Building a world where every entrepreneur can thrive on a level playing field.
Get Your Business Funding-Ready: Fundamentals Investors Expect
Is your business fundable?
What does it actually mean to have a business that's ready for investment, equity or non-dilutive?
Anthony Mak, Commercial Banker and Vice President at JPMorgan, Russ Korins, Partner in Technology and Emerging Companies at Cohen Tauber Spievack & Wagner, and Aaron M. Krieger, Executive Director and Assistant General Counsel at JPMorgan walk you through what investors and lenders want to see before they write the check.
You'll cover the banking groundwork: what good banking hygiene looks like to someone reading your books, how a clean cap table is put together, the financial missteps that stall a raise, and how to manage the investment once it lands in your account.
You'll also get into the legal groundwork: knowing what you gain from an investment and what you give up in ownership and control, structuring your earliest rounds so they don't put off the investors who come later, and removing the uncertainty investors dislike, from your corporate paperwork to who owns your IP to any dispute still open.
Bring your questions.
Space is limited, so register now to hold your spot.
About Our Speakers
Anthony Mak, Commercial Banker, Vice President, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Anthony helps companies access capital, get their financial operations in shape for succession and sale, and build resilience. His clients are New York-headquartered middle market companies across industries, with annual revenues from US$20 million to US$100 million. He brings experience in commercial banking, entrepreneurship and M&A advisory to his work with CEOs and CFOs. He knows cash flow cycles, liquidity management, and global trade and investment.
Anthony is a Platinum Lead on the Chamber Leadership Council of the National LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce New York (NGLCC NY), and is JP Morgan's lead on supporting StartOut New York.
Russ Korins, Partner, Technology and Emerging Companies, Cohen Tauber Spievack & Wagner P.C.
Russ is legal counsel to technology and emerging companies and their founders, and to other small and middle market businesses, working as both strategist and advisor. He draws on experience on the business side of tech, as a consultant to startups and a team member at larger companies. He's active in the emerging and venture-backed tech community as a member of the New York City Bar Association's Emerging Companies & Venture Capital Committee, and advises and mentors student founders at Yale, Cornell Tech and NYU Law.
Russ has volunteered with the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York since 2006, including 10 years on its Foundation board.
Aaron M. Krieger, Executive Director and Assistant General Counsel, JPMorganChase & Co.
Aaron Krieger is an Executive Director and Assistant General Counsel at J.P. Morgan, serving as lead U.S. regulatory counsel for Workplace Solutions, a share plan administration and cap table management business acquired by JPM in 2022. Aaron was formerly the internal head of legal for Aumni, a JPM-acquired portfolio analytics platform for venture investments, and for Capital Connect, a digital private placements platform developed within JPM’s investment bank.Aaron joined JPM in 2022 to support Capital Connect and has since developed a niche practice supporting new and rapidly evolving businesses incubated within or acquired by the firm.
Before joining, Aaron spent roughly a decade in private practice focused on mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, and corporate restructuring. He is based in New York City with his husband and their two dogs and two cats.
About StartOut NYC's Access to Capital Series
Get Your Business Funding-Ready is the first of four events. Each one builds on the last, so register for the rest while you're here.
Getting into the room where capital happens isn't always easy for LGBTQ+ founders. Networks can feel closed, introductions are hard to come by, and it's rarely clear where to start. This series gives you access to experts and investors, a clear picture of your funding options, and hands-on help getting ready to raise and pitch.
Nail the funding-ready fundamentals, and you're set up to succeed in what the series covers next: alternative funding options, sharpening your pitch, and meeting investors.
Sign up for all four:
Get Your Business Funding-Ready: Fundamentals Investors Expect. This event. The groundwork for everything that follows. Register now.
Alternative and Non-Dilutive Funding Sources: Know Your Options. Wednesday, November 4th (6 to 8 PM), at First Citizens Innovation Bank (formerly Silicon Valley Bank). Loans, credit, revenue-based financing and grants: how each works, what it costs and which stage it suits. Register now.
Investor Pitching Workshop: Sharpen Your Pitch With Direct Feedback. November 19th (6 to 8 PM). Work on your pitch and get direct feedback before you take it to investors. Register now.
Investor and LGBTQ+ Founder Matching: Pitch to Investors Ready to Invest. Wednesday, December 9th (5 to 8 PM). Invite-only, one-on-one time with investors matched to your business. Submit your founder application here.
Brought to you by StartOut NYC and its network of investors, funders, and community supporters.
About StartOut
StartOut connects LGBTQ+ founders and professionals and our allies through community, education, mentorship and opportunities to help entrepreneurs grow and thrive. Our events are open to all and designed to create meaningful connections throughout the startup ecosystem.
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Building a world where every entrepreneur can thrive on a level playing field.