​If you’ve already raised a friends-and-family or pre-seed round, congrats! But fundraising never really ends.

The market, especially now, is shifting fast. And what got you to this point – some early signals from the market, your founder-market fit, an impressive name on your team – might not be enough to get you there, meaning the next round.

• ​How do you hit the growth milestones you’ve promised and that new investors expect to see?

• ​What do your financials need to look like to pass due diligence?

• ​What are investors looking for and talking about right now?

​The Funded Founder Lunch series launches this month to help you address your knowledge gaps and build your relationships with key people in the Southern California ecosystem.

That way, raising the next round should be less frustrating and a little easier :)

​We’re kicking off with Hank Leber, a serial founder and the cofounder of Stanify, a fast-growing AI-powered community management platform. Hank recently closed a round, and he’s ready to share what worked and what didn’t with fellow founders.

​We'll have plenty of pizza from local institution Abott’s Pizza plus healthy beverages to nourish you and fuel the rest of your Friday!

​→ ​Space is limited to ensure quality conversations and connections, so don't wait to RSVP.

​ABOUT OUR GUEST

​Hank Leber is the cofounder of Stanify, an AI-powered community management platform that helps businesses with safety, engagement, and insights on social media at scale.

​Stanify works with Fortune 500 companies and a wide range of other businesses across CPG, ecomm, and media. Customers include Unilever (many brands), Activision, BYD, and Vox Media.

​Hank is an ad exec turned entrepreneur with 15 years building technology companies in marketing and media.

​
ABOUT YOUR HOST

​Grow Through Story Founder/CEO ​Kirin Kalia is a startup veteran and communications expert with 25+ years of experience across journalism, marketing and events. Known as the "founder whisperer" for her ability to shape their message and boost their confidence, startups Kirin has worked with have gone on to collectively raise well over $200M from investors including a16z, Intel Capital, Mayo Clinic, Visa Ventures, Stripe and more.

​​She has coached 1000+ founders to pitch investors and innovation leaders at companies including Visa, P&G Ventures, Verizon, Estée Lauder and Molson Coors.

Kirin is a 2023 and 2025 All-Star Mentor for Techstars, as well as a trusted resource for several accelerator programs, including the inaugural Alchemist Chicago cohort. In addition to her client work, Kirin teaches the capstone MBA course for Oneday and hosts the founder-focused podcast Message Worth Millions (Apple & Spotify).

​​Follow Kirin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirinkalia/