​Not all revenue is created equal. How you price your product, package your offering, and position your revenue model directly impacts how VCs, banks, and acquirers value your business. This panel brings together a VC, a commercial banker, a multi-exit founder/operator, and a revenue leader who's scaled multiple startups from 0 to $20M+ ARR to break down what makes revenue more valuable and how to build it that way from the start.

​Founders will leave knowing how to structure revenue that attracts the right capital, the pricing and packaging mistakes that quietly kill your valuation, how to align pricing/packaging decisions with customers, and whether building to exit or building to own is the right move for your business and long-term goals.

​Speakers

​Taylor Schaude

​Taylor is a revenue and operations leader with 15 years of experience building and scaling GTM teams across AI, fintech, and SaaS. He has a proven track record of taking several startups from 0 to +$20M ARR, leading enterprise sales and partnerships, and building the sales infrastructure required to scale efficiently. Prior to his operating roles at multiple VC companies, Taylor served as a Principal at 500 Global and as Chief of Staff, where he developed deep experience in venture capital, M&A, and board level execution. He’s an avid surfer and lives in Virginia Beach with his wife and golden retriever.

​Zakiya Alta Lee-Hill

​Zakiya Alta Lee-Hill is a Principal at Idea Fund Partners, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in high-growth technology companies. She plays a leading role in deal evaluation, founder support, fundraising, and expanding the firm’s strategic network.

​Through her brand ZTheVC, Z shares practical insights and candid observations from across the investor table, offering perspective on how founders build credibility with investors, how investment decisions are made, and the patterns that separate durable companies from temporary momentum. She is also passionate about educating emerging investors on venture capital as an alternative asset class and expanding awareness of new pathways to thoughtfully participate in startup investing.

​She earned her Executive MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, where she was recognized as both a Forté Fellow and a Melissa & Doug Fellow. She received her undergraduate degree from Florida State University, where she majored in Dance and minored in Business.

​Dave Sonders

​Dave Sonders is a founder, product leader, and investor with over two decades of experience building new products and services. He co-founded a company backed by Ford and Salesforce that built productivity software for trades workers, and served as a partner at a global design and innovation firm where he led the San Francisco studio and launched a new ventures practice. He is an LP at RTP Angel Fund and an Entrepreneur in Residence at Duke. Today he is the founder and CEO of R.O. bot, a voice-first AI platform for new car dealerships.

​Moderated by Sarah Davis

​Sarah Davis is the CEO and co-founder of Proven Companies, a customer and market intelligence research firm that conducts independent validation interviews for companies navigating product, go-to-market, and growth decisions. After 16 years in finance and software sales, she founded Proven to help companies understand what their customers actually think. Across 4,000+ customer conversations, she's helped companies make smarter decisions about revenue, product, and growth. Sarah is based in Raleigh, NC.

​Location

​​Bay 7 at American Tobacco Campus

​​324 Blackwell Street, Durham NC 27701

​Parking

​Free parking is available at the American Tobacco Campus North Deck, courtesy of CBC Real Estate.

• ​Map to: 305 W Pettigrew St, Durham, NC 27701

• ​Use the 2nd floor and above. (Please do not park on first floor.)

​​Questions?

​​This session is part of Raleigh-Durham Startup Week. Click here to learn more about the event, plus get answers to your FAQs.

​​Track Supporter

​​​Thank you to Bank of America for supporting the Revenue Track at #RDSW26!