Sep 3, 2026 · 52 min · 12 segments
In this episode, host Michael Stanley sits down with Zane Tarence, partner at Founders Advisors and author of *The 17 Reasons Your Company Is Not Investment Grade*. Drawing from his transition from an…
Zane TarenceGuestMichael StanleyHostyou know, probably a little bit different in some ways, but very similar in others, right? Like coming from the ground up and trying to create something valuable.
Like when did you first start thinking about, and I'm sure you didn't call it this, but like the concept of being investment grade before you started banking and then how did those frequent run-ins with institutional capital sharpen that thought?
When I started raising capital with institutional investors, and that's what investment grade is.
I'm talking about if an institutional investor that gets paid to manage capital would consider you investment worthy.
I started coming into this concept probably when I was raising capital in my software company from venture capitalists.
They keep asking me about... what happens when I go on a trip? You know, does the company get better, stay the same or get worse? And so I started kind of being aware of this because I wanted my pre-money valuation to be high.
And then when I had a real investment banker, because my investors in my first company said, Zane, meet Chip Porter.
I was like, oh my goodness, I wish I had known what these investors deem valuable.
Still didn't really have a concept that I was ever gonna be a banker and help people.
But then it really started coming together one time when I was asked to do a speech 11 years ago at a startup drinks, that's what they called it in Birmingham.
And I was sitting in my truck saying, okay, how am I going to position this to these entrepreneurs? And Jeff Foxworthy, I had just been aware of, you know, I was thinking for some reason about his, you might be a redneck if, and I said, you know what? I'm going to do this speech on, you might, your company might not be worth anything.
you know, probably a little bit different in some ways, but very similar in others, right? Like coming from the ground up and trying to create something valuable.
Like when did you first start thinking about, and I'm sure you didn't call it this, but like the concept of being investment grade before you started banking and then how did those frequent run-ins with institutional capital sharpen that thought?
When I started raising capital with institutional investors, and that's what investment grade is.
I'm talking about if an institutional investor that gets paid to manage capital would consider you investment worthy.
I started coming into this concept probably when I was raising capital in my software company from venture capitalists.
They keep asking me about... what happens when I go on a trip? You know, does the company get better, stay the same or get worse? And so I started kind of being aware of this because I wanted my pre-money valuation to be high.
And then when I had a real investment banker, because my investors in my first company said, Zane, meet Chip Porter.
I was like, oh my goodness, I wish I had known what these investors deem valuable.
Still didn't really have a concept that I was ever gonna be a banker and help people.
But then it really started coming together one time when I was asked to do a speech 11 years ago at a startup drinks, that's what they called it in Birmingham.
And I was sitting in my truck saying, okay, how am I going to position this to these entrepreneurs? And Jeff Foxworthy, I had just been aware of, you know, I was thinking for some reason about his, you might be a redneck if, and I said, you know what? I'm going to do this speech on, you might, your company might not be worth anything.
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