Startup Funding Espresso – Bring Three Stats for Your Startup Fundraising
Release Date: 07/10/2025
Startup Funding Espresso – Raising an Inside Round
Investor Connect Podcast
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Startup Funding Espresso – Using Rule 701 To Issue Equity to Employees
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Startup Funding Espresso – Create a Sense of Urgency
Investor Connect Podcast
Create a Sense of Urgency Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In running a fundraiser, it’s important to build a sense of urgency into the campaign. Here are some key steps to create that sense of urgency: Break your fundraising into smaller rounds or tranches. Demonstrate this by showing the fundraising plan that has more funding to come, but at a higher valuation. This lets you run deadlines at the end of each round, creating urgency with investors. Show how other investors are joining the round. Show the...
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Startup Funding Espresso – The Role of AI and Data in Fundraising
Investor Connect Podcast
The Role of AI and Data in Fundraising Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startup fundraising begins with family and friends and then expands to the founders' network. In that part of the fundraising, founders will engage those they know well. Half the reason these investors join the round is to help the founder. After this group is exhausted, the founder draws the circle wider and starts to encounter investors they don’t know. These investors will be more difficult to close because they don’t have a...
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Investor Connect 835: Family Office Roundtable - April 2025 Part 03
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On this episode of Investor Connect, we are joined by Ron from South Highland Ventures for an enlightening presentation on search funds, touted as the best-performing asset class in the world. Ron dives deep into the 40-year-old model initially developed by Stanford and Harvard, highlighting its relevance and success today in addressing the $10 trillion succession challenge faced by businesses globally. He emphasizes the robust returns and lower risks associated with search funds compared to traditional venture capital or private equity, detailing how they capitalize on small, stable companies...
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Startup Funding Espresso – Bring Three Stats for Your Startup Fundraising
Investor Connect Podcast
Bring Three Stats for Your Startup Fundraising 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 showcase the key numbers behind your business. Here are three statistics for your startup fundraise: Revenue traction -- show what traction you have so far including the dollar amount and the growth rate. Customers need to know where you are on the revenue-generating path and how fast it’s going. A 50% annual growth rate is the minimum for a venture investment. Customer pain point --...
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Startup Funding Espresso – Bring Three Stats for Your LP Fundraise
Investor Connect Podcast
Bring Three Stats for Your LP Fundraise Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Raising funds from Limited Partners requires a track record, an investment thesis, and a competitive advantage. It’s important to show you have a track record of successfully deploying capital. Investors want to know what you will be investing in, and is that space growing. Finally, they will look for your competitive advantage in finding and closing deals. In raising funds from Limited Partners, add these three statistics to your pitch:...
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Startup Funding Espresso – Raising Funding in Downtimes
Investor Connect Podcast
Raising Funding in Downtimes Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Fundraising goes through the same cycles as the stock market, When the stock market is going up it’s easier to raise funding. When it’s going down it’s harder. Raising funding in down times requires more creativity. Here are some ideas on how to raise funding in a down market: Use more grant funding to fill in the gaps. The grant funding from the government continues regardless of the market. Consider crowdfunding. For smaller amounts of...
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Startup Funding Espresso – Show How Your Valuation Is Already Achieved
Investor Connect Podcast
Show How Your Valuation Is Already Achieved Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Valuation is a key factor in a startup's fundraising. Most startups show an aspirational valuation and then spend the pitch trying to convince investors it’s appropriate. Most use their forecasted revenues to justify their valuation. Forecasts hold little value to the investor and often leave them unconvinced about the proposed valuation. Instead of using revenue, articulate the values already in the business. Highlight the...
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Startup Funding Espresso – The Four Phases of a Pitch
Investor Connect Podcast
The Four Phases of a Pitch Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The successful startup pitch goes through four phases. Start by capturing their imagination. This could be a bold statement, such as we can solve cancer within ten years. This sets the context for the problem to be solved. Next, show your solution and how it will achieve the goal just set forth. Show how the solution works at a high level. Highlight the value proposition you have. Next, make the case that shows how your business will be successful....
info_outlineBring Three Stats for Your Startup Fundraising
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 showcase the key numbers behind your business.
Here are three statistics for your startup fundraise:
Revenue traction -- show what traction you have so far including the dollar amount and the growth rate.
Customers need to know where you are on the revenue-generating path and how fast it’s going.
A 50% annual growth rate is the minimum for a venture investment.
Customer pain point -- show how much the problem you are solving is currently costing the customer or the economy.
This number needs to be big and in most cases growing.
Customer ROI -- show what value in numbers your customer receives from your product.
This could include both productivity improvements and cost reductions.
A good rule of thumb is you want this to be a 10X increase.
The key numbers reflect the problem, the solution, and the startup's effectiveness.
Show these three numbers in your startup fundraising.
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.
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