​IB Founder-First Series #5: How to Fundraise?

​Founder-First is our series for early-stage founders. Last session was on startup legal essentials.

​This one picks up right where that left off.

​📅 Tuesday, October 13th, 2026

​Raising capital often feels like shouting into a void of cold emails and slow rejections. But real investor momentum happens when you stop chasing every check, build a highly targeted investor pipeline, and run a disciplined process that creates genuine urgency.

​Join us for an exclusive workshop designed to give startup leaders direct access to proven fundraising strategies and venture capital insights.

• ​Belinda Ephraim, Founding General Partner & Managing Director @ TENSEUR
  Bridging frontier science and industrial execution, Belinda leverages a background managing over $37 billion in infrastructure finance and venture operations. Through TENSEUR, a Public Benefit venture firm, they invest patient capital exclusively in critical technologies like semiconductors, energy, and defense while excluding software and consumer plays. Their broader ecosystem unifies early-stage commercialization across venture capital, strategic advisory, an operating biotech lab, and media.

• ​Simon Ng, Deal Flow Committee @ Bay Angels
  Simon is a 10+ year pharmaceutical industry veteran and multi-exit entrepreneur turned angel investor who serves on the Bay Angels Deal Flow Committee. He is currently building Cells.com, a platform dedicated to advancing cell research and longevity. Always eager to support transformative ideas, he welcomes connections with passionate founders, scientists, and innovators.

• ​Nalina Murthy, Venture Fellow @ Hustle Fund
  Nalina Murthy is a product leader, Certified Scrum Master, and health equity advocate dedicated to bridging gaps in FemTech. With expertise spanning product development, management consulting, and business development, she drives revenue growth through successful product launches. She also active in the venture ecosystem as a Venture Fellow and Angel Squad Member, supporting deal sourcing and early-stage investments.

​In this interactive session, we break down essential capital-raising playbooks for early-stage founders. We’ll cover:

• ​The Investor Pipeline: How to build, qualify, and manage a high-converting VC and angel list.

• ​The Pitch Story: Crafting a narrative that highlights market size, traction, and unfair advantage.

• ​Deal Execution: Running a competitive round, driving FOMO, and closing term sheets efficiently.

​This isn't a lecture — it's a practical, interactive conversation designed to accelerate your capital search. Bring your pitch decks, target investor lists, and messiest narrative drafts.

​👥 Who Should Attend?

​Early-stage founders planning to raise a Pre-Seed or Seed round within the next 3 to 12 months, and operators looking to understand the venture capital landscape.

​🍕 Food and drinks will be provided.

​Hosted by Innovate Bay.