By Blake Hollingsworth | Reporter
Hall Martin, founder of TEN Capital Network and former vice-chair of Baylor Angel Network, is dedicated to helping startups connect with investors through early-stage funding. While BAN operates as a member-driven angel group, TEN Capital takes a hands-on approach, guiding startups to the right funding sources with tailored engagement programs.
A 1984 Baylor graduate, Martin discovered his passion for entrepreneurship during his time at the university, inspired by the rise of the personal computers.
“It really changed the way we did everything and improved everybody’s lives,” Martin said. “I got inspired by that emerging technology and how you might commercialize it to make life better.”
Martin’s career began at National Instruments, where he played a key role in revolutionizing engineering tools by leveraging personal computers. However, as the company shifted away from innovation, Martin sought a return to the startup ecosystem.
“Innovation wasn’t really people’s watchword anymore,” he said.
This led Martin to transition into angel investing, co-founding the Texas Angel Network in 2006 and later founding TEN Capital Network.
A key part of Martin’s approach involves preparing startups to become investor-ready, emphasizing the importance of both market and product validation.
“The product must work, and people must pay for it,” he said.
TEN Capital’s efforts include mentoring founders in areas such as fundraising strategy, investor relations and networking, according to Martin. He acknowledged that early-stage success relies heavily on the founder’s ability to pitch effectively.
“We offload some of the fundraising work but empower founders to communicate and lead,” he said.
Looking ahead, Martin envisions expanding TEN Capital’s family office program to complement venture capital funding. He believes family offices can play a pivotal role in supporting emerging venture capitalist managers and startups, filling funding gaps in underserved areas.
“So we’re helping the entrepreneur ecosystem,” Martin said. “In addition to helping starters raise funding, we also help angel groups find members … we also help VC funds find limited partners, primarily family offices.”
Martin also encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to prioritize mentorship and educational opportunities over immediate financial gains. His advice includes attaching oneself to growth sectors, pointing to AI and emerging technologies as areas of opportunity.
Additionally, BAN provides Baylor students like San Francisco senior and analyst Isabella Tole to gain hands-on experience in business analysis.
“We are undergraduate students doing analyst work, which is really neat for the Angel Network,” Tole said. “We get hundreds of applications a year, and we look at those companies that apply, we analyze them and we determine if they are potentially a good investment.”
Reflecting on his career, Martin said he takes pride in fostering innovation, creating jobs and solving problems. Through his dual roles at TEN Capital and BAN, Martin exemplifies how angel investors can be instrumental in driving economic growth and supporting the next generation of innovators.
“Problems are going to be solved by entrepreneurs and innovators, not by just about anybody else,” Martin said. “So the more we support them, the more we get those solutions out there, and the better it goes.”
