[MIAMI, FFCExpert] The Art of The Fundraise: To Raise or Not to Raise Capital

​Every founder reaches the same decision: raise, or keep building on her own terms. Venture capital can speed up growth, and it also changes who you answer to, how fast you need to move and what your exit has to look like. Bootstrapping keeps you in control, and it ties your pace of growth to your own cash flow. The right answer depends on your category, your margins and the business you want to own five years from now.

​To kick off Art Basel week, we’re bringing together founders and investors who have taken different paths to growth. You’ll hear the case for venture, angel and bootstrapped growth side by side, from the people who have lived each one, so you can decide which fits your business.

​In this session, you’ll learn:

• ​How to tell whether your business is ready for outside capital, and what investors look for before they write a check

• ​What bootstrapping makes possible, and how founders fund growth from revenue

• ​How angel, venture and private equity capital differ, and what each one asks of you as a founder

• ​What to have in place before you start a raise, and how to choose your investors as carefully as they choose you

• ​How founders who went from bootstrapped to venture backed decided it was time

​Speakers

• ​Dr. Letizia Alto, Taikun: Letizia is a physician turned entrepreneur who has led six multimillion-dollar companies since 2012. After years as a hospitalist, she replaced her income with a real estate portfolio that now spans 185+ doors. Today she leads Taikun, which teaches high-income professionals to own real estate that pays them every month and to reach financial freedom in years instead of decades.

• ​Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Clerisy: Alexandra co-founded Gilt, which scaled to $650M+ in revenue within five years, along with GLAMSQUAD and Fitz. Today she’s co-founder and managing partner of Clerisy, a growth equity fund investing in consumer and consumer-tech companies. She has also backed more than 75 startups as an angel investor.

• ​Chelsea Parke Goles, Founder and CEO, Parke: Chelsea launched Parke in 2022 with its signature Crossover Shorts. She has grown it, self-funded, into a go-to brand for elevated denim and everyday basics, and brought denim manufacturing in-house in 2024. She’s known for building in public and sharing her margins, lessons and wins with her community along the way.

• ​Rebecca Minkoff, Founder, Rebecca Minkoff, and Co-Founder, Female Founder Collective: Rebecca built her namesake fashion and accessories brand into a global business before selling it to Sunrise Brands in 2022. She co-founded Female Founder Collective to help women founders build and scale. She’s also the author of Fearless and host of the Superwomen podcast.

• ​Alison Wyatt, Co-Founder and CEO, Female Founder Collective: Ali co-founded Female Founder Collective with Rebecca and leads it as CEO, building communities like The 10th House and The Cabinette for founders at every stage. Before FFC, she led revenue at goop, and she’s an active angel investor.

​How the morning works
Ahead of our event, we invite you to take Taikun's two-minute Freedom Profile Assessment.
9:30am Coffee, breakfast and arrivals
9:45am Panel conversation
10:30am Audience Q&A
10:50am Strategic networking
11:30am Close

​Strategic networking
When you register, you’ll share a few details about your business, like your funding model, your stage and whether you plan to raise in the next year or two. We’ll use that to send you suggested connections before the event: the speaker whose path best fits yours and a few founders at a similar stage. That way you’ll know exactly who to find when networking starts. Our speakers stay through networking to keep the conversation going.

​Who this event is for
This session is for current and aspiring founders, especially those building in health and wellness, beauty, fashion, food and beverage, business services, and CPG. It’s for you whether you’re raising now, bootstrapping, or still deciding.

​What’s included

• ​Access to the panel conversation and audience Q&A

• ​Coffee and breakfast

• ​Strategic networking with speakers and fellow founders

• ​Suggested speaker and founder connections, sent before the event

• ​The chance to submit your questions for our speakers when you register

​Tickets
10th House members: free with your members-only code
Non-members: $49
Space is limited to about 50 founders.

​Taikun Messaging:

​In partnership with Taikun
Together with Taikun, we’ll explore the choices founders make about funding, ownership and control. CEO and fellow Cabinette member Letizia Alto joins the panel to share Taikun’s story of building without outside capital.

​Before you join us: Discover your Freedom Profile
Building a successful business and building personal financial freedom aren’t always the same thing. Find your gap in two minutes. Get your Freedom Profile →

​About Female Founder Collective
Female Founder Collective, co-founded by Rebecca Minkoff and Alison Wyatt, is a network built to help women-led businesses grow. The 10th House is our membership for early-stage founders. It includes year-round programming, free access to FFCExperts, and a community of founders building alongside you. Join The 10th House here.