Tools for Fundraising

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Before launching a fundraising campaign, set up the tools you’ll need.

Here’s a list of key tools to support fundraising:

Database.

Create a list of prospective investors with name, email, phone number, and how you know them.

This could be a simple spreadsheet list or a full-blown database.

Set up a CRM system for outreach to the investors.

This could be a simple mailer tool or a fully developed CRM.

Set up an online video conference tool for holding calls with investors.

Most introductory meetings are held online.

Add a transcription tool for capturing the content of each pitch with an investor.

This will help you review the pitch and follow-up questions afterwards.

Set up a project management tool to coordinate support activities.

It’s often the case that you will engage others to help you find investors and set up meetings.

A project management tool can help with coordinating the effort.

Install an online calendar for scheduling meetings and follow-ups.

Set up software for building the pitch deck.

Build a system to keep track of the many variations of the deck you will create.

Fundraising is a sales process with a specific set of tools for one outcome -- to raise funding.

Prepare your tools before launching your fundraising campaign

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: http://investorconnect.org

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In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall Martin chats with Tim Raines, founder and CEO of Rare Innovation, a boutique consultancy that serves as an outsourced executive team for deep tech startups. Tim shares his extensive experience in science and technology commercialization, helping startups transition from research phases to market-ready products. With expertise in creating go-to-market strategies, product development, and compelling pitch decks, Tim has been pivotal in assisting startups to secure funding and achieve market traction.

He discusses the importance of founders making the first sale, early market validation, and adapting communication for various stakeholders, from investors to end-users. Tim also underscores the importance of partnerships and strategic collaborations in navigating limited-resource environments and ensuring successful product commercialization. For founders and investors interested in deep tech, Tim offers valuable insights into the current trends and pitfalls in the ecosystem.

Visit Rare Innovation at rareinnovation.com/

Reach out to at tim@rareinnovation.com

_______________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides check out: https:/_/tencapital.group/education/
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

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The Four T’s of Startup Investing

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

There are many ways to evaluate a startup.

For investors funding SaaS startups, here are the four T’s to consider:

Team.

Does the team have the skills to build the proposed startup?

Are they in place, working on the business now?

Have they proven themselves yet?

Timing.

Is now the right time for the startup?

Is the market ready for this idea?

Traction

Does the startup have revenue growth?

Will the growth continue?

Technology.

Does the startup have the right technology for the market?

Can the technology scale?

Does it provide a moat for the business?

Use the four T’s to determine if the startup is ready for an investment.

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: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Please follow, share, and leave a review.

Music courtesy of Bensound.

How To Pitch in a Down Market

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Down markets change the care abouts of the investor.

The investor wants to know whether the business will survive difficult times.

Here are some key points to consider when pitching your startup in a down market:

Focus on the core financials to show the business is stable.

Show how the company is cash flow positive or nearing it.

Talk about the break-even point and how soon your startup will reach it.

Show the burn rate is low and shrinking.

Highlight the path to profitability.

Show reasonable valuations and fundraising goals.

Focus on the core business and avoid extraneous products and markets.

Show the strength of the core team and the competitive product they are building.

Talk about how founders have launched and grown startups in down markets before.

Point out the market opportunities in the current down market.

Pitching the startup in an upmarket focuses on the potential growth.

Pitching in a down market focuses on the solidity of the business and its efficiency.

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: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Please follow, share, and leave a review.

Music courtesy of Bensound.

Prepping Your Website and Social Media for Fundraising

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Before launching a fundraiser campaign, make sure your website and social media are prepped.

The first place an investor goes after hearing your pitch is your website.

They are primarily looking to learn more about the product and the team.

Pitch Decks are designed to pique interest and do not give the full story.

Interested investors will use your website to ‘fill in’ the gaps left by the pitch.

Make sure your website is up to date with your current business.

A website that is two steps behind will undersell your startup.

Consider adding an “Investor relations” button to your website to capture their questions.

Make sure the team’s profiles on LinkedIn are up to date, as that is the primary social media channel they will use.

Investors are looking to learn more about the team members and their experience.

They also want to see if the team members’ titles on the pitch deck and the titles listed on LinkedIn match.

Are you formally engaged with the company or are you tangentially connected to the startup?

Make sure your website and social media enhance and engage the investor during your fundraiser.

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: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Please follow, share, and leave a review.

Music courtesy of Bensound.

Startup Metrics in a Down Market

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

In an upmarket, startup metrics focus on growth rates, cost of customer acquisition, and scalability factors.

In a down market, the startup metrics focus on efficiency.

Here’s a list of key startup metrics to use in a down market:

Burn multiple.

This measures the startup's efficiency in growth.

It’s the net annual burn rate divided by the net new ARR.

Rule of 40.

This is another efficiency metric.

The growth rate and profitability added together should reach 40.

Customer payback period.

This calculates the number of months to pay back the cost of acquiring a customer.

It’s calculated by taking the cost of customer acquisition and dividing it by the monthly revenue from that customer.

Revenue per employee.

This measures productivity by showing how much growth can be sustained by the employees.

It’s calculated by taking the annual revenue for the company and dividing it by the number of employees.

These metrics shift the focus from raw growth to efficiency.

Consider these metrics 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: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Please follow, share, and leave a review.

Music courtesy of Bensound.

How To Tell When the Startup Doesn’t Have Anything

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Startups raising funding should bring customer engagement, if not traction, to the pitch.

Founders raising funding often compensate for the lack of customer engagement through distractions.

Here’s how to tell when the startup doesn’t have anything:

Revenue is only listed as a forecast with pipeline sales.

Key metrics are based on forecast sales, not actual sales.

There are no actual customers in discussion, and no names of any partners.

The focus is on technology and how it works.

The product is a high-level vision of what will be, but nothing is under development.

The team has a handful of potentials but no actual results from their work.

The pitch is primarily how big the market is and the size of the opportunity.

The discussion focuses on how the competition is failing but never mentions how the startup is succeeding.

The deck shows huge returns to the investor, but there are no actual revenue figures listed.

In short, it’s all vision and no execution.

Look for these signs that the startup doesn’t have anything before pursuing investment.

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: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Please follow, share, and leave a review.

Music courtesy of Bensound.

In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall Martin engages with Joe Perino, a seasoned industrial strategist, consultant, and engineer with over four decades of experience. Joe shares insights on industrial transformation, emphasizing the importance of technology-enabled business model changes that yield significant improvements. He discusses the impact of predictive analytics and edge computing in the energy process and manufacturing sectors, highlighting their role in predictive maintenance and operational efficiency.

Joe also touches on the challenges of scaling AI applications, the necessity of robust cybersecurity measures, and the importance of interoperability standards in industrial tech. Additionally, Joe shares his experience with mentoring startups and the role of industry consortia and accelerators in fostering innovation and business growth. This episode provides a comprehensive overview of the industrial tech landscape, offering valuable advice for both operators and investors.

Reach out to at www.linkedin.com/in/joe-perino-952792/ or pertex@comcast.net

_________________________________________________________For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides check out: https:/_/tencapital.group/education/
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Please follow, share, and leave a review.

Music courtesy of Bensound.