Beyond the Technology: What Gets a Lead Investor to Say Yes?

A fundraising workshop for deep tech, defense, robotics, and industrial founders. (Hosted by First Citizens Innovation Banking, formerly Silicon Valley Bank - https://innovation.firstcitizens.com/) Investors may not lead your round even if they believe your technology works, admire the mission, and like the team. What’s missing? Deep tech founders are told to prove the technology, and they do. What almost nobody explains is that the partner who has to lead your round is solving for different issues: they have to write the largest check, set the price, defend that decision to their own partnership, and commit to working with you for the better part of a decade. These decisions get made in a partner meeting after your pitch. This session takes founders inside that room, and gives a behind-the-scenes look at how your company is discussed and evaluated by potential lead investors. The session will be led by Niki Pezeshki, who spent 10+ years at Felicis Ventures. During his time at Felicis, he reviewed 10K+ pitches, invested more than $400M into 40+ companies, served on 20+ boards and helped founders through 100+ financings and ~$8B of follow-on funding. He's actively involved with companies like Crusoe, Radiant Nuclear, Skyways, Vannevar Labs, Distributed Spectrum, and many others. Topics include: What does a potential lead need to believe, and how do they make the case to their partners? How to communicate the scale of the opportunity, the 'why now' and relevant market tailwinds. How to highlight your founder(s)/team and show why you are uniquely positioned to win. How to build conviction by clearly explaining product differentiation, evidence of progress, and the milestones your next round will unlock. Agenda: 5:00pm - 6:00pm: Presentation + Q&A 6:00pm - 7:00pm: Networking, food & drinks