DCSTW25 Prep #1: Thoughtful Startup Funding w/ Casey Williams
Are you founder-curious? Wondering what it actually takes to start something, especially when it comes to your personal finances?
Join us for an intimate breakfast at Mola where we’ll be discussing these questions, as well as piloting Split’s payment processing platform with a heavily discounted meal for all attendees.
In partnership with DC Startup & Tech Week, this event is designed for anyone thinking seriously about launching a business or project and who wants to get real about financial readiness before they take the leap.
Guest speaker: Casey Williams, Partner at local fintech VC firm Fenway Summer will share a short, candid talk on how to think about personal financial readiness, funding, and when venture capital makes sense. Then we’ll open up for Q&A.
Casey leads the Fenway Summer’s early stage investments and venture build initiative, helping to develop and launch new businesses in financial services. In 2022, Casey founded and launched DC Startup Women, an organization connecting female founders and funders to one another and to local resources.
We’ll explore questions like:
What’s your personal runway, and how do you protect it?
What kind of funding actually fits your business model?
When is raising venture capital the right call?
How can you validate your idea before spending or raising a dime?
Fundraising outside capital, especially venture capital, is not the only path. This breakfast is about helping prospective founders understand the financial implications of entrepreneurship with clarity and confidence—not chasing a model that doesn’t fit.
Plus: We’ll be live-testing Split, a new payment rewards app from our host Taylor. Your breakfast will be deeply discounted, and your feedback will help improve a local startup (Download the app here).
Expect good food, hands-on experimentation with Split, and grounded advice on how to make sure your personal finances and funding stack support, rather than sabotage, your leap into entrepreneurship.