Pitch Practice with fnInvestor Sara Adler (April 30, 2025)
Virtual · Zoom
Scale, Lead & Lifetime Members Only:
Watch, Pitch, Learn: Join fnInvestor Sara Adler, General Partner at Wave Capital, 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.
---------
Investment Criteria:
- Invests in: Seed-stage technology startups with a clear mission and strong founding teams
- Sectors: Marketplaces
- Investment Location: Primarily in the United States, with a concentration in San Francisco
Sara Adler is a General Partner at Wave Capital with over a decade of experience in corporate development and venture capital. She has a deep understanding of the technology sector and has played a pivotal role in the growth of some of the world's most successful companies.
Sara began her career as an analyst at JPMorgan in the equity capital markets group before moving to Menlo Ventures, where she evaluated early and late-stage investment opportunities across the technology sector. In 2009, she joined Facebook as Manager of Corporate Development, overseeing the company’s M&A activities.
In 2013, Sara transitioned to Dropbox as Head of Corporate Development - M&A, where she led the company’s acquisition efforts and contributed to its expansion from a startup to a billion-dollar business. She later joined Airbnb in 2015 as Head of Corporate Development, helping drive the company’s global expansion and strategic growth initiatives.
Sara holds a B.A. in Economics and French from the University of California, Berkeley.
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.
This event has already happened
Missed it? See what's coming up next.
Browse upcoming events