03
Sep
Thu
in-person
Why Startup Pilots Stall - And How Founders Close Them, Marisa Warren, ALIAVIA Ventures
Most advice about enterprise sales stops at "get the pilot." This starts there.
For one hour, we'll work through a real founder's live pilot - scope, price, milestones, the stakeholders who haven't said yes yet - with someone who has closed complex enterprise deals and watched dozens of portfolio companies try to convert their first ones. Not a case study. A deal that's on the table right now.
The operator: Marisa Warren, Founder and Managing Partner of ALIAVIA Ventures, brings 26+ years in tech as an operator, board member and investor. At SAP she built the Partner Sales Academy, growing the customer base from 140 to 850 in three years; at Microsoft she built the Partner Development Centre for Australia and Southeast Asia. She also founded ELEVACAO, whose 175 women founders have raised $120M+ with five exits. She has sat on both sides of the table - signing the deals, and funding the founders trying to close them.
What you'll get:
A live walkthrough of a real pilot — how it's scoped, priced and structured
Why pilots stall, and what separates one that converts from one that quietly dies
How to discount without giving it away
Getting past the people who can say no but never yes
Open Q&A: bring your own stuck deal
Whether you're negotiating your first pilot or watching one go quiet, this is the conversation that usually happens behind closed doors.
Speaker
“
Marisa Warren
Founder & Managing Partner. ALIAVIA Ventures.
Marisa has more than 26 years experience in tech as a VC investor, board member and operator working for companies like SAP, Microsoft and Workday. As Founder and Managing Partner of ALIAVIA Ventures and Founder of ELEVACAO, Marisa invests in female founded tech startups across the U.S. and Australia. Investments include; Loupe (Exit to Stingray (TSX: RAY.A; RAY.B)), Neighbourlytics (Exit to ASX:REA), InsightWise, Human Health, GoFigr, HowToo, Eugene, Othelia, Digiphy and Ginko.
Beginning her career in enterprise software sales in 2001, Marisa went on to build the Microsoft Partner Development Centre for Australia and Southeast Asia. Marisa was responsible for building the business from concept to facilitating programs for the Microsoft Dynamics partners that focused on accelerating business growth and profitability. Marisa's efforts resulted in customer acquisition targets exceeding 230% and received the Microsoft Global Best-Practice award.
Whilst managing the Southern Region channel business at SAP Australia, Marisa conceptualized and built the SAP Partner Sales Academy, a program supporting partners to source, train and deploy SAP-qualified and revenue-ready salespeople into the channel. Marisa's efforts resulted in receiving an Innovation Excellence Award for developing the SAP Sales Academy program, growing the customer base from 140 to 850 in 3 years and a 100% Sales Club Award.
Marisa left big corporate in 2015 to pursue her passion for early-stage businesses. Whilst living in New York, Marisa founded ELEVACAO a global pre-accelerator for women tech founders. Fast forward to today and ELEVACAO has empowered 175 women across the U.S. and Australia, who have raised $120m+ and produced 5 Exits.
In 2020, Marisa co-founded ALIAVIA Ventures, a California-based venture capital firm investing in early-stage female founders building world-changing technology companies in the United States and Australia.
Marisa frequently speaks at events as MC, keynote speaker, judge or moderator, including; SXSW Austin & Sydney, TechCrunch Disrupt New York and San Francisco, Startup Grind APAC, Microsoft, Dreamforce, SAP, Macquarie Bank, Commonwealth Bank, CISCO, Australia-Japan Business Conference, Mums & Co an IAG business, FIRST Robotics, Harvard Club NYC.
01
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.
02
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.
03
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.
04
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.
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