Venture In The South Venture In The South

Send us a Text Message.E123: The Southern US is a distinct geographic market for Startups and Startup Investors with specific strengths and weaknesses. David and Paul discuss the general thesis of startup investing and then dig into the specific thesis for investing in Southern Startups. We address the southern startup ecosystem, capital formation, valuations, and exit potentials. We also address some fundamental differences between the southern ecosystem and the US west coast and how the str...

Send us a Text Message.E122: Economic Development is at full throttle with the Florida Opportunity Fund (FOF). They are focused on Seed and Series A tech startups with ~$150M+ deployed to date. FOF is currently pursuing four specific efforts: The FLORIDA VENTURE CAPITAL PROGRAM (FLVCP), founded in 2011, invests in emerging Florida companies in sectors with strategic importance to the state. FLVCP typically invests $1M - $3M into Seed through Series B stage companies. The FUND ...

Send us a Text Message.E121: Fundraising terms are critical to successful startup growth and to successful exits for Founders and Investors. Arguably the most important term for Founders may be the Vesting terms that determine their take at exit. For Investors, it's the Liquidation Preference that determines their position in the line to get money after a liquidity event (and even which line(s) they are are in). With such critical downstream effects, these terms warrant awareness and careful ...

Send us a Text Message.E120: VentureAtlanta is one of the largest and most reputable venture conferences in the US, with over 1,500 annual attendees, 450 funds, and $17B in successful exits. It is a starting point for deal flow for Startup Investors of all stripes: Angels, VCs, private equity and large cap acquirers. David interviews Allyson Eman, the CEO of Venture Atlanta, about this year's event on October 8 & 9, 2014, and how founders and investors can participate. David also intervie...

Send us a Text Message.E119: Startups at various stages struggle with HR. Some use a professional such as a Professional Employer Organization (PEO), an Administrative Services Organization (ASO) or a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company. Others do everything "in house". Paul interviews Gia Wiggins, a seasoned HR professional who is Founder and CEO of Auditocity, a platform that can give you clear insights for HR compliance and best practices, no matter the size of the business. They di...

Send us a Text Message.E118: The Central Texas Angel Network in Austin has been a focus for Angels there since 2006. Gary Forni is the new Chair of CTAN and brings his own perspective and some innovation to the group. We discuss CTAN's deal flow, their approach to diligence, their industry agnostic approach and their impressive investment results. Both Angels and Entrepreneurs will be interested in CTAN's unique approach to incentivizing deal flow by offering a 'Start-Up Success Package'...