BGA Speaker Series: Startup Fundraising - How to Raise a Pre-seed with Sam Wong
BGA presents a speaker series for deep tech founders and builders.
The Berkeley Gateway Accelerator Speaker Series puts experienced operators and investors in a small room with the people building what’s next. Every session is invite-only and capped at 20 people, so there is real room for questions, honest conversation, and one-on-one time with the speaker. It’s built for founders, builders, and aspiring entrepreneurs working on deep tech.
This session: Startup Fundraising: How to Raise a Pre-seed
Speaker: Sam Wong
Sam is CEO of Fundable Startups, a start-up training academy that helps entrepreneurs build healthy, fundable companies before assisting them with fundraising and scaling. He has served as CEO, CTO, or technical VP for five startups, resulting in three acquisitions, and as CBO or CFO for two others that were also acquired. Sam is the author of 21 Secrets of Successful Startups, has been featured in Fortune, has served as a pitch judge dozens of times, and has spoken at TechCrunch Disrupt and The Lean Startup Conference.
Sam’s fundraising training covers how to approach a raise, including funding strategy and sources, vehicles such as SAFEs and convertible notes, storytelling and pitch decks, and investor due diligence. In this session, he’ll walk you through how to raise a pre-seed round.
If you’re preparing to raise your first round, this is a chance to understand how it works before you start talking to investors, from someone who has built companies that were acquired and judged pitches dozens of times.
Who should attend: Founders, builders, and aspiring entrepreneurs working on deep tech. Space is limited to 20, so please request to join and we’ll confirm your spot.
About the Berkeley Gateway Accelerator
BGA is a deep tech accelerator and fund in Berkeley, California, that turns breakthrough science into world-changing companies. Our founder-centric, five-month commercialization program includes funding, housing, and office space. Founders work with an embedded team of entrepreneurs in residence, UC Berkeley faculty and students, and outside experts, with warm introductions to VCs. We’ve evaluated 120+ technologies and made two dozen early-stage investments, including modular robotics, solid-state power electronics, and quantum AI hardware.
Building a deep tech company? Apply to the next BGA cohort here