Philadelphia Startup Founder 101

❯❯ RSVP now at https://fi.co/e/405860/meetup to get your link and join us live!

❯ What You’ll Learn:

• What investors look for when evaluating early-stage startups
• How investors are evaluating AI startups right now
• The signals that make founders stand out to investors
• Different sources of startup funding and when to pursue them
• How to prepare your startup before approaching investors
• Common mistakes that cause founders to lose investor interest

❯ Who Should Attend:

• Idea-stage founders exploring future fundraising
• Startup teams preparing for their first funding round
• Founders building AI-powered startups who want to know what investors expect
• Professionals considering starting a venture-backed startup
• Entrepreneurs curious about how investors make decisions

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❯❯ Don’t miss this live, interactive online event packed with valuable insights! RSVP now at https://fi.co/e/405860/meetup to get your link and join us live!

Join us for Keystone Merge on November 5th in Lancaster at Franklin & Marshall College’s 1787 Event Space, inside the Lombardo Welcome Center. Come support two local entrepreneurs as they share a 10-minute presentation about their business. Keystone Merge is always the first Thursday of the month at 5pm. Register to join us in person, presentations start at 5:20pm! Sign up: https://www.keystonemerge.com/events/nov-2026

❯ Guest Speakers include:

• Dustin Betz (Director of Operations, White Rose Ventures)

Join us for Keystone Merge on November 5th in Lancaster at Franklin & Marshall College’s 1787 Event Space, inside the Lombardo Welcome Center. Come support two local entrepreneurs as they share a 10-minute presentation about their business.
Keystone Merge is always the first Thursday of the month at 5pm.
Register to join us in person, presentations start at 5:20pm! Sign up: https://www.keystonemerge.com/events/nov-2026

❯❯ RSVP now at https://fi.co/e/406838/meetup to get your link and join us live!

❯ What You'll Learn:

• Which market signals show who your best customers are, and when it's time to pivot
• How to use product analytics to see how customers actually use what you've built
• Which metrics matter at your stage, and which ones can wait
• How to make infrastructure decisions that support growth without adding complexity you don't need yet
• A simple diagnostic to find out whether your biggest problem is the market, the product or the tech

❯ Featured Speaker:

• Carlos Ignacio Sanabria - Partnership Manager @ Designli: Carlos is the Partnerships Manager at Designli, where he helps SaaS founders turn product ideas into clear development strategies and scalable roadmaps. He works with startups at every stage, from early concepts to live products that need stronger execution, better development operations, or a path back on track. Originally from Venezuela and now based in Mexico City, Carlos has worked across the US, UK, Australia, and Latin America, collaborating closely with founders, accelerators, and startup communities.

About Designli: Designli helps you build software people actually pay for, plugging SaaS experts into your team with a system that's helped 200+ companies build and scale.
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❯❯ Don’t miss this live, interactive online event packed with valuable insights! RSVP now at https://fi.co/e/406838/meetup to get your link and join us live!

❯❯ RSVP now at https://fi.co/e/407532/meetup to get your link and join us live!

❯ What We’ll Cover:

• Mac’s path from Baltimore software engineer and two-time founder to building one of the most community-driven funds in venture
• How he raised a $10M Fund I on Twitter with 194 LPs and $10K minimums, and what emerging managers can borrow from that playbook
• Finding “rare breed” founders outside the big tech hubs, and why overlooked markets and legacy industries are full of opportunity
• What he looks for in a pre-seed check, and why customer acquisition matters more than having the best product
• Lessons from building the first state-backed pre-seed fund for underrepresented founders, and from testifying before Congress on access to capital
• Raising Fund II in a reset market, including the Series A gap, AI-or-nothing capital, and his advice for emerging managers building enduring firms

❯ Who Should Attend:

• Emerging managers raising Fund I or Fund II, especially those building an LP base from scratch
• Pre-seed founders building outside major tech hubs or in overlooked industries
• Angels and accredited investors interested in backing emerging funds
• Ecosystem leaders and economic development organizations working to expand access to capital in their regions

-> About Venture Trailblazers: Venture Trailblazers is an exclusive event series that educates and connects operators and investors across the global Founder Institute, VC Lab, and FI Venture Network communities. Each edition spotlights a leading voice from the ecosystem in a candid conversation on what’s driving the next wave of innovation in venture capital.
-> About VC Lab: VC Lab is the leading venture capital accelerator worldwide for new and emerging managers. 900+ funds have successfully completed the program, building ethical and enduring venture capital firms around the world. The program provides all the tools needed to launch a fund and close on capital in six months or less. Managers participate in weekly fund-building sprints, receive tactical advice from experienced domain experts, and join a collaborative, global community of peers. VC Lab also develops essential fundraising skills and offers access to Decile Hub, the trusted venture platform for VCs to generate top decile returns. .

❯❯ Don’t miss this live, interactive online event packed with valuable insights! RSVP now at https://fi.co/e/407532/meetup to get your link and join us live!