The Definitive Guide to Peak Startup

Peak Startup

In this Session: Every investor is making decisions based upon a different mandate - in the slew of pitches investors receive, they will quickly look for green flags and red flags. These look different for different fund structures. The more technical or industry-specific a startup is, the more that decks and pitches must be tailored to different fund types. Learn how to decipher which investors you should be speaking to, what they are really looking for and how to customize an effective pitch.&nbsp; About the Speaker:﻿Rachael Ferm is an experienced entrepreneur, advisor, and investor focused on early-stage innovation and climate technology. Her journey in the startup world began as a co-founder of LOUD Apparel at Northwestern, a custom graphic design company that scaled to over 100 college campuses nationwide. After opening facilities in Chicago and Atlanta, Rachael pivoted to management consulting at Accenture, where she led innovation strategy projects for Fortune 100 companies. This work focused on the 5+ year horizon, working on frontier technologies and examining long-term societal trends. Throughout these years, Rachael worked on innovation research projects across various continents. Eager to get closer to founders, Rachael joined Alumni Ventures, the most active VC firm in the country dedicated to democratizing the venture capital asset class for individuals. Alumni Ventures is now the largest institutional fund for retail investors. As an investor, she has developed expertise in climate technologies - an area she is passionate about transforming. She is currently building the NYC chapter of ClimateHack, uniting stakeholders across sectors to make New York a model for climate innovation globally. She is also supporting female entrepreneurs through the Women Entrepreneurship Day Organization, which will be hosted at the UN in November. Through her diverse experiences across the landscape, Rachael brings a valuable strategic perspective to early-stage ventures with world-changing potential. She thrives on uniting people and ideas to drive meaningful progress and a more resilient, equitable and sustainable future.

Somi Arian

Founder-director

Rachael 

Tailoring Your Deck for Different Investor Types

In this Session:﻿Study after study shows that having more women at the table as decision makers leads to higher returns and lower risk for investors. There are inherent gender differences between women and men and these differences make women excellent decision makers and collaborators. Learn how you, as a female founder or executive, can leverage your strengths to grow your startup and excel in your career. About the Speaker: Pooja Eppanapally is a financial services professional passionate about using the power of capital to drive social and environmental change. She has deep experience conducting due diligence on private companies and funds, financial modeling, and valuation. She is currently the Investment Manager at Women of the World Endowment (WoWE), leading the endowment’s public and private investment portfolios. WoWE was created with a bold vision—build a multi-billion dollar endowment, over 10 years to centralize the role of women as economic, environmental, and social changemakers who are tackling big challenges such as climate change, inclusive education, and healthcare access. Pooja started her career as an investment banking analyst at TAP Advisors, where she advised multinational clients in the technology, media, and telecommunications industries on sell-side M&amp;A transactions. After TAP, she joined Nielsen’s Global M&amp;A and Corporate Development team, where she executed acquisitions, divestitures, and strategic partnerships. Pooja received an MBA from University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a B.S. in Business &amp; Political Economy from New York University Stern School of Business.&nbsp;

Pooja Eppanapally

How to Find Your Edge as a Female Founder/Executive

In this Session: Navigate the intricate landscape of term sheets with clarity and confidence. Join an industry expert as she dissects crucial financial and governance terms, demystify market norms, and sheds light on the intricacies of dilution math. Whether you're a budding founder or looking to sharpen your negotiation skills, this session provides invaluable insights to ensure you're well-equipped in your startup journey. Dive deep into the heart of venture capital mechanics and empower your decisions. About the Speaker: Angela Lee is an award-winning professor and former Chief Innovation Officer at Columbia Business School where she teaches venture capital and leadership courses. Angela started her career in product management and then moved to consulting at McKinsey.&nbsp;She has started 4 startups and is also the founder of 37 Angels, an investing network that has evaluated over 20000 startups, invested in 100, and activates new investors through a startup investment bootcamp.&nbsp;She also serves as a venture partner at Fresco Capital, an early-stage venture fund that focuses on the future of work, digital health, and sustainability.&nbsp; Angela has spoken at the White House and NASA and is an expert in teaching online and making learning scalable.&nbsp;She is a sought-after expert on CNBC, Bloomberg TV, MSNBC and Fox Business.&nbsp;She was recognized by Crain’s as a Notable Women in Tech, by Inc. as one of 17 Inspiring Women to Watch, and by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of 6 Innovative Women to Watch.&nbsp;In 2020, she was awarded the Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence at Columbia Business School and she was awarded the Singhvi Prize for Scholarship by the class of 2022.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Term Sheets Decoded: Clauses, Implications, and More

In this Session: When it comes to intellectual property, early-stage founders often aren't sure what to prioritize and what to focus on. This session will help early-stage founders figure out what to spend money on (and where to save!), what to pay attention to immediately, and what they can back-burner in the early stages of their business. Amanda will explain why you should think about your business like a bucket, and how to keep your valuable IP inside the bucket instead of leaking out! Finally, the session will cover a high-level blueprint for how to protect everything you've worked so hard to achieve. About the Speaker: Amanda Heyman is co-founder and Managing Partner of Tundra Ventures, an early-stage venture fund investing in pre-seed founders whose extraordinary lived experiences unlock unique insight into untapped software, healthcare, and consumer markets. Amanda also served as a Founding Partner at Lunar Startups, a Twin Cities-based accelerator designed to supercharge high-potential startup companies founded by new majority CEOs. In addition to her decade of experience as an attorney for startups, Amanda co-founded a global sports technology company for soccer fans, served as an international legal consultant for the United Nations, and was named a 2021 and 2020 Minnesota Rising Star by Super Lawyers/Thomson Reuters.&nbsp;Amanda started her career as a newspaper reporter in Wisconsin and New Mexico; she holds a B.S. in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.

Amanda Heyman

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

In this Session: In this workshop we explore the core principles of Agile product development, defining what Agile means at MTP. We explain how to master the crucial balance needed to design and build a flexible, high-quality MVP within budget and time constraints. We’ll discuss the nuances of inhouse vs. offshore technical teams and explain how to empower and leverage your audience for post-MVP platform enhancements. We’ll also share experiences drawn from our portfolio companies with some practical lessons learned highlighting both successes and setbacks. This session goes beyond success stories, offering a grounded guide for navigating the startup landscape, addressing regret costs and outlining strategies for future-proofing your venture. About the Speaker: Ali Karimi is the CEO of Mayfair Technology Partners (MTP), Ali brings his extensive expertise in working with and building early stage digital ventures from concept to later series funding rounds. His comprehensive understanding of the start-up landscape, coupled with his strategic mindset, allows him to identify promising opportunities and guide them towards exceptional growth.Ali is a visionary entrepreneur and the driving force behind MTP. With a decade of experience at the intersection of venture capital and early stage businesses, Ali identified a critical gap in the ecosystem: the efficient utilisation of investment capital to deliver innovative technical products and platforms.Throughout his career, Ali has demonstrated a remarkable ability to secure funding for ventures and leverage world class technology to fuel their success. He has a proven track record of identifying disruptive business models, assembling talented teams, and creating a supportive environment for innovation to flourish. Ali's passion for entrepreneurship and his commitment to fostering technological advancements have been instrumental in MTP's success. He has a keen eye for identifying exceptional digital ventures with the potential to revolutionise their industries. Under his leadership, MTP has become a prominent player in the tech sector, known for their ability to identify and support ground breaking start-ups.

Ali Karimi

Agile for Startups: Flexibility and Speed

In this Session: You'll gain invaluable insights on honing your pitch to perfection. Learn how to leverage feedback effectively and employ iterative strategies to refine your message and captivate potential investors. Whether you're preparing for a pitch competition or seeking funding, this session will equip you with the tools to stand out in the startup landscape. Don't miss this opportunity to take your pitch to the next level and propel your startup toward success. Join us and sharpen your pitch for maximum impact! About the Speaker: Lauren Reeves is an early stage investor at MGV. Previously engineered things at Alto Pharmacy, Postmates, BlackRock. Strong believer that our world needs new ideas and great people exploring them.

Refining Your Pitch: Feedback and Iteration Strategies

In this Session: When taking early stage investments, many entrepreneurs have questions on how to structure those investments.&nbsp;What is the company worth?&nbsp;How much of the company should they give up?&nbsp;How does equity work?&nbsp;How can I carve out ownership for early hires?&nbsp;How these early investments are structured can have a huge (and sometimes painful) impact on future investment and the success of the company.&nbsp;This session will discuss different structures as well as recommending a structure for these “seed stage investments”. - BENEFITS OF ATTENDING:<ul><li class="ql-indent-1">Understanding of how early stage deals can be structured.</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Understanding of how basic capitalization tables are calculated.</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Understanding of pros and cons of different structures.</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Understanding of possible pitfalls and future issues with structures up front.</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Recommendation on a simple, clean, standard structure that will be fair to investors and the entrepreneur that will be easily accepted by future institutional investors.</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Goal is to understand the standard structure for early stage investments and the basic math behind it.</li></ul> About the Speaker: Bob Gillespie is a serial entrepreneur bringing over 30 years of experience in technology, leadership, operations and finance to his role as Managing Partner of the REACH Commercial program. He has worked extensively with well over 100 companies, with his mentorship and network connections leading to new customers, partnerships and venture funding for the participating companies. Prior to joining the SCV/REACH team, Bob served as the Executive Director of The Elmspring Accelerator, a real estate technology accelerator. Bob also has deep entrepreneurial experience as an operator as a founder and/or executive at InContext Solutions, Conference Software Solutions and Old Republic Credit Services. Bob has his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with concentrations in Entrepreneurship, Strategy and Finance. Bob loves history, is an avid reader and passionate traveler. He is more than 2/3 of the way to his goal of visiting at least 100 countries.

Bob Gillespie

Funding, Investment Structures, Cap Tables, Governance, Pitch Coaching

Seed Stage Investment Structures

In this Session: Join us for essential insights on crafting winning sales strategies, building high-performance teams, and navigating the sales funnel. Discover scaling tactics, funding opportunities, and success stories from accomplished founders. Network, connect with potential mentors and investors, and gain the tools needed to propel your startup toward revenue growth. About the Speaker: Aryuna Merdygeeva is a venture partner and a former co-founder of a venture backed company. Aryuna is an advisor at early stage companies on such topics like sales, fundraising, and go-to-market strategies. Prior to that, she was in corporate finance managing 35 departments in Russia, and after moving to the US she was supervising international teams in enterprise sales working with Fortune 500 companies.&nbsp; Fun fact: Aryuna is a native Siberian, who is passionate about wellbeing and social impact.

How to Get to Revenue and Build Your Sales Pipeline

In this Session: Information will be added shortly. About the Speaker: Senofer Mendoza

Strategies to Future-Proof Your Startup Against Tech Disruptions

In this Session: Information will be added shortly. About the Speaker: Michael Trajkovic

Market Size Estimation: VC vs Founder Perspective

In this Session: Early stage fundraising and venture capital investing are both akin to exploring uncharted territory. Startups at this phase often face uncertainties about market dynamics, product-market fit, and scalability. For investors, deciphering the potential success of a startup amid these uncertainties is challenging and MVPs become one of the guiding stars for investors. A well-crafted MVP serves as a tangible manifestation of a startup's core concept and gives investors a glimpse into the future. It helps in tangible validation, showcasing how the product could address a real world need. In this session we will learn about what it takes to build a stellar MVP that serves its purpose of being the foundation of your product. We will also learn about things that early stage investors are looking for in these MVPs and how founders can incorporate them. About the Speaker: Vishishta Rakesh is a Principal at Punch Capital, which is a pre-seed and seed VC fund based in the US focussed on investing in the best immigrant founders. He has been in the early stage emerging technology investments space for over four years now, working across Europe and Southeast Asia. In addition, Vishishta is also a startup mentor for Alchemist Accelerator and Startup Stairs, India. He also leads the Venture Initiatives arm of CEMS Entrepreneurs which is the entrepreneurship and venture community of 35 top business&nbsp;schools globally,&nbsp;including the likes of Cornell, HEC Paris, London School of Economics, etc. Before entering the venture capital space, Vishishta has worked with Sony Pictures and FeedBackApp, Canada. Additionally, he has been an entrepreneur founding and exiting his hyperlocal logistics startup in India at the age of 22. Vishishta has lived in three countries, speaks four languages and holds an MSc Management + CEMS Masters in International Management degree from National University of Singapore and HEC Paris.

Vishishta Rakesh

The MVP Blueprint: What Investors Are Looking for in Prototypes

In this Session: Information will be added shortly. About the Speaker: Marco Gullà

How to Pitch to a Family Office

In this Session: As the startup ecosystem continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, staying ahead of the curve is essential for success. Whether you're just beginning your entrepreneurial journey or looking to scale your existing venture, this event will provide invaluable insights into the latest trends shaping the world of incubators and accelerators. Discover the strategies that are driving success in the world's leading incubators and accelerators, and gain a competitive edge by understanding the key trends that will define the entrepreneurial landscape in 2024. About the Speaker: Connie Weisman, Ankit Buti and Somi Arian. More upcoming panelists will be added.

Incubator/Accelerator Trends for 2024

In this Session: Information will be added shortly. About the Speaker: Kevin Tan

The Family Office Playbook: A Blueprint for Strategic Success

In this Session: Information will be added shortly. About the Speaker: Jenny Chao

How to Get Media Coverage for Your Startup

UPCOMING EVENTS

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