Professional Founder Series: How to Raise Capital

​As part of the Professional Founder Series, this session is a tactical working session on executing a successful Capital Raise.

​Led by Jason Heltzer of Origin Ventures, this session breaks down strategies on how to effectively raise capital as a founder:

• ​Preparing for VC Meetings — building successful pitch decks, financial models, cap tables, and data rooms investors expect to see

• ​Maintaining the Right Attitude — staying confident and humble through the ups and downs of a raise

• ​Prioritizing Outreach — reading the signals that VCs to lean in vs. tune out

• ​Creating Momentum — turning early interest into real traction

• ​Building trust with VCs — the habits that turn a pitch into a partnership

• ​Getting Inside the Investor's Head — the questions Vcs are really asking about your business

​Who this is for:

​Early-stage founders who already have some market signal—whether that’s customer conversations, early users, pilots, or initial traction—and want to better understand how to raise capital.

​If you’re actively building, testing, selling, and refining your understanding of the market, this session is for you.

​Who this is not for:

​Very early “idea stage” founders who are still exploring broad startup concepts or looking for introductory startup education.

​This is a tactical working session focused on execution and iteration, not a high-level overview of entrepreneurship or customer discovery fundamentals.