Office Hours with Toyosi Ogedengbe
🔍 Founder Office Hours: Behind the Investment Decision
What Makes Startups Stand Out to Early-Stage Investors
What actually happens after you submit your pitch deck? How do early-stage VCs separate a great idea from a fundable, scalable business?
Join us for an exclusive, interactive Office Hours session with Toyosi Ogedengbe, Principal at Ascension, an early-stage venture capital firm built by exited entrepreneurs to back the next generation of tech and impact founders.
As a generalist pre-seed and seed investor, Toyosi brings deep insight into the frameworks investors use to evaluate risk, team dynamics, and market potential. He will pull back the curtain on the decision-making process, highlighting exactly what makes an early-stage company irresistible to institutional capital, especially across high-impact verticals like logistics, industrial tech, networked platforms, and vertical AI.
💡 What We’ll Cover:
The Investor’s Mental Model: What VCs look for during the crucial first look and deep-dive diligence phases.
Standing Out in the Crowd: The key indicators (team, traction, and narrative) that make pre-seed and seed startups highly compelling.
Sector Nuances: Key considerations when building and pitching complex models, from industrial/logistics tech to vertical AI and operational platforms.
Avoiding Early Roadblocks: The common, overlooked blind spots that inadvertently stall early, stage fundraising rounds.
Live Q&A: A dedicated open floor to ask Toyosi your specific questions about the investor evaluation process.
👤 About the Speaker:
Toyosi Ogedengbe is a Principal at Ascension, an early-stage VC firm based in London. An alumnus of Saïd Business School (University of Oxford), Toyosi is a seasoned tech investor and advisor with extensive cross-market experience. Beyond his role at Ascension, he serves as a Venture Partner at Kaleo Ventures, a board member, and an advisor to high-growth startups, specializing in supporting infrastructure, industrial tech, and AI-native companies from their earliest stages.
🎯 Who this is for: Pre-seed and seed stage founders preparing to raise capital, refine their investor narratives, or better understand institutional diligence.
Bring your questions, clear your blind spots, and learn what it takes to close your round. Secure your spot below!