NAVY Launch Private Capital Forum - Palo Alto, CA

PALO ALTO, CA EVENT--CAPITAL FOR GROWTH: GOVERNANCE, EXIT READINESS, AND CASE STUDIES AGENDA 12:20 PM to 12:50 PM – Check-In 12:50 PM to 1:00 PM – Opening Remarks and Welcome 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM –Case Studies: Failures and Successes from Companies Who Once Sat in Your Shoes This panel features candid case studies from companies that have navigated key growth and capital inflection points. Panelists share lessons learned from both successes and setbacks, highlighting how different capital decisions shaped their trajectories. The discussion reinforces that there is no single path to growth or exit, only informed tradeoffs. 2:00 PM to 2:15 PM – Break 2:15 PM to 3:15 PM –Exit Mechanics: How Buyers Evaluate You (PE, Strategic, Equity Investors) This panel offers a practical look at how strategic buyers, private equity firms, and late-stage investors assess companies for acquisition. Panelists discuss how buyers evaluate risk, determine valuation, and assess integration readiness. The focus is on what makes a company truly “sellable” from the buyer’s perspective. 3:15 PM to 3:30 PM – Break 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM –Investor Perspective: Exit Readiness for Dual-Use Companies In this panel-style conversation with an experienced investor, the discussion focuses on how companies prepare for long-term outcomes well before an exit is imminent. Panelists explore how M&A strategy influences product and capital decisions, common signals that a company is, or isn’t, building toward a real exit, and how early choices align with later-stage options such as acquisitions, IPOs, or secondaries. ​4:30 PM to 4:45 PM – Break 4:45 PM to 5:15 PM – Navy SBIR Innovation Spotlights