A couple of months ago I decided to look for opportunities to invest in startups other entrepreneurs are leading. I didn’t expect to so quickly find an opportunity I liked.

While exhibiting for my acoustic panels company at the NWLC conference for worship leaders in Dallas, TX, I met some of the folks who run BoxCast. They provide an exquisitely simple hardware + cloud solution that’s used as a live sports streaming service and for church video streaming to Internet viewers. On the box there are no switches or settings of any kind, nothing to configure, no tech person needed. Churches and schools are key markets for them so far.

I was really impressed with their technology and the savvy, lean, agile team behind it. As we talked further over dinner I was impressed with the character of the people on the team – no outsized egos, diligent work ethic, transparency.

I sought counsel from three advisors with relevant experience. I clarified the “why” of this type of investment for me, and ran numbers on the financial aspects of the deal. A few weeks later I took a trip to the BoxCast headquarters in Cleveland to get more familiar with the team and ask more questions. I was pleased to see that the folks running BoxCast are not an isolated group of geniuses, they are geniuses with a great network of smart, connected, wise, and resourceful people around them.

One week later I decided to go forward with an investment, and I’m excited to be on board. Early-stage investments are always risky. I’ll let you know how it goes.