Funding Outside the Box: Creative Strategies for Raising Capital

​Join us for a special masterclass led by angel investor and capital strategist Marcia Dawood, exploring alternative fundraising paths that go beyond traditional venture capital.

​In this session, Marcia shares insights from her SXSW talk on strategic fundraising, where she unpacks little-known and underutilized funding approaches—including equity crowdfunding, philanthropic capital, and platforms like Scroobious and Play Money—designed to help founders access the capital they need on their terms.

​You’ll hear Marcia’s deeply personal journey into angel investing, sparked by a search for answers after her mother’s ALS diagnosis. That journey reshaped her understanding of how money, purpose, and impact intersect—and why investing in early-stage, mission-driven companies can be a form of real-world change-making.

​Whether you’re fundraising now or planning ahead, this session will open your eyes to creative capital strategies that empower underrepresented founders and shift who gets funded—and why.