Fundraising 101: Building Relationships, Preparing Your Pitch, and Navigating the VC Process

​Raising venture capital can feel overwhelming, especially in today’s market where investors are more selective and fundraising cycles are longer.

​Join us for a practical session where we will discuss:

• ​How to build relationships early and stay on the radar before your raise.

• ​How to craft a pitch that balances big vision with financial discipline.

• ​What should a typical fundraise process look like, broadly.

• ​What are some key lessons learned and watch-outs.

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​About the Speaker:

​Katie Nowak is an innovation leader, new venture designer, and investor. She is consistently celebrated as a game-changer for executive entrepreneurs looking to clearly articulate their message, raise money, and commercialize their products.

​As Founder and CEO of Kanvas, Katie has helped organizations raise over $350M in early-stage investments for ventures around the world. She is also a Principal investor at Altra Venture Partners, a late-stage investment fund with a portfolio spanning Anthropic, Anduril, Canva, Databricks, Webflow, Anduril, and more. Katie is a startup mentor and advisor with the Venture Mentoring Team, the U.S. National Science Foundation, Plug and Play Korea, and more.

​​​This workshop is part of the 2026 Queens Tech + Innovation Challenge online workshop series. Participants will have a chance to win up to a $20K grant for their startup businesses. Applications are due March 2, 2026. Learn more at http://queensstartup.org/