Somi Arian

The Definitive Guide to Peak Startup

Peak Startup

In this Session:Aravinda Seshadri and Michael Young will give us an interactive and informative workshop, who will coach you through not just the investor ‘pitch,’ but developing a comprehensive strategy to make your company stand out to investors, so you can secure the capital you need to scale. "Pitch Perfect: Maximizing Your Appeal to Investors" is an essential session for entrepreneurs who are preparing to step into the competitive arena of fundraising. Event HighlightsGood Ideas vs Great Ideas: There are lots of very good start-up ideas that could end up being profitable, but never excite investors—learn what separates those ‘ok’ ideas from ideas where venture capitalists understand your full scaling potential, making you a magnet for term sheets. Building a Team: Borrowing on their decades of experience, these experts will walk you through some lesser-known ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ when it comes to working with co-founders, advisors, and other strategic partners—and how all of that translates into making your company more investable.&nbsp;Clean Your Room: Having your house in order on the business and legal front is important, not only for the obvious reasons, but because of what it signals to sophisticated investors.&nbsp;We’ll talk about common errors, how to prevent them, what to expect in investor due diligence, and how and when to get legal counsel involved.&nbsp;80/20 to Victory: Startup founders get pulled in many directions and it can be easy to get bogged down in ‘urgent’ (but low impact) activities, while neglecting some time-honored practices that can help you slowly, but surely, build a powerful network that you can leverage for financing, customer acquisition, talent retention, and even exits. Pitch Perfect: Much has been said about the art of the pitch; there’s some great (and not-so-great) advice out there.&nbsp;We’ll break down the tips that we’ve found the most impactful and help dispel some prevailing myths about what makes for a powerful investor pitch—from targeting the right investors (at the right time), to tailoring your pitch, to doing just the right kind of follow-up, while keeping your morale high. Networking Opportunities: Connect with fellow founders and potential investors during our networking breaks. This is your chance to practice your newly refined pitching skills and perhaps catch the ear of someone who can propel your business forward. About the Speakers: Aravinda Seshadri&nbsp;is the Founding Partner of Venturous Counsel, a uniquely mission-driven firm dedicated to exclusively representing underestimated startups and investors committed to prioritizing diversity in their own organizations, as well as assisting such business to find the right legal partner, to help level the playing field for these startups and investors in terms of access to quality legal counsel. Aravinda received her law degree with distinction from Stanford University Law School and her undergraduate degree with honors in Language and Mind from New York University. She has represented a broad range of startups, entrepreneurs, venture capital firms and public companies, working directly with high-level executives and directors, advising companies and investors in various equity financing structures, M&amp;A transactions, licensing and strategic partnerships, as well as day-to-day counseling. She has worked with companies from formation through financing rounds to acquisition or public offering and been primarily responsible for SEC reporting obligations thereafter. Aravinda has over 15 years' of experience working as outside General Counsel to startups and investors in the startup space such as TaskRabbit, Lyft, Tally, Workato, Wonder Workshop, Felicis Ventures, Rakuten and Hustle Fund. A Super Lawyers Rising Star 2015- 2021. Michael Young is a Managing Partner at Venturous Counsel.&nbsp;He specializes in advising emerging companies and their investors at all stages in a company’s life cycle—from formation to exit.&nbsp;Prior to joining Venturous Counsel, Michael represented startups and investors at Silicon Legal Strategy and at Perkins Coie LLP (where he also did a stint as a commercial litigation attorney).&nbsp;Michael is passionate about empowering clients to realize their vision and navigate the complex startup ecosystem with confidence by offering actionable, bottom-line-oriented advice.&nbsp;His pro bono legal practice is focused on refugee and asylum matters; his latest project is working with Afghan translators and their family members to obtain legal protection in the United States.

Founder-director

Aravinda 

Pitch Perfect: Maximizing Your Appeal to Investors

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