UGLY TALK: WHAT INVESTORS DON’T TELL YOU ABOUT FUNDRAISING
Fundraising gets packaged like a clean process. Build. Pitch. Raise. That is not how most of it feels in the room.
A lot of investor “no’s” are shaped by things founders never hear out loud. Timing. Narrative clarity. Perceived momentum. Gaps in how the story comes across. This panel brings together 3 early-stage investors to talk about the stuff that usually stays off the record, and to give founders a clearer view of how decisions actually get made behind closed doors.
The goal is simple. Help founders get past surface-level pitch advice and shape a stronger narrative, especially around the harder or less polished parts of the story, before investors quietly turn those into concerns.
🎯 Why You Should Attend
Hear the common reasons investors say “no” that usually stay unspoken
Learn how investors actually evaluate early-stage startups beyond the pitch
Spot narrative gaps that can quietly hurt fundraising outcomes
Get practical ways to address uncomfortable or complex parts of your story directly
Learn how to shape your startup narrative early in the process
🙋 Who's Getting In This Room
Early-stage tech startups preparing to fundraise or actively fundraising, with MVP or market-ready / early-revenue traction.
🎤 Who's Taking the Stage
Eileen Kim - Pre-Seed and Seed Fund program manager for New York Ventures. This arm of New York Ventures invests in pre-seed and seed companies across industries.
Eileen Kim is one of those lucky people who fell into venture capital by accident. And she immediately took to her current role as the Pre-Seed and Seed Fund program manager for New York Ventures, New York State’s venture capital arm, like a fish to water. Eileen brought with her the knowledge and experience gained from holding three degrees in international careers(economics), arts administration, and fashion design; and decades working in three vastly different careers in the non-profit classical music industry, fashion, and real estate. Venture capital is her fourth career, so she embodies the entrepreneurial spirit and mindset that’s required to start something new from scratch. She has also actually been an entrepreneur, having had her own fashion line for about a second! This first-hand knowledge of the difficulties and sacrifices one makes to start a business has guided her in her desire to help founders as much as possible, in any way she can.
Ignacio Rosales - Chief Behavioral Officer at BuenTrip Ventures. BuenTrip Ventures invests in Latino-led pre-seed and seed companies with a B2B SaaS model across industries.
Ignacio Rosales is a venture capital investor with deep experience at the intersection of early-stage investing, behavioral science, and global markets. He currently serves as Chief Behavioral Officer at BuenTrip Ventures, an early-stage VC firm fueling the Latin community in building the world’s tech future.
At BuenTrip, he helps shape the firm’s investment philosophy, combining data-driven insight with a human-centered approach to identify and support high-potential entrepreneurs. His work focuses on understanding founder behavior and decision-making as key drivers of long-term outcomes.
Isabel Glass - Investor at Cade Ventures, an early-stage pre-seed to Series A fund focusing on consumer tech, health tech, and connected hardware & robotics
Isabel is an investor at Cade Ventures, where she focuses on backing exceptional founders. She partners closely with founders from diligence through post-investment, drawing on her background in management consulting, healthcare operations, and venture experience to support diligence and company-building. Isabel holds an MBA from The Wharton School and a BA in Organizational Studies and Business from the University of Michigan.
Moderator:
Victoria Yampolsky - President of The Startup Station, a CFO advisory and financial education platform for early-stage startups.
Victoria Yampolsky is the Founder and President of The Startup Station, a strategic CFO advisory firm and financial education platform for startups. She partners with founders on financial strategy, modeling, and fundraising, having supported over 150 companies across 15 industries in raising more than $50M in venture capital. Victoria is also an advocate for female founders and access to capital, and has taught finance to more than 20,000 entrepreneurs through programs including the Bank of America Institute for Women’s Entrepreneurship at Cornell. She began her career at Deutsche Bank and Capgemini, and holds a BS in Computer Science from Cornell University and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
📋 Event Schedule
6:00 – 6:30 PM: Check-in
6:30 – 7:15 PM: Investor Panel Discussion
7:15 – 8:00 PM: Mixer and networking
🎁 Additional Perks
As part of our commitment to supporting founders, The Startup Station is offering all attendees four bonuses valued at $150. All perks will be shared after the event in the follow-up email.
Essential Fundraising Pack ($50 value)
50 Most Frequently Asked Investor Questions (including financial questions)
Sample intro letter template for investor outreach
Business Model Analysis Roadmap - A Guide to Creating Credible Financial Model Assumptions
“Nail Your Financial Pitch” $100 value) - Recording of the 60-Min Master Class and Presentation
🤝 Who's Hosting It
The Startup Station - is a CFO advisory and financial education platform for early-stage startups. We help early-stage founders build investor-ready financials and tell their funding story with confidence. In the past decade, we’ve helped 150+ founders raise over $50M and educated 20,000+ entrepreneurs worldwide. The Startup Station also runs Speed Pitch, an exclusive investor-founder matchmaking event series for early-stage startups where founders are matched with 3 investors by sector, stage, and check size.
🤝 Who's Backing This
Silicon Valley Bank - Banking for Innovation Economy - a division of First Citizens Bank, is the bank of innovative companies and investors.** With 40+ years of dedication to this sector, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) has deep experience banking investors and innovation clients. Our entire business – from our solutions and technology to our credit policy and beyond – was purpose-built for high-growth companies and investors, and delivered at the speed they require. We are dedicated to the success of those who are quite literally inventing the future, and we have the full backing of 125-year-old First Citizens to continue to pursue that mission.
GREY Journal – Media partner spotlighting modern entrepreneurs (featured on Apple News + Google News).
⭐ 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
📢 Important Notice for Ugly Talk Attendees
Admission & Confirmation
Attendance is by approval only. Approved guests will receive a confirmation email along with a calendar invite. Invitations are non-transferable. Additional event details will be shared as the event approaches.
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By attending, you agree to:
Maintain respect and professionalism, adhering to all venue rules, policies, and applicable laws.
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Report any violations to the event hosts immediately.
Violations may result in immediate removal from the event and exclusion from future invitations.
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Participation is voluntary and at your own risk. The event organizers, hosts, sponsors, and venue are not liable for personal injury, lost or stolen belongings, or any other damages incurred during the event.
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Official Event Page: [Link]