Episode Summary
John Shumate is the CEO of Venture First, a financial services group with a strong focus on empowering entrepreneurs. Venture First helps companies by providing the financial and strategic tools necessary to succeed. John dives into how entrepreneurs can structure their funding, how to build a better connection with investors, and shares a client case study. Tune in to hear more about John and Venture First.
What Was Covered
- 04:15 - How did John get started?
- 06:15 - What does John look for in a pitch?
- 06:55 - VCs are betting on the person, not the idea.
- 07:35 - Aim to really connect with your investors on a personal level.
- 08:00 - Sell yourself first before you sell your product or service to the investors.
- 08:35 - There's no such thing as having the perfect pitch, so aim to have a collaborative conversation with your investors.
- 09:25 - Why do startups fail? They run out of cash!
- 10:20 - Raise about 20% more money than you think you need.
- 10:40 - Plan for 18 months worth of funding. This gives you a full year to focus on executing.
- 11:55 - Are we experiencing a startup evaluation bubble? Yes and no.
- 15:55 - How does John think about and handle the barrier to entry, and an entrepreneur's competitors?
- 18:20 - John talks about his investment criteria.
- 19:25 - John shares a case study about Edumedics.
- 23:40 - What kind of services does John offer?
- 24:45 - How does John and his company stay so organized? He recommends Asana.
- 26:30 - John believes entrepreneurs should read The Hard Thing About Hard Things.
Tweetables
Have a collaborative conversation with investors.
Sell yourself first before you sell anything.
No stigma to failing.
Raise 20% more than you think you need.
Links Mentioned
J Robinett Enterprises
John Livesay Funding Strategist
Venture First Website
Edumedics Website
Asana Website
Mixmax Website
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
John on Twitter
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Episode Summary
Ramphis Castro is the co-founder of ScienceVest and is a Kauffman Fellow, a community of over 400 innovation investors worldwide. He is also the managing director of The Founder Institute, which is one of the world's largest idea-stage accelerators. Today, Ramphis sits down with John to discuss some of the potential entrepreneurial paths in Cuba and Puerto Rico as well as some of the benefits of being a Kauffman Fellow.
What Was Covered
- 04:10 - How did Ramphis get started in the investing world?
- 06:35 - The best way to start is to start small.
- 07:15 - Make sure you have a good partner when you're first starting out. Make sure to reference check them.
- 08:20 - What does Ramphis look for in a pitch?
- 08:55 - Why is your team the right team?
- 10:00 - How did Ramphis become a Kauffman Fellow?
- 12:35 - What has Ramphis learned now that he is a Kauffman Fellow?
- 13:50 - What is The Founder Institute?
- 19:30 - Entrepreneurs believe you only have to pitch investors. But in reality, you have to pitch everybody.
- 21:10 - There's no right way to pitch, so The Founder Institute teaches you different ways to approach a pitch.
- 22:20 - What is Mindchemy?
- 24:30 - Ramphis talks about Cuba and the entrepreneurial potential over there.
- 29:40 - What is P18 and how does it affect Puerto Rico?
- 32:45 - Puerto Rico is the biggest startup you have never heard of.
- 33:05 - Ramphis recommends to read Venture Deals and Early Exits.
Tweetables
Best way to start is to start small.
Puerto Rico is the biggest startup hub you have never heard of.
Check your team's references before you partner.
What qualifies you to be a founder for this startup?
Links Mentioned
J Robinett Enterprises
John Livesay Funding Strategist
Ramphis on Twitter
Venture Deals by Brad Feld
Early Exits by Basil Peters
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Episode Summary
Jason Shuman is an entrepreneur and a venture capitalist who has been involved with startups since he was 17 years old, and has always had a deep passion for the industry. He is currently an associate at Corigin Ventures, where he is responsible for sourcing and analyzing deals. Jason discusses the charity foundation he is a part of, why there are so many young VCs these days, branding, and so much more on today's show.
What Was Covered
- 03:50 - How did Jason get started?
- 06:25 - Jason was born with a primary immunodeficiency, which causes him to get blood infusions every three weeks.
- 07:10 - Jason talks about the charity he is involved with, the Jeffrey Modell Foundation.
- 08:35 - Corigin Ventures does both early stage seed and series A - why do both?
- 10:15 - There are a lot of young VCs these days and Jason believes this is due to the younger generation growing up with technology.
- 11:15 - How does Jason brand himself?
- 15:00 - You need to have an intense focus and passion for what you want.
- 16:35 - What does Jason look for in a good pitch?
- 19:05 - Don't just wing a pitch!!
- 21:00 - Do people need to live in the New York area in order to pitch Jason? No.
- 23:10 - What is 'Platformation'?
- 26:20 - The one theme Jason speaks about the most is focus. People lack focus.
- 28:25 - Final pieces of advice - Fundraising is difficult and not for everybody. Startups are not easy.
Tweetables
You can’t boil the ocean.
Focus is the key to getting funded.
A bad pitch deck will kill your chances of getting funded.
Read the investors’ blogs.
Links Mentioned
JRobinett Website
Selling Secrets For Funding
Corigin Ventures
Jeffrey Modell Foundation
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
Platformation Today
Jason Shuman Twitter
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Episode Summary
Eitan Chitayat is a creative director, copywriter, brand-builder, and founder of Natie. Eitan has overseen and played a part in award-winning work on integrated campaigns across all mediums, most notably for Google, Apple, Facebook, YouTube, and more. Eitan discusses the power of storytelling and how to hone in on these skills by finding who you are and what your brand represents.
What Was Covered
- 03:50 - Who is Eitan?
- 05:25 - What did Eitan learn when he was working with Google as a freelancer?
- 07:25 - Why did Eitan decide to start his own company?
- 10:00 - How can you find the right people/team?
- 12:30 - What was it like working with Facebook?
- 14:00 - Your strategy is only as good as your first step.
- 14:35 - Eitan talks about the marketing his team did for Valtech, which sold for $900 million.
- 21:40 - Being an entrepreneur is the loneliest job on the planet.
- 24:20 - One of the most important things as an entrepreneur is to get your startup story right.
- 25:30 - Eitan talks about the viral video he created, 'I'm That Jew'.
- 28:50 - You have to be who you are and you can't be afraid of that.
- 30:00 - What is The 5 Percent Club?
Tweetables
Stay in touch for potential magic.
Being a startup is the loneliest job on the planet.
Tell the truth of who you are.
Be authentic and relevant.
Links Mentioned
J Robinett Enterprises
John Livesay Funding Strategist
Eitan Chitayat Website
I'm That Jew on YouTube
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
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Crack The Funding Code!
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Share The Show
Did you enjoy the show? I'd love it if you subscribed today and left us a 5-star review!
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- Click on the 'Subscribe' button below the artwork
- Go to the 'Ratings and Reviews' section
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