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Investor Connect Interview: Ander Iruretagoyena of Impact Engine

2 min read On this episode of Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Ander Iruretagoyena, the Senior Associate at Impact Engine. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Impact Engine is a women-owned and led venture capital and private equity firm investing in companies driving positive impact in education, economic empowerment, health, and environmental sustainability. Impact Engine was launched in 2012 as an accelerator fund with the goal of identifying promising entrepreneurs starting businesses with the potential to drive both attractive financial returns and positive social impact. Impact Engine raised two subsequent accelerator funds in 2013 and 2014, all focused on investing in pre-seed stage companies. Across the three accelerator funds, Impact Engine invested in a portfolio of 23 companies. Between 2015 and 2016, Impact Engine shifted its investment strategy and raised a $10 million venture fund which invested in 22 companies. Between 2018 and 2019, they began operating as a public benefit corporation, raised a $25M second venture fund, and raised a $31.5M first PE fund, allowing them to invest in impact funds for the first time. Impact Engine’s investors include institutions, family offices, foundations, and individuals who believe in investing for both financial return as well as social impact. They are also committed to cultivating community among their investors. Their goal is to help their investors learn from each other and leading-edge impact investors who deploy capital across asset classes and geographies. Prior to joining Impact Engine, Ander was an investment banking associate at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, working with Latin American corporations. During these years, Ander worked on a total of 17 transactions for $10.7B across 4 products, 9 industries, and 6 geographies. Ander also previously worked on financial inclusion strategies at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Ander holds a BA in Economics as well as Latin American Studies from the University of Chicago and earned his MBA degree from the Chicago Booth School of Business. Ander is originally from Mexico and loves FC Barcelona. Ander shares what excites him now and discusses the state of impact investing, how he sees the industry evolving, the challenges investors and startups face, and more.  You can visit Impact Engine at www.theimpactengine.com/, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/theimpactengine/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/TheImpactEngine.  Ander can be contacted via email at ander@theimpactengine.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/ander-iruretagoyena/.  If you would like to read the full transcript click here or listen to the interview click here.  Hall T. Martin is the founder and CEO of the TEN Capital Network. TEN Capital has been connecting startups with investors for over ten years. You can connect with Hall about fundraising, business growth, and emerging technologies via LinkedIn or email: hallmartin@tencapital.group

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Exits: How and When to Do It

2 min read As a startup investor, it is imperative that you are considering the exit strategy before beginning the investment as this is what determines your return on investment. When, how, and to whom the startup will sell are essential topics to cover at the beginning of your relationship with the startup organization. Let’s take a look at each of these topics. Timeline For an Exit Most exits come from another company buying the startup. It takes six months to a year to complete a buyout. Delays often come from the startup not being prepared or ready for the M&A process. Additionally, setting valuation and final terms can take substantial time for research and negotiations. To shorten the time, consider the following: Identify and contact the likely buyers and build a relationship before starting the process.  Position the startup leadership as a thought leader with published articles and keynote speeches to provide credibility. Build a data room of key documents that will be used in a transaction process. This is basically a gathering process, but does take some time.  Beware of competitors in the diligence process as they will have access to your detailed financials and other information. Understand the interest level from the buyer and what other activities may delay their work on your deal. Set realistic expectations for how fast things will go. Early Exits In setting the exit, most investors look to maximize the exit value. It’s important to remember that the metric investors use, Internal Rate of Return (IRR), has a time component to it. The faster the exit, the higher the IRR. As an investor, consider pursuing the highest IRR and not just the biggest dollar exit as bigger exits take longer. While the news highlights the biggest exits, the vast majority of exits are under $20M. Selling a business for under $20M is not that hard, however growing a business and selling it over $100M is very hard. Most acquirers don’t need the business to be large, they just need to know the business model is defined and is profitable. Staying in the deal longer opens up the investor for dilution and other events that reduce the return on investment. A startup should be proving their business model and turning it into a repeatable, predictable process. With funding and time, it will scale. As an angel investor, you should look for early exits and structure your investments accordingly. Finding Alignment Investors should gain alignment with the startup about the exit before making the investment. This includes the size and timing of the exit. There needs to be some clear thinking and research about who will buy the company and how much they will pay. The investors and the startup need to work together to achieve the exit. One of the biggest impacts on the exit for early-stage investors is follow-on funding. It’s important to gain alignment on the subsequent financing rounds required and the impact it will have on the early investors. It’s often the case the startup is overly optimistic and comes back later asking for additional funding.  Also, be sure to discuss the path the startup will take to achieve the exit; will the company grow organically, or will it push aggressively for growth? It’s important to maintain communication about the exit strategy and discuss whether the company is on track for it or not.  Finding The Buyer In selling a business there are two types of buyers: strategic buyers and financial buyers. Strategic buyers look for companies that can enhance their current business. Financial buyers look for companies that generate cash. Their motivations and concerns are different. The strategic buyer will look to see how closely the acquisition is to the buyer’s business and how much work it will take to integrate it, while the financial buyer will look at the financials to determine the cash flow and how long it may sustain. A company seeking a buyer will need to develop a relationship with CEO and VP-level contacts in the industry. This can be done through introductions, conferences, and other events. The company may also find an avenue through the corporate development team in some cases. Bankers are also potential conduits to potential acquirers. The board of directors of the acquiring company may provide an additional entry into the company. Finding the buyer takes time and building a rapport takes even more time.    Hall T. Martin is the founder and CEO of the TEN Capital Network. TEN Capital has been connecting startups with investors for over ten years. You can connect with Hall about fundraising, business growth, and emerging technologies via LinkedIn or email: hallmartin@tencapital.group

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Where To Source Funding

2 min read: A common funding source for launching and growing a business is equity funding. However, equity funding is expensive. Luckily, there are many other sources of funding you can take advantage of and put to use. This article will discuss several sources of funding your startup can consider.  Anchor Clients Anchor clients are those who prepay for a custom version of your product. They are typically more prominent companies that have special needs. If you are building an enterprise or consumer software product, consider looking for an anchor client to pay you to create a custom version of it.   Anchor clients provide funding and a precise specification of what they want. Unfortunately, they often hurry and want the solution yesterday, which means they will pay the best price. Also, anchor clients give you information about the market. Anchor clients have researched it and have not found the solution they want. These clients become good references to use when you launch your standard product into the market. One of your platforms may require more than one anchor client to fund a version fully. Take the funding you need to build your platform and divide it by three, then look for three anchor clients to cover it. Bootstrapping and Barter Bootstrapping uses your funds and initial customers to launch your business. Investors tend to appreciate you investing personal funds as it shows you have skin in the game in addition to sweat equity. Barter is a valuable tool to reduce cash expenditures. Consider providing your services to businesses that can provide you with something you need in return, such as bookkeeping, accounting, legal, and financial work. For investors, this demonstrates resourcefulness and the ability to negotiate. Accelerators and Incubators Accelerators and incubators provide startups with workspace, mentorship, pitch practice, and in some cases, funding. Sponsorships are by universities, companies, and entrepreneur collectives.  Accelerators provide an intensive program to help entrepreneurs prepare their business and product for an initial investment. The classes are usually small, around 5-10 companies. At the end of the program, the participants pitch to investors for funding.  Incubators offer a physical workplace with offices, administration, and meeting rooms. In addition, universities offer accelerators and incubators for students and faculty who want to commercialize research. The accelerator or incubator may have a fund from which it invests in startups who complete the initial program. Often, this takes the form of equity funding. However, some programs structure it as a grant, and In addition, they often sponsor demo days in which you pitch to prospective investors. Other Funding Sources There are several other funding sources to consider. Some examples include: Grants: consisting primarily of government-based funds that are one-time offerings and are paid back. Loans: This is debt funding that the business must pay back to the loaner.  Factoring/AR Funding: This includes selling your invoices and accounts receivables in return for cash. Equipment Leasing: using equipment for a contracted time instead of buying reduces cash burn and spreads out the payments. Line of Credit: A short-term debt used for smoothing out the cash-flow cycles. Crowdfunding: This is collected via a prepayment for products from clients/customers. Consultation Funding: Extending your product to include consultation services is a way to bring in additional revenue. Supplier Funding: This consists of contract manufacturing or software developers who provide upfront cash injections in return for a contract to build or design your product.    Hall T. Martin is the founder and CEO of the TEN Capital Network. TEN Capital has been connecting startups with investors for over ten years. You can connect with Hall about fundraising, business growth, and emerging technologies via LinkedIn or email: hallmartin@tencapital.group

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Is Your Investment Ready to Exit Their Business?

2 min read As an investor, you receive your most significant return on investment when your startup investment takes its exit. But, is your startup investment ready to exit their business? This article covers reasons to exit, when to sell, and how to exit successfully as an investor. Reasons to Exit the Business There are many reasons to exit the business. However, here are some key ones to consider: The company is ready to go IPO. By taking the company public, new ownership comes into place.  The market has changed dramatically, putting the future of the business into question. The business failed and can no longer remain solvent. The owners lose interest and decide to follow other passions. The owners lose the physical ability to run the business and need to find someone else. When to Sell For every business, there comes a time to sell. Ask the following questions to find if now is the right time to sell the company: Do they still want to run the business? They may want to move on to new projects and opportunities, and the current company may no longer be fulfilling. Do they still believe in the business and what it can do for them? Sometimes the market changes and the business opportunity is no longer there.  What can they get from the business today versus two years from now? Waiting a few years to sell may give them a better exit. Do they need more funding, and can they raise it? If they cannot, then consider exiting. What do the other team members want to do? Aside from your interests, what do the different stakeholders want? It takes a team to run a business. If they want an exit, that should be part of the consideration. How to Achieve an Exit for Investors It’s easy to get into a startup investment but challenging to get out, especially with a positive return. Most startup exits come when they sell the business to another company or go public on the stock exchange. It takes seven to ten years to achieve an exit in most cases. Most investors let the startup define the exit. If they do, that’s great. If they don’t, then you define an exit for your investment. I recommend using a convertible note that has a 3X in 3-year redemption right at the investor’s sole discretion. This provides you the option of exiting at the 3-year mark or staying in for the long haul. By year three it becomes clear where the startup is headed. They are either on the venture path to larger returns, or they have left the venture path and moved into payroll mode.   The problem with leaving the venture path is that most terms sheets give the investor an equity stake. If the company leaves the venture path and turns into a lifestyle business, then the equity is going to be worth, at most, a small return typically around the 10-year mark.  Define the exit you want and make an offer. Not all startups will take it, but many will.   Hall T. Martin is the founder and CEO of the TEN Capital Network. TEN Capital has been connecting startups with investors for over ten years. You can connect with Hall about fundraising, business growth, and emerging technologies via LinkedIn or email: hallmartin@tencapital.group

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TEN Capital 2021: Year in Review

2 min read As 2021 continued to be a year of uncertainty and challenges, we at TEN Capital are thriving. As the investment world stabilizes, startups and growth companies continue to seek Capital, and new companies are formed every day to meet the demands of an increasingly remote workforce. At TEN Capital Network, we were fortunate enough to welcome three new team members. Yayati has come aboard to take over our outreach efforts. Shane took the reins of our events, helping them to grow in number and popularity. We also welcomed Demie, who stepped up to assist cross-departmentally with the extra workload. TEN Capital in 2021 Since January of this year, we gained 72 new ideal Clients out of  477 Startup pitches. We started the year with 12,033 investors and are heading into 2022 with over 15,000. Our investor network includes VCs, Angels, and Family Offices each investing in the Tech, Healthcare, CPG, Energy, and a variety of other spaces. TEN Fundraise Launch The TEN Capital Fundraise Launch Program is a self-paced program that helps startup and growth companies prepare a fundraise campaign. In addition to self-paced training, TEN holds monthly online meetings for answers to your specific questions about valuations, target investors, and readiness for approaching investors. Each month, come prepared with your burning fundraise questions and we’ll answer them in real-time. Do you need help preparing for your fundraise? Speak to a representative today about the TEN Fundraise Launch Program. Click Here TEN Capital Partners TEN Capital introduced our Partner Program in 2021 and today it is thriving. We are thankful to our inaugural partners that have been integral in helping us grow this year, including Arora Project, Investable Mastermind, Kickfurther, New Mexico Angels, Title3Funds, INNP Consulting, Kiwitech, CrowdVision Advisors, LLC, Wiss Early Stage, Keiretsu Forum. Events in 2022 2021 was a big year for TEN Capital Events. Since January, we have hosted 113 events with over 2,100 attendees leading to over 400 unique investor engagements for our clients. We welcomed 87 guests, hosts, panelists, and speakers through formal webinars to casual networking style, virtual events. In 2022, we are kicking into high gear with several new event formats, including TEN Fundraise Launch, TEN Capital Club, TEN Capital Quick Pitch, Angel Investor Insights, The Future of Funding Series, and more. Check out these and all of our upcoming events on our website: http://staging.startupfundingespresso.com/events TEN Capital for Crowdfunding On top of our current programs, TEN Capital now helps you prepare your equity crowdfunding campaign. We can help you: Select the right crowdfunding platform(s) Set funding goals with milestones to achieve. Set up a promotions budget Outline the plan for updates every two weeks — what news to post and when Website review (most investors will research your deal by visiting your website) Update your profile in investor databases such as Crunchbase and others. Speak to a representative today to see how TEN can help your Crowdfunding campaign. Speak to someone today! NEW! Investor Connect Non-Profit TEN Capital and Investor Connect are proud to Introduce Investor Connect Non-Profit. Make a difference! Your donation will go towards educating investors and startups about startup fundraising. Pay it forward with your donation to this cause. We do not charge any fees for this content. We rely upon your donations to extend this work. Donate Now! This Year on Investor Connect and Startup Funding Espresso Top 10 Investor Connect Episodes of 2021: 10. Episode 617 – Mike Audi of TIKI Inc. 9. Episode 620 – Sam Silvershein of Alpha Partners 8. Episode 634 – Brian Parks of Bigfoot Capital 7. Episode 616 – Richard Teideman Angel Investor 6. Episode 627 – Sarah Jennings of Beyond Angel Network 5. Episode 618 – Dr. Raymond Levitt of Blackhorn Ventures LP 4. Episode 625 – Adam Haber, Angel Investor/Trellus 3.  Episode 614 – Ross Darwin of Owl Ventures 2. Episode 608 – Julio Moreno of Santa Cruz Angeles 1. Episode 469 – Archie Cheishvili of GenesisAI Top 5 Startup Funding Espresso Episodes of 2021: 5. How to Manage the Deal Process 4.  Five Key Elements to a Startup Story: The Hero 3. Diligence Report 2.  SAFE Notes vs. Convertible Debt 1.How to Prepare for the Next Raise From the TEN Marketing Department While we had a lot of great content in 2021, there were a few standouts based on feedback from the network: Top 10 Blog Posts for 2021: 10. How to Secure Investor Funding 9. How to Write a Pitch Deck 8. 10 Reasons an Investor Will Pass on Your Deal 7.  Presenting Your Pitch Deck 6. The Most Common Reasons Why Startups Fail to Raise Funding 5. 5 Signs Your Startup Isn’t Ready to Raise Funding 4. SAFE Notes vs. Convertible Debt 3. 5 Things Investors Love to Hear in a Pitch 2. Pitching Angel Investors: Competition & Competitive Advantage 1. The Convertible Note: How Does it Work? Top 5 eGuides of 2021: 5. How to Craft a Startup Story 4. Due Diligence and Leading the Deal 3. Closing the Investor 2. Negotiations and Valuations 1. How to Build a Pitch Deck So from all of us at TEN Capital (Demie, Sam, Yayati, Shane, Lilia, Caitlin, and Hall), we hope you have a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2022. Hall T. Martin is the founder and CEO of the TEN Capital Network. TEN Capital has been connecting startups with investors for over ten years. You can connect with Hall about fundraising, business growth, and emerging technologies via LinkedIn or email: hallmartin@tencapital.group

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Investing in Consumer Packaged Goods

2 min read Investing in CPG The CPG space is a solid one to invest in, especially in a post-COVID era. There are specific cues that make startups stand out to investors. You should make sure that any company you are considering investing in has a competitive edge and strong customer engagement. And you, as an investor, are going to need the patience to succeed in this sector. Competitive Edge Investors want a considerable market size in the future, and they want to see a competitive edge. If you have a massive market it probably means there are people in it already. Ideally, you want to find a company entering a market that will be meaningful enough with high growth rates that aren’t over-saturated. An example of this is nonalcoholic beer. It isn’t as saturated as the IPA sector, but it’s meaningful and on the rise. Customer Engagement You can measure customer engagement in a variety of ways. Engagement can happen on the company’s social channels, through different marketing activations, and through other methods being used to reach customers outside of digital channels. Omni Distribution Investors should look for companies with omnichannel forms of distribution. Single-channel and single customer models lead to too much concentration. Also, more channels require more brand awareness opportunities. Getting distribution is hard for the CPG producer. The big firms block out the small firms. Look for companies that have found creative ways to bring the product to market. CPG Takes Time Everything in CPG takes longer than you expect. When you’re investing in a CPG company, you have to be patient. Unlike software, the startup cannot go from one to one billion users overnight. It takes a long time to bring the product to market. The company has to prepare its packaging, get production up and running, be ready to ship, acquire distribution, be able to refill orders, and more. As an investor, you have to come in knowing that it’s a longer cycle and it’s a different risk profile. Once the consumers are in that buying cycle, however, it’s a beautiful thing to see it. Read more in the TEN Capital eGuide: http://staging.startupfundingespresso.com/trends-in-cpg/ Hall T. Martin is the founder and CEO of the TEN Capital Network. TEN Capital has been connecting startups with investors for over ten years. You can connect with Hall about fundraising, business growth, and emerging technologies via LinkedIn or email: hallmartin@tencapital.group

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Trends in CPG

3 min read  Let’s look at some trends in CPG in this Post-COVID World. The consumer packaged goods sector consists of companies that manufacture and sell products for consumer use. Examples of consumer packaged goods include mainly food and beverages, but also cosmetics and cleaning products. Solid trends are being seen in the CPG market today, many of which are being derived out of COVID-related necessities. COVID has changed the way we look at, interact with, and, most importantly, shop in our society today. It is no longer enough for a product to taste good; it must also fill a specific need. We have new drives and values, and everything we purchase should align with this in one way or another. This desire for more has led to an industry-wide focus on health, wellness, and function. Functional Beverages The functional beverage sector is now approaching 100 billion dollars a year. The functionality of beverages has moved in step with the functionality and food-as-medicine trends seen recently in the food and supplement spaces. This macro trend is no longer sufficient that a food or beverage product isn’t bad for you or that it’s dye compliant. This product must also do something positive for you. Functional benefits can include cognitive health, pre-workout, post-workout, collagen for your skin and joints, digestive health, immunity building, anti-inflammatory, or combinations of these categories like hydration and wellness. What we’re seeing is a lot more dialed-in nutrition that is tied to different functions, whether those are probiotics and gut health with drinks like kombucha, or sleep aids with drinks that contain magnesium citrate and melatonin. We’re also seeing significant growth on a focus on working from home. Functional beverages that allow you to focus, work, watch your children, and teach school all at the same time are causing a lot of growth across the functional beverage industry. Health and Wellness Another trend being observed in CPG is the movement towards using clean ingredients and promoting wellness. Consumers are getting more intelligent and more sophisticated about what elements are going into the food and beverages we consume. The fewer ingredients- the better. The less processed- the better. The cleaner the ingredients- the better. And we’re just as focused on what we’re applying topically because that’s a part of overall health and wellness. The growth of the natural channel and the healthy alternatives is a long-term trend, and it’s not going to slow down; if anything, it’s going to speed up. This creates a tremendous opportunity for new CPG brands to continue to innovate and move into this space. We now see a move to meatless and vegetable-based proteins, products with low or no sugars, fats, or salts. In wellness, there has been a heightened focus on calm and anti-anxiety-oriented products. Cognitive functionality is a significant and growing trend in food and beverage. Understanding the ingredients set that are available to address ways in which you can get both taste and efficacy is vital. Read more in the TEN Capital eGuide: http://staging.startupfundingespresso.com/trends-in-cpg/ Hall T. Martin is the founder and CEO of the TEN Capital Network. TEN Capital has been connecting startups with investors for over ten years. You can connect with Hall about fundraising, business growth, and emerging technologies via LinkedIn or email: hallmartin@tencapital.group

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How COVID-19 is Driving the Fintech Sector

2 min read How COVID-19 is Driving the Fintech Sector How COVID-19 is Driving the Fintech Sector As the COVID pandemic passes, we emerge into a new world. The way we bank and exchange money is changing along with many other aspects of our daily life. Digital social trends are shaping our world, and banking along with it, at a much faster pace than ever before. This is especially true during this time of COVID when everybody is on their mobile devices and their tablets as a main means of communication. Due to this trend, the Fintech (financial technology) space is now undergoing tremendous change across the country. COVID has taught all of us how to bank online. Most of us haven’t stepped foot in a bank to deposit a check in months- we all do it all digitally at this point. You are likely going to see banks start to close their doors, and rapidly. A lot of the branches facing imminent closing will try to get more and more of their customers banking digitally through Fintech platforms. Rising Investor Interest There’s been a ton of investment in FinTech recently. There is a tremendous appetite from the venture community and the public markets today for this category of company. The reasoning for this is fundamentally the digitization of their services. COVID has driven us all indoors and away from public spaces. The best solution to continuing business as usual in this restricted atmosphere is to move the business online. Everything is being digitized, including financial services. The difference is that financial services are thriving online because they’re not handling a physical product. They’re perfectly suited to this digitization trend as they’re fundamentally just moving bits and bytes around. And so, the growth in investment in this sector continues. Future Adaptations This success in the implementation of digital platforms also sets up players in the Fintech sector for the next trend-adoption of AI and learning machines. Learning machines will allow the process to improve in terms of efficiency, relevance in product offerings based on the specified customer base, and security of personal information. Implementation of AI will streamline growth. Thanks to current digitization efforts, the Fintech sector is on track for seamless implementation of AI and machine learning when the proper technology is accessible. Why It Matters to Investors? Social trends are driving change across all things business. COVID has worked wonders at putting this fact in the spotlight for all business operators, innovators, and investors to see. As the world moves online to accommodate the health regulations imposed by the pandemic, social trends will only strengthen. Investors should be striving to understand and follow these social trends that are shaping our world at a much faster pace than ever before. People are on their phones and their tablets, they are asking questions and sharing information. And now, they are banking. Read more in the TEN Capital eGuide: http://staging.startupfundingespresso.com/fintech-problem/ Hall T. Martin is the founder and CEO of the TEN Capital Network. TEN Capital has been connecting startups with investors for over ten years. You can connect with Hall about fundraising, business growth, and emerging technologies via LinkedIn or email: hallmartin@tencapital.group

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Blockchain Technology: Cryptocurrency

1 min read Cryptocurrency in the Fintech Space. Fintech is a giant industry that spans lots of different segments. When you say FinTech, you’re talking about insurance tech, Paymentech, banking tech, lending tech, and data. However, you are also talking about cryptocurrency companies such as Coinbase or Circle. What is Cryptocurrency? A cryptocurrency is a form of currency used for digital transactions. Transactions using cryptocurrency are managed and recorded by a noncentralized technology known as the blockchain. Cryptocurrency and blockchain are not new. In fact, they consist of some of the easiest classes in today’s computer sciences. But while crypto has been around for a long time, it has just begun to make its way into the eye of the general public. Investors Using Bitcoin Bitcoin, a commonly known cryptocurrency, has started to become a legitimate store of value for institutional investors. This move to cryptocurrency by institutional investors is likely due to the degree to which people are worried about large government deficits potentially depreciating the value of the dollar. Using Bitcoin in particular as a store of value acts as a hedge against inflation. Bitcoin is even now being used as an actual transactional currency. This can add real value to cross-border transactions, especially where there are frictions between changing currencies. Resistance to Blockchain Technology Blockchain technology certainly has proven merits. However, there are a lot of regulatory conversations and discussions around the tokenization of some of the companies implementing this technology. As there always is when it comes to changing age-old practices, there is resistance to the widespread implementation of blockchain technology to enhance the use of cryptocurrency in the everyday marketplace. Read more in the TEN Capital eGuide: http://staging.startupfundingespresso.com/fintech-problem/ Hall T. Martin is the founder and CEO of the TEN Capital Network. TEN Capital has been connecting startups with investors for over ten years. You can connect with Hall about fundraising, business growth, and emerging technologies via LinkedIn or email: hallmartin@tencapital.group

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