Fireside Chat: Finance and Fundraising & Community Drinks
Funding is one of the biggest challenges for early-stage founders.
So why not explore different ways to fund your startup together?
Join us on 29 May for an informal 1-hour fireside chat with Ruud Albers and Ruslan Raspopov, where we dive into the realities of startup finance and fundraising.
Whether you’re thinking about raising investment or exploring alternatives like bootstrapping or grants, this session will give you a clearer view on how to fund your venture.
Afterwards, stay for community drinks from 4 PM!🍻
📌 What to expect?
During this session, you will:
• Hear firsthand stories from experienced entrepreneurs about raising funding
• Learn about different funding options beyond traditional investors, such as bootstrapping or grants
• Understand what to look for if you decide to work with investors
• Ask your own questions about finance, fundraising, or entrepreneurship in general
• Enjoy community drinks and networking with Innokitees
📌 Why it matters?
This session helps you understand your options and make more informed decisions. It also gives you a realistic view of entrepreneurship, including the challenges, trade-offs, and opportunities that come with it.
📌 Meet your speakers
Ruslan Raspopov is a product strategist and startup founder with hands-on experience in building and scaling early-stage ventures. He previously led the launch of an MVP in the U.S. market that grew from $0 to $1M in revenue - with zero ad spend - in under 12 months through lean validation and direct customer development.
His background spans product management, market research, digital marketing, sales, fundraising, and go-to-market strategy. He’s now building Friendvice, a trust-first platform for authentic recommendations.
Ruud Albers, PhD mentors early-stage founders in bio tech, med tech, food tech, and health innovation. With 25+ years of experience across corporate R&D, consulting, and startup leadership, he helps founders turn strong science into clear strategy, credible milestones and investable ventures.
As Founder, CEO and CSO of NutriLeads, he built a company around a shelved Unilever discovery and led its journey from early research to international commercialization, securing more than €25M in venture and public funding along the way.
He brings hands-on experience in clinical and regulatory strategy, partnership building, and science-based business development, and supports founders in aligning validation, funding, and market needs from an early stage.