Investor Connect Podcast Hall T Martin

Welcome to this episode of Investor Connect, hosted by Hall T. Martin, featuring Gary Forni, the Chairman of the Central Texas Angel Network (CTAN). With a distinguished career in technology and venture capital, Gary has been pivotal in starting, mentoring, and investing in startups, particularly in Central Texas. He emphasizes innovation and disruptive technology in his investment strategy and supports entrepreneurs through his involvement with accelerators like Capital Factory and TechStars. Previously, Gary held executive roles at Intel Corp and Marvell Semiconductor, contributing to significant business ventures including Intel's flash memory business.   CTAN, under Gary's leadership, has become one of the most active angel investing groups in the U.S., having invested $129 million in 215 companies. Based in Austin, Texas, CTAN boasts over 120 accredited investors from diverse sectors, committed to fostering the growth of early-stage businesses. The network not only provides capital but also essential mentoring and business resources, enhancing the success rate of startups and contributing to the economic vitality of Texas.   During the interview, Gary discusses CTAN’s strategic approach to investments, balancing direct startup funding with a sidecar fund that allows for diversified investment portfolios. He shares insights on the challenges and strategies in angel investing, particularly how CTAN adapts to economic shifts to maximize investor and startup success.   For more information on CTAN’s initiatives or to get involved, visit [CTAN](). For the latest updates and news from CTAN, check out [CTAN News](). To connect directly, you can email Katelyn at . Join us next time on Investor Connect for more expert insights into the investment landscape.   ________________________________________________________________________ For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at:    Check out our other podcasts here:   For Investors check out:   For Startups check out:   For eGuides check out:   For upcoming Events, check out    For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group    Please , share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of .

Business Turnarounds Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. A business turnaround is taking a company that is underperforming and modifying its operations and strategy so that it recovers financially. Startups who are candidates for a turnaround are not doing well. They suffer from a lack of leadership, focus, strategy, or execution.  Consider these steps in a turnaround situation: Identify the problem.  This could be lack of funding, missing leadership, little or no sales and marketing, incomplete products and more. Set a goal. Some businesses need years to recover while others can recover more quickly. Gain consensus on the goal of the recovery. Determine a strategy. Focus on the core problem and write out a plan to solve it. Implement strict financial controls. Apply strong cash management and tight expense controls. Work to achieve cash flow breakeven first and then move to profitability. Increase sales by improving the product, raising the price and converting more leads into revenue. In running a business, be candid and frank about the current situation. Be willing to make tough choices around hiring and firing and what roles each one takes. Everything is open to change including the management team, the product, the target market, and more.   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:   Check out our other podcasts here:   For Investors check out:   For Startups check out:   For eGuides check out:   For upcoming Events, check out    For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group    Please , share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of .

Data Models Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. A data model is a visualization of the data showing the structure, rules, and relationships for how it works. Here’s a list of key data models to consider for your data program: Concept -- shows at a high level the overview of the data blocks and what they do. Logical -- shows the data structures and the attributes of the data held. Physical -- shows the files structures and database layouts for holding the data. Hierarchical -- shows the relationship between the data structures using a tree format. Network -- shows the relationship of the data structures using a network diagram. Entity relationship -- shows the entities of data being used, their attributes, and how each entity relates to the other. Graph  -- shows the data using nodes to represent the entity and edges which show the relationship between the nodes. Use the data model to plan out the capture, storage, and use of the data for your program. Break the data model into logical subsets for development and maintenance. Set up the data model to support the goals of the overall data project.  Use it to educate the team on the data set and how it works. Consider these points for setting up a data model for your company.   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:   Check out our other podcasts here:   For Investors check out:   For Startups check out:   For eGuides check out:   For upcoming Events, check out    For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group    Please , share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of .

Data Terms To Know Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In working with data there are key terms used in the industry. Here is a list of terms to know: Data governance -- a set of rules and procedures for managing data for integrity, regulatory and security purposes. Data warehouse -- a central repository for all the data. Data mining -- process of extracting insights and identifying patterns in the data. Machine learning -- the process of automatically learning and improving from experience. Deep learning -- techniques for capturing large amounts of data and finding patterns in it.  Diagnostic analytics -- explains why something happened. Predictive analytics -- explains what is likely to happen. Data visualization -- graphic representation of the data for communicating the insights of the data. Data storytelling -- crafting a narrative to explain the insights found in the data and how it can be used. Information design -- storing and presenting data in an understandable way. Data literacy -- the ability to read and write data in context with reference to data sources and data analysis techniques. Data culture -- the ability of a business to use data for informed decision making. Know these data terms for use in your business.   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:   Check out our other podcasts here:   For Investors check out:   For Startups check out:   For eGuides check out:   For upcoming Events, check out    For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group    Please , share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of .

Data Champions Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. Moving your company into the data world can be a challenge as it’s a new space and many are not familiar with it. Consider the Crossing the Chasm paradigm by Geoffrey Moore in which new technologies start with early adopters and technologists. In building data activity into your business start with these two types before moving into the mainstream. Take your early adopters and turn them into data champions. Early adopters are often domain knowledge specialists. They get excited about new technologies and new ways of doing things. They have an innate curiosity that drives them to work on new areas. They are often fast learners and pick up new skills quickly. Bring them into the program to work on the initial projects. Give them a voice in the decision-making process. Make clear to everyone they are working on the project and making a valuable contribution. It’s not necessary to give formal positions in the company although titles can be helpful. Give them air time to showcase the results of the data project so everyone is aware of it. By creating data champions you can encourage others in the group to join in.    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:   Check out our other podcasts here:   For Investors check out:   For Startups check out:   For eGuides check out:   For upcoming Events, check out    For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group    Please , share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of .

Data Sources for Monetization Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing. In a startup there are many sources of data to draw from for monetization. You can capture primary data from your own systems. Consider this list for gathering data from your startup: Start with your customer database or CRM. Review the webforms that capture inbound user traffic. Review your online and mobile ads for data sources. Research surveys your company has done. Check your email subscription list. If you have a community of users, review the constituency for affiliations. Check social media follows, likes, and other interactions. Review your financial payments system for sources of data. If you have an e-commerce business, review the online traffic to the products page. Look for purchase history information. Review your customer support for service history. Consider your customer reviews and comments. Check your website analytics for additional information. You can also capture secondary information which is data from outside sources. This often comes in the form of publicly available data. Most startups already have a rich set of data for monetization so start there.   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:   Check out our other podcasts here:   For Investors check out:   For Startups check out:   For eGuides check out:   For upcoming Events, check out    For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group    Please , share, and leave a review. Music courtesy of .