Off the Record AMA on Raising a Series A: Chatham House Rule
South Park Commons & Ridge Ventures are excited to welcome you to a Chatham House Rule, off the record AMA panel on raising a Series A!
Fundraising is time consuming and confusing, hear from four investors across stages to help demystify some of the inner workings of fundraising. No question is off limits, but remember this is going to be Chatham house rules so no texting, tweeting or reporting!
Hear from industry veterans such as:
Ben Braverman led sales for 3 YC companies, including Flexport, from the beginning through a little under $2B/yr. In 2024, Ben co-founded Saga Ventures ($125m fund 1, seed focus) with Max Altman and Thomson Nguyen.
Crystal Huang is a general partner at GV, where she concentrates on investments across SaaS, infrastructure, and fintech with a special interest in product and developer-led adoption strategies. Previously, she was an investor at NEA and GGV Capital, where she partnered with companies including Attest, BigCommerce, Bitsight, BrightWheel, Flow Commerce, NS1, Tile, Tray.io, and Wish. Earlier, she began her career in technology M&A at Blackstone.
Akriti Dokania is a Partner at Ridge Ventures. Her background in computer science, product management, and building a B2B business from the ground up have expertly positioned Akriti to understand the complexities that founders face not only in developing software, but in all aspects of the lifecycle of a startup. Previously, Akriti was an investor at Octopus Ventures and was part of the Deep Tech pod focusing on everything from AI/ML automation to Quantum Computing. She worked as Product Manager with Windows Security and in the User Experience team at Windows Edge. While completing her MBA at the London Business School, she worked with the Amazon Alexa team to help launch Alexa in new territories. Prior to this, she built a B2B business focused on accounting in the retail space in India.
Brian Schechter is a Partner at Primary, specializing in devtool, data, software infrastructure, and AI businesses. He loves all things company building. Before joining Primary, he was a 2x founder, an active angel, startup advisor, and high-school teacher. At Primary, he invests in early-stage companies and supports founders with the nitty-gritty of getting a business from idea to Series A. Brian experienced first-hand the power of the Primary approach as a founder when Primary led the seed of his second startup. Brian’s first business, HowAboutWe, sold to IAC in 2014, and he remains Board Chairman of his second business, SelfMade. Both businesses scaled to tens of millions in revenue and 100+ person teams. True to his founder nature, Brian tackles new problems with rigor and enthusiasm, leveraging broad networks, a passion for learning, and a must-win attitude. He specializes in building sales teams, direct marketing machines, and brands people love. Brian is passionate about supporting founders to realize their unique potential.
The panel will be moderated by Dylan Itzikowitz, Principal at SPC.
About South Park Commons:
SPC is a home for the most talented technologists figuring out what's next—a community designed to turn the chaos of possibility into the clarity of conviction. Whether you're exploring startup ideas, refining your thinking on a new product, or looking to dive into a new domain, we're here to help you get from -1 to 0.
About Ridge Ventures:
Ridge Ventures is an early-stage venture capital fund investing in experienced founders who are redefining how the world interacts with software. We back companies that deliver advanced technologies, new distribution models, and incredible user experiences to market. Our fast, flexible, and founder-focused approach creates the right relationships, helping companies become market leaders quickly.
Registration and approval is required and space is limited, so please RSVP soon!