Charlotte Angel Connection Episode 101: Don Rainey, General Partner with Grotech Ventures

Today Don Rainey, Partner with Grotech Ventures, joins us on the Charlotte Angel Connection.  Don is an experienced venture capitalist with a track record of successful enterprises. He has been involved with internet-based companies building large audiences and businesses for over 20 years. Over that time, he has made investments in ecommerce, fintech, networking technology and social media-related startups. Don moved to the Lake Norman area in 2013.  He is part of a growing number of Lake Norman area residents who have experience in the venture/startup space. They are increasingly utilizing Davidson’s Hurt Hub as a place to meet, network and share opportunities. In our podcast today, Don speaks about the role of a venture capitalist.   We talked some about Don’s decision to move into the VC space “way back” in 2000 – including the story of his first pitch.  Given Don’s experience, we had some fun talking about the his most and least successful investments.  He goes into nice detail talking about what created success for the successful one and what lead to the demise of the unsuccessful. During the podcast we also discuss what Charlotte is lacking in the early stage capital scene and the need for valuation creation.  He also shares his thoughts about the Charlotte ecosystem in the next 3-5 years. We also dive into the Don’s desire to build a “community” which is the reason for he started a course at the Hurt Hub called “Angels and Devils: The Details of Private Investing”.  It started as a 4-week course in coordination with LaunchLKN, Erica Madden, and Julie Goff before the social distancing measures went into effect.  I’d highly encourage any Lake Norman area listeners to reach out to Don to find out more. One of the goals of the course is to equip someone to be a confident angel investor – and given the growing interest in this Don is a great resource.   William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.  Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.  Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.