To Raise or Not to Raise? 2024 Fundraising Learn & Mingle (April 17, 2024)

Join us for an engaging evening of insights and networking brought to you by Founders Network SV and Nordic Innovation House.

📅 Date: April 17th

⏰ Time: 5:30 PM - 9:00 PM PT

Agenda:

5:30 PM - 7:00 PM: Networking, Drinks, and Hors d'oeuvres

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Panel Discussion: To Raise or Not to Raise? 2024 Fundraising Landscape

Featuring:

• Alita Carbone, Investor, Impact Science Ventures
• Nishant Singh, Investor, Playground Global
• Leonardo Rocchetti, Investor, Plug and Play Tech Center
• Brian Wei, Associate, BMW i Ventures
• Lior Klisman, Founder of Sentant
• Sophie Alcorn, Founder of Alcorn

8:00 PM - 9:00 PM: Networking Mingle

Come mingle with industry experts, entrepreneurs, investors, and like-minded individuals in the startup ecosystem. Whether you're considering fundraising or navigating the investment landscape, this event promises valuable insights and connections.

RSVP Now to Secure Your Spot!

About the Speakers:

• Alita Carbone invests in, builds, and operates high-impact early-stage climate and sustainable technology companies rooted in innovative science. She is an Investor at Impact Science Ventures and serves as Senior Director of Corporate Development & Strategy at Claros Technologies, an early-stage deep-tech start-up spun out from the University of Minnesota harnessing green chemistry and advanced materials science to solve our global PFAS pollution water crises. Growing up in a diverse family, Alita is dedicated to using finance and responsible investment to reimagine businesses and economies that are regenerative, sustainable, and inclusive.
• Nishant Singh is a Venture Investor at Playground Global, a venture firm that partners with entrepreneurs working at the intersection of atoms, bits, and AI. While at Playground and Bain, he has supported cutting-edge startups and Fortune 500 companies across finance, technology, logistics and other pivotal sectors. His focus is translating the latest developments in emerging technologies (ex. AI/ML) to the tangible applications that resonate with customers. Playground Global is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in entrepreneurs who have developed breakthroughs in frontier technologies that will transform existing industries and create entirely new verticals across deep tech and science, including automation, infrastructure, engineered biology, and decarbonization — all underpinned by the next generation of compute.
• Leonardo Rocchetti is an Early Stage Investor at Plug and Play Ventures, the ultimate innovation platform. Their mission is to build the world’s leading innovation platform and make innovation open to anyone, anywhere. They do this by connecting entrepreneurs, corporations, and investors worldwide. Over the past 15 years, they have brought together 35,000+ startups, 500+ world-leading corporations, and hundreds of venture capital firms, universities, and government agencies across 20+ industries. They are active in 50+ locations globally, including the U.S., China, France, Germany, South Africa, Singapore, Indonesia, Brazil, and more.
• Brian Wei is an Associate at BMW i Ventures, a venture capital fund that invests in early to growth-stage companies defining the future of automotive, sustainability, manufacturing, and supply chain. He focuses on supporting entrepreneurs who innovate across B2B application and infrastructure software, industrial automation, and sustainability. Prior to BMW i Ventures, Brian was a strategy consultant at KPMG Strategy where he provided growth strategy and M&A due diligence for clients across cloud computing, fintech, and telecommunications. He received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard with a concentration in statistics.
• Lior Klisman is a serial entrepreneur, seasoned business operator, and early-stage startup advisor. His recent accomplishment includes leading his bootstrapped IT, security, and compliance firm, Sentant, to a successful acquisition. Collaborating with numerous companies and organizations, including government bodies, financial institutions, regulatory agencies, Fortune 500 companies, and startups of all sizes, Lior has gained a unique "behind the scenes" understanding of the entire startup ecosystem. Notable companies like Airtable, Webflow, DocSend, and VC firms such as Andreessen Horowitz and NFX have been part of his portfolio.

• Sophie Alcorn is the founder of Alcorn Immigration Law, supporting top global founders to live and work legally in the United States and build their startups. The bestselling author of Ask Sophie™: the Founder's Guide to Visas and Green Cards, and host of the Sophie Alcorn Podcast, Sophie is also a startup advisor and a Certified Specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law by the State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization.

Confidentiality Policy:

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.