​Fundraising is shifting fast. Signals from 2025 were noisy; 2026 brings new patterns worth tracking. Investors are tightening on proof of value, efficient growth, and real AI advantage. This session separates speculation from substance by asking funded founders and active investors exactly what they’re prioritizing in 2026—what changed, what still works, and how to prepare.

​🎯 Why You Should Attend

• ​Clear up misconceptions. Hear the most common mistakes founders made in 2025 and how to avoid them in 2026.

• ​Get the investor read. What partners are scouting for now: proof points, metrics, and AI defensibility that win term sheets.

• ​Leave with a plan. Practical steps to refine your narrative, metrics, and data room so your process is fast and focused.

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​🙋 Who You’ll Meet

• ​B2B Tech/AI founders planning or in market for Seed–Series A

• ​Investors active in B2B (angels, micro-VC, institutional seed, corporate venture)

• ​Operators and C-level pros who influence readiness (finance, RevOps, product, security)

• ​Ecosystem builders (accelerators, law firms, venture debt, platform partners)

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​🎤 Who’s on the Panel

​Zhihao Zhao - Co-founder & CEO of Genia

​Growing up in a construction family, Zhihao Zhao is the Co-founder and CEO of Genia, helping structural engineers design permit-ready drawings 10x faster with Generative AI. A serial entrepreneur and seasoned product executive, Zhihao specializes in launching emerging technologies into new markets. He has previously built the world's first consumer AR glasses at XREAL, led AI product development at Amazon, and developed AI-native tools for the creator economy at VOILA. His multidisciplinary expertise is grounded in a robust educational background, holding a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA from Yale University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Psychology from UCLA.

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​Julia Delin - CEO & Co-Founder of Cheque

​Julia Delin is the co-founder of Cheque, an invoicing platform for agencies to get paid faster without using credit or loans. Prior to founding Cheque, Julia ran one of Europe’s top incubators for seven years, and started an early-stage venture fund to invest in startups before early traction. She has raised +$10m for the venture fund, and another $670k for her own startup, and has coached 100+ startups in how to run a fundraising process. Julia has a BSc in Business from the Stockholm School of Economics in Sweden, where she is originally from. Now she lives in New York.

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​Aidan Richards - Co-Founder & COO of Rezora IO

​Aidan Richards is the cofounder of Rezora IO, an AI voice platform for real estate professionals that automatically calls leads, books meetings, and handles follow up at scale. With a background in real estate sales, fintech enterprise sales, and early stage startups, Aidan focuses on building practical AI systems that drive revenue. He has founded and scaled multiple businesses and brings a strong operator mindset to GTM execution, partnerships, and product strategy.

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​Moderator:

​Haoqian Zheng - Director of AI Engineering at Aprio LLC

​Hao started his career as Product Manager at Google before going into the startup world. He was Cofounder & CTO at TimeCredit AI, an AI SaaS in the Accounting space, which got acquired by Aprio in 2025.

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​💬 What We’ll Talk About

• ​Hard lessons: timing misses, over-optimizing valuation, under-prepping diligence

• ​Round mechanics: extensions, inside rounds, flat/down dynamics and how founders navigated them

• ​Signals that mattered: traction proof, retention quality, payback, and efficient GTM

​Looking ahead to 2026

• ​What investors are looking for:

  • ​Compelling wedge and durable advantage (data, workflow lock-in, distribution)

  • ​Metrics that travel: NRR, gross margin with AI costs accounted for, CAC payback, pipeline conversion

  • ​AI readiness: model choices, cost control, evals, safety/governance, security and compliance

• ​Structures & capital mix: priced rounds vs SAFEs, venture debt, non-dilutive options, when each fits

• ​Process that wins: narrative memo, proof stack, customer references, fast data room, founder scheduling strategy

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​🤝 Co-Hosted With

​NYC B2B - Join 5,000+ founders, operators & VCs in NYC’s top B2B startup community—get NYC startup events, resources & deal flow.

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​GREY Journal – Media partner spotlighting modern entrepreneurs (featured on Apple News + Google News).

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​🤝 Community Partner

​The Startup Station helps early-stage founders build investor-ready financials and tell their funding story with confidence. Our next 6-week virtual Fundraising Bootcamp starts Feb 24 — learn MBA-level finance designed for founders with no prior experience, craft your financial story like a CFO, and accelerate your fundraising with guidance from a veteran investor. 

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​🤝 Venue Partner

​The Yard - Private offices & coworking spaces for individuals and teams

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​⭐ About Ugly Talk:

​Started in 2019, Ugly Talk has been transforming business setbacks into breakthrough “aha!” moments by hosting unfiltered, no-nonsense events where battle-tested entrepreneurs share their raw lessons and insights.

​With a growing presence in cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Miami, we’ve built a vibrant community of thousands of founders and industry leaders making a profound impact on the entrepreneurial landscape.

​Official Website: UglyTalk.com

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​​​Official Event Page: [Link]