Women's Venture Summit 2026
Monday, November 2, 2026 5:00 PM PST – Thursday, November 5, 2026 6:30 PM PST
Cooley & Joya Kitchen · 10265 Science Center Dr, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
Hosted by Women's Venture Summit
Funded in part with City of San Diego Tourism Marketing District Assessment Funds Women’s Venture Summit brings founders and investors together to expand access to capital for women-led startups. Now in its 13th year, WVS has helped facilitate more than $200 million in fundraising by creating the knowledge, relationships, and opportunities that move companies—and capital—forward. WVS 2026 brings female founders, investors, and leaders from across the venture ecosystem together in San Diego for 3+ days of candid conversations, meaningful introductions, hands-on education, and dealmaking. Whether you're raising your next round, preparing to write your first check, expanding your investor network, or looking for the people who can help accelerate your next stage of growth, WVS is designed to put you in the room with people you need to know. Your WVS Experience Includes 3+ days of WVS programming and networking Founder and investor speed meetings and matchmaking 40+ breakout sessions, workshops, panels, and masterclasses Keynotes, fireside conversations, a live pitch competition, and an interactive due diligence experience Four programming tracks designed for early-stage founders, scaling founders, new angel investors, and experienced venture investors Daily breakfast, lunch, beverages, and snacks Collaborative SDSW x WVS Roundtable Afternoon WVS Closing Party Curated attendee gift bag Access to hundreds of founders, investors, speakers, and venture ecosystem leaders VIP Experience VIP attendees receive everything included with General Admission, plus: Invitation to the VIP Kickoff Party on Monday evening with investors, sponsors, speakers, and WFP finalists Front-row seating for mainstage programming Premium VIP gift bag Early access to select bonus programming, including private dinners, LP/GP events, and other opportunities Premium matching during the SDSW x WVS Roundtable Afternoon Programming WVS programming combines stage-specific education with intentional connection. Across four tracks, attendees can participate in keynotes, workshops, panels, networking, founder-investor matchmaking, one-on-one meetings, masterclasses, and select Startup Week San Diego programming. Stay in San Diego We've secured a discounted room block at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines for WVS attendees. Book your stay: https://book.passkey.com/go/WVSummit26
Speakers
Lolita Taub
GP at Ganas Ventures
presenter
Lolita Taub is a venture capitalist, operator-turned-investor, and founder and General Partner of Ganas Ventures, investing in pre-seed and seed-stage software startups. With nearly 20 years across tech, startups, and venture capital, she has invested in 100+ companies globally and co-founded The Community Fund. Her honors include ¡HOLA! 100 Latina Powerhouses and the Stella Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. Her first book, What Actually Matters: Startups, Capital, and the Rules Nobody Taught Us, came out September 15, 2026. It debuted as the #1 New Release in Venture Capital on Amazon…
Misti Cain
Executive Producer & Host at Startup Interventions
presenter
Misti Cain is an investor and startup strategist who helps early- to mid-stage founders attract and retain customers, build strong teams, strengthen operations, and navigate fundraising. A lifelong entrepreneur, she has been fascinated by building something from nothing since childhood and now spends her career building companies, helping founders grow, and sharing the lessons she has learned along the way.
Naseem Sayani
Founder at GCWC
panelist
Naseem Sayani is a seasoned venture investor and business and digital strategist with more than 20 years of experience across venture capital, business building, digital innovation, and digital strategy. Her areas of expertise include launching startups and new businesses, business transformation, organizational and capability design, women’s health, financial inclusion, and venture capital. She has spoken at events including NY TechWeek, LA TechWeek, CES, Biocom California, SoCal Bio, and the Women’s Health Innovation Summit, and her work has been published by Forbes, FemTech Insider,…
Genevieve LeMarchal
General Partner at Suncoast Ventures
panelist
Genevieve LeMarchal is General Partner of Suncoast Ventures, investing in healthcare technology addressing major gaps in access, equity, and outcomes. A former entrepreneur with nearly a decade of startup experience, she backs unexpected founders tackling overlooked healthcare challenges. She also hosts the AdVentureous Podcast and founded XXCelerate, advancing women and girls in entrepreneurship.
Jill Johnson
CEO at IFEL - Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership
moderator
Jill Johnson is CEO and Co-Founder of the Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership (IFEL), where she champions economic mobility through entrepreneurship. Since co-founding IFEL in 2002, she has helped build an ecosystem serving nearly 14,000 businesses, 200+ volunteers, and 600+ investors annually. A veteran business strategist, she focuses on removing barriers and expanding access for business owners.
Juanita Lott
panelist
Juanita Lott is a technology executive, entrepreneur, investor, and board director with expertise in enterprise software, governance, and human capital. She founded Bridgestream Software, later acquired by Oracle, becoming one of the first African American women to lead an enterprise software company. She serves on multiple boards and invests in women- and minority-led early-stage ventures through Portfolia Investments.
Chaitra Vedullapalli
President & Founder at Women In Cloud
panelist
Chaitra Vedullapalli is a global investor, award-winning entrepreneur, TED speaker, and Co-Founder and President of Women in Cloud. A Forbes Next 1000 honoree and U.S. Delegate for W20, she advances go-to-market innovation, economic access, and digital equity. She is also a patent holder, bestselling author, Guinness World Record holder, and Oscar-qualified filmmaker.
Jen Saxton
Founder & CEO at Tot Squad
panelist
Jen Saxton is the Founder & CEO of Tot Squad, a marketplace helping new and expecting parents access trusted services and support. A serial entrepreneur with 15 years in the baby industry, she previously built and sold a baby gear cleaning company to BabyQuip. Tot Squad has raised more than $4 million and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, and New York Magazine.
Sashee Chandron
Founder & CEO at Tea Drops
panelist
Sashee Chandran is the founder of Tea Drops, an innovative California-based tea company creating organic, bagless teas. Inspired by her Chinese and Sri Lankan heritage and a lifelong connection to tea, she left Silicon Valley in 2015 to build the brand. Tea Drops is now sold in more than 2,000 retail stores nationwide and has been featured in Forbes, Good Morning America, and Oprah Magazine.
Monika Mital Gupta
Partner GM, Engineering at Microsoft
presenter
Monika Mital Gupta is a Partner GM, Engineering, leading 400+ Software Engineering teams in Microsoft, focused on enhancing Employee Experiences and productivity through AI-driven, intelligent, enterprise-scale experiences and insights for a 300K+ user base across multiple platforms. She is a seasoned engineering leader with over 25 years of experience, and a rich history at Microsoft (17+ years). She has held several multi-functional, global leadership roles across different disciplines, contributing to the secure distribution of Microsoft products and solutions worldwide, and delivering…
Gillian Muessig
Managing Director at Mastersfund
panelist
Ms. Muessig is the Managing Director at Mastersfund, where she invests in women-led companies. As an entrepreneur, investor, and advisor to thousands of startup leaders around the world, Gillian has served on Boards of Directors and Advisors worldwide and advised organizations, including the Gates Foundation, and government programs in Europe, Asia, and the Americas and private enterprises. She is the architect of novel venture capital fund structures and investment instruments designed to invest effectively in diverse founding teams, which has put Mastersfund at the leading edge of the…
Karen Cone
Venture Partner | Board Director at Mastersfund | Fyrii | AffableONE | Octic AI
panelist
Karen Topping Cone is an experienced board director, former CEO and C-Suite executive. She serves on start-up boards and advises multiple companies. Karen is a Venture Partner with Mastersfund focused on funding and advising women-led companies at the seed level. As former GM of Microsoft Worldwide Financial Services, she guided the strategy and growth of multi-billion-dollar revenue streams. Previously, she was CEO & Board Director of TowerGroup, the advisory research firm focused on fintech. Karen orchestrated the sale of TowerGroup to CEB, which is now a part of Gartner. She served on…
Catherine Gray
Executive Producer Show Her The Money, CEO She Angel Investors, Author, TedX and Keynote Speaker, Host - Invest in Her Podcast, Venture Capitalist and Co Founder She Angels Foundation at She Angel Investors
panelist
"Catherine Gray is the Executive Producer of the Show Her The Money movie, a venture capitalist, Author, Keynote and TEDx Speaker, and Host of the Invest in Her Podcast. Catherine is also the Founder/CEO of She Angel Investors and Co-Founder of the She Angels Foundation. As CEO of She Angel Investors’ multi-media platform, Catherine helps connect founders and funders to resources and to each other. She has a new book out that is the same name as the movie- Show Her The Money. It’s about the riveting personal stories of the founders and funders behind the movie and the movement."
Betsy Fore
Founding Partner at Velveteen Venture
panelist
Betsy Fore is the Founding Partner of Velveteen Ventures, an institutionally backed fund investing in the future of kids, parenting, and planet. She is the bestselling author of Built on Purpose, now taught at Stanford, and the first Native American (Turtle Mountain Chippewa) to raise a Series A of over $20M. A three-time founder, she grew Tiny Organics from $0 to $13M+ in two years and built WonderWoof, a pet wearables brand that launched at Bloomingdales, Harrods, and every Petco nationwide. She is also an investment partner at XFactor Ventures, a venture partner at LongJump, and…
Marcia Dawood
Investor at Wealth Reimagined
presenter
Marcia Dawood is an early-stage investor, author, TEDx speaker, and advocate for investing in positive change. She serves on the SEC’s Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee, is a Venture Partner at Mindshift Capital, and Chair Emeritus of the Angel Capital Association. She is also the author of Do Good While Doing Well and Unapologetic Wealth and host of The Angel Next Door podcast.
Amy Reischauer
Deputy Director at U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
presenter
Amy Reischauer is Deputy Director of the SEC’s Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation, where she works to support entrepreneurs and investors navigating the capital-raising ecosystem. An experienced securities and corporate attorney, she previously held legal leadership roles in the private sector and practiced at Perkins Coie. She holds both a J.D. and M.B.A. from Georgetown University.
La Keisha Landrum Pierre
Managing Partner & Co Founder at Emmeline Venture
panelist
La Keisha Landrum Pierre is a venture investor, operator, and three-time founder focused on building businesses that drive financial and societal impact. She is General Partner and Co-Founder of Emmeline Ventures, where she invests in women-led companies across health, wealth, and well-being. She also serves as Executive Chairwoman of the Civic Media Lab and Chairwoman of Sahara Reporters Media Group.
Kristin Thomas
Founder & CEO at Marble Collective
presenter
Kristin Thomas is the Founder and CEO of Marble Collective, an AI-powered platform transforming how women’s leadership is preserved, amplified, and discovered. Backed by more than 300 women leaders, including over 75 founding investors, Marble is building a new infrastructure for women to role model and create impact at scale. Before Marble, Kristin built a two-decade career in New York real estate, founding and scaling a luxury brokerage later acquired by a leading firm. She now serves on the Advisory Board of the Hudson Advisory Team, bringing in over $1B in annual revenue, and on the…
Jordan Gill
Founder at Systems Saved Me
presenter
Jordan Gill is a serial entrepreneur, tech builder, and international speaker helping women build profitable, scalable businesses. As the founder of Systems Saved Me® and a leader in affiliate partnerships at Kit, she specializes in strategic partnerships, revenue growth, and building scalable systems that help businesses thrive without sacrificing work-life balance.
Felicia Newhouse, PhD
Founder at AI-Powered Women
panelist
Dr. Felicia Newhouse is Founder and CEO of AI-Powered Women, a global AI leadership ecosystem. With 20 years of experience in product leadership, a Ph.D. in Transformational Learning and Psychology, and an MBA, she bridges technology and organizational transformation. She was named one of the Boston Globe’s 2026 Tech Power Players 50.
Christy Cunningham
Founder at IncioX
panelist
Christy Cunningham is a strategic advisor and founder of inCioX Advisory, where she helps organizations drive innovation, navigate change, and scale impact-driven ventures. Her expertise spans AI, venture development, leadership coaching, and organizational transformation, with a focus on entrepreneurship, wellness, climate action, education, and the future of work.
Ann Metzger
Founding Partner at 360 Venture Collective
moderator
Ann Metzger is a Founding Partner at 360 Venture Collective, a women-founded venture capital firm with more than 270 portfolio companies that has supported over 10,000 founders. With a career spanning PepsiCo, Microsoft, startups, venture capital, and real estate, she specializes in strategic fundraising, investor relationships, and connecting people to opportunities that drive growth and meaningful impact.
Lalitha Suryanarayana
Executive in Residence at Techquity Capital Management
Lalitha Suryanarayana is a technology executive with over 30 years of experience driving growth, innovation, and transformation across AI, semiconductors, software, and telecommunications. Her leadership spans Fortune 500 companies including Seagate, Infineon, Qualcomm, and AT&T. An inventor with 51 issued patents, she specializes in AI strategy, mergers and acquisitions, corporate development, and scaling technology businesses.
Nicole Cober
Founder at BOW Collective
panelist
Nicole Cober is a founder, a principal managing partner, an author, a media influencer, and an advocate for women’s empowerment and small business growth. With over 25 years of experience in legal and business consulting, she leads Cober Johnson and Romney (CJR), a multi-million dollar firm that delivers strategic planning, training, and project management to clients in the public and private sectors. She is also the founder of The BOW Collective, a group of over 300 black women businesses that generate over 1.7B dollars annually and collaborate to scale their ventures through contracts and…
Lisa Marceau
CEO at Joyuus
panelist
Lisa Marceau is an entrepreneur, speaker, and award-winning author driving mission-critical change in health care. With expertise from clinical research to Fortune 25 healthcare, she helps leaders in startup, scale up, and market shift to deliver on the four core components necessary to translate vision into action.
Shelley Mehta
Board Member at Qindra Ventures
panelist
Shelley Mehta is a co-founder of QINDRA Ventures, a global early-stage fund and venture platform that backs founders in national security, quantum, advanced materials, and critical infrastructure. Her career has focused on moving hard technology into regulated markets: she co-founded medical device company NSC Medical, led global expansion and M&A in holographic and diffractive optics, and, through Sivana Group, has helped companies enter new markets and win over $100 million in government awards from agencies including the Defense Logistics Agency and FEMA. With more than two decades of…
Kendra Braken-Ferguson
Founder & Managing Partner at KBF Ventures
Kendra Bracken-Ferguson is a four-time founder, investor, and business executive with two exits. She is Founder and Managing Partner of KBF Ventures, where she leads The Shop Retail, a commerce enablement technology company building a network of automated retail experiences through strategic partnerships with property owners, developers, and operators. She is also Co-Founder and Executive Producer of Test Invest Media, connecting founder storytelling with commerce and investment. Kendra co-founded BrainTrust Fund I, which has invested in nine beauty and wellness companies and deployed $15…
Lauren Schaefer
Vice President at Western Alliance Bank
panelist
Lauren Schaefer is a Relationship Manager with more than six years of experience in financial services, specializing in venture-backed technology and innovation companies. She currently manages relationships with venture-backed portfolio companies, advising on financial structuring, facility modifications, and investor interactions, and has a track record of significant growth in loan portfolios and deposits. With deep knowledge of SaaS, private equity, and venture capital markets, Lauren combines financial analysis and strategic insight to deliver innovative solutions that help tech…
Laura Henson
Founder & CEO at HVM Communications
presenter
Laura Henson is a strategic communications expert, investor, board leader, and founder of HVM Communications. With more than 20 years of experience, she helps women leaders, founders, and purpose-driven organizations build visibility, strengthen their influence, and create opportunities for business growth and economic impact. Working at the intersection of communications, leadership, and capital, Laura is an active investor in venture capital, private equity, and women-led businesses. She serves as Board Chair of Goodnation Foundation, on the Executive Board of How Women Lead, and as a…
Deeanne Akerson
Co-Founder at Kindred Bravely
panelist
Deeanne Akerson is the co-founder of Kindred Bravely, the nursing and maternity apparel brand that began as a personal problem and became a national company. She started it with her husband in 2015 and led it as CEO for six years. A former high school math teacher, she partnered with private equity in 2021 and remains on the board as an advisor.
Savi Glowe
Co-Founder & CEO at BioAstra
panelist
Savi Glowe is a healthcare and life sciences founder working at the intersection of medicine, human spaceflight, and emerging technology. She is the Co-Founder and CEO of BioAstra, where she leads biomedical research in spaceflight and extreme environments to advance our understanding of human biology and develop new approaches to healthcare on Earth and beyond.
Sabrina Martucci Johnson
CEO at Daré Bioscience
panelist
Sabrina Martucci Johnson is CEO and founder of Daré Bioscience. Back in 2015—when women’s health was largely overlooked by investors—Sabrina built Daré with a simple belief: women deserve better. Today, she’s leading the charge with first-of-their-kind solutions across sexual health, menopause, and beyond. With a background that spans science, finance, and global healthcare, she’s become one of the most influential voices pushing the industry forward.
Linda Lorelle
Co-Founder at Civil Dialogues
Linda Lorelle is a two-time Emmy Award-winning journalist and two-time recipient of the American Women in Radio and Television's Gracie Award. She anchored the evening news at KPRC, Houston's NBC affiliate, for nearly seventeen years and now hosts the award-winning podcast Our Voices Matter. In 2024 she launched Civil Dialogues in partnership with Jean Becker, former Chief of Staff to President George H. W. Bush. The nonpartisan democracy nonprofit partners with presidential library foundations and the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy to provide a safe space for challenging…
Sarah Lucas
General Partner at Lucas Venture Group
presenter
Sarah Lucas is General Partner at Lucas Venture Group, a third-generation early-stage venture firm with Silicon Valley roots dating back to 1958 that backs founders in Human + Planetary Health, Infrastructure, and Intelligence. Nearly 67% of the teams she has backed include women or underrepresented founders. A serial entrepreneur who launched her first company at age 10, Sarah has been both a founder and an investor. After her daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, she co-founded Beyond Type 1, which grew into the world’s largest digital diabetes community. She has also built brands…
Kirin Kalia
Founder & CEO at Grow Through Story
workshop
Kirin Kalia is a startup veteran and communications expert who has coached 1000+ founders globally to pitch angels and VCs, as well as innovation leaders at companies including Visa, P&G Ventures, Estée Lauder and more. Startups she has worked with have gone on to collectively raise well over $200M.
Lucy Bethell Reynolds
Founder at The Murmuration Collective
presenter
Lucy Bethell Reynolds is the founder of The Murmuration Collective, where she helps women move beyond the “shoulds” and give themselves permission to evolve into their most dynamic future selves. A Co-Active (CPCC) and ICF-credentialed (ACC) coach with more than 2,000 coaching hours, she leads TMC’s research-driven Immersive retreats in Kenya, Spain, and Montana and hosts the podcast Beyond Should. Before coaching, she spent 15 years in brand marketing with Nike and adidas, including the Cannes Grand Prix-winning LIVESTRONG Chalkbot campaign.
Amy VanHaren
Founding Partner at The Northbound Company
workshop
Amy VanHaren is a three-time founder and Founding Partner at The Northbound Company, a boutique exit planning and advisory firm for women-led businesses. She built Pumpspotting, a venture-backed maternal health platform, over a decade and navigated its sale across 2025 and 2026. Today she helps founders prepare the business and themselves for a path to sale, so they walk away with the wealth they’ve earned.
Geri Stengel
CEO at Ventureneer
Geri Stengel, CEO of Ventureneer, has spent decades bringing overlooked issues in women’s entrepreneurship to light through research, storytelling, and advocacy. She is the lead author of The Wells Fargo Impact of Women-Owned Businesses. As a Forbes contributor, she increasingly focuses on women’s health innovation, access, and equity. Her Substack newsletter, Women’s Health & Market Visibility, examines the barriers women’s health companies face in gaining visibility, funding, and market traction. She is now seeking support for research that will expose hidden barriers to growth, strengthen…
Inbal Claudio
Event and Membership Strategist at Like Minded
panelist
Inbal Claudio is an Event & Membership Strategist who helps founders build profitable in-person experiences that people actually show up for. She’s the founder of Like Minded, a community and coworking space for female founders built on “friendship first, business second,” and hosts The Magic of IRL podcast.
Jeanne Wang
Founder at Village Search Partners
presenter
Jeanne Wang is an investor and community builder who supports women pursuing entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA). With 30 years of experience in investing, consulting, and board and advisory work, including 15 years in private equity across business services and consumer industries, she helps women searchers launch search funds and find, acquire, and operate companies. Known for her positive, get-it-done approach, Jeanne combines her passion for investing and advising with her commitment to supporting women in business.
Heidi Luerra
VP of Community & Partnerships at Cherub
presenter
Heidi Luerra is a founder, angel investor, and advisor who has spent two decades building bootstrapped businesses. Her largest company, now nearly 18 years old, grew from $0 to a multimillion-dollar Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Company with 65 employees and four global offices. Heidi has advised and invested in hundreds of startups and small businesses, driven by a lifelong mission to help entrepreneurs start, scale, and streamline with profit and sustainability at their core.
Miki Agrawal
Founder at HIRO Technologies
keynote
Miki is the creative force behind TUSHY, THINX, and WILD, social enterprises that turned taboo categories into household names. She’s the author of the best-selling books Do Cool Sht and Disrupt-Her, and her latest venture, HIRO, is using fungi to tackle the global plastic crisis, starting with a diaper designed to return to the earth. A Fast Company “Most Creative Person,” a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, and one of Inc.’s “Most Impressive Women Entrepreneurs,” Miki has 20+ years of experience building bold companies from scratch, and she’s known for her honest, high-energy talks.
Terri Eagle
Founder & CEO at Terri Eagle Group
moderator
Terri Eagle is a proven leader of global organizations at the world’s most recognized brands, building teams, scaling revenue, and making brands better at L’Oréal, Montblanc, David Yurman, John Hardy, Schumacher, and Morilee NY. Her C-suite roles weren’t advisory. They were operational: thousands of employees, dozens of markets, and balance sheets in the billions. She knows what it takes to build something that lasts, and she knows exactly where things go sideways. She founded Terri Eagle Group because she wanted to make that experience available to brands that couldn’t afford a full-time…
Anne Cocquyt
Founder & CEO at The GUILD
keynote
Anne Cocquyt is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, and Founder & CEO of The GUILD, an AI-native product studio helping founders turn ideas into market-ready products. A UC Berkeley lecturer and bestselling author of Dare to Launch, she brings hands-on experience building AI products—and a practical perspective on how AI is changing what founders can build and how investors evaluate opportunities.
Oana Nedelcu
Account Director at Forescout Technologies
presenter
Oana Nedelcu is a cybersecurity Account Director at Forescout Technologies with an engineering background and over 15 years of enterprise technology experience. Her work connects cybersecurity, AI adoption, and business strategy, bringing founders and investors insight into enterprise purchasing and partnerships. Romanian-born, she built her career across Paris and New York. She is a speaker, mentor, and marketing committee member of the Angel Capital Association.
Catherine Edmunds
Founding Attorney at My CA GC Law Corporation
presenter
Catherine is a corporate and securities attorney who provides outside general counsel, mergers and acquisitions and venture investment legal services for growth clients.
Tracy Stevens
Product Executive | Investor | Advisor at SDAC | NuFund Venture Group
presenter
Tracy Stevens is an investor with NuFund Venture Group and the SDSU San Diego Angel Conference, where she served on the Fund VII and VIII management team. A software product leader by background, she spent 20+ years building products at Intuit, Kelley Blue Book, GoDaddy and AppFolio. Today she advises founders and coaches executive leadership and product teams.
Crosby Noricks
Founder at Front of House Media
workshop
Crosby Noricks is a brand and communications advisor who believes most marketing problems are identity problems, and everything works better when we slow down enough to truly listen - to our customers, our teams, and ourselves. Best known as the founder of PR Couture, the blog turned beloved industry resource for PR professionals, which she ran for fifteen years and then sold, she has led agency teams for enterprise-level brands, lectures in the Journalism and Media Studies department at San Diego State University, and is working on the first issue of Midriff Magazine, an independent print…
Nicky Morong
Founder/CEO at Peterkin Financial
presenter
Nicky Morong, CFP®, started Peterkin Financial with a simple conviction: you should not have to sacrifice your life today to build wealth for tomorrow. After losing her father in her early twenties, she became focused on helping people make smart financial moves now, not someday. She retired her husband at 37, moved her family from Boston to San Diego, and has spent more than a decade helping high earners and business owners stop overpaying in taxes, clean up their financial strategy, and build a clear roadmap to the life they actually want.
Sarah Hibbard
Counsel at Snell & Wilmer
presenter
Sarah Hibbard is an attorney in Snell & Wilmer’s life science and technology practice and a former in-house general counsel. She advises start-ups, research organizations, and Fortune 500 companies on financings, M&A, corporate governance, and IP and commercial transactions, often serving as an extension of her clients’ in-house teams and as their advocate before industry, government bodies, and legislators. Outside the firm, she supports Women in Bio, an organization committed to diversity and inclusion for women in life sciences and beyond.
Alisha Griffey
Founder & CEO at Daintree Capital
panelist
Alisha Griffey is a 3X start-up CFO turned investor who founded Daintree Capital to provide debt capital to often overlooked founders. Since its founding in 2020, Daintree has invested almost $9M into businesses that prioritize near-term profitability over hyper-revenue growth. Daintree Capital balances its mission, helping to grow businesses run by often overlooked founders, with achieving successful financial returns. In fact, with a portfolio default rate below 3%, Daintree borrowers repay at a rate that outperforms most comparable debt portfolios. In 2023, Daintree partnered with…
Cheryl K. Goodman
Chief Strategy Officer at Events.com
presenter
Cheryl K. Goodman is chief strategy officer at Events.com, the AI and data-driven platform for the global experience economy. Built on a category-defining domain and more than a decade of acquisitions, Events.com applies machine intelligence across event discovery, personalization, promotion and operations, drawing on billions of data points from more than 200 million experiences. Goodman leads corporate strategy and market positioning as the company prepares to enter the public markets, working alongside the CEO, CTO, general counsel and board to craft the product definition and grow the…
Ashley Balla
Partner at Halogen Ventures
presenter
Karen Chin
COO and Partner at Village Search Partners
moderator
Asha Mody
Founder and Mindful Brand Strategist at Mindsy Design
workshop
Asha Mody is the founder, brand strategist, and creative director of Mindsy Design Studio. She helps founders turn their expertise into clear positioning, compelling messaging, and intentional visual identities. Her mindful, inside-out approach connects what a business stands for with how it looks, sounds, and shows up—so customers can understand its value and founders can communicate it with confidence.
Kelly Brusch
Founder at Doulas of San Diego
presenter
Kelly Brusch is the founder and CEO of Doulas of San Diego, a team-based postpartum doula agency that has supported more than 500 families across San Diego County. She trained as a counselor before becoming a doula in 2018 and built DoSD on a W-2 employment model, with her team now providing 18,000 hours of postpartum care a year. Kelly runs the business from a KPI dashboard she built herself with Claude.
Shira Yevin
Founder & CEO at Gritty in Pink
panelist
Shira Yevin is an artist, entrepreneur, and the Founder/CEO of Gritty In Pink, a platform empowering women and gender-expansive talent in the music industry and beyond. Through INPINK, the groundbreaking talent marketplace, Shira is creating new pathways connecting skilled creatives with opportunities, and championing fair pay and greater representation across industries. Backed by Live Nation and supported by influential advisors, including Melissa Etheridge, Shira is building a more equitable future for the next generation of talent. Her work and advocacy have been featured in leading…
Samantha Pantazopoulos
CEO & Co-Founder at Vizer
panelist
Samantha Pantazopoulos is the Co-Founder and CEO of Vizer, a technology platform transforming how consumer brands connect digital marketing to in-store sales.
Alessandra Wall, Ph.D.
Founder at Altaira
moderator
Dr. Alessandra Wall worked as a thought partner, coach, and advisor with entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders in organizations around the world, from smaller startups to Fortune 100 companies, including Pfizer, S&P, Schwab, Oracle, aTyr, Microsoft, WD40, and more. She serves as a sounding board, helping leaders navigate pivotal decisions, align with what matters most for them, and succeed without losing the drive, capacity, and joy that initially fueled them.
Jenna Ryan
Founder at Uqora
workshop
Over the course of 6 years, Jenna grew Uqora from an idea to a thriving mid-eight figure D2C business, ultimately selling the business to the largest VMS company in the U.S. Uqora developed effective products for UTI relief and urinary health products. Jenna was a patient before she was a founder, and her compassion was always central to the brand and mission.
Alison Wyatt
Co-Founder & CEO at Female Founder Collective
presenter
Ariana Ramsey
Olympic Athlete at USA Rugby
keynote
Ariana is a Paris 2024 bronze medalist who helped Team USA win the first Olympic medal in U.S. women’s rugby. She is also a Nike athlete, speaker, and advocate for equity in sport, building her own brand off the field and co-hosting The Medalist Table Podcast.
Natalie Poston
Senior Associate at Motley Fool Ventures
panelist
Natalie is an early-stage generalist investor at Motley Fool Ventures, investing in Seed to Series B companies focused on digital transformation across sectors. She recently exited JoyLet, the baby gear rental membership and guidance platform she co-founded with a Georgetown Business School classmate in 2021. Prior to founding JoyLet, Natalie was a venture investor at StepStone group, where she invested in early and growth-stage startups, secondary transactions, and venture funds. As an integrated marketer, Natalie consulted for Fortune 500 companies including Starbucks, Hershey’s, P&G,…
Neal Bloom
Managing Partner at Rising Tide Partners
panelist
Neal Bloom is an engineer who became a founder, an operator, and an investor - and never stopped doing the same thing at each stop: connecting the right people to the right opportunity at the right moment. He started in aerospace, operating large-scale systems and routing domain experts during mission-critical events at a Space Shuttle Action Center. He co-founded Portfolium, a talent marketplace acquired by Instructure, and scaled Hired from $3M to $70M in revenue. Along the way he built the connective tissue of San Diego's tech ecosystem - founder dinners, Tacos & Tech, build days, and a…
Lucy Postins
Founder & CEO at The Honest Kitchen
presenter
Lucy Postins is The Honest Kitchen's Founder and Chief Integrity Officer. Her role today centers around ensuring the company stays focused on its true north when it comes to brand, customers and product ethics. She’s a compassionate animal nutritionist who grew up in the UK and immigrated to the United States in 1998.
Nikita Sunilkumar
CEO at Advanced Brain Monitoring
panelist
Angeline Vuong
Co-Founder, Chief Product Officer at Invest with Cherub
panelist
Sarah Moret
Founder & CEO at Curie
panelist
Chris Gelnaw
Managing Partner at Tidal River Fund
presenter
Rose Bowlus
Founder and Co-CEO at Lex Zebrus Capital
presenter
Stacy Mudd-Pena
Chief Business Officer/Fund Manager at Six Dragonflies
presenter
S'Marie Young
Executive Leadership Coach at S'Marie Young Coaching & Consulting
presenter
Rebecca Hourihan
Chief Marketing Officer at 401(k) Marketing
presenter
Dr. Anita Gupta
CEO & President at Strata Group Inc
presenter
Anita Gupta is a Top 100 Inspiring Leaders Award recipient, global clinical authority, and CEO recognized for shaping enterprise biopharma strategy, medical safety, and digital health innovation across leading corporations, federal agencies, and premier academic medical centers.
Sarah Palmer
Partner at Holland and Knight
moderator
Sarah Davis
Founder, President & CCO at FASHIONPHILE
presenter
Jenn Kranz
Investor at Mucker Capital
moderator
Brett Dovman
Startup Attorney at Cooley, LLP
panelist
Judy Tsuei
Founder & Lead Coach at Judy Tsuei Coaching LLC
presenter
Angel Gambino
Founding Partner at Co-Created
workshop
Cindy Salas Murphy
Co-Founder and CEO at My Emma Health
panelist
Maria Marino
Co-Founder at Panic Panties
panelist
Regina King
Founder at Soul Scent
panelist
Sophie Mekjian
Vice President | Wealth Advisor at Bernstein Private Wealth Management
presenter
Jazmin Cornejo
Founder at BizzBitch
Jazmin Cornejo is the founder of BizzBitch, a community strategist, podcast host, and unapologetic advocate for women doing business differently. Built on the belief that entrepreneurship was never meant to be done alone, Jazmin created the BizzBitch Movement to redefine networking through deeper connections, authentic relationships, and community over competition. From a vetted membership community and sold-out international retreats to producing one of San Diego's largest International Women's Day celebrations, Jazmin creates spaces where women can show up unapologetically as themselves.…
Oralia Alvarez
presenter
I build markets for capital.💰 My career has been at the intersection of specialty finance, deal origination, market expansion, and strategic partnerships - helping investment platforms identify where capital is needed, build origination channels, and translate investment strategies into capital deployment. I built business development from the ground up across two consecutive specialty finance platforms, serving as the first Director of Business Development at each and helping scale their origination, market reach, and institutional partnerships. At Mission Driven Finance, an alternative…
Rachel Mavrothalasitis
Principal & Founder at Reach & Root Partners, LLC
panelist
Through over a decade of designing, implementing, and evaluating, housing programs across the financial return spectrum, Rachel Mavrothalasitis has honed her expertise as an impact investor focused on the U.S. housing market. In 2023, Rachel launched Reach&Root Partners LLC, an advisory firm dedicated to impact target setting, data pipeline design, leadership engagement, and reporting. Following on the success of an Invest for Better cohort in 2024, Rachel also co-founded Rooted Ventures San Diego, a collective of San Diego builders, backers, and investors who gather, share education and…
Agenda
Mon, Nov 2, 5:00 PM PST – 7:30 PM PST
VIP Welcome Party and Fireside Chat
Kick off Women’s Venture Summit with an evening designed for connection, conversation, and community. The VIP Welcome Party brings together founders, investors, speakers, sponsors, and special guests for an intimate start to the Summit. Connect with fellow attendees over drinks and conversation, build relationships before the full program begins, and settle into the energy of the week. The evening will also feature a fireside chat with special guests, offering an up-close conversation on leadership, entrepreneurship, capital, and the experiences that shape meaningful growth. Come ready to…
Mon, Nov 2, 6:15 PM PST – 6:40 PM PST
Fireside Chat: Women Are Inheriting Wealth. Will They Inherit Access?
Women are poised to control an unprecedented share of America’s wealth at the same time that many of the most significant investment opportunities are remaining private longer—and are available to fewer people. In this fireside conversation, Marcia Dawood and Amy Reischauer of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will explore how our capital markets are changing and what those changes mean for women as investors, founders, and capital allocators. Together, they will examine the tension between access and investor protection, the growing divide between public and private markets, and…
Marcia Dawood, Amy Reischauer
Tue, Nov 3, 10:20 AM PST – 11:20 AM PST
Keynote: Four Brands, One Playbook: Lessons for Women Founders and Funders
Miki Agrawal, Serial Entrepreneur and Founder of THINX, TUSHY, WILD and HIRO Miki Agrawal has built a career on products most people wouldn’t talk about in public, and turned each one into a category. In this keynote, she breaks down what repeated across four very different companies. Attendees will hear how she spots a taboo worth disrupting, builds a brand people talk about, raises money for an idea that makes investors squirm, and scales with an unconventional playbook. Miki closes with where she sees the next wave of opportunity for women founders, and for the funders ready to back them.
Kendra Braken-Ferguson, Miki Agrawal
Tue, Nov 3, 11:20 AM PST – 12:05 PM PST
Startup Intervention Live: Real Founder. Real Startup Challenge. Expert Solution.
What happens when a founder brings a real business challenge to the stage—and gets to work through it live with experienced experts? In this interactive workshop, Misti Cain will guide a scaling founder through an actual challenge they’re facing in their startup, alongside two experts selected to help unpack the issue from multiple angles. Together, they’ll examine what’s really happening, identify the barriers standing in the way, and work through practical solutions in real time. This is not a hypothetical case study. It’s a candid look at the decisions, tradeoffs, and tough questions…
Misti Cain
Tue, Nov 3, 11:20 AM PST – 12:05 PM PST
Everyone Can Be a Check Writer
Activating capital in community: more women entrepreneurs get funded when investors bring more than a check. This session is for the angel-curious, new investors, and anyone who's never pictured themselves as an investor but wants in. Seasoned investors will share a practical roadmap for getting started, whether through angel deals or fund participation. Learn how to source deals, conduct due diligence, and build a portfolio strategy that blends financial, experiential, and network capital. Walk away with a clearer sense of what to consider before writing your first check, and how aligning…
Jill Johnson, Juanita Lott, Chaitra Vedullapalli
Tue, Nov 3, 11:20 AM PST – 12:05 PM PST
Your Capital, Your Call: How to Think Like an LP
Becoming an investor can take many forms—but understanding how funds work can change how you approach the entire venture ecosystem. In this panel, Naseem Sayani, Carrie Colbert, and Genevieve LeMarchal will unpack what it means to participate as a limited partner (LP), how funds are structured, and what prospective LPs should understand before committing capital. The conversation will explore how to find and evaluate funds, what questions to ask a GP, how to assess an investment thesis, and what it means to be an active participant in a fund community. Panelists will also examine an…
Naseem Sayani, Genevieve LeMarchal
Tue, Nov 3, 12:05 PM PST – 1:20 PM PST
Lunch
Take a break, grab lunch, and connect with fellow WVS attendees. Enjoy complimentary food and beverages while networking with founders, investors, speakers, and ecosystem leaders across industries. Use the time to continue conversations from the morning, make new connections, and recharge for the afternoon ahead.
Tue, Nov 3, 1:20 PM PST – 2:05 PM PST
KPI Dashboard: What Great CEOs Know About Their Numbers
Great CEOs don’t just know their revenue; they know the numbers driving their business. Many companies fail not for lack of sales, but because their founders don’t understand their financial reality. In this hands-on session, attendees will walk through a sample Claude-driven KPI dashboard covering the metrics every founder should track, from cash flow, runway, burn rate and margins to CAC, ROAS, LTV, inventory turns and the rest of the alphabet soup. They’ll learn what each number is telling them and how to use it to guide growth, manage cash, optimize marketing, plan inventory and prepare…
Kirin Kalia, Kelly Brusch
Tue, Nov 3, 1:20 PM PST – 2:05 PM PST
The Partnership That Changed Everything
Sometimes the right partnership can unlock growth faster than another round of fundraising. This panel will explore real-world partnerships that changed the trajectory of growing companies—opening new channels, expanding distribution, accelerating customer acquisition, and creating opportunities that would have been difficult to reach alone. The conversation will examine how founders identify the right partners, structure relationships that create value on both sides, and turn strategic collaboration into meaningful business growth. Attendees will leave with: Examples of partnerships that…
Jen Saxton, Sashee Chandron, Shira Yevin, Samantha Pantazopoulos, Alessandra Wall, Ph.D.
Tue, Nov 3, 1:20 PM PST – 2:05 PM PST
Founder-Market Fit: How to Spot Red Flags Before They Cost You Money
Not every exciting startup is a strong investment—and some of the most important warning signs can appear long before the numbers tell the full story. This interactive workshop will explore how experienced investors evaluate risk across founders, markets, business models, and execution. Attendees will also examine the difference between founder-market fit and product-market fit, why both matter, and what signals can indicate whether a founder is uniquely positioned to build and scale the company they’re leading. Attendees will leave with: A clearer understanding of founder-market fit versus…
La Keisha Landrum Pierre, Ann Metzger, Shelley Mehta, Lauren Schaefer
Tue, Nov 3, 1:20 PM PST – 4:05 PM PST
The Next Frontier: Frontier Technology Meets Capital
Frontier technologies are creating entirely new markets—but evaluating them requires a different level of context, diligence, and technical understanding. This curated investor experience brings together emerging technology companies and experienced capital allocators for live founder pitches, investor education, and deeper analysis of high-growth opportunities across frontier technology sectors. Participants will explore how to assess emerging technologies, evaluate company stage and investment readiness, review investor materials, ask stronger diligence questions, and consider the role…
Chaitra Vedullapalli, Monika Mital Gupta, Gillian Muessig, Karen Cone, Catherine Gray, Betsy Fore
Tue, Nov 3, 1:45 PM PST – 2:00 PM PST
Break
Tue, Nov 3, 2:20 PM PST – 3:05 PM PST
Build It Your Way: Bootstrap, Angel or Venture?
Built to Profit, Scale or Exit? Not every great company should be venture-backed. This session breaks down three paths to growth—bootstrapping, angel investment and venture capital—and how each shapes expectations around growth, profitability, ownership and exit. Understand what investors expect from each model and identify the capital strategy that best aligns with the company you want to build. Session and schedule subject to change.
Heidi Luerra
Tue, Nov 3, 2:20 PM PST – 3:05 PM PST
Building Your Personal Brand: From Authenticity to Influence: Turning Your Voice, Value, and Visibility Into Opportunity
Personal branding isn't about self-promotion. It's about owning your voice, recognizing your value, and using strategic visibility to build influence, strengthen relationships, and create meaningful opportunities.
Laura Henson, Lucy Bethell Reynolds
Tue, Nov 3, 2:20 PM PST – 3:05 PM PST
Before You Write the Check: The Inner Game of Angel Investing
Women investors are told to trust their gut, then told their gut isn’t data. The result is often over-researching, waiting to feel ready, or backing the founder who feels most familiar, so past experience ends up quietly shaping the portfolio. And when the first loss comes, it can feel less like a bad bet and more like proof of not belonging, which affects every check that follows. New angels are trained on terms, valuation and diligence, but rarely on the decision-maker herself. In this workshop, attendees will learn six questions that cut through any polished pitch, uncover their own…
Judy Tsuei
Tue, Nov 3, 2:45 PM PST – 3:00 PM PST
Break
Tue, Nov 3, 3:20 PM PST – 4:05 PM PST
Why More Women Should Buy Businesses Instead of Start Them
There is more than one path to entrepreneurship. Women do not have to start companies from scratch to become entrepreneurs. Buying and building an established, profitable small business can be a compelling alternative to starting a company and a powerful path for more women to become business owners.
Jeanne Wang, Karen Chin, Nikita Sunilkumar
Tue, Nov 3, 3:20 PM PST – 4:05 PM PST
The $1M → $10M Playbook: Numbers & Breakthroughs
Show me a number. → Show me the scar. → What did you stop? → Who changed the game? → What actually moved revenue? → What would you redo? What does it actually take to grow from $1M to $10M? Founders who've made the leap get specific about the numbers behind their growth: the hires, channels, and systems that moved revenue, the bets that didn't pay off, and what they stopped doing to get there. You'll leave with a practical playbook for your own next stage, drawn from people who have already done it.
Deeanne Akerson, Terri Eagle, Angeline Vuong, Sarah Moret
Tue, Nov 3, 3:20 PM PST – 4:05 PM PST
The Future of Women's Health: Building Markets, Changing What's Possible, and the Infrastructure Women Build
The next wave of healthcare innovation will do more than improve how we deliver care. It will expand what we can detect, treat, and prevent—and create markets we’re only beginning to imagine. From AI and novel therapeutics to digital care and discoveries in space, what’s coming around the corner could reshape how we understand human health.
Lisa Marceau, Savi Glowe, Sabrina Martucci Johnson
Tue, Nov 3, 4:20 PM PST – 5:20 PM PST
Fireside Chat: Power Through Voice and Visibility: An Election Day Chat on Capital, Community, and Conversation
Civil Dialogues, co-founded by Linda Lorelle, is built on the conviction that a thriving democracy depends on our ability to talk to each other, and that conversation holds the power to connect us rather than divide us. Marble Collective was founded on its sister truth: visibility is infrastructure, and women leaders rise when their work can be seen, discovered, and followed. On Election Day, those two missions share one stage, in a room full of the capital and influence to act on both. Two-time Emmy Award-winning journalist Linda Lorelle sits down with Marble Collective founder Kristin…
Kristin Thomas, Linda Lorelle
Tue, Nov 3, 5:30 PM PST – 8:00 PM PST
San Diego Founders Showcase Presented by J.P. Morgan, IDA Ireland, & Mintz
J.P. Morgan, IDA Ireland, and Mintz present the San Diego Founders Showcase — a first look at 30 of the region’s most compelling early-stage companies and the investors positioned to back them. Every founder in this room has earned their place. Top finalists from the region’s most competitive pitch competitions stand alongside handpicked builders who are solving hard problems with defensible technology and fundable business models. These aren’t hopeful pitches — they’re companies with traction, depth, and the technical credibility to scale. San Diego is quietly producing some of the most…
Wed, Nov 4, 9:00 AM PST – 9:30 AM PST
Keynote: AI is Rewriting Entrepreneurship
Artificial intelligence is transforming how companies are built, scaled, funded, and managed. From solo founders operating at unprecedented scale to investors leveraging AI for diligence and portfolio management, the rules are changing rapidly. Learn how AI is reshaping entrepreneurship and what founders and investors must understand to remain competitive.
Anne Cocquyt
Wed, Nov 4, 9:30 AM PST – 11:30 AM PST
Pitch Competition
Wed, Nov 4, 10:45 AM PST – 11:20 AM PST
Gamified Due Diligence Session
Immediately following the pitches, attendees will step into one of the Women’s Venture Summit’s signature experiences: a gamified due diligence session designed to put you in the investor seat. Twelve experienced investors will lead small groups through an interactive evaluation of the seven pitching founders, guiding attendees through the questions, considerations, and decision-making that go into assessing an investment opportunity. Each attendee will receive $1 million in play “investment capital” to allocate across the founders based on what they learn during the session. At the end, the…
Sarah Lucas, Oana Nedelcu, Catherine Edmunds, Tracy Stevens, Chris Gelnaw, Rose Bowlus, Stacy Mudd-Pena, S'Marie Young, Rebecca Hourihan, Dr. Anita Gupta
Wed, Nov 4, 11:45 AM PST – 12:30 PM PST
Seen by Humans, Read by Machines: How Bots Drive Your Impact in the New Net Rules of AEO
We're flipping a familiar assumption: the internet’s primary audience is no longer human. Bots, scrapers, and AI agents now outnumber people in who reads, indexes, and acts on what’s published, and that shift is quietly redrawing who leads commerce. Cheryl Goodman will give the room the high-level signals and tanglible takeaways that matter — what to pay attention to, what to stop doing, and where the leverage sits — so leaders can orient their digital strategy for an era where machine readers are the gatekeepers. The goal is clarity, not complexity: understand the terrain, and you can lead…
Cheryl K. Goodman
Wed, Nov 4, 11:45 AM PST – 12:30 PM PST
Rapid Prototyping with AI: Turning Ideas Into Tangible Prototypes Using AI
How quickly can you turn a business idea into something people can see, try, and give feedback on? In this hands-on session, entrepreneur and UC Berkeley lecturer Anne Cocquyt combines design-thinking methods with AI-powered prototyping and “vibe coding” to help participants bring real business challenges to life—no coding experience required.
Anne Cocquyt
Wed, Nov 4, 11:45 AM PST – 12:30 PM PST
Is this Investable? Investing in a One Person AI Team
Is AI the secret sauce or the WHOLE recipe -- and is this investable? Review, implications, considerations and outcome of building with just AI as a founder, and evaluating as an investor.
Felicia Newhouse, PhD, Christy Cunningham
Wed, Nov 4, 11:45 AM PST – 12:30 PM PST
Investor AI Systems
Artificial intelligence is changing how investors evaluate opportunities. Explore tools, workflows, and strategies that help investors perform faster, smarter, and more effective diligence.
Angel Gambino
Wed, Nov 4, 12:45 PM PST – 1:15 PM PST
Fireside Chat
Geri Stengel, Alison Wyatt
Wed, Nov 4, 1:45 PM PST – 2:30 PM PST
Lunch
Wed, Nov 4, 2:30 PM PST – 5:30 PM PST
Show Her the Money: Film Screening (OPEN TO ALL)
Join us for a special screening of Show Her the Money, the award-winning documentary spotlighting the funding gap facing women founders and the investors working to change it. The film demystifies venture capital through the stories of women entrepreneurs and funders, highlighting why access to capital matters and what it takes to build a more equitable funding ecosystem. The screening will be followed by a live panel discussion with leaders featured in and connected to the film, exploring what’s changing, what still needs to change, and how founders and investors can help move more capital…
Jill Johnson, Catherine Gray, Marcia Dawood, La Keisha Landrum Pierre, Sarah Palmer
Wed, Nov 4, 2:30 PM PST – 4:30 PM PST
Soul Scent Candle Making Experience (OPEN TO ALL)
Take a moment to pause, recharge, and reconnect with yourself during the Soul Scent Candle Experience. This interactive session invites you to embrace your individuality, spark creativity, and create a personalized candle that reflects your unique spirit. Connect with fellow attendees, celebrate what makes you you, and leave with a meaningful reminder to stay true to yourself as you continue to rise, lead, and pursue your dreams. The event is capped at 30 people.
Wed, Nov 4, 2:30 PM PST – 5:00 PM PST
Building a B2B Startup From Zero to VC-Ready
Join Mucker Capital and Cooley for a learning-packed afternoon during San Diego Startup Week. We have two sessions dedicated to equipping early stage startup founders on how to scale their business, followed by a networking happy hour where you can meet other like-minded founders as well as some of Mucker’s investment team, Cooley’s partners, and Sequoia’s benefits team. Add to your calendar or register for the event directly with Cooley: https://eventship.com/event/from-zero-to-vc-ready 2:30pm - Welcome 3:00pm - Session #1: The Zero-to-One Growth Founder Playbook For Early Stage B2B…
Wed, Nov 4, 3:00 PM PST – 6:30 PM PST
San Diego Startup Week: Wednesday 1-Day Programming (OPEN TO ALL)
Attending San Diego Startup Week or curious about Wednesday’s programming? Head over to UCSD to enjoy a full afternoon of keynotes and workshops. Learn more here: https://sandiegostartupweek.org/#schedule
Thu, Nov 5, 9:00 AM PST – 9:20 AM PST
Keynote Q&A: Don't Wait, Start Now
Ariana Ramsey
Thu, Nov 5, 9:20 AM PST – 10:10 AM PST
Fireside Chat
Lucy Postins, Sarah Davis
Thu, Nov 5, 10:30 AM PST – 11:00 AM PST
Inside the Term Sheet: A Candid Conversation on Raising Capital
Most founders see only a handful of term sheets in their career. The investors across the table have seen thousands. This panel closes that gap. A serial founder who has raised multiple times sits down with investors who write the checks, and together they walk through what actually happens between the first pitch, the negotiated side letters, and the signed deal. They cover the terms that matter more than valuation, which ones are worth negotiating and which ones aren’t, the red flags on both sides, and what each of them wishes they had known before their first raise. Attendees get the real…
Natalie Poston, Neal Bloom, Jenn Kranz, Brett Dovman, Cindy Salas Murphy
Thu, Nov 5, 10:30 AM PST – 11:00 AM PST
Feedback Loops for Grown-Up Businesses
You built the thing. Customers came. And the feedback didn't stop; it scattered. Reviews, refunds, support tickets, DMs you check at red lights (ugh, gotta stop doing that). Meanwhile significant decisions start getting made based on who is loudest, or what happened most recently, rather than what is right for your business. Here's the opportunity: get into right relationship with your customer base by choosing where and how you listen, deliberately, at the stages where it matters most. You'll walk away with a feedback loop sketched and sized for the business you have now, and a first…
Crosby Noricks
Thu, Nov 5, 10:30 AM PST – 11:00 AM PST
Your Network is Your Net Worth: Community Builders on What Actually Works
Kristin Thomas, Nicole Cober, Inbal Claudio, Jazmin Cornejo
Thu, Nov 5, 11:15 AM PST – 12:00 PM PST
An Intro to AI Systems for Founders
Jordan Gill
Thu, Nov 5, 11:15 AM PST – 12:00 PM PST
How Founders Build Wealth with Legal, Finance & Tax Strategy
Revenue is not wealth. This session explores the many ways founders create personal wealth, including equity ownership, liquidity events, secondary sales, investing, board service, and strategic partnerships.
Nicky Morong, Rose Bowlus
Thu, Nov 5, 11:15 AM PST – 12:00 PM PST
How Women are Funding America
Women are already funding America, and there’s a place in that story for you. Jill Johnson of Pipeline Angels sits down with Betsy Fore, Managing Partner of Velveteen Ventures and author of Built on Purpose, for a fireside chat on how women are changing who decides where capital goes. Then we’ll use a live case study to show how it works in real time. Come curious and leave with an easy first step.
Jill Johnson, Betsy Fore, Maria Marino, Regina King
Thu, Nov 5, 11:15 AM PST – 12:00 PM PST
Beyond the Valuation: The Terms That Actually Protect Your Investment
Writing the check is the easy part. The terms behind it decide whether an investment works out. This session focuses on candid conversation to discuss what really matters in a term sheet and what can safely be left alone. It will cover valuation and when to push back on it, choosing between SAFEs, convertible notes, and priced rounds, and the terms that protect you, such as pro rata rights, liquidation preferences, information rights, and protective provisions. Whether you’re making your first angel investments or leading rounds, you’ll leave with a sharper sense of which terms to fight for,…
Sarah Hibbard, Sophie Mekjian
Thu, Nov 5, 12:15 PM PST – 1:00 PM PST
A Founder's Brand, On Purpose
Make what matters to your business visible, in how your brand looks, sounds, and shows up. You’re building something that matters. Your brand helps people see why. Before someone hears your pitch or understands your offer, your colors, imagery, typography, and words have already created an impression. Choosing them intentionally starts with knowing what you want to communicate—and to whom. In this hands-on workshop, Asha Mody guides founders through her mindful, inside-out approach: Aware · Awaken · Act. Through real case studies examples and two guided exercises, you’ll create a one-page…
Asha Mody
Thu, Nov 5, 12:15 PM PST – 1:00 PM PST
The Other Side: What It Really Takes to Exit, and Who You Become After
Most founders plan for the raise, not the exit. Jenna Ryan built and sold Uqora, a consumer health company focused on UTIs and urinary health. Amy VanHaren built and sold Pumpspotting, a venture-backed maternal health platform, and now guides women founders toward exit at The Northbound Company. Together they open up about the real stories behind their sales: the decisions that matter years before a sale, what nobody tells you about the deal and how to prepare for it, and the identity shift waiting on the other side. Founders and investors alike will leave with five things to start now to…
Amy VanHaren, Jenna Ryan
Thu, Nov 5, 12:15 PM PST – 1:00 PM PST
Becoming an Exceptional Mentor/Earning a Board Position
This session covers two distinct ways to support high-growth companies. First, attendees will learn what makes a mentor exceptional: what a healthy connection cadence looks like, whether to be compensated, and how to set expectations so the relationship works for both sides. Then the conversation turns to earning a board position, covering governance, finance, board dynamics, and the realities of serving companies that are scaling fast.
Ashley Balla
Thu, Nov 5, 12:15 PM PST – 1:00 PM PST
Beyond Angel Investing: Unlocking Philanthropic Capital for Private Funds
Experienced angel investors know that sourcing opportunities and conducting due diligence company by company demands time, expertise and a tolerance for uncertainty. Yet many investors overlook another source of capital already committed to charitable purposes: donor-advised funds (DAFs). Depending on sponsor policies, DAF assets may be invested in approved private funds, allowing capital to support businesses while potential financial returns remain available for future charitable activity. A practical understanding of DAF investment mechanics, sponsor approvals and return flows. A…
Alisha Griffey, Oralia Alvarez, Rachel Mavrothalasitis
Thu, Nov 5, 1:00 PM PST – 2:00 PM PST
Industry Networking Lunch
Thu, Nov 5, 2:15 PM PST – 4:35 PM PST
The Opportunity Exchange- Matchmaking, Roundtables & Expert Desks
Every founder and investor walks into the summit carrying a few pressing needs — a raise to close, deal flow to fill, a board seat to recruit, a legal or tax question that’s been keeping them up at night. The Opportunity Exchange is where those needs meet the people who can help. Using this survey, attendees will be matched for 1:1 matchups curated around stage, sector, and check size; join small-group roundtables on focused topics like building an investor pipeline or recruiting your first board; and AMA expert desks staffed by legal, tax, finance, marketing, web dev, operations pros ready…
Thu, Nov 5, 4:45 PM PST – 6:30 PM PST
Closing Party @ Cooley