Angel Invest Boston

AllClear.App is the product of thirty plus tech veterans who gave their time to make it easier for people to get tested for COVID-19. Tech exec and angel investor Mark Bissell joins us to tell how he and his colleagues responded to the contagion that has paralyzed the world. Inspiring.

Join Sal's Syndicate: Click Here “So, there's been a hole in the market for that kind of company that's going to be a great company that's not venture-scale.” Repeat founder and super angel Jay Batson talks about his new passion: Revenue-Based Finance. He likes the possibility it opens up for startups that are great but not quite venture-scale. Learn what RBF does for founders and investors. Highlights include: Sal’s Intro Jay Batson’s Bio Acquia & Drupal Revenue-Based Finance Is Introduced The Debt Model vs. The Equity Model “Well, the problem is, there's kind of a hole in the middle, because banks don't like to take risks that startups pose.” “So, venture capital is great if your company is the kind of company that will provide large capital gains to the investor.” “…venture investors tend to say, "Is this a company that could create a billion-dollar company?"” …"This isn't a venture-scale company,"… “So, there's been a hole in the market for that kind of company that's going to be a great company that

Sal's Investment Syndicate: Click for Sal's Syndicate Page If you’ve used an Amazon Kindle you’ve used tech pioneered by Russ Wilcox and co-founders at E Ink. Russ is now a VC who remembers well the trials of being a founder and is a deep well useful knowledge about building startups. I learned a lot. Highlights include: brief bio of Russ Wilcox the founding story of E Ink the mistake of focusing on a financing strategy rather than product development burning $2 million per month but clients hated the product Golden Lesson for Founders: don’t kill your company by sticking to an unrealistically high valuation; propping up valuation is self-delusion beware liquidation preferences (jargon-free explanation) comparison of VC funding to debt Pillar is a seed-stage VC firm founded by people who have started companies Pillar’s “phantom partners” are 22 startup CEOs who put money into the fund and roll up their sleeves to help Write checks of $1 to $2 million in rounds of $3 to $4 million Put in a lot of time and ene

S a l ' s I n v e s t m e n t S y n d i c a t e : https://www.angelinvestboston.com/our-syndicates Joe Caruso is treasured by tech founders for his kind support and sage advice. He's back to tell us how his startups are dealing with the COVID Crisis. Fun chat. Here's Joe's other interview which delves into how he became involved with founders. It's one of the most popular episodes I've recorded: Link to Joe Caruso's Story 

S a l ' s  I n v e s t m e n t  S y n d i c a t e : https://www.angelinvestboston.com/our-syndicates "We have solved in two weeks problems that were completely intractable before..." Martin Aboitiz, CEO and founder of Healthjump and I explore the opportunity for scientific advancement from compiling a massive and accessible database of de-identified patient data made possible by the urgency COVID-19 created. Here's my interview with Martin on his entrepreneurial journey towards the founding of Healthjump:  https://www.angelinvestboston.com/ep-24/2017/9/25/martin-aboitiz-healthcare-paella-ep-24?rq=aboitiz

They met at Techstars Boston and were getting their startups off the ground and then COVID-19 struck. Here's what they're doing about it. Oguzhan Oyar, founder of Metrobi which does B2B deliveries, Jinesh Patel, founder of UptimeHealth which automates compliance for healthcare, Susan Conover, founder of LuminDX which is building a database for the diagnosis of skin conditions. Both Jinesh and Susan are alums of the podcast. Here are their full-length interviews: Jinesh Patel's Podcast Susan Conover Podcast

Sal's Investment Syndicate: Click Link to Sal's Syndicate Mike Nardella built an ad agency while an undergrad at Boston College. That work would eventually lead to the founding of Relevize, a platform that facilitates the interactions of big brands with their local partners. Trends in social media are presenting big opportunities for this Boston-based startup. Highlights from the interview: Sal Daher’s Intro Chance Encounter at Venture Lane Startup Hub Mike Nardella’s Bio What Mike Nardella’s Company Does and Why It’s Important “Yeah, local connections, brand awareness and... You know, this works across a ton of different industries.” “But now all of a sudden, 600,000 potential patrons of Boston are coming across something from Landsdowne and that's free for the partner, for the pub itself.” The Founding Story of Relevize Running a College-Focused Ad Agency Led Mike Nardella to Discover the Opportunity Presented by Local Partners of Huge Brands The Competitive Landscape for Relevize Fast Traction Circa 2025:

Sal's Investment Syndicates:Link to Sal's Syndicate Part-time work to pay off student debt led Michelle Carazas to the opportunity she’s pursuing in her startup, Host Events. Her tech-enabled service provides insured and vetted bartenders to liven up corporate events at companies that seek to create a welcoming culture for Millennial employees. Fast and profitable growth, together with funding from Launchpad Venture Group are validating Michelle’s idea. Great interview with a compelling founder who expresses beautifully what draws her to startup life. Highlights include: Sal Daher Intro – The Opportunities that Abound in Boston’s Unique Startup Ecosystem Michelle Carazas Bio: Founder and CEO of Host Events What Host Events Does and Why It’s Important “…Host is a way to create culture in the workplace and that's what we really strive for.” “We're living in a world where we're so connected, but we're also so disconnected because we easily use Slack or email or text as a way to communicate.” “Our mission is rea

Sal's Investment Syndicates: Investment Syndicates 101 The dispersal of medical equipment by the move to outpatient medicine has presented a huge opportunity for repeat founder Jinesh Patel. His startup, UptimeHealth, provides outsourced monitoring of the complex compliance requirements of equipment located at the proliferating outpatient facilities. UptimeHealth is also creating a marketplace for service technicians to reduce response times and costs. Jinesh’s affable manner and clear understanding of this promising market made this a delightful interview. Highlights include: Sal Daher’s Intro Jinesh Patel’s Bio + Shoutout to Betsy Scherer of Venture Lane Startup Hub What UptimeHealth Does and Why It’s Important “So, we're finding healthcare facilities are not understanding the best way to manage compliance at, what we call a fragmented level.” The Founding Story of UptimeHealth Having Managed Medical Equipment Gave Jinesh the Ability to See the Opportunity Presented by the Shift to Outpatient Care that Cre

Invest with Sal's Syndicate: Sal's Syndicates “The biggest thing that we learned is that 78% of them were struggling to share those stories with their consumers, the biggest reason being a fear of feeling inauthentic.” “What do I mean by the organic model? I mean that the influencers we're engaging for these brands are not paid.” Ashland Stansbury, age 23, is building a new category with her startup, Because Intelligence. Belief marketing helps brands create genuine connections with their customers. She’s funded by Launchpad and BOSS Syndicate. Highlights include: Sal Daher’s Intro Correction: Enterprises Manage to Capture 5% of the Value They Create Not 2% as Stated Bio of Ashland Stansbury What Because Intelligence, Ashland’s Startup, Does Common Misconception that Only Expensive Products Are Environmentally Conscious The Founding Story of Because Intelligence “So, we took this approach of going out and talking to as many of our customers as possible. We got on the phone with over 50 different enterprise c

Invest with Boston's Top Angels: Sal's Syndicates “Their internal users will see that their access time to an instrument goes down. They can get on it sooner, which is counter-intuitive, but it is reality.” What if scientists could plan and run experiments much faster? Meenta’s software platform is making the use of high-end research equipment far more efficient. Co-Founder & CTO Stephan Smith is excited by the massive opportunity his startup is addressing. Highlights include: Sal Daher’s Intro Stephan Smith’s Bio “Half the time they sit idle and half the time if someone owns one of these instruments, there's still a long wait to get on them. They're not simple devices, but they are crucial for research.” “Used to take 3 months for you to book time on one of these high-end sequencing machines and have all the reagents and everything else lined up and the right people and so forth, and now you're doing it within 2 weeks, 12 days.” Biggest Obstacle: Convincing People That They Don’t Have to Do Things the O

Invest Alongside Boston's Top Angels: Sal's Syndicates Creating new ways to experience startup events has led Oana Manolache to found Introvoke, a streaming service tailored to this growing space. Relying on her work at HP, Oana is getting strong traction from organic growth. A great interview with a compelling immigrant founder. Highlights include: Oana Manolache Bio & Introvoke Introvoke “…we take engagement a step further. So, we have an open chat where people from all over the world start conversations”. Founding Story of Introvoke Introvoke’s Traction 5000 Users through Viral Marketing – No Marketing Spend Sal Talks about Savran Technologies and Its Remarkable Ability to Capture Extremely Rare Cells How Introvoke Plans to Compete “…87% of consumers prefer to watch a live stream of a brand rather than to read a blog…” Introvoke Aims to Make Virtual Memberships Appealing “Our viewers stay engaged for at least 80% of the video…” Introvoke Just Stated Monetizing its Business with a Tiered Subscription M

Invest Alongside Boston's Top Angels: Our Syndicates Lessons from a failed IPO led Christian Magel to great success in his own businesses. Now he’s built a shared work space applying those valuable lessons. A bravura interview recorded live at Venture Lane Startup Hub. Highlights include: Introduction to the Podcast and the Guest, Christian Magel Christian Magel Bio Sal Daher Explains How Nell Meosky Luo Connected Him to Venture Lane How Venture Lane Came About The Value of Being Mindful About the Needs of Startups “We are building community, but most and foremost is actually about creating that impact for companies”. The No-Jerks Policy “… let them interact around their interests but find other ways on how they connect”. “…if you're not a tenant here or not a member here, like how can you still take advantage of whatever we're doing here for early stage startups”. Sal Talks About His Investment in Fine Tune Learning What Christian Magel Got from the Failed IPO of Lestbuy.com; Listening to the Customer is Ke

Invest Alongside Boston's Top Angels in Our Syndicates: Learn About Sal's Syndicates Making the capture of high school sports video easy and affordable is the mission of Realplay. Founder Justin Real explains the business and his motivations to get into it. Fun and insightful conversation with an energetic and focused founder. Highlights include: Shoutout to Podcast Listener and Walnut Member Erik Bullen for Suggesting Justin Real as a Guest Justin Real Bio What Realplay Does “Getting the video up until now was incredibly labor intensive and cost prohibitive… It limited … entry into the world of sports … the ability to use it to gain advantages and opportunities and education and professionally”. The Realplay Founding Story “… the problem with the business is not so much that the demand wasn't there or that the market wasn't vibrant, the volume was too high”. Realplay’s AI Identifies Players, Understands Their Actions and Edits to Put Relevant Content Together: “Every Player, Every Play” The Competition to R

Invest Alongside Boston's Top Angels: Our Investment Syndicates The brilliant son of immigrants discovers a way of identifying and counting bacteria that could upend the world of diagnostics. Listen to this engrossing interview with professor and founder Ed Goluch of QSM Diagnostics. Highlights include: QSM Diagnostics Is What Jeff Behrens Calls a “Scrappy Biotech” Ed Goluch Bio QSM’s Mission: Identify & Quantify Bacteria Present in a Sample in Minutes “No one wants to be the five or ten percent that's misdiagnosed, and so our technology really gets them closer to being perfect and these critical first few minutes and getting it right the first time”. The Founding Story of QSM Cool Example of Bacteria Interacting with Squid Bacteria Communicate to a Startling Degree Quorum-Sensing Molecules Allow Fine-Grained Detection Down to the Level of the Species of Bacteria “Trying to get a faculty job is actually a lot like starting a startup. You have your idea and you go around pitching to schools”. Boston as a

Invest Alongside Boston's Top Angels: Our Investment Syndicates How to fund scrappy biotech startups is foremost on Jeff Behrens’ mind. He was CEO if a startup that raised $20 million in funding but not one cent from VCs. An invaluable interview for anyone thinking of starting or investing in a life science company. Highlights include: Jeff Behrens Studied Philosophy at Harvard but Stumbled Upon Entrepreneurship: Renaissance Man for the 21st Century MIT/Harvard Medical School Collaboration, HST, is Discussed Siamab Therapeutics Siamab Pursues Therapies Based on the Work of Ajit Varki on the Weird Sugars on the Surface of Cancer Cells Siamab Did Not Go the VC Route, I Took a Scrappier Approach to Funding from Other Sources Ovarian or Pancreatic Cancers Are Tough to Fight; Siamab Targeted them Based on the Unique Sugars on the Outside of the Cancer Cells Creating Lethal Molecules that Attack only the Cancer Cells Standard Chemotherapy Is a Carpet-Bombing Approach, Doing Harm to Healthy Cells Jeff Behrens Has S

Invest Alongside Boston's Top Tech Angels: Our Syndicates DipJar makes charitable giving fast and compelling. 8,500 devices are deployed to 4,500 clients and the business is set to scale fast. My interview with Chris Selland, CEO was an excellent opportunity to learn more about this exciting company just after I invested. Interview highlights include: Sal Introduces Chris Selland, CEO of DipJar The Story of DipJar DipJar Started Out as an Easy Way to Tip Waiters – But the Economics Did not Work Out Fixed Fees Charged by Credit Card Companies Become Meaningful for Small Transactions Devices Are Connected to a Platform – Charge per Dips Are Pre-Set People Saw the DipJar in Coffee Shops and Started Asking If It Could Be Used for Charitable Giving “…but the bottom line is 80% of the money comes in when they actually get the donors in person”. “…we can take a lot of donations very, very quickly”. About the Team Startups Love to Create Brands Having No Idea of How Hard & Expensive It Is: Brand-itis “So, the Di

Learn About Sal's Syndicates: Link to Sal's Syndicate Page Silicon Valley's angel-investing phenomenon Jason Calacanis is our guest. Hear how he turned $700K into a portfolio worth $100 million. We had an inspiring conversation about building companies and investing in them. Highlights include: Sal Daher Introduces Jason Calacanis as his Guest on Angel Invest Boston How Jason Built the Stellar Team that Makes His Success Possible Sequoia Capital Picked Jason Calacanis to Scout for Promising Ventures How Jason Calacanis Turned $700,000 into $100 million Jason Calacanis Once Thought Angel Investing Was Stupid The Odds of Success for Founders and for Angels “…we live in a time when people believe in balance, and they believe in getting Olympic-caliber rewards…but they only want to commit to putting in 40 hours a week.” Jason Calacanis Investment Syndicates versus Funds VC Returns Have Note Been Spectacular “If you want to be active, you can do syndicates…” “My personal goal is to train 10,000 people to be activ

Invest Alongside Boston's Top Angels in Our Syndicates: Click to Learn More Which Founding Teams Succeed? Are Founders Born or Made? Can Innovation Be Crowdsourced? How Many Jobs Do MIT & Stanford Add to the Economy? Blockchain for the Supply Chain? Chuck Eesley, Stanford's Startup Prof Addresses These Questions and More. Highlights include: Introduction Professor Charles Eesley Bio The Traumatic Founding Experience Shivang Dave, PlenOptika & Entrepreneurs in Poor Countries How Chuck Eesley Ended Up at MIT Studying with Ed Roberts The Economic Impact of MIT & Stanford: Millions of Jobs Created & Trillions in Economic Activity “And the other big takeaway is that we had been looking at the impact of these universities in too narrow of a way previously.” Robust Finding: Larger Teams Do Better; Startups Tend to Have Teams that Are Too Small Chuck Gets a Great Idea for Research While Hiking with a Friend Cooperative vs. Competitive Commercialization “…, if the industry is high in the effectiveness

Invest Alongside Boston's Top Angels: Our Syndicates - Get Qualified The need to re-skill is essential for workers confronting AI with obsolescent knowledge. Techstars alum Ace-Up is addressing this problem with a software platform that makes executive coaching more accessible and accountable. Founder Will Foussier opened for us a fascinating window into this important but obscure industry. Highlights include: Will Foussier a young Frenchman who studied in France and Switzerland, had stints at Ralph Lauren, Raymond James and the Clinton Global Initiative. At the Clinton Global Initiative Will Foussier had the opportunity to use an executive coach and came to realize how valuable it is. Companies ranging from GE to the dynamic startup LovePop are seeing the value of Ace-Up’s coaching platform. It’s expensive to hire people; coaching makes the most of company’s most valuable resource, its people. “We leverage technology to deploy personalized executive coaching in a way that is scalable, impactful and measurab