The Best Startups Pick the Investors

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Successful startup investing requires a consistent flow of quality deals.

The best startups pick the investors.

It's the law of supply and demand.

Where there are more investors than capital available to invest, the founder chooses.

Here are some key steps investors should take to build that pipeline of deals:

Build a reputation for being helpful to founders.

Startups look for investors who can bring more than just funding.

Provide additional services to the community, such as meetups and incubator support.

Startups look for those who are fully invested in their local network.

Help funded companies find follow-on funding from later-stage investors.

Founders look for investors who are well connected.

Attract additional capital into the startup space.

Founders look for those who are growing the community.

Educate the community on startup funding and investing.

Founders appreciate those who provide mentorship and advice.

Consider these steps to position yourself as a quality investor.

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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For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
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In this episode of Investor Connect, we welcome Rene Wiertz, founder and managing partner of Fundracer BV, who shares how his experience building and leading premium bicycle brand 3T led him to launch a micro-mobility-focused fund that he believes has been overlooked by traditional venture capital.

Rene discusses the post-COVID stabilization and renewed double-digit growth in cycling and micro-mobility, driven by urbanization, space constraints for cars, and rapid infrastructure changes in cities like Paris, London, and New York. Rene explains how new tech talent from firms like Microsoft, Google, Apple, BMW, and Tesla is bringing advanced technologies into a historically hardware-driven industry to make micromobility safer and more convenient.

He outlines what helps startups raise capital—perseverance, strong go-to-market planning alongside product development, and speed to market—while warning founders against inconsistent valuation shifts and being vague about use of proceeds. The conversation highlights Funracer's key investment themes in safety tech adapted for two-wheelers, including lightweight ABS, low-power AI vision detection for collision avoidance, and reusable airbags, as well as emerging autonomous capabilities such as steer-by-wire. Rene also describes how Funracer co-invests with larger funds by providing micromobility expertise to unlock capital for the sector, and he closes with relationship-building advice for founders.

Visit Fundracer BV at fundracer.capital/

Reach out to at rene.wiertz@fundracer.capital, and on www.linkedin.com/in/ren%C3%A9-wiertz-76637/

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For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides check out: https:/_/tencapital.group/education/
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Please follow, share, and leave a review.

Music courtesy of Bensound.

Founders Should Have a Nationwide View of Their Fundraise

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Founders raising funding should start with family and friends.

It's not the amount of funding raised that counts, but rather the fact that one's family and friends support the founder.

From there, the founder draws the circle wider to the investors in the local community.

This includes the local angel network and any funds in the area.

Again, it's not the dollar amount that counts; it's the proof that those in your community will support you.

Founders should then draw the circle wider to include other cities nearby.

Finally, the founder should reach out across the country to find investors.

While local funding most likely won't take you all the way, it's important to raise from them as it generates proof of fundability.

Founders should have a nationwide view on their fundraise from the get-go.

It's important to start locally to prove support to investors outside your region.

As you draw the circle wider, investors will increasingly look to proof points that other investors are in the deal.

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: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Please follow, share, and leave a review.

Music courtesy of Bensound.