UGLY TALK: BUILDING EFFECTIVE PERSONAL BRAND FOR FOUNDERS
You can build a product that works, a team that executes, and even hit revenue milestones, and still get passed over by investors, ignored by the press, or overlooked by top hires. Why? Because in the VC world, your personal brand as a founder is part of the due diligence.
The reality is: people bet on people before they bet on companies. In 2025, that “first impression” happens long before you step into a room — it’s on your LinkedIn profile, your thought leadership posts, your podcast appearances, your pitch videos, your event keynotes. If you’re invisible, inconsistent, or unclear online, you’ve already lost ground.
🎯 Why You Should Attend
Because the best founders don’t just build companies — they build themselves as a brand worth backing. This isn’t fluff. Strong personal branding:
Puts you on the radar of investors before your pitch hits their inbox.
Attracts partners, collaborators, and acquisition interest without cold outreach.
Makes top talent want to work for you before they’ve even met you.
If you’re raising, scaling, or building something VC-backable, this is where you’ll learn how to own your narrative and make sure the right people are paying attention.
🙋 Who You’ll Meet
Founders actively raising or planning to raise capital in the next 12–18 months.
Startup operators who’ve learned branding the hard way — by not having it when they needed it.
Investors and media professionals who know what gets founders noticed (and ignored).
🎤 Who’s on the Panel
Ben Sharf - Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Platter
Ben Sharf is the co-founder and co-CEO of Platter, a tech-enabled service business helping the fastest-growing ecommerce brands build high-converting, profitable Shopify storefronts.
Blaine Davis - Co-Founder of Superconnector
Blaine Davis is an entrepreneur and venture capitalist based in NYC. As Co-founder of Superconnector, he's transforming how professionals leverage and monetize their networks at scale. As a General Partner at Mute Ventures, Blaine identifies breakthrough opportunities and backs game-changing founders at the earliest stage.
His journey began in the fintech space, and later, Blaine was a Partner at the NYC-based VC fund Outlander. Blaine represents the new breed of operators and investors who understand that the most powerful investments and assets are people, relationships, and the communities that fuel innovation.
Moderator:
Ben Buaron - Founder & CEO of Windmill Growth
Raised with the expectation of becoming a lawyer, Ben chose a different path in entrepreneurship. Just weeks before starting law school, he withdrew his admission, lost thousands, and moved to a new city. By day he taught himself to code and by night he bartended to survive. His first fintech startup failed, teaching him the cost of building without market validation, misaligned partnerships, and limited entrepreneurial knowledge. Instead of quitting, Ben doubled down, networking, learning, and rebuilding. His next venture, a marketing startup, landed clients in its first month. Now he shares his journey to help others succeed.
💬 What We’ll Talk About
Building a consistent online presence across LinkedIn, Instagram, and founder-friendly platforms.
Crafting thought leadership content that actually drives investor curiosity.
Leveraging speaking gigs, panels, and podcasts to build in-person credibility.
Aligning your personal story with your company’s growth story.
Avoiding the rookie mistakes founders make that tank their visibility.
🤝 Co-Hosted With
Windmill -We turn founder profiles into powerful organic marketing, through strategic content and engagement optimization.
GREY Journal – Media partner spotlighting modern entrepreneurs (featured on Apple News + Google News).
🤝 Venue Partner
The Yard - Private offices & coworking spaces for individuals and teams
⭐ About Ugly Talk:
Started in 2019, Ugly Talk has been transforming business setbacks into breakthrough “aha!” moments by hosting unfiltered, no-nonsense events where battle-tested entrepreneurs share their raw lessons and insights.
With a growing presence in cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Miami, we’ve built a vibrant community of thousands of founders and industry leaders making a profound impact on the entrepreneurial landscape.
Official Website: UglyTalk.com