Alternative Paths to Funding and Building on Your Own Terms

​Venture capital is not the only way to build a great company.
It’s just the loudest.

​Join us for a candid conversation on alternative fundraising strategies,  and how founders can finance and scale companies without defaulting to the VC path.

​This session is for founders who want optionality: more control, healthier cap tables, and growth strategies aligned with how they actually want to build.

​Our Experts:

​Mollie Jahner: CEO at Springe-Forge | Non-Dilutive Funding | Deep Tech & Defense Ecosystems

​Kat Weaver: CEO at Power to Pitch | Angel Investor & Advisor

​We’ll explore:

​– When VC is the right path, and when it quietly becomes the wrong one
– Bootstrapping, revenue-based financing, angel syndicates, strategic angels, and family offices
– Crowdfunding, grants, venture debt, and hybrid models most founders never hear about
– How different funding paths shape control, dilution, speed, and exit options
– What investors look for across non-traditional funding routes

​This is for YOU to understand practical frameworks to help you choose a funding strategy that fits your business, not someone else’s outdated Twitter thread.

​This is not an anti-VC rant.

​
It’s a strategy session on leverage, alignment, and building companies on your own terms.

​Ideal for early-stage founders, repeat founders, operators considering spin-outs, and investors interested in more creative capital structures.