NY #TechWeek Behind the Curtain: Insiders Guide to Investors
Join us on June 4 for an evening designed to pull back the curtain and provide a rare glimpse into the minds of angel investors and VCs.
Hear directly from a panel of investors as they share the pressures and motivations that drive their investment decisions. This event, hosted by Founders Network’s fnNYC Chapter, will give startup founders actionable intelligence on finding the right capital at the right time.
What You'll Learn:
Investor Perspectives: Gain insider knowledge on how angels and VCs evaluate potential investments. Understand the key differences in their timelines, risk tolerance, and return expectations.
Actionable Insights: Discover practical takeaways to refine your fundraising strategy. Learn how to target the right investors for your venture and craft a more compelling pitch.
Q&A: Get answers to your individual questions. Gain valuable insights that will empower you to build stronger relationships with potential investors.
Following the panel discussion, founders will have the opportunity to mingle with investors during cocktail hour.
About the Speakers:
Mitchell Harounian is an Investor Associate at Talent Resources. Prior to joining Talent Resources, Mitchell worked as an Analyst at Venture University from June 2021 to February 2022 where they were responsible for sourcing investment opportunities and conducting due diligence.
Mitchell also worked as an Investment Banking Summer Analyst at A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners from June 2020 to August 2020 and as an Investor Relations Summer Intern at Fortress Investment Group from June 2019 to August 2019.
Mitchell Harounian's educational career includes a degree in finance from the University of Florida and certification from FINRA in securities industry essentials.
Sumeet Shah has spent over 15 years across the early- and later-stage consumer investing and operating worlds. He spent the first 5 years of his career working with private equity firms and their portfolio companies with pre- and post-deal operations improvements. He recently spent the last 10 years helping to launch, manage, and grow two early-stage consumer venture funds (Brand Foundry Ventures in 2014 and Swiftarc Ventures in 2019), building their sourcing strategies (as well as Swiftarc's fundraising, platform, and operations arms).
For approximately 11 years, Eric Berry served as the CEO and co-founder of TripleLift. Throughout this time, TripleLift consistently achieved profitability with a remarkable growth rate, boasting a "rule of" 70+ metric. The company's success was further underscored by its recognition on the Inc. 5000 list as one of the Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America for an impressive six consecutive years, spanning from 2017 to 2022.
After close to a decade of leadership, during which he operated with less than $17 million in invested capital, Eric Berry successfully sold TripleLift to Vista Equity Partners for just under $1.5 billion. This deal marked one of the most significant cash returns in the history of the New York tech scene.
In addition to this achievement, Eric Berry orchestrated the acquisition of the Swiss company 1plusX for $150 million, playing a pivotal role in the negotiation process and facilitating the seamless integration of the company on a global scale.
His entrepreneurial prowess has been recognized on various fronts, including an EY Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2019, alongside multiple prestigious "40 under 40" awards.
Eric Berry's educational background includes undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science from MIT, as well as a J.D. from NYU School of Law. Prior to his tenure at TripleLift, he gained valuable experience as an M&A attorney at a prominent PE-focused law firm, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.
David Beisel is a Co-Founder and Partner at NextView Ventures. Throughout his entire career, he has been focused on early stage Internet startups, both as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist.
At NextView, his focus is on a hands-on, high conviction approach to seed stage investing with a thematic lens towards technology-driven companies that are redesigning the Everyday Economy. David’s investments include Attentive Mobile, TripleLift, thredUP, Parsec, Code Climate, BookBub, MealPal, The Nudge, Hatch, and TapCommerce. Previously, David was a Vice President at Venrock, the firm originally established as the venture capital arm of the Rockefeller family.
Prior to becoming a venture capitalist, David co-founded Sombasa Media, an e-mail marketing company best known for its flagship product BargainDog, which he grew to to five million registered members. Sombasa was successfully acquired by About.com where David served as Vice President of Marketing.
David holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and an AB in Economics, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Duke University. He lives in Boston, MA with his wife and three children.
fnNYC Chapter Leadership Team
Chapter Director: Doug Lessing
Membership/Growth Chair: Dave Renz
Membership/Growth Chair: Ford Seeman
Confidentiality Policy:
All information shared within Founders Network is strictly confidential. We are built on a foundation of trust, and the community takes confidentiality seriously. Investors, members, and staff all share experiences and opinions off the record. In this roundtable forum, we continue to model our fnValues of Reciprocity, Humility, Authenticity and Inclusivity.
This event is a part of #TechWeek - a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem.