Story as Strategy: How Founders Win Hearts, Funding, and Exits

Name: Story as Strategy: How Founders Win Hearts, Funding, and Exits
Start: 2026-05-07 16:00:00
End: 2026-05-07 19:00:00
Location: Story as Strategy: How Founders Win Hearts, Funding, and Exits

As a first-time female founder in a B2C impact marketplace, the odds weren't exactly stacked in Laura's favor. What carried Give InKind from a bootstrapped startup to a $3.3M raise and ultimate acquisition wasn't just traction — it was story.

This session unpacks the storytelling strategy behind building a company from a deeply personal moment of loss into a platform that investors, customers, and acquirers couldn't say no to.

What we'll cover:

Why storytelling is a strategic weapon, not a soft skill — and how to wield it at every stage of your company's growth
How to thread the needle between selling a bold vision and the reality of where you are today — without losing credibility
How to reframe what you (or the market) see as shortcomings into signals of conviction, insight, and resilience
How to create genuine enthusiasm that turns skeptics into funders, customers into evangelists, and conversations into deals

What you'll walk away with: A new way of thinking about the stories you're already telling — and the confidence to tell them more deliberately.

Speaker

“

Laura Malcolm

Founder & President.

Laura Malcolm is the Founder and President of Give InKind, a modern platform for coordinating support through major life events. Drawing on her product management background, Laura saw a gap in how friends, families, and communities show up for one another during life's hardest moments — and built a better way. Launched in 2016, Give InKind combines a Care Calendar, Wishlist, Crowdfunding, and Updates into one seamless support tool.

Laura bootstrapped Give InKind for three years, including relocating her family internationally twice to work alongside her development team, before raising $3.3M from leading Pacific Northwest investors including Madrona, Trilogy, Graham & Walker, and the Alliance of Angels. In December 2022, Give InKind was acquired by Pittsburgh-based Wolfe.com, where Laura continues to lead and grow the platform. She lives in Tacoma with her two young sons.

May

Thu

in-person

WHERE
Seattle, WA
WHEN
11:00 PM - 2:00 AM
SPEAKER
Laura Malcolm

You must be Pre-Qualified to Register

Apply Now

all founders,
not just ceo

People inclined to be Founders are a rare breed, and are hard to spot in society. We welcome ALL Founders, regardless of role, and generate proprietary profiles for every member so you can easily find your next team member or co-Founder.

current founders

Regardless of where you are on your journey, Founders share a unique set of challenges. Hiring, leadership, managing investors, developing products, handling customer issues, external communications, etc. This community exists to amplify your success.

TRANSITIONING FOUNDERS

So you’ve founded at least one company, and now you’re looking to refine your next great idea or find the perfect co-founder. Share and learn from a wide array of talented Founders in your area.

CURIOUS FOUNDERS

Congratulations! You’ve found success as a Founder and are now getting curious about doing it again. Now you need to find the right idea and co-founder to excite you. Share your wisdom and passion while forming new bonds within the startup ecosystem in your area.

To Pre-Qualify for participation, please fill out an application