities for multigenerational wealth creation, and diversifying the ranks of angel investors and the founders they support. She has also been awarded a National Science Foundation grant to elevate Early Stage Investing in the Deep Tech Space. She holds an Ed.d in Educational Leadership from Widener University, an MBA from Saint Joseph’s University, and a BA in World Politics from Hamilton College, where she was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. She is an active angel investor with angel investments in angel funds designed to support female founders.

During our conversation, she discusses: 

* Her journey into angel investing, sparked by a women's investing conference. 

* The importance of due diligence in mitigating investment risks. 

* Key factors to evaluate in founders and startups.

* The broad scope and diversity of angel investment opportunities, from deep tech to clean tech to women's health.

* Common misconceptions and learning challenges faced by new angel investors.

* Strategies for potentially successful angel investments, and the importance of a diversified portfolio.

* The growing educational tools and resources available for angel investors.

Connect with Margaret & the ACA

LinkedIn | Website | Angel University Schedule | AngelBox Toolkit

Register for the ACA Summit and use code DO200 at registration to save $200!

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• 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.

Connect with Andrew 

LinkedIn | X | Angel Ops E-Book

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

Matt Bell was born and raised in the UK, has lived on 4 continents, worked in, or visited, over 50 countries, and now calls Houston, Texas, home. His career journey has taken him from field operations to company leadership and corporate venture capital, from startup to growth stage, and on to strategy consulting, marketing, and angel investing.

As co-founder of MessageUp and Strategic Piece, Matt works with B2B companies to make messaging and content more effective without overburdening their teams. This reflects his belief that content marketing has become mission-critical and will differentiate successful B2B companies from the rest in an increasingly digital-first world.

As Vice President of the Imperial College Foundation, he helps enable tax-efficient giving from US-based alumni and friends that supports ground-breaking research and the highest quality education at Imperial College. 

During our conversation, he discusses: 

• The concept and challenges of content marketing for early-stage B2B companies
• The importance of brand awareness and building a consistent audience early
• The pitfalls of poorly executed marketing strategies
• Aligning corporate and marketing objectives to measure effectiveness
• The impact of AI on content creation and the need for authenticity
• Key considerations for investors evaluating a startup's marketing strategy
• The evolution of the CMO role and strategic marketing importance
• The future trends in marketing and buyer behavior

Connect with Matt Bell

Get access to expert coaching from Matt with the B2B Marketing Tune Up, an online cohort for B2B business leaders

LinkedIn | Website | Newsletter | Books | Voice Acting

Stuff We Reference

• GeoDynamics
• HAN 
• Owl Spark at Rice University
• Red Labs University of Houston
• Rice Business Plan Competition
• To Sell is Human by Daniel Pink

Register for the ACA Summit and use code DO200 at registration to save $200!

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.

Connect with Andrew 

LinkedIn | X | Angel Ops E-Book

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

Marshall Smith is a seasoned WealthTech investor and corporate development leader with over 18 years of experience in WealthTech, Fintech and SaaS. He is the Managing Director of First Rate Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of First Rate Inc, the global leader in data aggregation, performance, and reporting solutions for over 500 Wealth Managers, Family Offices and Asset Managers across five continents.

Marshall leads the strategy and execution of minority investments in early-stage WealthTech startups, as well as majority acquisitions of successful WealthTech platforms globally. He also co-founded and serves on the advisory board of WealthTech Strategy Partners, a boutique advisory firm that helps early-stage WealthTechs. Additionally, he is a co-founder, board director, and accelerator selection committee member of The Founders Arena, a unique and first-of-its-kind go-to-market accelerator for WealthTech companies. 

Marshall holds the CIPM credential from the CFA Institute and has published multiple white papers on risk management and performance measurement. He is passionate about fostering innovation, collaboration, and impact in the WealthTech ecosystem.

Marshall lives in Southlake, Texas with his Wife Shannon and four kids. They are involved in Business as Mission, Adoption and Foster Care Ministry and serving their local church.

During our conversation, he discusses: 

• The definition of WealthTech and its relation to FinTech
• The importance of progressive product market fit
• Key factors for evaluating investment opportunities in WealthTech
• Hiring talent worldwide
• Importance of angel investors adding strategic value beyond capital
• Navigating sales cycles and target markets within WealthTech

Connect with Marshall

LinkedIn | X

Stuff We Reference

• First Rate Ventures
• WealthTech Strategy Partners
• Bloomberg Terminal
• Wall Street Journal
• Fispoke
• First Rate Fispoke Press Release
• Owl ESG

Register for the ACA Summit and use code DO200 at registration to save $200!

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.

Connect with Andrew 

LinkedIn | X | Angel Ops E-Book

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

 John Jeffers brings 32 years of energy industry expertise spanning leadership roles at ExxonMobil, Schlumberger, and Southwestern Energy to our conversation. Since 2020, he has channeled his extensive corporate experience into angel investing, startup mentorship, and co-founding Revolution Turbine Technologies, focusing on waste energy recovery and natural gas decarbonization solutions. 

During our conversation, he discusses: 

• His transition from working in oil and gas to angel investing
• The role of subsidies and unit economics in clean energy
• The potential of waste heat recovery technologies
• The future of hydrogen as a fuel and potential methods of production
• Strategies for evaluating investment opportunities in clean energy
• The significance of understanding both customer needs and operational integration when evaluating a new technology
• The necessity for adaptability and strategic pivots 

Connect with John
LinkedIn | Website

Stuff We Reference

• ExxonMobil
• Schlumberger
• Southwestern Energy
• SWAN Impact Network
• Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator
• Dartmouth College
• Rice University
• SMU Cox School of Business
• PitchBook
• Inflation Reduction Act
• Imperium Technologies
• Greentown Labs Houston
• Skyven Technologies
• Kanin Energy
• Janice Tran
• Rice Energy Tech Venture Forum
• Koloma
• Breakthrough Energy Ventures

Register for the ACA Summit and use code DO200 at registration to save $200!

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.

Connect with Andrew 

LinkedIn | X | Angel Ops E-Book

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

Geoffrey Cheng is the Investment Manager for Comcast SportsTech. Before working at Comcast SportsTech, he was lucky enough to work alongside entrepreneurs and management teams from seed stage to growth stage. He's been one of the first employees at a startup, worked at a media investment advisory firm (where he worked on deals impacting over $750M in total assets), and spent time with dozens of startups as investor, advisor, and ad-hoc fundraising guru.

During our conversation, he discusses: 

• The transition from computational biology to investment management
• Building key partnerships and strategy at Comcast SportsTech
• The essence of impact in his career approach
• Differentiating factors in sports and media investments
• Importance of establishing key partnerships in the sports industry
• Current trends like the intersection of gaming and sports
• Advice for angel investors in sports-related deals
• The cultural influence of sports and media

Connect with Geoffrey

LinkedIn | Website 

Stuff We Reference

• Triller
• Tiktok
• Comcast
• Premier League
• PGA Tour
• NASCAR
• University of Notre Dame
• NFL
• NBA
• FIFA
• Salesforce
• Ryan Reynolds buys Wrexham
• Ferguson | Michael Brown
• Azure
• Amazon
• Arsenal
• Chelsea
• Sky
• Peacock
• Call of Duty
• Fortnite
• Roblox

Register for the ACA Summit and use code DO200 at registration to save $200!

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.

Connect with Andrew 

LinkedIn | X | Angel Ops E-Book

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

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

Register for the ACA Summit and use code DO200 at registration to save $200!

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.

Connect with Andrew 

LinkedIn | X | Angel Ops E-Book

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

Register for the ACA Summit and use code DO200 at registration to save $200!

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.

Connect with Andrew 

LinkedIn | X | Angel Ops E-Book

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

Register for the ACA Summit and use code DO200 at registration to save $200!

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.

Connect with Andrew 

LinkedIn | X | Angel Ops E-Book

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