founder university
February 2019 Curriculum
DAY 1 - 2/11/19
Morning Session
10:00aM-12:00PM
Pitches & Perfecting your Presentation
Moderator: Jason Calacanis & Jenny Lefcourt, Freestyle Capital
Founders get 2 minutes to pitch their startup to Jason & Jenny & then receive candid feedback to make it 20x better.
afternoon Session
12:00PM-5:00PM
LEGAL LUNCH & LEARN
Speakers: Dave Brekke & Justin D’Aniello, WSGR
Free legal advice. Get your startup legal questions answered by Attorneys at WSGR over lunch.
crushing Communications & pr
Speaker: Eitan Bencuya, Square (previously DoorDash, Google)
Tricks of the trade on telling your startup’s story as you scale: what, how and to whom.
go to market strategy
Speaker: Roland Ligtenberg, Housecall Pro
Learn what it really takes to scale your company, and what techniques work best for sales and growth.
5 keys to negotiating a term sheeT & Panel Discussion
Speaker: Becki DeGraw, WSGR
This discussion covers the most important elements of a Series A term sheet to prepare founders for the negotiation phase.
LAUNCH accelerator checklist, process & syndicate
Speakers: Jacqui Deegan, Jason Demant & Ashley Whitehurst, LAUNCH
Insider tips from the LAUNCH Managing Directors on how to fundraise through our accelerator & syndicate.
food, fun & networking
Presented by WSGR
DAY 2 - 2/12/19
morning session
9:00AM-12:00PM
founder lessons
Speaker: Samantha August, LAUNCH
Navigating the ups and downs of being a founder. What to watch for, and how to handle the hurdles.
raising through crowdequity funding
Speakers: Chuck Pettid & Matt Melbourne, Republic
Crowdequity is a new fundraising vehicle for startups. Is it right for you? Find out the how and why of raising money online.
Pitches & Perfecting your Presentation
Moderator: Jason Calacanis & Clara Brenner, Urban Innovation Fund
Founders get 2 minutes to pitch their startup to Jason & Clara & then receive candid feedback to make it 20x better.
afternoon session
12:00PM-5:00PM
LUNCH & networking
refining sales targets through messaging
Speaker: Doug Landis, Emergence Capital
Best practices in selling your product & landing customers.
marketing to scale
Speaker: Aaron Magness, Brandless (previously Betabrand, Zappos)
Marketing that works: best strategies from email to beyond digital into the physical world.
fundraising metrics: investor perspective
Speaker: Sara Deshpande, Maven Ventures
What are investors looking for? What metrics do you need to secure a Seed or Series A round? And, most importantly, how do you achieve them?
Key Metrics & Assumptions in prep for VC meetings: founder perspective
Speaker: Andrew Farah, Density
Founder lessons learned growing startup from Seed through Series A. What assumptions are you making about your business, and how will you get there? Walk through the real metrics.
happy hour
Presented by WSGR
DAY 3 - 2/13/19
optional off-site retreat: hiking, networking & startup challenges
