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Discover Opportunities:

Sessions for Venture-Scale Founders

3 Available

expert

Pitch Deck Teardown LIVE: A Real VC Reviews a Real Founder's Deck

03

August

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Zoom
Yoko Okano
Most pitch deck advice is generic. This isn't.

For one hour, you'll watch a seasoned VC open up a real founder's actual pitch deck - slide by slide - and react the way she would in a real partner meeting. No hypotheticals, no polished "after" version. Just an honest, live teardown of a deck that's out in the world right now.

The VC: Yoko Okano is the Founding Partner of First Row Partners, a women-led pre-seed firm in Seattle backing tech startups that empower individuals through technology. A former Google product leader and Stanford grad, she writes some of the first checks into companies and has seen countless decks from both sides of the table. She invests at the earliest, hardest stage to fund - where the story matters as much as the numbers.

What you'll get:

  • A live, slide-by-slide review of a real seed-stage deck
  • What a VC actually looks for - and what makes them lose interest
  • The difference between a slide that "works" and one that raises questions
  • Open Q&A: bring your own deck questions and pitch challenges

Whether you're actively fundraising, refining your story, or just want to understand how investors really read a deck, this is a rare look behind the curtain.

expert

Finding Your First Check: Angel & Pre-Seed Capital

05

August

8:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Zoom
Jonathan Azoff
This is a working session on early-stage capital strategy, led by Jonathan Azoff, Co-founder & General Partner at Snocap VC, whose focus areas include Venture Capital and Deeptech & Climate.

The conversation will cover how early-stage founders can identify and reach the right angel and pre-seed investors, what a credible pitch and materials package looks like at this stage, and how founders, including those building in deeptech and climate-adjacent categories,  should think about approaching their first outside raise.

Expect a practical, working-room format focused on the specific capital questions founders bring into the room, not a general lecture on fundraising.

expert

Turning early traction into a repeatable sales motion

10

August

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Zoom
Mike Pinkel
From First Sales to a Selling Machine

You closed your first customers on hustle alone, but you're still the entire sales team. Join FounderNexus and Mike Pinkel of the P.S.I. Selling community for a fast, focused session built for founders who do their own selling.

We'll cover the four challenges every founder-seller hits:

  • Turning early wins into a repeatable sales motion
  • Moving upmarket without breaking what works
  • Sharpening your pitch and differentiation
  • Building a sales process one person can run solo

Leave with concrete moves you can make the next day. Bring your hardest sales question — Mike's here to answer it.

I can say with confidence that I get far more value from FounderNexus than the cost of the membership, and I'm not even taking full advantage!

Steve Tout

founder, Identient

I really loved how welcoming the vibe felt from the moment I arrived.

Katrina Romatowski

founder, reSpace

It was awesome.

Edan Shahar

founder, Wild Zebra

The session was great! Highlight: Encouragement of diverse viewpoints and good founder mix.

Darian Parrish

founder, PwrOn

I think the breakout sessions are a loose but useful way to get people talking about challenges and resolutions.

Mark Fiebig

founder, Payscore

I was initially hesitant to join yet another group as there is no shortage of people claiming to help entrepreneurs, but Court Lorenzini and FounderNexus are the real deal. Any serious founder will benefit immensely from joining FounderNexus.

Jasper Kuria

co-founder, ConversionMagic

Great session, I learned a lot! Looking forward to the next one.

Shama Keskar

founder, Mudita Studios

FounderNexus fills a gap for entrepreneurs by complementing traditional incubator and early investment programs with a high-quality peer founder network.

Bob Lach

founder, Lightbridge Solutions

I also felt a sense of real community for the first time as a founder. You're all onto something special here!

Elias DeFaria

co-founder, SDF Labs

This was a fast track to relevant experience/advice in a room where you hold nothing back.

Nicole Resch

Co-founder, Imperative

I have attended sessions nationwide and joined so-called “MasterMind” groups, but nothing comes close to the network and support I have experienced at FounderNexus.

Arthur Baranovskiy

co-founder, ARY Engineering