VC Minute

Text your thoughts directly to Rich.

The Conscious Entrepreneur Summit was created to build a community of people who are entrepreneurs, founders, and CEOs who are committed to their personal growth, who understand the value of investing time in these types of tools and resources for themselves and for their companies.

About The Conscious Entrepreneur Summit
The Conscious Entrepreneur Summit is shaping up to be one of the top Founder/CEO events of the year. This is the only in-person event that is 100% dedicated to the well-being of entrepreneurs. Speakers include world-class executive coaches, best-selling authors, CEOs who are building world-changing companies. Details at https://consciousentrepreneur.us/ and make sure to use code SPRINGTIME for $150 off your ticket.

About SpringTime Ventures
SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with domain expertise, forging a path with a truly transformative technology. We only invest in software-based businesses in the USA. We bring a people-focused approach, work quickly, and reach conviction independently. Our initial check size is $600k. You can learn more about us and our approach.   

About Rich Maloy
Rich’s mission is to rebuild the American dream through entrepreneurship. He believes technology gives all people the opportunity to grow, learn and earn. He is a Managing Partner at SpringTime Ventures and the host of the VC Minute podcast. With prior careers in finance and sales, he's been focused on the startup ecosystem for over a dozen years. He's a father of two young children and loves sci-fi, skiing, and video games.  

Text your thoughts directly to Rich.

How do you recognize signs of your own burnout?

What do you do about it?

Go on vacation? Probably not. Vacations are great and needed, but burnout is something deeper.


About The Conscious Entrepreneur Summit
The Conscious Entrepreneur Summit is shaping up to be one of the top Founder/CEO events of the year. This is the only in-person event that is 100% dedicated to the well-being of entrepreneurs. Speakers include world-class executive coaches, best-selling authors, CEOs who are building world-changing companies. Details at https://consciousentrepreneur.us/ and make sure to use code SPRINGTIME for $150 off your ticket.

About SpringTime Ventures
SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with domain expertise, forging a path with a truly transformative technology. We only invest in software-based businesses in the USA. We bring a people-focused approach, work quickly, and reach conviction independently. Our initial check size is $600k. You can learn more about us and our approach.   

About Rich Maloy
Rich’s mission is to rebuild the American dream through entrepreneurship. He believes technology gives all people the opportunity to grow, learn and earn. He is a Managing Partner at SpringTime Ventures and the host of the VC Minute podcast. With prior careers in finance and sales, he's been focused on the startup ecosystem for over a dozen years. He's a father of two young children and loves sci-fi, skiing, and video games.  

Text your thoughts directly to Rich.

"IF this thing happens, THEN I'll be happy."
How many times have you fallen into the If-Then Mindset trap?
What If-Then trap can you let go of right now?


About The Conscious Entrepreneur Summit
The Conscious Entrepreneur Summit is shaping up to be one of the top Founder/CEO events of the year. This is the only in-person event that is 100% dedicated to the well-being of entrepreneurs. Speakers include world-class executive coaches, best-selling authors, CEOs who are building world-changing companies. Details at https://consciousentrepreneur.us/ and make sure to use code SPRINGTIME for $150 off your ticket.

About SpringTime Ventures
SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with domain expertise, forging a path with a truly transformative technology. We only invest in software-based businesses in the USA. We bring a people-focused approach, work quickly, and reach conviction independently. Our initial check size is $600k. You can learn more about us and our approach.   

About Rich Maloy
Rich’s mission is to rebuild the American dream through entrepreneurship. He believes technology gives all people the opportunity to grow, learn and earn. He is a Managing Partner at SpringTime Ventures and the host of the VC Minute podcast. With prior careers in finance and sales, he's been focused on the startup ecosystem for over a dozen years. He's a father of two young children and loves sci-fi, skiing, and video games.  

Text your thoughts directly to Rich.

This week, we're putting the focus back on you, the founder, and your wellbeing. This is timely. Not only because it's hard out there right now for startups but also because the Conscious Entrepreneur Summit is coming up and I wanted to bring the host of that, and Boulder startup OG,  Alex, Raymond onto the show.

He's going to cover imposter syndrome, toxic myths, burnout, and more.

About The Conscious Entrepreneur Summit
The Conscious Entrepreneur Summit is shaping up to be one of the top Founder/CEO events of the year. This is the only in-person event that is 100% dedicated to the well-being of entrepreneurs. Speakers include world-class executive coaches, best-selling authors, CEOs who are building world-changing companies. Details at https://consciousentrepreneur.us/ and make sure to use code SPRINGTIME for $150 off your ticket.

About SpringTime Ventures
SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with domain expertise, forging a path with a truly transformative technology. We only invest in software-based businesses in the USA. We bring a people-focused approach, work quickly, and reach conviction independently. Our initial check size is $600k. You can learn more about us and our approach.   

About Rich Maloy
Rich’s mission is to rebuild the American dream through entrepreneurship. He believes technology gives all people the opportunity to grow, learn and earn. He is a Managing Partner at SpringTime Ventures and the host of the VC Minute podcast. With prior careers in finance and sales, he's been focused on the startup ecosystem for over a dozen years. He's a father of two young children and loves sci-fi, skiing, and video games.  

Text your thoughts directly to Rich.

Not only do you need to be persuasive to fill out the pool, but you should use your current investors, especially strategic ones, to help you close the rest of the round. Dama explains how she used these "unbiased" opinions (of her strategic investors) to help new investors reach conviction. 

About Manatee
Dama Dipayana is the CEO & Co-Founder of Manatee. Manatee is a family-first, virtual mental health clinic, designed for kids living in the modern world. We’ve put our heads together to create the best mental health care for families.


About SpringTime Ventures
SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with domain expertise, forging a path with a truly transformative technology. We only invest in software-based businesses in the USA. We bring a people-focused approach, work quickly, and reach conviction independently. Our initial check size is $600k. You can learn more about us and our approach.   

About Rich Maloy
Rich’s mission is to rebuild the American dream through entrepreneurship. He believes technology gives all people the opportunity to grow, learn and earn. He is a Managing Partner at SpringTime Ventures and the host of the VC Minute podcast. With prior careers in finance and sales, he's been focused on the startup ecosystem for over a dozen years. He's a father of two young children and loves sci-fi, skiing, and video games.  

Text your thoughts directly to Rich.

Sometimes your choice is between taking any money and running out of money. In those cases you can't be selective. But if you can optimize for one thing with you investors, optimize for trust. Why? Hear Dama's summary of how the trust of her lead investor turned a funding round around. 

About Manatee
Dama Dipayana is the CEO & Co-Founder of Manatee. Manatee is a family-first, virtual mental health clinic, designed for kids living in the modern world. We’ve put our heads together to create the best mental health care for families.


About SpringTime Ventures
SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with domain expertise, forging a path with a truly transformative technology. We only invest in software-based businesses in the USA. We bring a people-focused approach, work quickly, and reach conviction independently. Our initial check size is $600k. You can learn more about us and our approach.   

About Rich Maloy
Rich’s mission is to rebuild the American dream through entrepreneurship. He believes technology gives all people the opportunity to grow, learn and earn. He is a Managing Partner at SpringTime Ventures and the host of the VC Minute podcast. With prior careers in finance and sales, he's been focused on the startup ecosystem for over a dozen years. He's a father of two young children and loves sci-fi, skiing, and video games.  

Text your thoughts directly to Rich.

What I love about this advice is that Dama found her weak point in her pitch and leaned into it.

I'd be willing to be that if you leaned hard into your pitching weakness you would just be at baseline compared to everyone else on that point.

About Manatee
Dama Dipayana is the CEO & Co-Founder of Manatee. Manatee is a family-first, virtual mental health clinic, designed for kids living in the modern world. We’ve put our heads together to create the best mental health care for families.


About SpringTime Ventures
SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with domain expertise, forging a path with a truly transformative technology. We only invest in software-based businesses in the USA. We bring a people-focused approach, work quickly, and reach conviction independently. Our initial check size is $600k. You can learn more about us and our approach.   

About Rich Maloy
Rich’s mission is to rebuild the American dream through entrepreneurship. He believes technology gives all people the opportunity to grow, learn and earn. He is a Managing Partner at SpringTime Ventures and the host of the VC Minute podcast. With prior careers in finance and sales, he's been focused on the startup ecosystem for over a dozen years. He's a father of two young children and loves sci-fi, skiing, and video games.  

Text your thoughts directly to Rich.

What would Dama do differently on her first fundraise? 

Three things:

1. Iterate on her pitch based on feedback and "no's"
2. Understand that VCs gossip with each other - don't erode momentum if you're getting too many "no's"
3. When you have the pitch dialed in, hit it hard. 

About Manatee
Dama Dipayana is the CEO & Co-Founder of Manatee. Manatee is a family-first, virtual mental health clinic, designed for kids living in the modern world. We’ve put our heads together to create the best mental health care for families.


About SpringTime Ventures
SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with domain expertise, forging a path with a truly transformative technology. We only invest in software-based businesses in the USA. We bring a people-focused approach, work quickly, and reach conviction independently. Our initial check size is $600k. You can learn more about us and our approach.   

About Rich Maloy
Rich’s mission is to rebuild the American dream through entrepreneurship. He believes technology gives all people the opportunity to grow, learn and earn. He is a Managing Partner at SpringTime Ventures and the host of the VC Minute podcast. With prior careers in finance and sales, he's been focused on the startup ecosystem for over a dozen years. He's a father of two young children and loves sci-fi, skiing, and video games.  

Text your thoughts directly to Rich.

Last year, Dama, the CEO of our portfolio company Manatee, pulled a fundraising rabbit out of her hat. It's funny to hear her say she's bad at fundraising because I truly believe that very few founders could have pulled off what she did last year. She shares her fundraising advice this week... and it's good!

About Manatee
Dama Dipayana is the CEO & Co-Founder of Manatee. Manatee is a family-first, virtual mental health clinic, designed for kids living in the modern world. We’ve put our heads together to create the best mental health care for families.


About SpringTime Ventures
SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with domain expertise, forging a path with a truly transformative technology. We only invest in software-based businesses in the USA. We bring a people-focused approach, work quickly, and reach conviction independently. Our initial check size is $600k. You can learn more about us and our approach.   

About Rich Maloy
Rich’s mission is to rebuild the American dream through entrepreneurship. He believes technology gives all people the opportunity to grow, learn and earn. He is a Managing Partner at SpringTime Ventures and the host of the VC Minute podcast. With prior careers in finance and sales, he's been focused on the startup ecosystem for over a dozen years. He's a father of two young children and loves sci-fi, skiing, and video games.  

Text your thoughts directly to Rich.

Why do you get a lawyer? It's because you need a guidepost  and you need someone who's going to help you navigate the parts of your business you don't even understand.

Carlos Cruz-Abrams joins us this week, sharing his decades of startup and fundraising advice from a lawyer's perspective. Learn more about  Carlos and Cruz-Abrams Seigel.

About Cruz-Abrams Seigel

Cruz-Abrams Seigel LLC (CAS) is a corporate legal boutique focused on bringing practical, operationally oriented and strategic legal representation to every transaction.  CAS’s team of big law firm trained lawyers, who also have first-hand business, financial and operational experience, represents startups, venture capital funds, private equity funds, angel investors and both strategic and financial acquirers on transactions ranging from $200K to $200M.  As entrepreneurs themselves, the CAS team understands the investment of time, effort and energy it takes to succeed, and CAS is invested in each client's success, providing personalized attention and building relationships that mean more and help clients go farther.

About SpringTime Ventures
SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with domain expertise, forging a path with a truly transformative technology. We only invest in software-based businesses in the USA. We bring a people-focused approach, work quickly, and reach conviction independently. Our initial check size is $600k. You can learn more about us and our approach.   

About Rich Maloy
Rich’s mission is to rebuild the American dream through entrepreneurship. He believes technology gives all people the opportunity to grow, learn and earn. He is a Managing Partner at SpringTime Ventures and the host of the VC Minute podcast. With prior careers in finance and sales, he's been focused on the startup ecosystem for over a dozen years. He's a father of two young children and loves sci-fi, skiing, and video games.