Building the Competition Slide Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The startup pitch deck should contain a competition slide. Some founders start the pitch with, ‘we have no competition’. Avoid this, as investors will interpret this as if there is no market. The purpos…

In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall Martin chats with Christopher Ezold, a partner at the Pennsylvania-based law firm Wisler Pearlstine, which specializes in business, employment, and corporate law. Christopher dives deep into the fiduciary duties of board members, emphasizing the duty of care, loyalty, obedience, and confidentiality. He expl…

Party Rounds – Going Without a Lead Investor Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, many founders believe they can’t raise funding without a lead investor. At the seed level, this is not necessarily the case. Founders should launch their fundraising ca…

SaaS Growth Metrics Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are several key SaaS metrics to know in evaluating a startup. Here’s a summary of the key metrics: SaaS Quick Ratio -- New MRR divided by the churned MRR. This measures how efficient your growth is. Low effi…

How To Build Momentum in Your Fundraise Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Fundraising has its ups and downs, including long patches of slow-paced activity. Here are some key steps in building momentum for your fundraiser. Always break the total fundraising into small…

How To Show Your Market Size Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The market slide in the startup fundraise pitch shows the total available market opportunity. Here are some key steps in showing your market size. Show the components of your market, including the number …

Best Practices in Telling Your Story Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Storytelling is a key skill in fundraising. Use these best practices in telling your story in the pitch to investors: Declare the problem as the villain in your story. This sets up a conflict. Rai…

In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall T. Martin welcomes Herbert to discuss the pivotal role family offices play within the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Herbert highlights the importance of understanding local accelerators, venture capitalists (VCs), and other funding sources in the community during the investment due diligence process. He emphas…

How Much Funding To Raise Based on Valuation Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In planning the fundraiser, the amount of funding is a key factor to determine. The funding amount should take the company to the next major milestone. It should give the company 18 months…

How To Wrap Up a Pitch Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In a pitch to an investor, there’s no need for an agenda slide or a summary slide. The investor knows the format of the pitch and what topics will be covered. There’s little time for summarization of what was c…

Basic Mistakes in Fundraising Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In the startup world, there are mistakes founders make in their fundraisers. Avoid these basic mistakes in fundraising Raising less than $250K. In the venture world, $250K is the lowest amount of funding…

Basic Due Diligence Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors pursuing an investment in a startup should perform due diligence on the business. The purpose is to evaluate the opportunity and ensure everything relevant is known about it. Here are the basic steps to …

Key Slides in Your Pitch Deck Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In the pitch, there are specific slides that are key to the investor. Here’s a list of key slides to include in your deck. Problem -- provides the overall context for the startup. It must be a big proble…

In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall T. Martin talks with Herbert Drayton, a partner at Highmark Capital, about the importance of building capacity before expecting change in the startup ecosystem. They delve into the legwork involved in preparing companies for investor engagement, including managing pitch events, and running marketing campaig…

Burn Multiple Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Burn rate is the amount of cash spent over and above the revenue received. It’s typically calculated on a monthly basis. Burn multiple is a metric that calculates the capital efficiency of a startup. To calculate burn m…

Pre Seed Seed Seed+ Seed++ Series A Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In startup funding, the raises come in rounds. The startup can raise a pre-seed round followed by a seed, then a Series A, Series B, and so forth. Many founders view this approach as one step after…

The First Raise Is a Minimum Round Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In startup fundraising, many founders try to raise too much funding in the first round. This causes dilution for the founder as the valuation will be low. In startup fundraising, the first raise is …

Valuation Is the Primary Factor Impacting Returns Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. There are many terms in a startup fundraising terms sheet. Valuation is the primary factor impacting investor returns. Here’s an example showing the impact of valuation on the returns…

In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall T. Martin chats with Christopher Ezold, partner at Wisler Pearlstine, a Pennsylvania-based law firm specializing in business, employment, and corporate law. Christopher shares insights on emerging legal risks and trends that businesses should prepare for, especially amid economic uncertainties in 2025. Key …

Consider Dilution in Setting Your Fundraise Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In startup fundraising dilution is a key issue for founders. At each stage of funding investors will demand a certain amount of equity. Here’s how much each round will cost a startup in equ…

Diligencing AI Startups Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Artificial intelligence or AI brings new capabilities and applications. Many startups launch their business around AI technology. Investors considering an investment in an AI startup should check the following…

Medical Device Milestones Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The medical device startup has a well-defined list of milestones to achieve to bring a product to market. Here’s a list of key milestones for the medical device startup: Market requirements -- defines the cu…

Overcoming the Investors’ Hesitancy Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In fundraising, there comes a time when the investor must decide to join or pass on the round. Many investors hesitate to join as they try to decide. Here are some steps founders should take to ove…

How Private Equity Differs From Venture Capital Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Private equity and venture capital are different types of investment. Here are the key differences: Risk level Private equity takes less risk and thus a lower potential return than vent…

In this episode of Investor Connect, we dive into the world of live entertainment as a service with Jason Seitz of Ticket Rewards. Jason provides an insightful overview of how Ticket Rewards is transforming live entertainment by partnering with brands and venues to offer a seamless, engaging experience for consumers. With a significant inventory of…

The Gap Between Seed and Series A Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In startup funding, we talk about preseed, seed, Series A, Series B, and so forth. It sounds like each stage is just one step after the other. When you finish your pre-seed round you raise your seed.…

The Startups Advantage Over Big Companies Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. While big companies have size, resources, and reach, the startup holds advantages of their own. Here’s a list of the startups' advantages: Focus - the startup can focus all its energy and res…

Startup Stages Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The startup goes through several stages before it achieves product market fit and then scaling. Here are the key steps that come before: The founder establishes the team. This is often driven by a passion or a business…

No NDAs Before the Investor Pitch Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In startup fundraising, the NDA comes near the end of the process, not at the beginning. An NDA stands for Non-Disclosure Agreement and requires the signatory to keep confidential any, and all inform…

Fundraising – Important but Not Urgent Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Fundraising can be hard for startups because it falls into the important but not urgent category. The Eisenhower matrix shows four sectors. Important and urgent-- spurs immediate action Not impo…

In this episode of Investor Connect, host Hall T. Martin speaks with Barry Fella of Cranial Devices about their innovative approach to treating hydrocephalus. Barry sheds light on the significant challenges associated with the current treatment method, such as high failure rates, infections, and the need for multiple revisions throughout a patient'…

What Angels Can Do for Your Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Angels can bring more value than just funding to your startup. Here’s a list of what angels can do: They bring a network for hiring key people on the team. Their network can also help find customer…

Comparing Funding Sources Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In startup fundraising, there are four distinct groups to consider for funding. The list includes venture capital, angel investors, angel groups, and family offices. Here’s the comparison of each source: Ven…

How To Fundraise in Down Markets Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The venture world cycles up and down based on technology breakthroughs, stock market gyrations, and other factors. In up markets funding can be more plentiful. In down markets, it can be more challeng…

Core Slides in the Pitchdeck Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The pitch deck tells the startup's story and provides key information about the investment opportunity to the investor. There are five key slides that an investor needs to see to understand the state of t…

Startup Business Models Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Businesses sell to consumers, which is called B2C, or to businesses called B2B. Startups aggregate users, create marketplaces or sell services. Here’s a list of key startup business models to know: Freemium --…

In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall T. Martin chats with Mike Sloan, Founder, and CEO of Simple Labs. Mike introduces Cogni, an innovative device designed to tackle significant challenges in the wine and spirits industry, such as product loss due to evaporation and spoilage. Starting from his background in bourbon country and transitioning to…

The Pre-Seed Pitch Deck Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The pre-seed company raising funding faces a challenge. There are no revenue, traction, or performance metrics to show the investor. The startup basically has an idea, a team, and little else. For the pre-seed…

Help the Investor Understand Your Pitch Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Investors hear a great number of pitches. In each pitch, the investor must figure out what the startup is doing and if it meets their investment criteria. In pitching, an investor considers the…

Negotiating the Valuation Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Negotiating the valuation is a key step in the fundraising process. Here are some helpful strategies to consider in negotiating the valuation: Understand the comparable valuations in your space. These are ca…

Best Practices for Series A Fundraising Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Fundraising for Series A is fundamentally different from fundraising for a seed round. In the seed round, the goal is to convince the investor you can sell it. In the series A round the goal is…

Matching Risk To Reward Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In choosing an investment, the investor matches risk to reward. A public stock may go down but most likely will not go bankrupt. A startup is much more likely to go under. Since the risk is low in a publicly t…

In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall Martin engages in a conversation with Jason Kutasi, a prominent member of YPO, a global leadership community for young presidents. Jason discusses his journey from exiting a D2C children's book publisher to Scholastic, to establishing an ad agency post-exit. He shares his expertise in marketing, emphasizing…

The Secret Is in the Iterations Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Many founders try to tell everything to the investor in the first pitch. This is not possible as there’s no way to convey everything about the startup in one go. It’s best to break the information down…

What Not To Say in a Fundraise Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, startups should avoid these statements to investors. “We have no competition.” If there’s no competition, then there is no market. Instead, the founder should talk about how the star…

What Is a Value Proposition Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. A value proposition is a feature that makes the startup valuable to the customer. It’s not your mission statement, which is the overarching goal of the business. It’s not your mantra that shows what your b…

Don’t Overhype It Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, it’s important to articulate all the values in the deal. If you don’t mention it, then it doesn’t exist in the investors' minds. Investors only know what you tell them. Include the values in the …

How To Enhance an Investor Update Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In writing an investor update, include the status of the business, key milestones achieved, and upcoming challenges. Here are some additional elements to add to the update to enhance it. Remind the i…

In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall T. Martin speaks with Christopher Ezold, a partner at Wisler Pearlstine, a Pennsylvania-based law firm specializing in business employment and corporate law. Christopher provides valuable insights into the common types of lawsuits startups and growing businesses face, such as violations of non-compete agree…

Add Investor Relations to Your Website Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In raising funding, prospective investors use your website to learn more about the business. It’s often the case that the investor will use the website to connect with the founder. To facilitate…