Gust

"The new Angel Capital Association model convertible note form?rates ?????????? –?four and a half unicorns, a winner!" -Gil Silberman This summer, the Angel Capital Association (ACA) announced the ACA Model Convertible Promissory Note. This note was developed by a task force of established early-stage investors and attorneys who routinely represent both founders and investors in early stage financings. We at Gust are excited by this new tool and its potential to become an industry standard form document that balances the rights of founders and investors, and includes common alternative provisions for consideration. This Thursday (8/15), we're hosting a discussion with David S. Rose, Gil Silberman & Dror Futter to learn about and discuss the implications of this new Convertible Note. If you'd like to better understand the perspectives of experienced investors and startup attorneys who will use this tool, make sure to join us at 5pm ET! ?? RSVP below ?

Last week, we had the privilege of hosting a deep dive with Malika Jacobs , founder of?Array, an innovative SaaS tool empowering HR teams to track investments, metrics, and ROI. With her MVP built on $100K in angel funding, we focused on sharpening her financial model and go-to-market strategy. Here are some of our key takeaways: Partnerships First: Leveraging partnerships with established players (consultants, firms, or agencies) can accelerate early traction. This approach builds trust and credibility while reducing upfront sales complexity. Financial Model Must-Haves: Separate assumptions (like customer acquisition) from outcomes for flexibility. Model each channel (e.g., accelerators vs. consultants) with clear timelines and realistic sales funnels. Align Compensation to Stage: Early-stage companies often need to balance market rates with runway. Compensation packages should reflect this, blending equity with reduced salaries to incentivize long-term commitment. Play the Long Game: Marketplace/data monetization? Save it for scale. The focus now: refine partnerships, build the brand, and establish trust. At Mission Control, our sessions are all about actionable steps and founder-first collaboration. Special thanks to the community for contributing insights—and to @Peter Swan for offering to connect Malika with a fellow founder for financial model templates. ?? If you’re navigating GTM or financial strategy challenges, you’re not alone. Let’s tackle them together. ?? Learn more at?https://lnkd.in/ge9FktJG #startups #gust #founderstories

As David S. Rose shared in a recent AMA, angel investing is like being the grandparent of a startup. You get all the fun, excitement, and adrenaline of building something new—without the 24/7 grind of a founder. Considering Angel Investing? Here are some of David’s tips to invest with the right mindset: ?? Be Ready to Lose It All: Only invest what you can afford to lose. Angel investing is high-risk, and if you’re doing it right, you’re prepared to write off 100% of each investment. ?? Shoot for Big Returns: To offset those inevitable losses, aim for a 30x return on your successful investments. ???? Bet on the Founder: The founder makes all the difference. It’s not just about the product—it’s about the people behind it. Invest in resilient, driven founders who can weather the ups and downs of the startup journey. ?? Have a Thesis—but Stay Flexible: While having an investment thesis is key, being open to opportunistic deals keeps you adaptable and ready for new opportunities. For those with an appetite for risk, a passion for innovation, and a love for entrepreneurial energy, angel investing offers a front-row seat to the most exciting new ideas—without being in the hot seat. And if, by chance, you end up with a 20-30% return? That’s just the icing on the cake. Curious about angel investing? Not sure where to start? Check out the Gust Angel Collective! #Gust #angelinvesting #startups

**Every startup has a story. Not every startup has Dan Manning to tell it.** Dan spent 25 years in the Air Force — as a pilot, a military diplomat and a speechwriter. Today, he brings that clarity of mission to help founders, like those in Gust’s Mission Control, communicate their ideas with clarity and impact, focusing on storytelling to drive investor, customer, and audience engagement. Last Tuesday, we were lucky enough to experience Dan work his magic in a storytelling workshop for Mission Control founders. Here are our top 5 takeaways: 1. "Simplify your pitch: Speak to investors like they're smart third-graders. Make it relatable, not technical." 2. "The key to a great pitch? Answer these 4 questions: What is it? How does it provide value? How can it be a giant company? Why are you the person to do it?” 3. "In startup pitches, stories beat statistics. Ground your idea in a relatable example before diving into market size.” 4. "Investors don't need to know every technical detail. They need to understand the problem you're solving and why it matters.” 5. "Your pitch should be so clear that investors can easily explain your startup to others. Simplicity is key.” Curious to hear more? Join us in Gust Mission Control for more hands-on fundraising workshops like this. Or see what Dan is up to at BuildTheStory.com

Honored to add our new co-founder and CPO Jonathan Rochelle to the Lutely team! Yes, THE Jonathan Rochelle. JR? is the visionary behind the apps that over a BILLION people use every month, like Google Drive, Google Sheets, Google Classroom, and more. JR brings a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of what it takes to create truly transformative and user-friendly products that achieve massive scale. Excited to work alongside JR as we aim to give music artists superpowers and future proof the music industry with (and from) AI. Welcome aboard, JR. LFG!

Hello founders, Fortune 500s and investors I look forward to tomorrow's open conversation led by our very own Eric Richmond, a multi-exited CTO, AI expert, investor, and one of Matr (matter) Ventures' investment committee members. Our guests, Peter Swan, CEO, and David S. Rose, Founder and Chairman of Gust, are industry leaders. They will share their perspectives on the power of networks and how technology can unite people?to diversify investment strategies. One of the big questions here is how to get involved in growth opportunities within untapped markets. Matr's PowerUp network is an all-star group of 400+ deep tech PHDs, exited founders, executives from Fortune 1000 companies, and influencers committed to untapped deep tech opportunities. This network provides our portfolio companies with social capital, investment and M&A opportunities, sales, and channel partnerships - examples of how networks can help move the needle for growth, performance and equitable access. Register and join us: https://lnkd.in/gzPDDZnS This is the second of our monthly webinars.

Really looking forward to this conversation with Eric Richmond and Matr (matter) Ventures. In addition to being one of the smartest folks I know, Eric Richmond is truly one of the best. Excited to chat about how we can reduce miscommunication and friction in early-stage investing!

Check it out! We've joined forces with Coconut VA and Forecastr to put on a virtual pitch event tomorrow afternoon! If you're a B2B SaaS startup and want to get your product in front of investors and industry experts, this is the event for you. Use the link below to register. We hope to see you there ?? ??

?? Webinar: How to Get 30+ Investor Meetings in 30 Days ?? Looking to secure investor meetings and accelerate your fundraising efforts? Join Coconut VA, Forecastr, and Gust for a powerful session where we’ll reveal the strategies to help you book 30+ investor meetings in just 30 days! ??? Date: October 3, 2024 ?? Time: 2:00 PM CST ?? Location: Zoom Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with investors and take your startup to the next level! ?? ?? Register Now: https://bit.ly/4exTGJM

On Oct 1st, technical leaders of Nashville startups are sharing about the technical challenges they are working on. This event is exclusively for engineers + startup founders/startup engineering leaders to meet one another! We will be hearing from: CTO of Grouped (just raised their seed) CTO of Soundstripe (Series B) Head of Engineering at InRev (just raised their seed) Founder of Triplit (recently blew up on hackernews) VP of Engineering at Opsera (hiring here in town) There will be plenty of other non-technical founders too. If you wanna join, link in the chat. Thanks so much to Hunter Mitchem, Dr. T, and Eric Busby for making it possible ??