Pollen VC - A guide to financing your user acquisition with Martin Macmillan

Feb 1, 2023

Martin Macmillan, CEO of Pollen VC, discusses a new way to finance app businesses called 'revolving line of credit' funding. He explains how it works and how Pollen VC's funding model differs from others. He also discusses the benefits of 'Clean Room Accounting' strategy for managing app finances and the financial forecasting calculator for subscription apps. Martin shares his experience transitioning from fixed income trading to creating Pollen VC and explores various funding options for startups. He emphasizes the importance of separate bank accounts for tracking user acquisition progress and managing cash flow. The podcast also covers the significance of breaking even on ad spend and explores the resources available for app developers on Pollen VC's website.

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Episode notes

Introduction

00:00 • 2min

Different Ways of Startup Funding

02:28 • 13min

Managing Bank Accounts for User Acquisition

15:11 • 5min

Understanding Return on Ad Spend and the Importance of Breaking Even

20:12 • 2min

Exploring Financing and Resources for App Developers

21:49 • 2min

When it comes to funding a young app venture, folks often seek out angel investors, venture capital, or equity investors. But in this episode, we sit down with Martin Macmillan, CEO of Pollen VC, to talk about a totally new way to finance an app business. It's called "revolving line of credit" funding and it's fast, flexible, and data-driven.

Tune in to hear Martin share insights on

How this financing method works
How Pollen VC’s funding model differs from the others
Who can benefit from it
How "Clean Room Accounting" strategy can help apps better manage their finances
Financial forecasting for subscription apps: Pollen's calculator

Join us for a fresh perspective on app financing with Martin Macmillan.

For noteworthy quotes and key takeaways from the episode, read the article - A guide to financing your user acquisition with Martin Macmillan (Pollen VC)

Episode Topics at a Glance

Fixed-income trading
Funding options for startups
How Pollen VC invests in the UA stage
The ideal investee profile for Pollen VC
How do you work and compete with your contenders?
Clean room accounting for UA/monetization
Why Pollen VC is moving toward subscription apps
Pollen’s online calculator: ROAS, LTV, and cash flow

More about Martin

Martin Macmillan is Founder and CEO of Pollen VC. He has 20 years of experience in launching and building technology businesses in financial services and media sectors and a prior career as an investment banker.

Having directly experienced the growth challenges facing tech start-ups and the lack of debt financing options open to early-stage technology businesses, he saw the opportunity to marry his traditional financial markets and technology experience to create a new financing model for the app and gaming economy.

Prior to founding Pollen VC, Martin was CEO at Soniqplay, CEO at Level Four (acquired by clear2pay), and a Director of UBS in London and New York, where he ran the Eurocommercial paper (ECP) trading group and conceived and delivered UBS’ first client-facing electronic debt trading platform.

Pollen VC’s Links

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome to the Subscription League

00:20 What is fixed-income trading?

01:20 Martin's journey to founding Pollen VC

02:28 Ways a founder can fund their start-up

04:48 How Pollen VC pushes user acquisition later into the cycle

09:05 When should start-up founders get a revolving line of credit?

10:13 How do you work and compete with your contenders?

13:35 Clean room accounting for UA/monetization

15:58 Why are you moving towards subscription apps?

18:12 Where to learn more

22:49 Wrap Up

23:06 Thank you for listening!

Transcript

Episode production by Mobdesign: https://podcasts.mobdesignapps.fr