Funding Breakthrough Lab: All Day Startup Bootcamp (Fintech + Health Panels/VCs)
Fundraising Bootcamp: From Pitch to Close
Intimate event with limited spots!
What to Expect
This intensive one-day bootcamp is designed to transform how you approach fundraising. You'll spend the day with seasoned founders, investors, and fundraising experts who've been in the trenches—and come out the other side with term sheets in hand.
You'll walk away with:
A solid grasp of fundraising fundamentals and what investors actually look for
A compelling founder story that resonates with investors
A clear, actionable 12-week fundraising roadmap
Real-time feedback on your pitch from active investors
Direct insights from fintech and healthtech investors on what moves the needle
This isn't lecture-style learning. Expect interactive sessions, live pitch feedback, and honest answers to your toughest fundraising questions. Whether you're pre-seed or raising your Series A, you'll leave with concrete next steps and the confidence to execute.
Why Attend
Raising capital shouldn't feel like shouting into the void. Most founders waste months (or years) making avoidable mistakes—pitching the wrong investors, telling the wrong story, or simply not knowing what "good" looks like.
This bootcamp compresses what typically takes founders months to figure out into a single, focused day. You'll learn the frameworks that work, hear directly from investors about what they're actually evaluating, and get personalized feedback on your pitch in a supportive environment where it's safe to refine and improve.
Whether you're gearing up for your first fundraise, stuck in the middle of one, or preparing for an accelerator application—this is your chance to level up fast, learn from people who've raised millions, and connect with a community of founders on the same journey.
Stop guessing. Start raising.
Taking Place at Nixon Peabody
Agenda
9:00 - 10:00am | Coffee + Breakfast + Networking
10:00 - 10:30am | The Art of Building a High Trust Brands
John Gorman is the founder and principal of Saint Orange, a strategy house blending research, cultural insight, brand positioning, and longform editorial to help organizations build relevance, resonance, and trust. A former Head of Brand Voice at Dell Technologies, he has spent two decades shaping narratives for global technology, nonprofit, and civic leaders. John is also a 20x international award-winning creative and essayist. John speaks on branding, leadership, cultural change, and the future of marketing in the Agentic Era.
10:30 - 11:00am | TBA
11:00am - 11:45pm | Beyond the Deck: What Actually Gets You Funded with Sara Anderson
Sara Anderson is the founder of Lead Out Loud and a fomer Uber innovation lead. She coaches founders through fundraising and works with executives at Adobe, Workday, and Gilead to develop the presence that wins rooms—before a word is spoken.
11:45 - 12:30pm The Launch Path Methodology with Bret Waters
Whether your goal is launching the next billion-dollar tech "unicorn," a rock-solid mid-sized business, or a social venture focused on global impact, The Launch Path will help to get you there safely and successfully. The book comes with a companion website that has additional resources and tools for entrepreneurs and innovators.
Bret Waters has spent his entire life in Silicon Valley, largely due to its exceptional fish tacos. He currently teaches entrepreneurship at Stanford through the Continuing Studies Program, serves as an Executive Mentor at the Miller Center for Global Impact, and works privately as a 1:1 coach for startup founders.
Previously, Bret was the Founder and CEO of three Silicon Valley software companies. He spent six years on the advisory board of the Stanford University Graduate School of Education, served as interim CEO of Stanford New Schools, and held the role of Chief Mentor at the European Innovation Academy. He earned his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, an excellent institution with notably less impressive fish tacos.
12:30 - 1pm | Light Charcuterie Lunch
1:00 - 1:30pm | GTM with Keith Lam
Keith Lam is a seasoned and strategic full-stack marketing executive with over 20 years of global experience. He mentors at some of the Bay Area's top accelerator including Funding Breakthrough Lab. Known for his ability to build from the ground up and bring structure to complexity, Keith specializes in B2B technology marketing across AI/ML, VoiceTech, customer experience (CX), fintech, and SaaS sectors. His expertise spans product marketing, growth marketing, content marketing, and demand generation.
As Principal of Marketing at Rebel LLC, Keith delivers high-impact go-to-market (GTM) strategies and talent solutions to B2B technology companies. He partners closely with executive teams to advise on every facet of product-led growth, marketing, sales, and customer success. In addition to strategic counsel, Keith provides turnkey operational support—such as product marketers and sales operations professionals—to help clients launch new GTM initiatives quickly and effectively.
1:30-2pm | Technical Best Practices for Building Scalable MVPs with XmartLabs
2:00-2:15pm Break
2:15-2:45pm | Investor Panel: HealthTech Insights with David Kiewlich, Paola Torre, PhD (Aquillius Ventures)
Dr. David Kiewlich (Ph.D.) is a serial founder and entrepreneur in biotech. With over 30 years’ experience working for industry, as well as 6 startups of his own, his background is excellently aligned with the needs and struggles of pre-commercialization startups. He founded and runs Tomorrow Biotech, which includes the Bay Area Disruptor and Startup Support Labs (BADASS Labs) a 501c3, non-profit series of biotech incubators, which has supported dozens of pre-seed through series B (and beyond) companies, as well as a startup and early-stage fund. With a six-year track record of 50 of 55 company successes for members of the incubator, his approach to make it easier on founders has substantially changed the concept and expectations of what incubators should look like.
In addition to Tomorrow Biotech, David is also the CSO of a cell based therapy company, focused on autoimmune disease, advisor for several biotech startups and frequent public speaker advocating for increased sustainability and greater Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the sciences.
Paola Torre, PhD is an entrepreneurial, multidisciplinary translational scientist with over 10 years of post-PhD experience across academia, industry, and venture investing, specializing in pathways driving fibrosis and complex diseases including IPF, cardiovascular and liver fibrosis, neurometabolic disorders, and genetic cardiomyopathies. Her work has supported both preclinical and clinical-stage programs, bridging rigorous science with therapeutic impact. Paola has evaluated hundreds of early-stage life sciences startups through leadership roles at Life Science Angels and advisory work with Berkeley SkyDeck, contributing to venture growth, diligence, and founder support. She currently serves as a Venture Partner and VC Analyst at Aquillius Ventures, where she conducts scientific and market diligence, collaborates closely with founders and executives, and helps guide investment decisions. Passionate about advancing biotech innovation, Paola is known for her ability to work across researchers, clinicians, investors, and entrepreneurs to accelerate meaningful therapeutic discovery.
2:45-3:15pm | Investor Panel: Fintech Insights with Sophie Liao Prof. PK Prasanna Kumar, Tonya J Long
Sophie L
Founding Partner, Republic Ventures
An entrepreneur turned fund manager, Sophie founded Oyster Ventures as a solo GP in 2017, scaling it to Fund III with a ‘picks and shovels’ thesis for private asset investing—a nod to the fintech gold rush. Rebranded to Republic Ventures in 2024, focusing on democratizing private assets, data and energy. Her first fund included Robinhood and other fintechs that broadened financial access.
Tonya J. Long is a venture investor and fund operator, and Future of Work thought leader
with 25 years of experience leading large-scale innovation across enterprise and emerging technology ecosystems. As a technology executive, she drove the launch of 400 products to market and led over 20 M&As, translating complex technological shifts into practical strategy and organizational action.
She is the Managing Partner of Daymaker Ventures LLC, where she designs capital structures that help early-stage companies access and deploy funding effectively, and the creator of Beyond Work, a platform exploring how AI is reshaping value, identity, and leadership in modern organizations. Tonya is also the author of AI and the New Oz, a bestselling book examining how artificial intelligence is redefining human potential and the architecture of work.
Prof. PK Prasanna Kumar dons several roles - successful serial entrepreneur, practitioner & adjunct professor. He has deep love & understanding for numbers, finances and the mathematics of growth. For over 25 years he has helped raise capital, build products, platforms; grow businesses. He is deeply respectful of talents, traditions & kind-hearted people. Managed over 150+ Hospitals, 4000 Pharmacies, 500 Health Centers, Globally. He has consistently won numerous large deals and delivered on those promises thru technology leadership & talent management with a touch of innovation at global level. Pioneered Y2k &; dotcom led growth; creation of the onsite-offshore Model, Mobile apps, Social Media Revolution. Currently leveraging the power of AI & Cloud Computing to transform Healthcare, EduTech & Marcom.
3:15 - 3:20pm | Closing Remarks
3:20 - 4pm | Live Pitch & Feedback with Investors (1-2 min pitches)
4 - 4:30pm | Networking + Social
OoMee is a marine plant beverage powered by Seabiotics™, our proprietary blend of marine plant fibers that helps naturally curb cravings.
Fly Wines is a wine brand sourcing unique, sustainably made wines from independent wineries across the globe. From premium imports to the Fly Wines non-alcoholic sparkling Vol.0, we create elevated wine experiences that celebrate culture, craftsmanship, and connection.
Event Hosts
Xmartlabs is an Uruguay-based software development studio, offering nearshore development support with fractional CTO consulting and embedded engineering teams. We work with companies from launch to enterprise to accelerate production, implement lean development, and maintain technical infrastructure.
Funding Breakthrough Lab is a San Francisco 501(c)(3) nonprofit pre-accelerator that helps founders strategize, fundraise, and grow their startups. With a mission to build a better tomorrow, we’ve created a thriving community of over 19,000+ subscribers where education, networks, and resources come together to unlock founder potential.
We specialize in helping early-stage entrepreneurs navigate the complexities of fundraising—whether through grants, venture capital, or alternative funding paths—while championing diversity, inclusion, and authenticity.
Founded by Natalie Pan, an engineer, community builder, and executive coach, Funding Breakthrough Lab provides the tools and support you need to move from idea to investment.
Apply now for the next cohort and gain the credibility, connections, and confidence to secure funding for your startup: fundingbreakthroughlab.org