Raising Your First Venture Round

Join us June 21st for Stacklist's Founder Insight Series at Free Agency. The evening will be focused on startups raising angel or venture capital! Our speakers will share advice and tools for navigating the funding environment. Stick around after the panel for Q&A, networking and ??.

Raising seed or venture money is a new skill set for most first-time founders. It’s the linchpin to growing your company, but can feel out of reach because you don’t know the right investors, you’re not sure what the right investors want to see from you, a valuation feels about as easy as pinning, you have no clue what metrics will matter when an investor is reading your deck, the market is ?, you’re an outsider in what feels like an insidery game ... and the jargon … how much is a seed round anyway (?!), you really have no idea what makes venture different from any other asset class and valuations seem about as rock-solid as a marshmallow.

How to find the right investors: We'll talk about how to identify and diligence the investors who will be a fit for your startup, and the best ways to research the nuanced differences among investors - like the size of the checks the write, their industry preferences and what stage of a company interests them most.

What a fundraising process looks like: How long should you expect the process to take? And what are the critical steps?

What matters to investors: Ok, you're pitching the next unicorn - and you're selling yourself. So how will you make both compelling to investors? You'll do it through your deck, your elevator pitch, your interview and your communication throughout. We'll talk about the best ways to articulate the story of your business and assure investors that you are the best person in the world to be building it.

Venture versus other funding sources: Venture is an outstanding match for some startups, but not all. We'll talk about the pros and cons of the high risk / high reward nature of the venture capital route. We'll also discuss the longterm implications of the decision - including expectations of raising more money.

Stacklist's Founder Insight Series is the NYC's popular event series for early-stage founders. We host regular panels, talks and interviews about topics that are critical to early-stage startups. Stacklist curates each event to ensure all attendees gain tools they can implement immediately and strategies they'll use forever.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Free Agency, 16 W 22nd Street, New York, United States