Startup Funding Espresso – How To Find a Cofounder
Release Date: 12/24/2025
Startup Funding Espresso – How Startups Can Make Better Forecasts
Investor Connect Podcast
How Startups Can Make Better Forecasts Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Forecasting is a key skill founders need for raising funding. Investors want to know the founders' expectations for the business with the funds raised. Here are some key steps to make better forecasts: Start with a baseline. If the startup has revenue, then use that as the starting point. If the startup is pre-revenue, then look to similar startups to set a baseline. Determine the drivers behind the revenue. This could be leads generated,...
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Startup Funding Espresso – How To Build an Elevator Pitch
Investor Connect Podcast
How To Build an Elevator Pitch Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The elevator pitch is the short form of your startup pitch. It introduces the deal to an investor and gives the key highlights. The goal is not to tell them everything but rather to intrigue them to learn more about it. Here’s how to build an elevator pitch: State in five words or fewer what the startup does. Show two examples of the impact of the startup using numbers. This could be exploding revenue, such as “We’re seeing 50% month over...
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Startup Funding Espresso – The Nuances of Pitching
Investor Connect Podcast
The Nuances of Pitching Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In pitching investors, there are key nuances that can make or break the pitch. Here is a list of nuances to consider when pitching: Use the pitch to build a collaboration. Funding is a part of it, but not the only thing. Start your pitch with your core value proposition. State in plain language what your company does. If you have revenue numbers, build the pitch around them. Showcase the growth story with a graph showing a curve going up and to the right...
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Startup Funding Espresso – Key Skills for a Startup Founder To Have
Investor Connect Podcast
Key Skills for a Startup Founder To Have Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Successful startup founders share several key skills. Here are the key skills for a startup founder to have: They have access to the networks that are vital to their startup success. This includes investor networks for funding and customer networks for buying the product. They are flexible. They can pivot the business when the market changes or they discover a better one. They are persistent. They stick with it during the down times as...
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Startup Funding Espresso – Launching a Startup in a New Domain
Investor Connect Podcast
Launching a Startup in a New Domain Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Markets shift and change, creating new startup opportunities. Founders seek new markets in which to launch a startup. For those launching a startup in a new domain, here are some key steps: Read several books describing the domain and how it works. Talk to domain experts in the space to learn the details of the market. Look for unmet needs that must be addressed. Identify experts in the domain who can advise you. Ask one or two to be a mentor....
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Startup Funding Espresso – Revenue Solves All Problems
Investor Connect Podcast
Revenue Solves All Problems Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In a startup, revenue solves all problems. Funding can help, but only for so long. As long as you have cash, you can run the startup. When you run out of money, then it’s over. Revenue can fix any problem. If you need more sales support, you can hire them. If you need to fix a product, you can bring in a developer to do the job. If you need more leads, you can hire a marketer. Funding can solve many problems, but it’s limited. There’s only so...
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Startup Funding Espresso – Signs of a Good Founder
Investor Connect Podcast
Signs of a Good Founder Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Anyone can be a founder of a startup. Here are signs of a good one: They have an innovative mindset. They look for how to innovate on the product, the business model, and more. They are self-aware. They know their strengths and weaknesses. They have a vision for their business. They know where they want to go with it. They have passion. They exhibit this in their work, communication, and time spent. They are resilient. They can endure setbacks and carry...
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Startup Funding Espresso – How To Find a Cofounder
Investor Connect Podcast
How To Find a Cofounder Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. A founding team includes someone who is building it and someone who is selling it. It’s important that the startup has two founders. Here are some steps to find a cofounder for your startup. Figure out which role the founder is taking and look for a cofounder to fill the other. The key to finding and recruiting the co-founder is to show how the business will be successful. This typically starts with a customer or market ready to pay for the...
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Startup Funding Espresso – Key Attributes of a Good Angel Investor
Investor Connect Podcast
Key Attributes of a Good Angel Investor Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Anyone with an accredited investor status can become an angel investor. Here’s a list of key attributes of a good one: They know their industry well and how to invest in it. They know people and can size up a founder to determine if they are a fit for a successful startup. They have actually run a startup before and know what it takes to launch and build a successful one. They take an active role in the startup and help the founders...
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Startup Funding Espresso – How To Calculate Warrant Coverage
Investor Connect Podcast
How To Calculate Warrant Coverage Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. A warrant is the right to buy a company’s stock at a specific price or range over a certain time period. The warrant acts like an option, but it issues stock, which dilutes the cap table. Founders raising funding offer warrants to incentivize investors to fund the company. Warrant coverage is the number of warrants an investor receives based on the size of their investment. It’s typically stated as a percentage such as 5% or 10%. Here’s...
info_outlineHow To Find a Cofounder
Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.
A founding team includes someone who is building it and someone who is selling it.
It’s important that the startup has two founders.
Here are some steps to find a cofounder for your startup.
Figure out which role the founder is taking and look for a cofounder to fill the other.
The key to finding and recruiting the co-founder is to show how the business will be successful.
This typically starts with a customer or market ready to pay for the product to be produced.
Show the key insight you have into the market and how you can use it to create a successful business.
Validate with customers who are ready to buy the product and place them on a waitlist.
Sign up customers who are ready to pay and provide the service manually till you have an automated solution.
Gain agreement on the goals of the company for the coming three years.
Negotiate compensation based on what each founder is bringing to the table.
Use the negotiation process to test out the other’s skills.
Go on joint sales calls to see how each performs.
Work on the product development to see what progress can be made.
Consider these steps in finding a cofounder.
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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