# Four Questions Before You Write the Check

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/tacos-and-tech-podcast-534768/four-questions-before-you-write-the-check
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/tacos-and-tech-podcast-534768/four-questions-before-you-write-the-check.md
Podcast: [Tacos and Tech Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/tacos-and-tech-podcast-534768)
Published: 2026-04-07T18:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://risingtidepartners.substack.com/p/four-questions-before-you-write-the
Audio file: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/191895908/3adde0e71eb467304084a6c007a48792.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/tacos-and-tech-podcast-534768/episodes/four-questions-before-you-write-the-check
Duration seconds: 1759

## Resource

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 LinkedIn * Neal Bloom This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/tacos-and-tech-podcast-534768/episodes/four-questions-before-you-write-the-check/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/tacos-and-tech-podcast-534768/four-questions-before-you-write-the-check.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.