TSP028 | Eric Scott – Hard Valuable Fun
Posted by John Livesay in podcast | 0 comments
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Episode Summary
Eric Scott is the technical assistant for Max Levchin and works at HVF Labs. Eric helps manage external investments at HVF, which stands for Hard, Valuable, and Fun. Eric talks on how the company got it’s name, what Eric and his team look for in a pitch, and talks on why the startup Zen Payroll turned him from a skeptical investor to a major supporter when he heard their pitch.
Key Takeaways
- 02:00 – Eric talks about HFV.
- 04:00 – How did Eric get a job as a technical assistant with Max Levchin?
- 09:30 – How much money does HVF invest in? Around $250k.
- 13:40 – What does Eric look for in a pitch?
- 16:35 – What’s a good pitch that has good ‘defensibility’ against competitors?
- 21:20 – Eric talks a little bit about SmartThings and Cover.
- 24:40 – Eric talks on how he went from skeptical to completely sold when Zen Payroll pitched him.
- 30:10 – What is BlockStream about?
- 36:10 – Eric recommends the book Barbarians at the Gate by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar.
- 38:30 – Don’t confuse your investors. Make your pitch clear.
Tweetables
[Tweet “A founder’s authentic passion about the problem is infectious to investors.”]
[Tweet “Do your homework on what investors’ passion points are before you pitch.”]
[Tweet “How to make investors go from skeptical to enthusiastic.”]
Links Mentioned
Raportive
Venmo
Glowing
Hard Valuable Fun
Barbarians at the Gate by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar.
Eric Scott Twitter
HVF Twitter
HVF – Breaking the Barrier: the race for the first 1 person $1B company
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TSP027 | Chris Camillo – Laughing at Wall Street
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Episode Summary
Chris Camillo has an amazing story on how he turned $20,000 into $2 million through investing wisely in Wall Street. He wrote a book on how he was able to identify game-changing trends before anyone else entitled, Laughing at Wall Street. Chris is now the Co-Founder of a recently launched product called TickerTags. TickerTags analyzes and searches for changing trends on social media based on user-defined keywords. Chris talks about TickerTags, raising $1.5 million at the seed round stage, and how he was able to spot trends before Wall Street financial analysts.
Key Takeaways
- 02:20 – Why does Chris love startups?
- 04:05 – How did Chris turn $20k into $2 million?
- 07:45 – Chris shares a story on how you can spot trends before the financial analysts do.
- 10:10 – Chris talks about TickerTags.
- 14:20 – It’s a fantastic time to be an stock market investor, because technology is making it easier.
- 16:35 – Chris talks on how he plans to monetize TickerTags.
- 19:40 – How did Chris raise $1.5 million at the seed round stage?
- 21:00 – You must establish yourself as a thought leader.
- 23:00 – When investors trust in your team, it makes it easy for them to invest.
- 24:20 – Every entrepreneur should plan to raise money from their customers first.
- 26:20 – When your customers turn into investors, you have traction.
- 29:00 – Always be upfront with your hurdles and know your competitors.
- 33:30 – Chris suggests to regularly read blogs and to keep up to date with the startup finance space.
- 34:45 – Sign up to TickerTags and mention you heard about them on this podcast to get past the waiting list faster.
Tweetables
[Tweet “All change is detectable.”]
[Tweet “Be upfront about your hurdles in your pitch.”]
[Tweet “Know ALL your competitors when you pitch.”]
[Tweet “Be a thought leader to get funding.”]
[Tweet “New investors are successful startups not bankers.”]
Links Mentioned
TickerTags
One Up On Wall Street by Peter Lynch.
Laughing at Wall Street by Chris Camillo
Chris Camillo Twitter
TickerTags Twitter
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TSP026 | Jon Paul – Harder Faster Cheaper Is Not A Change In Direction
Posted by John Livesay in podcast | 0 comments
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Episode Summary
Jon Paul is the CEO of Value Added Finance Resources and brings an incredible amount of experience to this interview. Jon has turned companies hitting rock bottom around to multiple million dollar revenue streams. He prevents entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and startups from making key mistakes that could ruin their success as a business. Jon talks on several different ways you can value your company and how you can prevent a down round from happening on your second round of funding.
Key Takeaways
- 02:10 – Harder, faster, cheaper is not a change in direction.
- 03:15 – What’s Jon’s background?
- 06:55 – Jon talks on helping a telecom provider grow their stock from $2 to $65 in two years.
- 12:45 – How much equity should I gave a CTO or someone similar?
- 14:30 – How do you value a company accurately?
- 19:15 – What’s a down round?
- 21:05 – How can you prevent a down round from happening?
- 23:45 – Tips to keep in mind when pitching?
- 28:45 – Founders need opposite partners. Example: The risk taker who has someone to watch his back.
Tweetables
[Tweet “You need to start even if where you end up is not where you think you’re going.”]
[Tweet “Harder faster cheaper is not a change in direction.”]
[Tweet “Early investors should get rewarded the most.”]
[Tweet “Startups need yin and yang on the team.”]
[Tweet “Learn from the past, but look forward.”]
Links Mentioned
Disrupting Class by Clayton Christensen
The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen
Competitive Strategy by Michael E. Porter
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell
Freakonomics
People Smart in Business by Tony Alessandra and Michael J. O’Connor
Content Chemistry by Andy Crestodina
Value Added Finance Resources
SmartScholar’s Economics Education Resource Guide
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