Davis Jones is a serial entrepreneur and investor with 18 years of experience in software development, e-learning, contract recruiting, and e-commerce. He is the founder of several businesses, including Eazl, an online business school creating coursework used by firms like Tesla, CentralTexas.com, the world’s first integrated regional commerce platform, and Simulations.net. As an angel investor, Davis funds organizations with promising leadership and business opportunities.

Early-stage seed investments provide immense opportunities for both angel investors and start-up entrepreneurs. Private lenders facilitate the launch process for next-generation business owners while gaining privileged insights into innovation, new product inventions, and more. How can you source and execute these investments?

As an investor in technology start-ups, Davis Jones engages in introductory conversations with future founders on LinkedIn. This allows entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas for investors to evaluate. You can also attend networking events to connect with start-ups and other investors and remain informed of industry trends and developments. When investing in these companies, building relationships with innovators and joining their board of advisors is crucial to support them effectively and obtain maximum value.

On today’s episode of Own Your Zone Podcast, JiNan Glasgow George invites Davis Jones, Founder of Eazl, Simulations.net, and CentralTexas.com, to talk about building and investing in technology and software companies. Davis shares tips for engaging users in online courses, intellectual property trends in ed tech, and his journey creating Eazl from ideation to conception. 

Charles Hudson is the Founder and Managing Partner of Precursor Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on investing in the first institutional round of investments for promising software and hardware companies. He is also the Board Chair of the National Venture Capital Association, which funds America’s most innovative entrepreneurs. Before launching Precursor, Charles was a Partner at SoftTech VC, where he focused on identifying investment opportunities in mobile infrastructure. He also identified valuable investment opportunities for the CIA at In-Q-Tel.

Venture capital investments experienced the highest increase in 2022, with company valuations outpacing this surge. Additionally, in 2022, 65% of US-issued patents were software-related inventions. What are the most pervasive VC trends in technology, and how can you position your startup as a favorable investment?

In the past, public market investors have been attracted to SaaS and other technology businesses, leading VC firms to invest aggressively in private tech companies, accelerating their revenues by 20 times more than traditional private company revenue. Yet investors have realized that building a revenue-generating private business with high margins is risky — significantly diminishing funding. According to operator, investor, and VC expert Charles Hudson, intellectual property patents are crucial in differentiating private companies from the masses and protecting and documenting inventions. By leveraging patents, private startups can maximize their value. You can also lower your early-stage company’s risk for investors by remaining transparent when establishing contracts. 

In today’s episode of Own Your Zone Podcast, JiNan Glasgow George welcomes Charles Hudson, Founder and Managing Partner of Precursor Ventures, to discuss VC trends in the software landscape. Charles addresses how AI impacts investments in software companies, investors’ ideal due diligence criteria for early-stage businesses, and his approach to managing a VC fund.

Al Buda is the Founder and Managing Partner of Aware Partners, an algorithmic venture capital fund of funds. The firm strives to create positive returns for LPs, GPs, and startups. With over 20 years of experience as an engineer, investor, and entrepreneur, Al founded and exited two profitable SaaS companies. Before founding Aware Partners, Al was the President of the Oxford University Startup Accelerator, where she became an angel investor and helped launch 19 unicorn companies. 

Early-stage startup value is accelerating, with unicorn companies gaining the most traction. The number of businesses valued at over $1 billion has increased from 300 to 1,200 in five years, with one data analytics company generating $1.5 billion in just three years. So what does it take to build a secure unicorn company?

As a seasoned angel investor, Al Buda understands the logistical measures startups must take to obtain funding quickly. Before entering the startup phase for unicorn growth, you must invest in IP assets to forecast the market and protect your inventions. Neglecting this step introduces high-risk rates for investors, lowering your overall value. A public launch takes approximately 12 years, so building a personal network of institutional and private investors is imperative for generating a $1 billion valuation. 

In this episode of the Own Your Zone Podcast, JiNan Glasgow George hosts Al Buda, the Founder and Managing Partner of Aware Partners, who discusses unicorn funding trends. Al also addresses data investment trends, the future of global innovation, and the relationship between data and AI.