Yorkseed House Investor Panel - Beyond The Check
Yorkseed House Investor Panel @ SXSW 2025
📅 Date: Sunday, March 9, 2025
🕒 Time: 1:30PM – 2:30 PM
📍 Location: Yorkseed House @ The Lively & Grit Daily House
206 San Marcos St, Austin, TX 78702
Yorkseed House pop-up home based @ The Lively & Grit Daily House from 9:30am - 5pm.
Join us at Yorkseed House for a powerhouse investor panel featuring top investors sharing unfiltered insights on what makes founders truly investable.
💡 Panel Topic:
Beyond the Check: What Investors Look for Beyond Capital Returns + How to Win Over an Investor in 5 Minutes
Investors don’t just write checks—they back founders who can execute. This candid, high-energy discussion will dive into:
✅ How investors assess startups beyond financial returns (team, vision, sustainability, impact)
✅ What makes a pitch stand out in the first 5 minutes
✅ Common deal-breakers and must-have traits for investable founders
⚡ Panel Format:
🎤 30-Minute Moderated Discussion – Investor insights on what separates great founders from the rest
🔥 8-Minute Rapid-Fire Q&A – No-BS answers on pitching, funding, and red flags
🙋 7-Minute Audience Q&A – Ask investors your burning questions
🌟 Featured Panelists:
Tiffany Yu – Investor | Founder | Disability Advocate
Angel investor in underestimated founders (Esusu - valued at $1bn+, The Cru - acquired by Luminary, Making Space, Lotus)
LP in Backstage Capital, Fearless Fund, and Park Rangers Capital
Leading voice in disability inclusion, author, and SXSW speaker
Sophie Taitt – Media Consultant | Angel Investor
Angel investor in female-founded businesses via The Helm
Formerly with Netflix & BBC, now investing in early-stage ventures
Juliana Garaizar – GP at Portfolia | VP of Climatetech Global Ventures
Named Investor of the Year by Houston Innovation Map
Formerly led Greentown Labs, Texas Medical Center Venture Fund, Houston Angel Network
Kathryn Kuan – Angel Investor | Futurist
Jane-of-all-trades and Investor with Keiretsu Forum, the world’s largest investor network
Advising early-stage startups on product-market fit and due diligence preparation
Searching for companies transforming how core human needs are met with innovation and emerging technology
Breen Sullivan – Founder, The Fourth Effect | Angel Investor | SXSW Advisory Board
Founder of The Fourth Effect, an AI-powered platform connecting women with companies seeking diverse leadership
Recognized for leadership in fostering inclusive innovation in the business world
Featured in Forbes and Bloomberg
Brian Zisk – Entrepreneur | Investor | Industry Innovator
Brian is a long time entrepreneur and investor whose startup the Green Witch Internet Radio featuring Olive the Cartoon AI DJ was the first breakthrough technology launched at SXSW in 1999, selling to a public company 9 months later.
He is an Angel investor, and a General or Venture Partner in various funds including Exponential Creativity Ventures and the SF MusicTech Fund.
He is well known for supporting and respecting entrepreneurs, telling almost everyone who pitches him no at the first meeting instead of stringing them along.
Come pitch your Music Technology Startup at his SXSW session on Wedneaday: https://schedule.sxsw.com/2025/events/PP153440
Moderator / host:
Jessica Sophia Wong – Founder, Yorkseed | Venture Partner & Startup Strategist
Founder of Yorkseed, a global platform connecting startups and investors across 20+ city hubs and major tech conferences
NYC Chapter Director at VNTR Capital and advisor for BAJ Accelerator, hosting high-impact venture events worldwide, including at SXSW, Web Summit, and Davos
🍸 Come early to enjoy networking, an open bar, and food before the session starts.
🌱 What is Yorkseed?
Yorkseed was born from a silly joke that went viral during SXSW 2023, and Yorkseed was born in April the same years, but what started as an inside joke quickly turned into a thriving global community of founders, investors, and executives. Since then, Yorkseed has grown into:
✅ A global network of 10+ conference hubs & 20+ city hubs
✅ Exclusive investor & founder events worldwide
✅ A community fostering meaningful startup connections
Yorkseed is also a community partner for major conferences worldwide, including:
🌏 Asian Financial Forum (Hong Kong) – A premier global finance and investment summit
🌍 Global Sales Tech Festival (Barcelona) – A key event in sales innovation and tech
🏛 CC Forum (High-Profile Impact Investing Forum) – Where global leaders discuss finance, sustainability, and impact And more…
Now, we’re bringing the Yorkseed magic back to SXSW (well less than 24 hours of planning) —and you don’t want to miss it!
🔗 RSVP Now! Space is limited. Join us for a powerful day of networking, insights, and inspiration—see you at Yorkseed House! 🚀
Yorkseed is a global venture capital network for founders and investors, facilitating connections between founders and investors, while also creating global hubs to enhance investor and founders outreach and bridge the gap between the USA and the rest of the world.
Whether you're an entrepreneur looking for support or an investor looking to invest in emerging companies, Yorkseed.co is the perfect place to connect with like-minded individuals, share knowledge, and explore opportunities in the startup ecosystem. Join us in building a global network of investors and founders and shaping the future of the startup community.
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