The Angel Next Door

On this episode of The Angel Next Door, Marcia introduces listeners to Alisha Griffey, the founder of Daintree Capital. After spending years as an operations leader in the startup world, Alisha grew frustrated with the traditional funding process. She noticed that very few companies run by women or people of color receive the funding they need. That’s when, about 3 years ago, Alisha moved to the investor side of the equation to see if she could do something to address that problem.  Marcia and Alisha start off this episode discussing why Alisha decided to become an investor and start Daintree Capital. Alisha then tells our listeners how she noticed several problems that affected what types of founders receive investments and how many different business models were often overlooked by traditional investors.  Daintree and its female leadership team focuses on investing in underrepresented founders to address these issues. Alisha tells us how Daintree uses working capital loans as an investment instrument because it allows them to help a more diverse set of business models. Many companies only need a relatively small investment for things like inventory funding, opening new locations, or advertising, but traditional investors tend to overlook these investments. Daintree Capital has provided 58 loans to date with a 0% default rate.  Marcia and Alisha go on to discuss Donor Advised Funds (DAF) and how these funds can be used for investing in these often overlooked companies through providing loans. Alisha tells us how she learned how DAFs can be used to invest in early stage companies before they enter the raising capital death trap and how she launched 2 charitable DAFs, including an impact fund that serves as a balance sheet to make loans to underrepresented founders. Alisha also tells our listeners how the funds sitting in DAFs cannot generate personal returns to the donors but can be put to use as loans through impact funds, generating interest that can then be put back into the DAF, donated to a 501(c)3 non profit, or used as future loans.  Finally, Alisha explains that over $150 billion is sitting in DAFs and that these funds can be used to make loans to help both private companies in need of capital and nonprofit organizations at the same time. Daintree Capital is working to use this method to help underrepresented founders get the funding they need to grow. Listen in for some fantastic insight on an uncommon method of investments!Click Here to read Marcia's profile on LinkedInClick here to read Alisha Griffey's profile on LinkedInClick here to learn more about Daintree Capital  Click here to find out more about the Angel Capital AssociationTake courses to learn how to be an angel investor at Angel University - click here for info!Want to reach the Angel Capital Association? CLICK HEREHave ideas for the show?  Email us at theacaangelnextdoorpodcast@gmail.com

On this week’s episode of The Angel Next Door, listeners get a taste of what it takes to build a brand and raise capital as Marcia sits down with angel investor-turned-entrepreneur Jake Whitman. After a successful career with Procter & Gamble and working for SoFi in the SF Bay Area, Jake decided to head to Cincinnati with the objective of buying a company. There he joined Queen City Angels as an angel investor but then decided to enter the entrepreneurial world and start Really Good Boxed Wine.  Jake is a wine enthusiast and after trying a few different disappointing boxed wines with his wife, he knew there was an opportunity to make a splash in the industry and create a truly premium boxed wine experience, which provides a 50% reduction in carbon footprint versus bottled wine. He contacted a woman he knew that owned a vineyard and started to build a brand and a plan. Jake explains how he recognized early on that raising capital would be a necessary step to build the brand he wanted. He was able to raise $310k through a friends and family round and spent a year testing and developing the brand and product to prepare for subsequent rounds.  Jake describes how he was very intentional in testing small before launching nationwide. The first launch was local to the Cincinnati area with the product selling out in 5 days, leading to a wider launch that sold out in 4 days throughout about 23 states. Jake explains how this allowed them to know if the business would be successful while generating real data to continue to build the brand. After sending out surveys and receiving feedback, Jake realized they needed to completely rebrand prior to launching nationwide in order to provide the premium experience he aimed for.Marcia and Jake go on to discuss how during the next seed round, Jake approached fundraising with a hybrid plan of gaining investments from both accredited investors and equity crowdfunding. Launching a campaign through SeedInvest, Jake was very calculated in using a structured and scheduled plan and approached crowdfunding with a marketing campaign mindset.  He chronicles how they selected which platform to use, how long the campaign would last, and how they used a specific calendar of announcements and communications to capitalize on investor interest. They implemented an early investor perk for those that invested prior to the halfway point of the campaign and distributed a discount code to interested investors so they could try the product prior to investing (also increasing sales of the product).  Listen in, as Marcia and Jake give listeners a ton of great insight into a story of an idea turning into a successful company, and what had to happen to get there. Click Here to read Marcia's profile on LinkedInClick here to read Jake Whitman's profile on LinkedInClick here to check out Really Good Boxed Wine (Use Promo code ANGEL, for 15% off your first order)  Click here to learn more about Queen City AngelsClick here to see 4 bottles of wine vs. a box of Really Good Boxed WineClick here to find out more about the Angel Capital AssociationTake courses to learn how to be an angel investor at Angel University - click here for info!Want to reach the Angel Capital Association? CLICK HEREHave ideas for the show?  Email us at theacaangelnextdoorpodcast@gmail.com

On this week’s episode, Marcia Dawood dives into the real data behind outcomes and exits with John Harbison. In addition to being an ACA Board Member with Marcia, John is a member and Chairman Emeritus of Tech Coast Angels, one of the largest angel investment groups in the country, where he has invested in 60 companies.  John tells us how he started out launching startups for security tech company Raytheon, bringing 2 companies to liquidity events within a year and a third to $800 million in revenue in 7-8 years. He describes how he took that experience to angel investing and joined TCA in 2003.  TCA was formed in 1997 and has invested over $260 million into over 500 companies. John discusses how the over 400 members of TCA bring a wide array of expertise to investments, how crucial having that expertise is to helping startups grow, and how collective learning is monumental in making successful investment decisions.  John and Marcia discuss the data John analyzes as part of the ACA data analytics committee and how real data will show investors how to make smarter investments that gain higher returns. ACA publishes a yearly Angel Funders Report and monthly Angel Insight Publications that show measurable data on investments made by many angel groups throughout the country, including TCA. With this data, investors can now make more educated decisions on investments through factually tested hypotheses rather than opinion.  They also look at what the data says about the best time to invest in a company, the difference between investing through convertible notes versus priced equity, and how important early growth and valuation increases during investment rounds are to an early investor’s return. John gives listeners some examples of his own investments and how they were affected by these significant factors.  John and Marcia close the episode with some discussion on TCA’s largest exit, exiting with a 360x return, and how patience plays a large role in the success of an investment, with TCA’s largest exit taking 15 years.  This episode is packed with great information backed by real data that can help any investor make smarter decisions. After listening to the episode, check out the links to find out more information. Click Here to read Marcia's profile on LinkedInClick Here to read John Harbison' profile on LinkedInClick here to learn more about Tech Coast AngelsClick here to read the Angel Funders ReportClick here to learn more about the Angel Insight PublicationsClick here to sign up for Angel Insight Monthly mailing listClick here to find out more about the Angel Capital AssociationTake courses to learn how to be an angel investor at Angel University - click here for info!Want to reach the Angel Capital Association? CLICK HEREHave ideas for the show?  Email us at theacaangelnextdoorpodcast@gmail.com

In this episode, Marcia sits down with Dr. Lyndsey Harper, a physician/OB-GYN who founded Rosy, a subscription-based women’s health app that delivers direct-to-consumer education and community in the women’s sexual health world, while providing anonymity to the user.  Lyndsey discusses her background as a private practice OB-GYN, where she noticed a commonality in patient’s sexual health problems and their shame and embarrassment in discussing those issues. 43% of women experience sexual problems, while only 17% of providers regularly ask about a patient’s sexual health. Lyndsey decided to start Rosy to connect the dots between these women’s problems, education and community, and providers.  Marcia and Lyndsey talk about the importance of building the right team for your startup early on and having a minimum viable product to gain customers as well as interest from investors. Lyndsey explains how she found a developer to build the first iteration of the Rosy app in exchange for equity prior to approaching investors and how she navigated the difficulty of fundraising by building a network of angel connections to find the right investors.  Lyndsey also tells us about how crucial it is to have a structured plan with deadlines and goals when raising capital so that subsequent rounds of funding can be at higher valuations due to proven progress. She discusses with Marcia the future of Rosy, and how she hopes to broaden the scope of women’s sexual health, create academic partnerships with providers, and use what they learn to improve screening rights for things like breast and cervical cancer.  You won’t want to miss hearing the wisdom of this accomplished doctor turned entrepreneur and the obstacles she has navigated!  Enjoy the show!Click Here to read Marcia's profile on LinkedInClick here to read Dr. Lyndsey Harper's profile on LinkedInClick here to redeem a FREE 1-Month Rosy Silver Membership or use code “ACAROSY”Click here to learn more about RosyClick here to learn more about Mindshift Capital  Click here to find out more about the Angel Capital AssociationTake courses to learn how to be an angel investor at Angel University - click here for info!Want to reach the Angel Capital Association? CLICK HEREHave ideas for the show?  Email us at theacaangelnextdoorpodcast@gmail.com

In this episode we discuss some important tax codes that most investors and entrepreneurs don’t know about and could save millions!  Marcia Dawood interviews former Chair of the Angel Capital Association, Tony Shipley. Marcia and Tony worked together as ACA board members for over 7 years! Tony is also Chairman and Co-founder of Queen City Angels, Cincinnati’s first group of experienced, accredited investors committed to accelerating the growth of early-stage businesses. Their primary investment areas are Information Technology and Life Science.Tony tells our listeners all about how he got started in the angel investing world and what led him to co-founding QCA with the hopes to provide growth to his community. Since the organization was founded in 2000 they’ve grown from 5 to 180 members, invested in more than 110 different companies, and invested approximately one hundred million dollars. He also shares how diversification was a very important factor in moving from network to fund model and growing the organization to what it is today.  Marcia also asks Tony about the 2 most memorable exits he has been part of (one of which was 9 figures!) and how his group was able to use Section 1202 of the Internal Revenue Code (aka IRC) to take advantage of the Qualified Small Business Stock (aka QSBS) provision that eliminated federal tax on the exit transaction.  They also discuss code 1045 and why these codes encourage investors to recycle QSBS returns from one deal to another QSBS company to obtain further tax savings. A new-er term is also revealed to our listeners, “dry powder,” which is the money investors set aside to make follow-on investments once a company starts to grow.  The initial investment is important but sometimes those follow on rounds make the difference as to which companies make it and which ones don’t.Lastly, Tony and Marcia discuss the importance the ACA has on public policy, how active they are with lobbying for tax codes and the work being done to preserve the definition of “accredited investor.”  This episode is packed with great tips and inspiring stories for both entrepreneurs and current/future investors! Listen to the full episode with Marcia and Tony here!Click Here to read Marcia's profile on LinkedInClick Here to read Tony Shipley’s profile on LinkedInClick Here to learn more about Queen City AngelsClick here to learn more about how ACA is active with Public Policy’sClick here to learn more about ACA’s Grassroots ToolkitClick here to find out more about the Angel Capital AssociationTake courses to learn how to be an angel investor at Angel University - click here for info!Want to reach the Angel Capital Association? CLICK HEREHave ideas for the show?  Email us at theacaangelnextdoorpodcast@gmail.com

The Angel Next Door is back with all new episodes!!  We will start off with demystifying equity crowdfunding.  Marcia Dawood sits down with Howard Marks, CEO and cofounder of the crowdfunding platform StartEngine.  StartEngine is an equity crowdfunding platform that recently acquired SeedInvest, bringing the total amount raised between the platforms to over $1 billion. Howard discusses how he started as an entrepreneur with his roommate at the University of Michigan, and purchased a controlling stake in the video game company Activision and turned it into the industry leading company it is today, leading to a purchase offer from Microsoft of $68 billion.  Howard tells the listeners how StartEngine was initially launched in 2010 as an accelerator for entrepreneurs in LA, but he quickly realized capitalizing these very early companies was the problem he really needed to solve.  He explains how the JOBS Act of 2012 paved the way for a revolution in the way start ups could raise money, and how it changed the way StartEngine was going to help entrepreneurs.  Howard also shares with Marcia the background of how the rules and regulations for investing had limited who could invest in private startups to a very small group of people. The new regulations motivated him to launch StartEngine as a crowdfunding platform in 2015, which now operates as a funding portal, broker-dealer, and transfer agent, while providing liquidity options for investors, providing endless opportunities for regular investors outside of just the 4700 companies traded on the NYSE.  Finally, Howard explains what it takes to be successful when raising capital through crowdfunding. He and Marcia discuss the future of StartEngine and crowdfunding and new alternative investment opportunities in things like art, comic books, wine, and real estate (allowing new ways to diversify an investment portfolios) and touch on the debate on whether consumers should have the ability to risk their money on these types of investments.  Tune into this episode to get some great background on equity crowdfunding and learn how startups can be successful in gaining capital through these platforms! Click here to read Marcia's profile on LinkedInClick here to read Howard Marks' profile on LinkedInClick here to learn more about ActivisionClick here to learn more about StartEngineClick here to learn more about SeedInvestLink to Howard's blog pageClick here to find out more about the Angel Capital AssociationTake courses to learn how to be an angel investor at Angel University - click here for info!Want to reach the Angel Capital Association? CLICK HEREHave ideas for the show?  Email us at theacaangelnextdoorpodcast@gmail.com

The Angel Next Door is back this week for a BONUS episode with US Congressman Byron Donalds. Byron serves as the US representative for Florida’s 19th congressional district which covers most of southwest Florida.  In this episode our host Marcia Dawood talks with congressman Donalds about why angel investing plays a crucial role in giving everyone an equal shot at building wealth.  They also discuss proposed legislation related to angel investing and how many people don't realize just how active the Angel Capital Association is in influencing public policy. The ACA is deeply involved on federal, legislative, and regulatory fronts.  Congressman Donalds shares his views on many of these topics in addition to some of the regulatory changes he anticipates during this midterm year. Some of these changes include reforms to Dodd-Frank, bills established for crypto, and (he is hoping) the end to CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau).  Finally, Marcia and Byron both discuss the importance of maintaining current financial thresholds in the definition of an accredited investor while concurrently widening the parameters, through demonstrated measures of sophistication, of who CAN be an investor which will stimulate growth in our economy.  ACA's CEO Pat Gouhin drops in to share some very powerful statistics on the impact that the ACA has on our economy.  "We have 15,000 accredited investors that contribute 650 million dollars per year into 3000-4000 startups. Based upon economic studies for every $100,000 invested it leads to 5.8 jobs and 2.1 mil in economic output."Now imagine how much MORE impact we could have if the parameters of an accredited investor were widened!  Tune into the full episode to learn more about other changes congressman Donalds expects in the near future and how these regulations can directly affect everyone's equal opportunity to build wealth. Click Here to read Marcia's profile on LinkedInClick Here to read Congressman Byron Donalds profile on LinkedInClick here to find out more about the Angel Capital AssociationTake courses to learn how to be an angel investor at Angel University - click here for info!Want to reach the Angel Capital Association? CLICK HEREHave ideas for the show?  Email us at theacaangelnextdoorpodcast@gmail.com

This week Marcia Dawood is bringing you a very brief episode of The Angel Next Door to share some powerful statistics delivered by Dr. Ronald Weissman at the ACA Summit in May. Marcia shares stats on the current economic decline we are experiencing in public markets, IPOs, valuations, seed funding, mergers and acquisitions, exits and more after studying the data from Q1 2022 compared to last year. When exits slow down, raising money is harder and takes longer.  Marcia also tells us what down rounds are and why they can often occur during an economic downturn.  Marcia tells our listeners, “this is a time when angels and entrepreneurs need to protect ourselves and as always, cash is king!” She also explains what cram downs are and what to look out for!On July 6th at 12 PM ET, Marcia will be moderating a webinar where Dr. Ron Weissman will be giving up to the minute updates on his presentation from May and give more insights on what can be done to protect ourselves now and in the future as times are unsteady.Finally, Marcia wants everyone to know that although there may be a rough 6-12 months ahead of us it is not a time to be scared but simply to focus on preserving every dollar you can.  Tune in to listen to the full episode to hear examples of what we can do to get ahead of the game! Click Here to read Marcia's profile on LinkedInClick Here to read Dr. Ron Weissman’s profile on LinkedInClick here to learn more about the webinar on July 8th - Crystal Ball 2022: The Path Forward for Angels and Startups in Down MarketsClick here to find out more about the Angel Capital AssociationTake courses to learn how to be an angel investor at Angel University - click here for info!Want to reach the Angel Capital Association? CLICK HEREHave ideas for the show?  Email us at theacaangelnextdoorpodcast@gmail.com

This week on the Angel Next Door, Marcia Dawood interviews Liz Sigety, expert lawyer in everything startup, partner for Fox Rothschild Law Firm and co-founder of Delaware Crossing Angel Group in Philadelphia. This episode is great for both entrepreneurs and investors as we discuss both sides of the angel investing process.  Fox Rothschild offers a great program called the Fox Launch Pad, a virtual incubator and resource center developed to nurture startups. Marcia and Liz discuss all the resources that startups receive when entering their program, how they help get their legal documents in order, as well as why it is so important that entities are set up correctly from the VERY beginning. They also discuss how a series LLC can assist in housing many investments into 1 SPV. Liz also explains pre and post money SAFE, what it means and the difference between the two.  In addition we hear about how Delaware Crossing started and the types of companies its 35 members typically invest in. Liz has been a part of over 50 investments as an angel investor and tells our audience all about what makes her region unique from an investment standpoint.  Finally we will get a briefing from Ahmad Takatkah, Chief Investment Officer at Kingscrowd. Kingscrowd uses data across crowdfunding platforms to help investors make more informed decisions.There are tons of great tips and tricks in this episode for entrepreneurs and investors!Tune in to listen to the full episode! Enjoy the show!Click Here to read Marcia's profile on LinkedInClick Here to read Liz’s profile on LinkedInClick Here to read Ahmad’s profile on LinkedInClick here to learn more about Fox RothschildClick here to learn more about Delaware Crossing Investor GroupClick here to learn more about Fox Launch PadClick here to learn more about KingsCrowdClick here to find out more about the Angel Capital AssociationTake courses to learn how to be an angel investor at Angel University - click here for info!Want to reach the Angel Capital Association? CLICK HEREHave ideas for the show?  Email us at theacaangelnextdoorpodcast@gmail.com

The Angel Next Door is back this week with a new episode! Marcia Dawood sits down to interview Kingsley Advani the CEO and founder of Allocations, a private markets platform with a vision to create more economic freedom for the world.  Allocations scaled to $1B in assets in less than 3 years! Kingsley is also an Angel Investor who in 2017 founded and scaled Allocation Angels to over 1,000 investors. He has also personally made over 300 angel investments in companies such as Solana, Coinbase, Robinhood, SpaceX, and more!Marcia and Kingsley discuss how he turned his $34,000 in savings into $100M in private investments all before turning 30! Kingsley discovered the crypto world back in 2011 while studying finance and economics and in 2013 took his savings and started to make his first small investments into cryptocurrency.  Kingsley shares a few tips on how to get started in the crypto world, how he got started in the Angel Investing world and what led him to creating Allocation Angels!  The Allocation Angels are one of the many groups today that are using SPVs (Special Purpose Vehicles) to have access to more deals and to help angels develop a more diversified portfolio. Marcia and Kingsley talk about some behind the scenes work and how Emerging Managers can expand their track record with groups of investors making investments into SPVs. Kingsley also shares how Allocations is helping to streamline these deals as much as possible and in the future will even be releasing INSTANT SPVs.  If you're interested in learning more about crypto, SPVs and Angel Investing all together, this episode is for you!Tune in to listen to the full episode! Enjoy the show!Click Here to read Marcia's profile on LinkedInClick Here to read Kingsley’s profile on LinkedInClick here to learn more about Allocations Click here to learn more about Allocation AngelsClick here to learn more about the Corporate AMEX offerClick Here to learn more about the ACA 2022 Summit in Atlantic City NJClick here to find out more about the Angel Capital AssociationTake courses to learn how to be an angel investor at Angel University - click here for info!Want to reach the Angel Capital Association? CLICK HEREHave ideas for the show?  Email us at theacaangelnextdoorpodcast@gmail.com