Pitch Practice with fnInvestor Lars Leckie (April 23, 2025)
Virtual · Zoom
Scale, Lead & Lifetime Members Only:
Watch, Pitch, Learn: Join fnInvestor Lars Leckie, Managing Director at Aspenwood Ventures, for a virtual pitch practice where you’ll have an invaluable opportunity to fine-tune your pitch, learn from the investor’s perspective, and potentially open the door for further conversations.
Key Event Details:
- Pitching Opportunity:
- RSVP & Selection: While RSVPing is necessary, spots are not guaranteed. Only three founders (Scale, Lead & Lifetime Members) will be selected based on criteria set by the investor. The selection will happen a week before the event.
- Pitch Format: Each selected founder will have three minutes to pitch their startup. This is your chance to deliver a concise, impactful pitch—essentially an "extended elevator pitch." Time is limited, so make sure you focus on the core elements of your startup’s story, value, and vision.
- Mandatory Dry Run Requirement: Before the event, you'll need to complete a dry run of your pitch with Patricia Liu, a pitch deck expert and startup advisor. This is a critical step to ensure you're prepared and confident going into the pitch practice session.
- Feedback: After each pitch, you will receive five minutes of feedback (3mins from the investor, 1min from Kevin Holmes, and 1min from one of your peers). Take notes and ask clarifying questions, as this could provide invaluable insights for refining your pitch moving forward.
- Post-Event Follow-Up:
- If there’s mutual interest, you may have the opportunity to connect with the guest investor to dive deeper into your pitch and explore potential next steps with your startup.
- Not Ready to Pitch?:
- Even if you’re not ready to pitch, you can still join the session as an observer. This is a great opportunity to watch, learn, and ask questions. You can gain insights from the feedback provided to others, and have the chance to engage directly with the investor.
How to Participate:
- The pitching opportunity is for Scale, Lead and Lifetime members only, while Launch is able to be a spectator (watch).
- RSVP to secure your spot (although not guaranteed to pitch, you’ll still be able to watch and learn).
- Prepare for the dry run with Patricia Liu beforehand to refine your pitch.
- If selected, pitch and get feedback from the featured fnInvestor.
- Kindly review the 3-Minute Pitch Guide for a comprehensive understanding of the process.
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Investment Criteria:
- Invests in: Pre-seed to Series A investments
- Sectors: B2B software companies
- Investment Location: Primarily in the United States, with a concentration in San Francisco
Lars Leckie is a Managing Director at Aspenwood Ventures, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm that leads pre-seed to Series A investments in B2B software companies. With a strong foundation in both engineering and business, Lars brings a deep understanding of technology and entrepreneurship to his role.
Before joining Aspenwood, Lars co-founded AutoFarm (now Novariant), a GPS and robotics company, where he was responsible for strategy, product marketing, business development, and building the sales team across three continents. Lars began his career as a technical entrepreneur, coding and hacking computer games, and holds several U.S. patents.
Lars holds a Master of Science in Engineering from Stanford University, an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and an Engineering Physics degree (with Honors) from Queen’s University. He has also served on the boards of SIIA (Software Information Industry Association) Piston, PLUMgrid, and is a founding charter member and former co-chair of the C100 (Canadians in Silicon Valley).
About Patricia Liu:
Patricia Liu teaches courses at Stanford Continuing Studies and Stanford Health Care on startup pitch decks and presentations. Her pitch deck and presentation clients include early-stage startups to Fortune 100 companies. Patricia is an angel investor and serves on the MIT NorCal Angels selection committee. She worked at Accenture, consulting to Fortune 500 clients, before pursuing an interest in the culinary profession that led her to the test kitchen at the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group. Patricia received a BS and an MEng in computer science from MIT.
Confidentiality Reminder
All information shared within Founders Network is strictly confidential. We are built on a foundation of trust, and the community takes confidentiality seriously. Investors, members, and staff all share experiences and opinions off the record. In this roundtable forum, we continue to model our fnValues of Reciprocity, Humility, Authenticity and Inclusivity.
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