Under the Hood: Real Stories, Learnings, and Personal Journey
Step inside an off-the-record gathering designed for the builders, backers, and believers shaping the next generation of companies. Hosted at Sunstone’s office, this event isn’t about polished panels or staged pitches - it’s a chance for founders, operators, investors, and allies to connect through raw stories, unvarnished lessons, and the kinds of insights that don’t make it onto social media.
Who it’s for:
Current or future founders, operators, investors, and people supporting early-stage company building and running a business in the US.
What to expect:
Candid founder stories - the hard lessons, near-failures, pivots, and wins
Tactical insights from the field - fundraising, QSBS, R&D tax credits, and more
Zero ego. No mics. Just shared experience and sharp perspective
Whether you're raising, writing checks, deploying capital, scaling teams, or architecting your next big swing, you’ll leave with clarity, new allies, and fresh context for what it really takes to build bold in today’s market.
Your hosts:
Echo Zhong is Co-Founder, Managing Partner of Zhong & Sanchez, a modern accounting, tax advisory and fractional CFO firm helping founders scale smarter with AI-driven systems and tax strategy. As formerly founding product SME at Kick.co (an OpenAI-backed startup) and Big Four CPA, Echo blends technical rigor with startup execution. Having saved clients $3M+ in taxes, and angel invested in 10+ startups, Echo is passionate about helping founders scale smarter and avoid costly mistakes, and curating spaces where founders can drop the armor, get honest, and support each other through the real stuff.
Sunstone Management is a fast-growing private capital firm based in Irvine, California, offering early-stage venture capital, real estate, and fixed-income funds to accredited investors. With a portfolio of 100+ innovative companies, Sunstone leverages strategic public-private partnerships to drive inclusive economic growth and generate greater social and financial impact than traditional investment models.