September 11, 2026Friday, September 11, 2026 - EDT

Pre-scheduled 15-minute one-on-one meetings connecting breakthrough startups directly with active investors who are actively seeking early access to transformative business opportunities.

Focus: Evolving dynamics between GPs and LPs, including co-investment trends, GP-led transactions, and strategies for navigating global capital flows.

• Co-Investment Surge: Highlights LPs increasing allocations, reflecting the trend of institutional investors seeking deeper involvement in deal flow.
• GP-Led Transactions: Discusses the dominance of GP-led deals, which aligns with the M&A surge in private equity and venture capital.
• Emerging Manager Challenges: Includes differentiation strategies for GPs, reflecting the competitive fundraising environment in the US.
• Global Capital Flows: Incorporates the trend of managing geopolitical risks and leveraging international opportunities, particularly in emerging markets.

10-minute Lightning Round talks cover four charged points of capital in transition. This first one covers:

• The New Reality: Why companies are staying private longer and what this means for fund economics
• LP Pressure Points: How extended hold periods impact fund returns and investor expectations
• Secondary Market Solutions: Emerging liquidity mechanisms and their effectiveness for VCs and founders
• Portfolio Management: Strategies for managing aging investments and capital allocation decisions

10-minute Lightning Round talks cover four charged points of capital in transition. This second one covers:

• The Paradigm Shift: From blitzscaling to sustainable unit economics and profitable growth
• Metrics That Matter Now: CAC payback, LTV ratios, and burn multiple as the new north stars
• Investor Expectations: How VCs are evaluating efficiency alongside growth in due diligence
• Competitive Advantage: Why capital-efficient companies are winning in the current market

10-minute Lightning Round talks cover four charged points of capital in transition. This fourth one covers:

• AI as the Catalyst: How machine learning is solving previous consumer fintech challenges and unlocking new market opportunities
• Breakthrough Applications: Which B2C areas are making the biggest strides in AI adoption and generating investor interest
• The B2B2C Disruption Risk: Assessing disintermediation threats, speed vs. scale trade-offs, data moats, and portfolio defense strategies

Pulse Checks offer a unique opportunity for honest, peer-led conversations in small group settings. Funder attendees select one discussion for the first 25 minutes and then rotate to a second group. With all conversations held off the record, participants can speak freely and share valuable insights.

1. Distribution as the New Moat

Focus: How investors are re-underwriting competitive advantage now that AI has collapsed the cost of building software, and what that means for backing challengers versus the incumbent's partner.

Discussion Points:

• Re-underwriting moats: what still holds when product differentiation compresses, and how that changes diligence questions and valuation discipline.
• Challenger or incumbent partner: when the faster path to scale is selling through the people who already own the customer, and what that does to growth expectations and exit paths.
• Regulated and entrenched markets as a test case: banking, insurance, healthcare, where distribution and compliance have always been the real barrier, and what generalist investors can read across from them.

2. Crypto & Digital Assets Framework

Focus: Exploring the evolving landscape of crypto and digital assets, with a focus on investment strategies, regulatory compliance, and portfolio allocation.

Discussion Points:

• Developing a robust investment thesis for crypto and tokenized assets.
• Navigating regulatory challenges in the US and globally.
• Structuring portfolios to balance risk and capitalize on growth opportunities in digital assets.

Pulse Checks offer a unique opportunity for honest, peer-led conversations in small group settings. Funder attendees select one discussion for the first 25 minutes and then rotate to a second group. With all conversations held off the record, participants can speak freely and share valuable insights.

1. Distribution as the New Moat

Focus: How investors are re-underwriting competitive advantage now that AI has collapsed the cost of building software, and what that means for backing challengers versus the incumbent's partner.

Discussion Points:

• Re-underwriting moats: what still holds when product differentiation compresses, and how that changes diligence questions and valuation discipline.
• Challenger or incumbent partner: when the faster path to scale is selling through the people who already own the customer, and what that does to growth expectations and exit paths.
• Regulated and entrenched markets as a test case: banking, insurance, healthcare, where distribution and compliance have always been the real barrier, and what generalist investors can read across from them.

2. Crypto & Digital Assets Framework

Focus: Exploring the evolving landscape of crypto and digital assets, with a focus on investment strategies, regulatory compliance, and portfolio allocation.

Discussion Points:

• Developing a robust investment thesis for crypto and tokenized assets.
• Navigating regulatory challenges in the US and globally.
• Structuring portfolios to balance risk and capitalize on growth opportunities in digital assets.

We've curated the breakthrough talent so you don't have to sift through the crowd. Watch ambitious founders pitch innovative ideas in rapid 4-minute presentations, followed by direct investor Q&A. For investors: first access to hand-picked opportunities. For startups: don't just think about scaling up, do it – connect directly with the funding you need to accelerate growth.