Hicham Semaan of Tech Coast Angels: Metamorphosis From Solopreneur To Entrepreneur

What is needed to attract investors, the importance of a team, and how to enagage the right people for your company.  Develope a plan that will scale. Hire the needed technical, marketing and leadership expertise to raise capital and to build the business.

Episode Highlights:

• What is needed to attract an investor
• The importance of the team
• How to attract and scale your team

The Foundation -  What really needs to be in place to attract seed round investment?

• Pick up 1-2 key customers with a working prototype
• Seed round: Have team, some customers, some revenue, working model. & need funds.

What is typically the right scenario for a TCA investor?

• TCA- a 20-40% small percentage are open for execution delivery role.
• *Understanding, awareness & belief

What is the biggest hurdles you see from entrepreneurs?

• Giving up equity is often the big issue.
• Angel members open to teaming up as a co-founder.

Building the Team - How do we attract the right person?

• Resources
• How to scale a team. Long term engagement, needs of the business.
• Operator, needs to give up “control”.
• Use advisors to vet talent, first reluctant to bring in the help.

Scale

• When to start?
• Evaluation & Planning
• Analogy of championship sports teams- key pieces of the puzzle but not all the right pieces at the right team.

Hicham Semaan is an experienced CEO, GM, senior executive, angel investor, senior, and board member to CEOs, management teams, private equity, startup companies. He is a respected leader with strong vision, value creation, turn around, and acquisition expertise, and has successfully grown and exited businesses. Hicham is considered an expert in the technology, education, and real estate industries and has been a featured speaker at several industry events.

He is the newly elected Tech Coast Angels-Orange County President and has received the “Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award” from the OCBJ and was recently named “New Investor of the Year” by Tech Coast Angels.

Check out the Blog on the Stride Search, Inc site for the supplementary “show recap” article with detailed takeaways/insights from the interview.