Founder × Investor Roundtable: What actually makes investors lean in pre-Series A?
A practical, high-signal roundtable for SaaS, FinTech, PropTech, AI/platform founders and investors focused on capital efficiency + real traction.
Pre-Series A is where the story stops working and the fundamentals start showing.
This roundtable cuts through pitch clichés and gets specific about what makes investors actually lean in at this stage—especially for FinTech, SaaS, PropTech, AI tooling, and platform businesses where distribution, retention, and unit economics matter early.
Expect a small, curated room. Concrete takeaways.
Who it’s for:
Founders building in:
FinTech and money-adjacent products
B2B SaaS (especially vertical SaaS)
AI tooling platforms infrastructure
Capital-efficient, high-velocity businesses
Investors who:
Want signal over noise
Care about traction quality, not just topline
Underwrite distribution, unit economics, and retention
Discussion Anchors (not an agenda, but framing prompts)
What “real traction” looks like (and what doesn’t)
Metrics that create conviction: retention, payback, CAC sanity, expansion, pipeline quality
Story vs evidence: what investors will challenge in diligence
When to raise, how much, and what milestones to promise (without overfitting)
GTM: founder-led sales → repeatable motion (what changes pre-A)
Why some rounds fail late: red flags investors won’t say out loud
Format:
Curated roundtable discussion (not panels)
12–15 seats max
Practical + direct (bring numbers if you’re comfortable
Light refreshments
Expert Facilitators:
TBC
🔒 Limited seats. RSVP required. Approval only.
Dress code: business casual
FAQ / House rules:
Chatham House Rule: what’s shared in the room stays in the room.
No pitching the room: intros are fine; hard selling isn’t.
Respect time + signal: come prepared to contribute, not just extract.
📸 Event photography
By attending, you consent to being photographed and filmed for promotional use. If you'd prefer not to have your photos used or details shared, please let us know, and we’ll respect your preferences.
We look forward to seeing you at the session.
🚪Respect the Room
At sclr labs, we run on respect, for our speakers, for the founders who show up early, and for the momentum we’re building in the room.
When we say doors close at the start of the formal session, we mean it. Not because we’re strict, but because we’re serious.
Late arrivals miss context, break flow, and dilute energy. So plan ahead. Show up on time.