Building a $100M+ Company - Leveraging Relationships as Growth Capital | The Builder Series X SalesParrot
Real lessons from founders who've built and exited, told live and unfiltered, then a room of venture-backed founders and investors to put them to work. This edition: Building a $100M+ Company: Leveraging Relationships as Growth Capital, moderated by Akin Opaleye (Founder & CEO, SalesParrot) and hosted by me.
Tuesday, November 17, 2026 · 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM ET · Midtown Manhattan (address shared after approval) · The Builder Series × SalesParrot
Panel discussion · Networking · Drinks & bites. For venture-backed founders & investors.
Why you should be in this room
Lessons you can't get from a podcast: the panel is built around one question founders actually face, how to use relationships as growth capital, answered by people who've done it.
The room after the panel: the conversations keep going over drinks and bites, with the founders, operators and investors who came for the same reason.
Intros we make ourselves: 1–3 warm intros to people of value, through The Builder Series network and your own intro system.
Who's speaking
Akin Opaleye · Moderator · Founder & CEO, SalesParrot
Dylan Oriundo · Host & Panelist · The Builder Series: Built a network of 60K+ in one year.
Additional panelist: to be announced.
Last time on stage: Ajay Jadhav
Founder & CEO, Clouds, Inc. · Two-time founder, $300M+ in exits
Ajay is a two-time founder whose companies have exited for a combined $300M+. His first company built the first internet-enabled advisory platform for American Express. That platform became core infrastructure behind the $10B spinoff of Ameriprise. His second, a unified managed accounts platform, was acquired by Envestnet, which was later acquired by Bain Capital in a $4.1B deal.
Who's in the room
Our panels draw from the same community that fills our rooftops and lunches:
Community snapshot: 7,200+ RSVPs · 5,000+ unique people · 119 avg RSVPs per event · 1,198 people have been to two or more
Who's in the room: Founders ~52% · Operators, engineers, creatives & senior professionals ~29% · Investors & advisors ~19%
Founder stage: ~16% idea/pre-product · ~17% MVP/early product · ~36% pre-seed · ~20% seed · ~7% Series A · ~4% Series B+
Industries: 27% AI/Deep Tech · 26% SaaS/B2B · 16% Consumer · 14% Fintech · 13% Health · 8% Media
Investor check sizes: ~8% <$25K · ~30% $25–100K · ~26% $100–500K · ~9% $500K–$1M · ~28% $1M+ (median ~$150K)
What you'll miss: Every ticket is approved by our team. The panel happens once, live, in the room: questions for the panel come from the people who are there.
How the night runs
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM: panel discussion, networking, drinks & bites.
What you get when you sign up
Drinks & bites
Photographer: Headshots, group photos, candid moments & shots at our branded backdrop
Videographer: Recap footage + our founder interview
Founder Spotlight (Series): Share who you are & what you're building, for reuse across all our socials
An NFC digital business card upon entry, thanks to SmartCard
Concierge check-in: A member of our team greets you, fits your wristband, and walks you through the event
1–3 warm intros to people of value, through The Builder Series network and your own intro system
Photo Highlights
Events Partner: SmartCard. A subscription-free digital business card made from aerospace-grade titanium that instantly shares your contact info & social media with just a tap while also capturing the contact details of the person you're speaking with.
More Details
Every attendee needs a ticket, +1s included. Sponsorship inquiries: see contact info below.
The Builder Series: A 60,000+ member community redefining what networking looks like — curating founders, operators, investors & more into intentional rooms built for experiences people remember and relationships that last. It's a direct line to the most ambitious builders, with a community that actually shows up.
We've hosted 140+ events, including:
Rooftop mixer series: Our signature event, 20 editions
Founder & investor-led panels, curated by sector
Intimate lunch & dinner events for Seed–Series B founders & investors in our network
Notable events: Cliqk Launch Party w/ Ilias Anwar & Rohan Gurram (2,000+ RSVPs) · $1.5M Pitch Competition with FounderSquare
Find us here: Instagram · LinkedIn · TikTok · Facebook · X · Website · WhatsApp Broadcast Channel (Not a GC)
Join The Builder Series network: Apply here or by email dylan@thebuilderseries.co
For more info please message me:
📧 dylan@thebuilderseries.co, partnerships@thebuilderseries.co
📱 917-242-2821 / Business WhatsApp
Connect with Me: Join 60,000+ people shaping the future
The Builder Series: Event Disclaimer, Media Consent & Code of Conduct: Click to view
By registering or attending The Builder Series event, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to abide by all policies, rules, and community standards set by The Builder Series LLC.
📸 PLEASE NOTE: Tickets are non-refundable unless the event is canceled and not rescheduled.
Refund & Transfer Policy
Transfers. If you can no longer attend, you may transfer your ticket to someone else by providing the new attendee's name to the organizers.
No refunds. Tickets are non-refundable. No monetary exchanges will be issued by the organizers.
Event credit. If you miss an event, you may receive credit toward a future event. Credit expires 30 days after the missed event's date.
Weather cancellations. If an event has to be rescheduled due to weather, you will be re-registered for the new date.
Spotlight tickets. Spotlight tickets are fully non-refundable. If you can't attend, you may speak at a future event instead.
Out-of-state purchases. The only refundable tickets are those purchased from outside New York, for example from Toronto, California, or Austin.