Four Questions Before You Write the Check
About this episode
Neal Bloom discusses a framework for evaluating early-stage companies at the San Diego Angel Conference.
Episode Summary Neal Bloom takes the stage at the 2026 San Diego Angel Conference Knowledge & Networking Event at SDSU to walk a room full of aspiring and active angel investors through the four questions he uses to evaluate early-stage companies. Using live audience exercises - pitching Uber, Airbnb, and Palantir in one sentence, debating whether Viori was a pass or a miss - he turns startup evaluation from an abstract skill into something visceral and personal. This isn’t theory. It’s how the sausage gets made when real capital is on the line. Key Topics * The four-question framework for evaluating startups * Why clarity is a test of the founder, not the investor * One-sentence pitching exercises with Uber, Airbnb, and Palantir * Venture scale outcomes vs. good small businesses * Salt Couture vs. Reef vs. Vuori - three paths from the same starting point * How EBITDA, CAC, and growth get valued differently across business types * Excitement as signal, not hype * The calendar test: would you spend one more hour on this company? Links & Resources * San Diego Angel Conference (SDAC) * SDSU Fowler College of Business * Evo Nexus * NuFund * Vuori * Rising Tide Partners Connect on…
More episodes of Tacos and Tech Podcast
- What Two Operators Learned Writing First Checks
- A portfolio approach to angel investing
- The AI Strategy Gap
- This Week in San Diego Tech News
- Blueprint Equity’s $333M Bet on Early Growth Software
- Podcast: Beyond One-Time Buyers with Matt Holman
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Tacos and Tech Podcast podcast page.