Somi Arian

The Definitive Guide to Peak Startup

Peak Startup

In this Session Every VC encounter is a potential turning point for your business, and being prepared can make all the difference.In this session, we'll cover: <ul><li>Understanding the VC Mindset: Delve into what venture capitalists are genuinely looking for when they scrutinize your startup.</li><li>The Essential Checklist: From financial statements to customer metrics, we'll walk you through the essentials every founder should have at their fingertips.</li><li>Pitfalls &amp; Common Mistakes: Learn about the frequent oversights that can hinder your chances and how to avoid them.</li><li>Pitching with Confidence: With due diligence out of the way, refine your pitch to resonate and leave a lasting impression.</li></ul> Your host for the evening, an experienced VC with a portfolio of successful investments, will share insights from the other side of the table, giving you a rare glimpse into what really matters during the due diligence process. Equip yourself with the knowledge to approach your next VC meeting with confidence. After all, in the world of startups, preparation is half the battle. Join us and ensure you're not just ready, but truly prepared. About the Speaker Cara Morphew is a Managing Partner at <a href="https://www.sweaterventures.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(106, 106, 142);">Sweater Ventures</a> where she leads the investment team and strategy for Sweater's flagship fund. Prior to Sweater, Cara was an investor at Chicago Ventures and Selwyn Ventures, focused on early-stage technology investments.&nbsp;Beyond her investment experience, Cara’s career has spanned the startup lifecycle - from launching her own business to driving growth at leading high growth ventures like Uber and NetSuite.&nbsp;She holds an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BBA in Finance from University of Wisconsin-Madison.&nbsp;

Founder-director

Cara Morphew

Fundraising, Growth Hacking, Financial Modeling

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The Due Diligence Checklist: Being Prepared

In this Session: As a venture capitalist, I've witnessed countless startups evolve from mere ideas to impactful enterprises. The key lies in addressing real-world challenges with innovative solutions. Dive into this session to explore the art of identifying pressing problems and transforming them into products that resonate. Gain insights into aligning your venture with market needs, driving user engagement, and building solutions that not only solve but also inspire. This is your chance to turn challenges into opportunities and create products that truly matter. About the Speaker: Waleed Khalil is the Managing Partner at Den Venture Capital, a prominent figure in the world of engineering, entrepreneurship, and venture capital. With a career spanning over two decades, Waleed has gained extensive experience in manufacturing consumer electronic products across Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Egypt. In early 2023, Waleed founded DEN VC, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on investing in deep tech startups in Africa and the Middle East. Through investments in companies such as Proteinia, Your Parts, and DeltaOil. DEN VC has demonstrated its commitment to promoting investment diversity, positive impact, and potential for significant financial returns. Prior to DEN VC, Waleed played a key role in securing investments that led to the emergence of four unicorns, including Careem, Boom Supersonic, Tribal Credit, and Aspect Biosystems. Throughout his career, Waleed has also been a respected mentor to hundreds of tech startups in the Arab region and Africa. He has also been a distinguished speaker at numerous entrepreneurship events such as Gitex, Biban, Techne Summit, Riseup Summit, and many more. Waleed's academic achievements include a bachelor's degree in electronics engineering from Cairo University and an MBA with a specialization in finance from the American University in Cairo. His knowledge, experience, and commitment to promoting innovation and growth in the startup ecosystem have earned him a reputation as a highly respected and influential figure in the industry.

Waleed Khalil

From Problem to Product: Building Solutions that Matter

In this Session: Bootstrapping means growing your business without external investment, relying on revenue and personal savings. Dive deep into the benefits, from maintaining full ownership to fostering creativity under constraints. This session sheds light on empowering strategies that prioritize self-sufficiency, enabling startups to flourish independently. Join us to master the nuances of bootstrapping and propel your venture to success! About the Speaker: Jay Estefani Castillo is a Founding Principal at m]x[v, having helped launch m]x[v she has built the foundation for fund operations and drives the deal flow engine, founder support, industry research, and the investment team. An aspiring futurist, Jay approaches investing and building with the lens of contributing to a tech-enabled future that powers tomorrow's economy and cultural behaviors. As a master generalist, she has spent her career building new products, teams, and running enterprise-wide initiatives in multiple departments for companies such as Bridgewater Associates and WeWork. Curiosity and intensity drive her day-to-day as she focuses on finding exceptional founders and ideas to invest in, while playing a key role in helping founders think through their next steps.

The Art of Bootstrapping: Funding Your Startup Internally

In this Session: While fundraising is ultimately the job of the CEO, it takes a village to achieve success with your campaign. Sandra Miller will share best practices that will allow startups to create an "engine" to improve your company's ability to raise funding to fuel the growth of your startup. The session will cover:&nbsp; <ul><li>investor outreach</li><li>managing the process of fundraising</li><li>developing the elements of an engine for fundraising</li></ul> About the Speaker: Sandra Miller is CEO of Foundry 415 Innovation Group, a premier innovation hub at the epicenter of San Francisco’s tech ecosystem. Foundry 415 provides the connections, services, and community high quality tech startups and innovation ecosystem players need to succeed. Foundry 415 provides Corporate Innovation Services, customized startup acceleration programs and executive education services. Sandra speaks to multinational corporations, governments, entrepreneurs, investors and universities on myriad aspects of technology innovation and entrepreneurship. She brings a grounded and practical Silicon Valley perspective to exploring the promise and potential perils of technology innovation and disruption in our increasingly digital world, providing practical examples for how innovation impacts the way we live, learn and work – today, and in the future. Sandra co-founded Stanford University’s Biodesign Program and led Accenture Venture’s Open Innovation initiatives with Silicon Valley’s top accelerators. She was the first Managing Director of the Singularity University startup accelerator and is emeritus Chair of Singularity’s Entrepreneurship Track. Sandra co-founded the Kauffman Foundation’s Labs for Enterprise Creation accelerator and was Managing Director of The Angels’ Forum (now Mighty Capital), one of Silicon Valley’s leading angel investor groups. An Advisor to post seed-stage and venture capital-backed startups, Sandra continues to be in awe of the transformations that occur in startup founders throughout their entrepreneurial journeys. She has nearly 20 years of experience advising and educating more than 1,000 entrepreneurs and startups in many industry sectors as they develop technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, synthetic biology, virtual reality and Internet of Things. Sandra is based in Silicon Valley and most enjoys rambling coastside or amongst redwood trees with her sidekick, Archie the Wonderdog.

Creating an Engine for Fundraising

In this Session: Join us at 'Meet the Founder: The Visionary Exchange,' a dynamic networking event designed to connect startup founders with peers, mentors, and investors across various industries. Whether you're in the initial stages of your startup journey or scaling to new heights, this is your platform to exchange ideas, forge partnerships, and uncover valuable insights. Don't miss this unique opportunity to expand your founder network and accelerate your startup's path to success! About the Speaker: Somi Arian&nbsp;is the Founder and CEO of InPeak.

Meet the Founder: The Visionary Exchange -1

In this Session Dive into the vital connection between fostering a culture of accountability and fueling startup success. Leaders frequently confront the challenges of instilling accountability within teams. Join us to explore the 6-step framework for constructing an accountable culture, complete with practical tools and actionable insights. Delve into key aspects such as personal accountability, defining clear objectives, goal alignment with strategy, and how they all interact with each other. Learn lessons from real-world scenarios and essential skills to nurture accountability, propelling your startup towards greater achievements. Embrace this chance to revolutionize your leadership strategy and drive your business forward. About the Speaker Scott Ford is cofounder and partner of Zigzag Ventures, a pre-seed venture fund and accelerator program. Using its AI-powered platform -&nbsp;<a href="http://gozigzag.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(106, 106, 142);">gozigzag.com</a>&nbsp;- the team is able to help companies build an entire business validation plan in only 2-3 minutes. Prior to Zigzag, Scott was the COO of Techstars, where under his leadership the organization’s mentorship-driven accelerator footprint expanded to 50+ annual programs in 30+ cities in 13 countries across four continents. The Techstars portfolio grew from &lt;$10B to over $160B during Scott’s tenure. Scott also spent 20+ years in founder and executive roles in several software and technology companies in the US, Europe and Asia. Scott is known for his deep expertise in successfully launching, scaling, leading, and transforming companies. He loves mentoring entrepreneurs, as well as building and coaching high-performance teams. He is also on the faculty of at the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Scott Ford

Cofounder and Partner

6 Steps to Build an Accountable Culture for Startup Excellence

Idea Validation and Market Fit

Benefits of Joining an Accelerator or Incubator

Market Size Estimation: VC vs Founder Perspective

Idea to Reality: Challenges of Finding Product Market Fit

Customer Discovery: How to Find Your Value Proposition

Market Research 

The MVP Blueprint: What Investors Are Looking for in Prototypes

Minimum Viable Product (MVP) Development

Differentiation in a Crowded Market: Finding Your Unique Space

Mapping the Competitive Landscape: Tools and Techniques

Competitive Analysis

Navigating Technology Shifts

Strategies to Future-Proof Your Startup Against Tech Disruptions

Case Study: Companies That Successfully Pivoted Amidst Tech Changes

Adapting to Market Disruptions

AI, Quantum, and Beyond: Deciphering the Next Big Tech Waves

Emerging Technologies & Their Impact

Fundraising and Capital

Seed Funding Round Best Practices

How VCs Think and How to Speak Their Language

Angel Investors: Finding Them and Winning Them Over

Financial Planning for the Early-Stage Startup

What's a Venture Studio and Should You Join One?

Understanding the SAFE Agreement for the US and Overseas Investors

Seed Stage Investment Structures

Seed Funding Strategies

Decoding the Series A: Expectations and Preparations

Investor Relations: Maintaining Healthy Communication

Post-Funding: Managing Capital Efficiently and Ethically

Series A: How to raise from an institutional investor and not leave millions on the table

Series A, B, C (and beyond) Rounds

Term Sheets Decoded: Clauses, Implications, and More

Ensuring a Fair Deal: Equity, Valuation, and Control

Founders' Equity Dilution and Cap Tables

Negotiating Term Sheets

Pitching and Outreach

Anticipating Investor Questions: A Deep Dive

Due Diligence Preparation

Navigating Investor Meetups and Networking Events

Family Office Fundamentals: Strategies for Successful Navigation

The Right Time: When to Approach Venture Capital Investor

The Family Office Playbook: A Blueprint for Strategic Success

Cold Outreach vs. Warm Introductions: Strategies and Etiquette

Targeting and Approaching Investors

The Anatomy of a Winning Pitch

Tailoring Your Deck for Different Investor Types

Visual Storytelling: Making Your Deck Stand Out

Crafting a Compelling Pitch Deck

The Art and Science of Persuasive Speaking

Refining Your Pitch: Feedback and Iteration Strategies

Effective Elevator Pitches

Operational Excellence

Onboarding Best Practices: Integrating New Team Members

Leadership and Management in High-Growth Startups

Hiring for Startups: Finding the Right Fit

Building and Scaling Teams

Operational Efficiency: Tools and Methodologies

Setting up Operational Processes

Forecasting and Budgeting Techniques for Founders

Efficient Cash Flow Management

Growth and Marketing

Scaling Your User Base: Innovative Acquisition Tactics

User Acquisition Strategies

How to Get Media Coverage for Your Startup

Branding and Positioning

Growth Hacking Techniques for Startups

The Science of Scaling: When and How Fast

Scaling User Base

A Deep Dive into the Growth Hacking Mindset

Growth Hacking Techniques

Product Development

Startup Self-Awareness: Uncovering Your Product Development Blind Spots

Agile for Startups: Flexibility and Speed

Agile and Lean Development Methodologies

Mastering the Price Tag: A Guide to Pricing Your Products and Services

From MVP to Scalable Product: The Evolution Process

Product-Market Fit Refinement

Legal and Compliance

Navigating Pre-Seed Company Governance for Success

Startup Incorporation Basics

Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights: What Founders Need to Know

Legal Essentials at Every Business Lifecycle Stage

Protecting Your Startup: Developing Your IP Strategy

Intellectual Property and Patents

International Expansion: Considerations and Hurdles

Regulatory Compliance

Impact, ESG, Diversity Focused Funds

What Is Impact Investing and How to Know if it Suits Your Startup

Harvesting Tomorrow: VC Strategies for Ag, Food, and Climate Tech Innovators

From Idea to Impact: Startup Success in the African Ecosystem

How to Find Your Edge as a Female Founder/Executive

Building the Ultimate Climate Tech Startup: A $4T Opportunity

Leveraging  Academic Opportunities for Your Startup: From Funding to Research

Impact

Mind the Gap: Founders, VCs, and the Mental Health Equation

How to Manage Burnout: A Founder's Guide to Staying Sane

Health

Navigating the Middle Eastern Investment Landscape

Middle East

Networking

Meet the Founder: The Visionary Exchange

Meet the Founders