How to Raise VC Funding in Times of Uncertainty?

Free Online Panel Discussion with the best-funded startups and top VCs

Thursday, June 25th, 2020

PDT (San Francisco)
⏰ 9 AM – 11 AM

EDT (New York)
12 PM – 2 PM

CEST (Warsaw)
6 PM – 8 PM

About This Event

 

“The only constant is change” - this statement rings true, at this moment, more than ever and all we can do is to be open to these changes and prepare for them as best we can.

The last few months have been hard due to the COVID pandemic and lockdown, and for many of us, particularly from an economic point of view. But we want to focus on how to make it possible, how and what to do so that funding becomes easier in these times and those to come. That's why we are inviting both sides of the equation to one table - both startups & VCs are invited to share their views, attitudes & knowledge.

Experience exchange is crucial for us, that’s why we’ve set aside 45 minutes just for networking, during which you will be able to talk with other participants and speakers.

At the event we want to talk about how startups and VCs have handled the recent situation - how did they change their operation methods and on what basis they make their decisions. Additionally, we wish to show the possibilities and some good fundraising practices as drawn from examples of startups who have received funds during the pandemic. We also want to discuss any differences between looking for investors in the past and how it’s done now. Even if it is impossible to fully predict the future, we want to show you how you can prepare for it.

For our event, we’ve invited amazing speakers from the most well-funded startups and Venture Capital funds to share their experience and knowledge. Read about them below!

Speakers

 

Natsuki Zihnioglu

Natsuki Zihnioglu
Head of Portfolio Platform at DNX Ventures

Natsuki leads DNX's Portfolio Platform. She joined the firm in 2015 and built the firm's operational process by leveraging her network within a venture world. Since then, she's been focusing on building the firm's portfolio platform team, where she supports early-stage portfolio companies. Before joining DNX, Natsuki was a Marketing & Sales specialist at Nissan Motors HQ in Japan, overseeing the dealerships to increase Nissan's sales volume in the domestic market. Natsuki holds a BA in Sociology from Keio University in Tokyo. As a happy transplant in the Bay Area, Natsuki spends her weekends hiking, running, and discovering great restaurants.

Stephanie Manning Cohen

Stephanie Manning Cohen 
Director of Platform at Lerer Hippeau

Stephanie Manning Cohen is Lerer Hippeau's Director of Platform, working closely with the team and founders to forge community and connections across their portfolio and within the broader New York tech ecosystem. Before joining, Stephanie led talent, events, and community for enterprise tech venture capital firm Work-Bench. She started her career at AppNexus, where she worked on the talent acquisition team and helped grow the company from 300 to 1,100 employees. She graduated from Colgate University, where she studied political science. 

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Nikhil Gopalani
Co-founder and President at Ambition.VC

Nikhil is an entrepreneur, operator & investor in the tech industry. He is currently working on a new project that has raised venture capital during COVID and is continually investing. Prior to this new project, he was the Head of Ops at Tara AI (raised $13 mil and scaled the team to 22) and was the Head of Investment and a founding team member at Republic.co (raised $20 mil and scaled team to 50). At Republic, Nikhil built the investment practice from the ground up and led sales and diligence. Republic has raised over $150 mil on it's platform in Reg CF & Reg D deals since formation. During his time operating and being on the corporate side (at Orange), Nikhil has been running his fund Ambition.vc where he has invested in over 20 companies that have 40X'd revenue (over $750 mil a year total) since when he invested profitably. He is also an LP and angel investor.

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Matt Watson
Founder and CEO at Origin

Matt Watson is the founder and CEO at Origin, a financial wellness platform for employers which has raised $13MM from leading investors to democratize access to holistic financial planning services. Prior to founding Origin, Matt was a founder at Indio Technologies which was acquired in 2019 and worked at Citigroup as a bond trader.

Agenda

 

⏰ Warm-up session 8.45 AM (PDT) | 11.45 PM (EDT) | 5.45 PM (CEST)
15 minutes
15 minutes before the panel begins, we open the gates to give you a chance to meet other attendees and do a bit of networking.

 

⏰ Panel Discussion & QA Session 9 AM (PDT) | 12 PM (EDT) | 6 PM (CEST)
60 minutes
We have invited speakers from VC funds and startups to sit together and talk. You will also have the unique opportunity to ask questions and get answers directly from the panelists. During the panel discussion, our panelists will answer the following questions and more:

❓ What has changed in the fundraising process?
❓ What should startups focus on in 2020 to raise money?
❓ How shall we prepare for months or even years of economic slowdown?

 

⏰ Networking Session 10 AM (PDT) | 1 PM (EDT) | 7 PM (CEST)
45 minutes
After the event, you will have the chance to get in touch with other attendees and speakers.

Register Now

 

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If you have any questions, let me know

Alicja Wójcik

Event Coordinator at Tooploox

alicja.wojcik@tooploox.com