Jump In with Kristina Montague

12/07/16 • 47 min

Startup Funding | Learn from Venture Capitalists, Angel Investors and CEOs of Disruptive Companies

The passion that Kristina Montague brings to her role as Managing Partner of The JumpFund is immediately evident in her conversation with Roshawnna. The JumpFund is an investment fund that operates within an interesting and necessary niche: it is by women for women.

After recognizing a gap in gender equality within the entrepreneur space, Kristina and her team of partners set out to create a fund that could bring some gender balance to the startup ecosystem. The enormous success that The Jumpfund has played a part in facilitating is evidence of the need that The JumpFund has fulfilled.

As a whip-smart Angel Investor, Kristina outlines a laundry list of helpful tips for entrepreneurs that hope to attract investment. She also dives into the importance of creating programs that foster the growth of female-led companies, which are an unfortunate rarity in our society. Kristina brings a wealth of experiential knowledge to the table in this insightful and thought provoking conversation with Roshawnna!

Roshawnna and Kristina discuss:

2:00—Kristina shares her background and the background and ethos of The JumpFund a fund of women investing in women.
5:00 – Kristina talks about the types of businesses that JumpFund looks to back.
8:00 – How Kristina came to be in the role that she is in now.
10:00 –Kristina talks about 36|86, a tech conference that The JumpFund back companies have had great success at.
12: 00 – Kristina talks about how her background in education has shaped her role as an Angel Investor.
16:00 –Kristina talks about the massive gamble that she took in leaving her secure role at the University of Tennessee to pursue the life of an Angel Investor.
21:00 – Kristina talks about what makes The Jumpfund unique.
24:00 – Kristina talks about the importance of relationship building in the investor/entrepreneur process.
26:00—Kristina details what she looks for in a team to invest in.
27:30 – On having the roadmap for the company fully fleshed out before approaching investors.
29:00 – Kristina talks about the importance of bringing a co-founder into the fray to bounce ideas off of.
32:00 – Kristina discusses founders striking a balance between their full-time work on their startup and maintaining a job for revenue stream as well.
34:00 – On the importance of customer discovery in gaining investment funding to create a viable business.
36:00 --Kristina talks about some common mistakes that founders make.
37:00 – Kristina discusses investment vs. bootstrapping.
42:00 – Kristina talks about the importance of striking a life/work balance.

Roshawnna and Kristina discuss:

2:00—Kristina shares her background and the background and ethos of The JumpFund a fund of women investing in women.
5:00 – Kristina talks about the types of businesses that JumpFund looks to back.
8:00 – How Kristina came to be in the role that she is in now.
10:00 –Kristina talks about 36|86, a tech conference that The JumpFund back companies have had great success at.
12: 00 – Kristina talks about how her background in education has shaped her role as an Angel Investor.
16:00 –Kristina talks about the massive gamble that she took in leaving her secure role at the University of Tennessee to pursue the life of an Angel Investor.
21:00 – Kristina talks about what makes The Jumpfund unique.
24:00 – Kristina talks about the importance of relationship building in the investor/entrepreneur process.
26:00—Kristina details what she looks for in a team to invest in.
27:30 – On having the roadmap for the company fully fleshed out before approaching investors.
29:00 – Kristina talks about the importance of bringing a co-founder into the fray to bounce ideas off of.
32:00 – Kristina discusses founders striking a balance between their full-time work on their startup and maintaining a job for revenue stream as well.
34:00 – On the importance of customer discovery in gaining investment funding to create a viable business.
36:00 --Kristina talks about some common mistakes that founders make.
37:00 – Kristina discusses investment vs. bootstrapping.
42:00 – Kristina talks about the importance of striking a life/work balance.

Previous Episode

Build with Marlon C. Nichols

He was born in Jamaica & received his undergraduate degree from Northeastern University. After working a few years in consulting, he decided to move to London to pursue career and athletic opportunities.

After returning from playing professional basketball in Europe, he received his MBA from Cornell University only to have unsuccessfully pitched an investment deal to his team at Intel Capital that has successfully achieved exponential growth. Fast forward a few years and now he is a successful venture capitalist at Cross Culture VC, a board member of Kaufman Fellows, and a a mentor to several entrepreneurs.

Marlon Nichols has the type of drive and vision that most people can only dream of. As a partner in the unique firm, Cross Culture Ventures, Marlon knows what it takes to turn a dream into a reality.

In this frank discussion with Roshawnna, Marlon talks about the personal journey that has carried him to his lofty position. Though Marlon is highly technically educated, much of what he chooses to illuminate in this discussion is the inter-personal dynamics that can make or break a person’s success in reaching their goals.

Marlon shares insights in to what investors look for in an idea and a team, as well as illustrating the points from his own path that could be used by anyone that wants to take their career to the next level. Marlon’s dedication to his craft is inspiring and the knowledge that he shares in this conversation with Roshawnna would be a great help for anyone looking to take their career to the next step!

Roshawnna and Marlon discuss:

[3:30] Marlon shares the story of his beginnings as an entrepreneur.
[11:00] As a Venture Capitalist, Marlon outlines some of the tech industry trends that he is excited about right now.
[12:30] There are always some bumps in the road. Marlon relays a story about a regret in a deal that he could not land and the lessons that he learned from this and used moving forward.
[14:30] Marlon talks about how he built his inter-personal skills to further his career success.
[16:30] How differing perspectives can teach you things about yourself.
[17:00] Mentors have played a huge role in Marlon’s life and career.
[24:30] Marlon talks about what makes Cross-Culture Ventures unique and the types of investments that the firm prefers to make.
[27:00] Marlon talks about what he and his team look for in a founder, idea and company to invest in.
[35:00] The importance of networking and making friends for getting in front of investors.
[37:00] Marlon talks about the impact that maintaining his health and fitness have on his mental clarity and productivity.

Next Episode

Another Pitch Competition with Tanya Van Court

Tanya Van Court is a great example of a person that struck out on a dream to become a success. From modest beginnings as the flash of an idea that was born out of a comment that her daughter made, Tanya has been able to grow iSow into a viable business that has a great ethos and a lot of heart.

Tanya was able to recognize that our society teaches children terrible financial values. The materialism that we learn young follows us into adulthood and can lead to disastrous financial health for some people. Tanya has created a solution to excess in iSow and the success that iSow has enjoyed so far is evidence that it is a learning tool that really works.

Tanya is an incredibly engaging speaker and the wisdom and insights that she shares in this great conversation with Roshawnna will make your day!

Roshawnna and Tanya Discuss:

2:00—Tanya shares her background and talks about the beginnings of her company, iSow.
5:00 – Tanya details the ethos of iSow.com, which aims to teach children important financial values.
9:00 – Tanya talks about some aspects of iSow that she is currently excited about.
12:30 – Tanya talks about what she learned from a missed opportunity.
14:00 – Tanya talks about how she knew that she was in the right place when she started iSow.
15:00 – Tanya discusses her past experiences in Corporate America and how these shaped her into a successful leader of iSow.
18:00 – On how the concept of mentorship has changed in recent years, and the importance of finding mentors in various facets of your life.
20:00 – On the biggest hurdle that Tanya had to overcome in starting on her journey as an entrepreneur.
22:30 -- Tanya talks about how women in her life have helped her to push through difficult times.
24:00 – On what makes iSow unique and the powerful lessons that it can bestow on children.
29:00 – Tanya discusses the ups and downs of procuring funding for your idea.
37:00 -- Tanya gives some advice to founders that are looking to raise capital.
40:00 – Tanya relays a mantra that gets her through the tough days.
43:00 – Tanya talks about how she strikes a work/life balance and what her work days look like.