Expert Session #30: Funding Your Start-up: Funding Strategies for Founders

​Funding Your Start-up: Funding Strategies for Founders

​This session provides a practical, real-world overview of how founders can fund and scale a startup—from first idea to institutional capital. Designed for students, early-stage founders, and incubator participants, the talk demystifies the fundraising landscape across angels, high-net-worth individuals, venture capital, private equity, grants, and other funding sources.

​Attendees will learn how investors think, what makes a company “fundable,” how fundraising evolves across stages, and how to avoid the most common mistakes founders make when seeking capital. The session will also cover dilution, valuation, deal structures, and strategies for approaching investors with confidence.

​The goal is to equip aspiring entrepreneurs with a clear mental model of the fundraising journey so they can choose the right funding path, communicate their vision effectively, and accelerate their chances of securing investment.

​About the speaker:

​Travis Allen is a CEO and entrepreneur focused on scaling regulated pharmaceutical manufacturing. He leads American Injectables, a sterile injectable CDMO expanding drug global manufacturing capacity and building a platform for pharmaceutical production. Having raised over $60 million in capital, Travis brings deep experience in company formation, deal structuring, and navigating the fundraising lifecycle for technical and manufacturing-driven startups.