Startup Funding Espresso – Investors Look for Execution, Not Ideas
Release Date: 01/14/2026
Startup Funding Espresso – Shutting Down a Startup 2
Investor Connect Podcast
Shutting Down a Startup 2 Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Not all startups succeed. For those that don’t, there may come a time to shut it down. Here are some key points to consider in shutting down a startup: Before announcing the shutdown, collect all accounts receivable. Sell any inventory left on hand. Notify investors first so they are aware. Notify employees and give them their last pay date. Notify your customers of the transition to a new service or program. Liquidate all assets. Pay taxes and...
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Investor Connect 861: Unlocking Sales Leadership Capital with Fractional Executives
Investor Connect Podcast
In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall Martin speaks with Henning Schwinum, the co-founder and managing partner of Vendux, a company specializing in connecting businesses with fractional, interim, and full-time sales leaders. Henning shares his journey from a 25-year career in global sales and leadership roles to identifying a gap in the market for senior sales leadership in fast-growing companies that aren't ready for a full-time executive. This led to the creation of Vendux, a specialized marketplace for fractional sales leaders. Henning explains the concept of 'sales leadership...
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Startup Funding Espresso – Best Practices for Launching a Startup
Investor Connect Podcast
Best Practices for Launching a Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Many founders have unrealistic expectations and misguided notions about how startups work. Here’s a list of best practices to consider for launching a startup: Don’t bank on the idea alone. Startups need more than a great idea; they need execution. Launch as soon as you can. Delaying the launch means delaying customer interaction, which is the key driver in the early days. Build momentum into the business. Investors will look for...
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Startup Funding Espresso – The Value of LTV:CAC
Investor Connect Podcast
The Value of LTV:CAC Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The Lifetime Value to Cost of Customer Acquisition ratio is called LTV:CAC and is a useful ratio in determining the health of a startup. To calculate the Lifetime value, take the monthly revenue and divide by the churn rate. To calculate the Cost of Customer Acquisition, take the number of new customers for a month and divide by the cost of sales and marketing for that month. Compare the LTV to CAC to determine the ratio. The ratio must be at least 3:1...
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Startup Funding Espresso – When To Sell Your Business
Investor Connect Podcast
When To Sell Your Business Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startup founders receive buyout offers throughout the life of the business. Even in the early days of the startup, they have the opportunity to sell the company. At each round of funding, the founder has the choice to raise more funding or sell it. Here’s a list of reasons to sell the business: The founder no longer wants to run or own the business. The business no longer appears to have a future due to changes in the market or competition. The offer...
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Startup Funding Espresso – The Challenge of Regulation
Investor Connect Podcast
The Challenge of Regulation Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Regulation by the government of an industry is meant to protect customers and provide a level playing field for the companies. The downside to regulation is that it inhibits innovation. It often favors the incumbents in an industry and makes it difficult for startups to succeed. It makes market entry for new players more expensive. The existing players form advocacy groups that lobby the government for their point of view. Regulation often snuffs out...
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Startup Funding Espresso – How To Monitor Your Sales Forecast
Investor Connect Podcast
How To Monitor Your Sales Forecast Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Forecasting revenue is an important skill because investors want visibility into it. To forecast better, use the Trailing Four Months model. In this model, calculate the growth rate by taking the average of the growth rate over the last four months. Use this growth rate to forecast the remainder of the year. Do the same for burn rate. Set up a spreadsheet that calculates this automatically at the end of each month. This will give you an ongoing...
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Investor Connect 860: Investor Education January - Part 02
Investor Connect Podcast
In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall T. Martin welcomes Mike Sloan, the founder and CEO of Simple Labs. Mike introduces the audience to Cogni, a ground-breaking device designed to address some of the major challenges in the wine and spirits industry, such as product loss due to evaporation and spoilage. With real-time monitoring, Cogni provides distilleries and wineries valuable insights, allowing them to better manage their product quality and significantly increase their return on investment. Mike emphasizes the importance of continuous barrel monitoring and how Cogni's integration of...
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Startup Funding Espresso – Mistakes in Scaling the Startup
Investor Connect Podcast
Mistakes in Scaling the Startup Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. The seed stage grows the business from 0 to $1M. The growth stage grows from $1M to $10M. The scaling stage grows from $10M to $100M. Here are the most common mistakes founders make at the scaling stage: They stop working on sales to focus on other areas of the business. The founder can never stop working on sales. They fail to control the burn. The burn rate must be managed throughout the life of the business. They fail to keep up with the...
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Startup Funding Espresso – Investors Look for Execution, Not Ideas
Investor Connect Podcast
Investors Look for Execution, Not Ideas Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Startup founders often believe their idea will carry the day with the investor. They propose their idea to spark interest. While that may be a good way to get attention, it will certainly not maintain it for long. Investors look for execution, not ideas. In raising funding, investors look for momentum and traction in the deal. They will look for evidence of execution in sales, team, product, and fundraising. These are the four core areas...
info_outlineInvestors Look for Execution, Not Ideas
Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.
Startup founders often believe their idea will carry the day with the investor.
They propose their idea to spark interest.
While that may be a good way to get attention, it will certainly not maintain it for long.
Investors look for execution, not ideas.
In raising funding, investors look for momentum and traction in the deal.
They will look for evidence of execution in sales, team, product, and fundraising.
These are the four core areas in which execution lives in a startup.
Consider your efforts in those areas in crafting an update to the prospective investor.
Showcase that story over a period of time, as execution occurs over time and not in a single moment.
Having an idea is interesting.
Understanding the customer problem and knowing the domain is helpful.
Having a key insight is useful.
Showing execution in a consistent manner is the winning ticket for gaining investor attention and interest.
Consider these points in pursuing funding from investors.
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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