E873: The Syndicate: Jason shares 3 portfolio co's & why invested-w/Cafe X, LeadIQ, Kush Marketplace
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E873: The Syndicate Showcase: Jason presents 3 portfolio startups & reveals why he invested; founders demo & share accomplishments resulting from Jason's accelerator & syndicate, w/ Cafe X (robotic coffee), LeadIQ (sales prospecting), Kush Marketplace (wholesale cannabis)
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Show Notes:
1:03 - Jason explains LAUNCH Accelerator and The Syndicate and how they have helped many of LAUNCH’s portfolio companies. Visit https://launchaccelerator.co/ and http://www.jasonssyndicate.com/ to learn more.
5:27 - Jason introduces Henry Hu from Cafe X, LAUNCH’s largest investment made to date.
7:40 - Henry gives a video demo of Cafe X at work, discusses value proposition compared to big-name competitors, and progress at the 3 Cafe X locations.
11:48 - Jason thanks sponsor Digital Ocean. Visit http://do.co/twist to receive a free $100 credit.
15:54 - Jason introduces a founder he saw a lot of potential in, Mei Siauw from LeadIQ.
18:52 - Mei describes LeadIQ when it first started and how their simple enrichment tool evolved throughout the incubator into a sales lead generation tool.
20:25 - Mei gives a video demo of LeadIQ in action to pull information from LinkedIn and company websites.
31:49 - Jason thanks sponsor Gusto. Get 3 months free when you run your first payroll at http://gusto.com/twist
34:04 - Jason introduces Chase Nobles from Kush Marketplace.
38:34 - Chase gives a video demo of Kush Marketplace basics and custom searches for cannabis buyers.
43:04 - Chase discusses regulations placed with legalization and the difference between cannabis products before and after legalization.
49:16 - Chase gives a video demo of Kush Marketplace’s streamlined process for sellers. When you upload a cannabis product, the platform will find and notify buyers looking for that product, getting you bids within a short period of time.
54:05 - Jason thanks sponsor Carta. Visit http://carta.com/twist to get Carta’s cap table software and a free 409A valuation.
56:15 - Jason on portfolio strategy and why multiple investments are important for an angel investor.
58:44 - Mei on what growth looks like for LeadIQ, why product development is crucial for a company in order to grow further, and hitting $100m annually in revenue.
1:03:21 - Henry on overcoming Cafe X’s hurdles of managing hardware, software and retail components while considering growth.
1:06:06 - Henry on being a CEO, managing talent with only a few years of experience, and growing Cafe X as a 24-year-old.
1:10:44 - Chase on being a young founder and the need for bringing in people with more experience.
1:12:44 - Chase, Mei and Henry on the support from investors in a syndicate - from funding to introductions to clients.
1:17:50 - Jason on how companies are chosen for The Syndicate and what makes a company exceptional.