THE DEAL LOUNGE — THE ANGEL INVESTOR ARENA

THE DEAL LOUNGE: PRE-SEED STARTUPS & ANGEL INVESTORS — EDITION 2 The Deal Lounge returns with Pre-Seed Startups & Angel Investors — Edition 2, bringing together high-potential early-stage founders, active angel investors, micro-VCs, family offices, operators, and ecosystem leaders for a full day focused on one thing: Creating real investor follow-up, diligence, and funding opportunities. This is not a traditional pitch competition. It is a curated capital matchmaking experience where founders pitch directly to investors selected based on stage, sector, check size, and investment thesis. At the center of the experience are three live Deal Lounge sessions, featuring some of the strongest pre-seed companies in the ecosystem. Every founder gets five minutes: 2-Minute Founder Pitch3-Minute Investor Q&A Investors then make an immediate decision: PASS • FOLLOW-UP • DEAL ROOM https://www.youtube.com/shorts/PyTmcuhiTwY Founders receiving strong investor interest can advance into private Deal Room conversations designed to move beyond networking and toward diligence, introductions, second meetings, and potential investment. FEATURED INVESTORS Countessina Anna De Bacci, Managing Partner @ De Bacci Capital Countessina Anna De Bacci is the Managing Partner of De Bacci Capital, the private investment platform of the historic De Bacci Noble Family. Based in Dubai and Miami, she leads a global network of 50,000+ investors, VCs, funds, family offices and entrepreneurs, curating exclusive deal flow in finance, tech, healthcare, AI, blockchain, and impact-driven ventures. She is recognized for her legacy-driven leadership and bridging visionary founders with high-intent global capital. Arjun Vad, Founding Partner @ Agencity Arjun has already been investing and operating across frontier technology, personalized medicine, AI fundraising and advanced materials. His portfolio includes CLD-9, Raisi and Mussel Polymers, and before Agencity he worked on engineering and growth at a16z-backed Axal. He’s also studying Computational Mathematics at UCLA and brings a rare mix of technical depth, startup experience and investor perspective to the room. Mike Daley, Alternative Investor @ Q4 Bridges Mike is what we’re calling the King of Due Diligence. With more than 30 years across accounting, tax, insurance, investment funds, public equities, systems optimization and global enterprise work, Mike brings the kind of pattern recognition that only comes from seeing a lot of deals, a lot of companies and a lot of cycles. Mike brings depth, discipline and a very different lens to the Arena. Alena is a serial entrepreneur, VC, growth coach and advisor who works across startups, innovation, AI, technology and fundraising. She brings a strong operator mindset along with an investor’s perspective, which is exactly the kind of combination we want in the room. She also brings years of experience helping founders think bigger, grow faster and navigate what it really takes to build. More Investors announcing soon? Full Event Agenda 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | Arrival, Registration & NetworkingGuests check in, meet founders, investors, partners, and ecosystem leaders, and begin informal conversations before the formal program. 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM | Opening KeynoteA 30-minute keynote focused on founder readiness, fundraising, venture building, or another topic directly useful to startups preparing to engage investors. 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM | Expert Panel DiscussionA moderated discussion featuring the keynote speaker alongside investors, founders, and subject-matter experts. The conversation expands on the keynote with practical examples, different perspectives, and actionable advice. 2:15 PM – 2:30 PM | Audience Q&AAttendees engage directly with the keynote speaker and panelists. Final questions lead into the investment portion of the event. 2:30 PM – 5:00 PM | THE DEAL LOUNGE — ANGEL INVESTOR ARENA 2:30 PM – 2:40 PM | Arena Opening & Investor IntroductionsWelcome from The Deal Lounge, introduction of the Investor Evaluators, explanation of the Arena format, and overview of the three investor decisions: PASS • FOLLOW-UP • DEAL ROOM Every participating founder receives: 2-Minute Founder Pitch3-Minute Investor Q&A HOW THE DEAL LOUNGE WORKS Each founder presents directly to a panel of aligned investors. 5 minutes per company 2-minute founder pitch 3-minute rapid investor Q&A 1 founder in front of 4–6 aligned investors Real-time investor decisions Private Deal Room opportunities Direct follow-up after the event Every investor response is designed to create clarity. PASS Not the right fit right now. FOLLOW-UP The investor wants another conversation, additional information, or an introduction. DEAL ROOM There is enough alignment to immediately continue the conversation in a private investor-founder setting. WHO SHOULD APPLY? PRE-SEED FOUNDERS The Deal Lounge is designed for founders who: Are actively fundraising or preparing to raise Can clearly communicate their company and investment opportunity Have a product, prototype, pilot, customers, users, or measurable market validation Are typically raising approximately $250K–$2M Want direct feedback from active investors Are ready to participate in follow-up and diligence conversations Founders should arrive prepared to clearly explain: What are you building? Why does it matter? Why now? What traction do you have? How much are you raising? What does this capital unlock? WHO SHOULD ATTEND? ANGEL INVESTORS & PRE-SEED FUNDS Ideal participants include: Angel Investors Angel Syndicates Micro-VCs Pre-Seed Funds Family Offices Operator Angels Accelerator Investors Strategic Investors Venture Partners Founders who actively invest Investors receive curated access to startups matched around their investment interests. Instead of sitting through unrelated pitches, investors can quickly evaluate founders within relevant categories and move the strongest opportunities directly into follow-up. WHAT FOUNDERS GET Direct a