Launchpad Greenville

How Making My Own Angel Investments Made Me a Better Founder What if I told you that stepping into the shoes of an angel investor could transform how you lead your startup? That’s exactly what happened to me. Becoming an angel investor didn’t just diversify my portfolio—it fundamentally reshaped how I approach building my own company. A Shift in Perspective: From Founder to Investor As a founder, I was laser-focused on my startup: product development, customer acquisition, and scaling. But when I started making angel investments, I gained a front-row seat to the challenges other founders face. Reviewing pitch decks, conducting due diligence, and mentoring entrepreneurs gave me a broader understanding of the startup ecosystem. It was like seeing the game from the coach’s perspective instead of just playing on the field. One surprising benefit? It made me more empathetic toward my own investors. Understanding their priorities—scalability, market potential, and team dynamics—helped me communicate more effectively during fundraising for my own venture. Lessons Learned as an Angel Investor Here are three ways angel investing sharpened my skills as a founder: Sharper Decision-Making: Evaluating startups taught me to focus on what truly matters—team resilience, market timing, and competitive differentiation. Stronger Networks: Investing connected me with other founders and seasoned investors, opening doors to partnerships and insights I wouldn’t have accessed otherwise. A Strategic Mindset: Seeing how startups succeed (or fail) helped me refine my own strategies for growth and risk management. Why Founders Should Try Angel Investing Angel investing isn’t just about writing checks; it’s about learning by doing. Even small investments can give you invaluable exposure to different industries and business models. Plus, it’s deeply rewarding to support visionary founders who are solving meaningful problems. Have you considered angel investing as a founder? If so, how has it shaped your journey? Let’s share insights below! (Need help aligning your startup’s vision with realistic growth strategies? Let’s connect: LaunchpadGVL.com) Follow me at Launchpad Greenville (https://lnkd.in/e7nukhfc) or William D Taylor IV (https://lnkd.in/eSpsaHMX) for more articles on startups, venture capital and entrepreneurship. Let's explore the intricacies of the startup world together.

Thanks to Justworks and Rho for the great event going on at SXSW Courtney Spanjers Dewey . Tax Titans MasRefund NextGEN Launchpad Greenville SCRA: South Carolina Research Authority #yeahthatgreenville Meredith Reilly

?? Trying to get press for your startup? For the love of cookies, please don't rely on cold emails. Reporters get hundreds of pitches a day, and yours is just another drop in the inbox ocean. Plus (and we say this with love) reporters don't really care about your fundraising round. Yes, it's huge news for your team and your investors... but for most readers, it's not newsworthy. So not only are reporters overflowing with pitches and cold emails, they're also looking for much bigger and more interesting stories than "we raised our seed round". If you want real press, you’ve gotta play the long game. ???????? ??: Follow the journalists who cover your industry. Engage with their content. No pitching — just be a real human. ???????? ??: Be a resource, not a one-time requester. Offer insights on your industry before you ever need coverage. Become a trusted voice in your field. ???????? ??: Pitch a story, not just an announcement. No one cares that you raised a round (sorry and congrats) — but they do care about surprising trends, wild growth strategies, or surprising data that tells a story. Press isn’t about one article mention — it’s about building relationships and becoming a go-to voice in your industry. Start planting those seeds now. ?? What’s the best piece of press coverage your startup (or a startup you admire) has ever gotten? Drop a link in the comments! ?? Want to read the full article? Here ya go: https://lnkd.in/gnN7YeZP

How Angel Investors Can Manage Risk Like Hedge Funds #Startup #Entrepreneurship #StartupLife #Founders #Entrepreneur #SmallBusiness #StartupAccelerator #AcceleratorProgram #VentureCapital #SeedFunding #AngelInvestors #Mentorship #Networking #BusinessGrowth #Leadership #TechStartups #Innovation #Disruption #ScaleUp #LearningAndDevelopment #BusinessAdvice #GrowthMindset #StartupGVL Nathan Long, CPA CCIM Dan Rundle Abraham Alfonso Abreu, Sr. Alan "F3 Zorro" Blakeborough

?????? 90% ?????????????? ???????? ???? ?? ??????—????????’?? ???????? ?????????????? ???????????????????? ???????????? ???????? ???? ???????? ?????????? ?????? ?????????????? ?????????????? ???????? ???? ???????? ???? ???????? ?????????????????? "90% of startups fail" is repeated so often in tech circles that it’s treated as gospel. But here’s the truth: this stat is a lazy narrative that misrepresents reality. Let’s retire it until someone can prove it with credible data—because right now, it’s doing more harm than good. ?????? ???????? ????. ?????? ???????? The “90% failure rate” often conflates two very different ideas: 1.????Investor returns: Yes, roughly 10% of VC-backed startups generate the majority of returns for investors. But that’s a reflection of venture capital’s “power law” dynamics, not a universal failure rate. 2.????Founder success: Many startups that don’t pursue venture-scale exits still create life-changing outcomes. Think profitable bootstrapped businesses, acqui-hires, ventures that pivot into sustainable niches—or private giants like Epic Games, which hit a $32B valuation by focusing on profitability over IPOs or acquisitions. Their success proves you can build generational wealth without an exit event. Saying “90% fail” implies these outcomes are losses. In reality, they’re often wins—just not the kind that make headlines. ?????? ???????? ?????????????????? ?????????? ·??????Demoralizes founders: Framing non-exits as failures undermines the grit required to build any business. ·??????Skews priorities: Chasing hypergrowth to satisfy VC expectations often leads startups to ignore unit economics—prioritizing user acquisition at all costs while sacrificing sustainable margins. This "grow now, profit later" gamble can drain cash reserves and kill otherwise viable companies. ·??????Ignores diversity of success: A $10M SaaS business that supports 20 employees is a triumph, even if it never IPOs. The bottom line: The 90% "failure rate" only matters to venture capital firms—whose business model requires billion-dollar exits to offset portfolio risks. For founders, success means building a sustainable business that creates value for customers and teams, even if it never becomes a VC home run. By perpetuating this myth, we risk overlooking the quiet victories that define most entrepreneurial journeys. What’s your definition of startup success? Share your take below. (???????? ???????? ???????????????? ???????? ??????????????’?? ???????????? ???????? ?????????????????? ???????????? ??????????????????????Let’s connect: LaunchpadGVL.com) Follow me at Launchpad Greenville or William D Taylor IV for more articles on startups, venture capital and entrepreneurship. Let's explore the intricacies of the startup world together.

The 90% Failure Rate Is a Lie—Here’s What Startup Ecosystems Really Need to Talk About

Launchpad Greenville is on a tear!!

The event was great. We look forward to providing the next step in the journey for your awesome graduates. 1. Fulfilling employment with great tech companies. Or 2. A way forward (waymaker!) to create their own tech company and prove you don't have to move out of the upstate to succeed! Alan "F3 Zorro" Blakeborough and Liesel Blakeborough had an amazing time and look forward to providing opportunities for Build Carolina! Thanks for sharing your success with us!

What Teddy Roosevelt Would Say to Today’s Founders

"Right Place, Right Time"—And the Courage to Act: Lessons from Ray Kroc’s Timeless Wisdom #Startup #Entrepreneurship #StartupLife #Founders #Entrepreneur #SmallBusiness #StartupAccelerator #AcceleratorProgram #VentureCapital #SeedFunding #AngelInvestors #Mentorship #Networking #BusinessGrowth #Leadership #TechStartups #Innovation #Disruption #ScaleUp #LearningAndDevelopment #BusinessAdvice #GrowthMindset #StartupGVL Nathan Long, CPA CCIM Dan Rundle Abraham Alfonso Abreu, Sr. Alan "F3 Zorro" Blakeborough ?