THE DEAL LOUNGE — THE ANGEL INVESTOR ARENA
THE DEAL LOUNGE: PRE-SEED STARTUPS & ANGEL INVESTORS — EDITION 2
The Deal Lounge returns with Pre-Seed Startups & Angel Investors — Edition 2, bringing together high-potential early-stage founders, active angel investors, micro-VCs, family offices, operators, and ecosystem leaders for a full day focused on one thing:
Creating real investor follow-up, diligence, and funding opportunities.
This is not a traditional pitch competition.
It is a curated capital matchmaking experience where founders pitch directly to investors selected based on stage, sector, check size, and investment thesis.
At the center of the experience are three live Deal Lounge sessions, featuring some of the strongest pre-seed companies in the ecosystem.
Every founder gets five minutes:
2-Minute Founder Pitch
3-Minute Investor Q&A
Investors then make an immediate decision:
PASS • FOLLOW-UP • DEAL ROOM
The Deal Lounge Championships is a three-round journey designed to move founders from early investor interest toward larger capital opportunities.
It starts with Round 1: The Angel Investor Arena, where early-stage founders pitch directly to angel investors and compete for follow-up, diligence, and Deal Room conversations.
Founders who build strong momentum can advance to Round 2: The Deal Lounge Series A+ & Growth Stage Startups, where the focus shifts to larger funds, growth capital, and scaling opportunities.
The journey ends with The Deal Lounge Championships, bringing the strongest companies from the earlier rounds together for the final stage of the competition and investor experience.
FEATURED INVESTOR SCOUTS:
Countessina Anna De Bacci, Managing Partner @ De Bacci Capital
Countessina Anna De Bacci is the Managing Partner of De Bacci Capital, the private investment platform of the historic De Bacci Noble Family. Based in Dubai and Miami, she leads a global network of 50,000+ investors, VCs, funds, family offices and entrepreneurs, curating exclusive deal flow in finance, tech, healthcare, AI, blockchain, and impact-driven ventures. She is recognized for her legacy-driven leadership and bridging visionary founders with high-intent global capital.
Arjun Vad, Founding Partner @ Agencity
Arjun has already been investing and operating across frontier technology, personalized medicine, AI fundraising and advanced materials. His portfolio includes CLD-9, Raisi and Mussel Polymers, and before Agencity he worked on engineering and growth at a16z-backed Axal.
He’s also studying Computational Mathematics at UCLA and brings a rare mix of technical depth, startup experience and investor perspective to the room.
Mike Daley, Alternative Investor @ Q4 Bridges
Mike is what we’re calling the King of Due Diligence.
With more than 30 years across accounting, tax, insurance, investment funds, public equities, systems optimization and global enterprise work, Mike brings the kind of pattern recognition that only comes from seeing a lot of deals, a lot of companies and a lot of cycles.
Mike brings depth, discipline and a very different lens to the Arena.
Alena Petrova, Investment Partner @ Yellow Rocks!
Alena is a serial entrepreneur, VC, growth coach and advisor who works across startups, innovation, AI, technology and fundraising. She brings a strong operator mindset along with an investor’s perspective, which is exactly the kind of combination we want in the room.
She also brings years of experience helping founders think bigger, grow faster and navigate what it really takes to build.
Taras Romaniuk, Venture Partner @ Network VC, Founder @ Golden Gate Syndicate
Taras is a Venture Partner at Network VC and Founder of Golden Gate Syndicate, investing across AI, defense, healthcare and longevity, robotics, cybersecurity and emerging technologies.
He also works closely with founders on fundraising strategy, positioning and growth, while connecting companies with investors and strategic partners across the U.S. and global venture ecosystem.
Really excited to have Taras in the Arena.
Jasmeet Singh, Managing Partner @ JMoon Ventures
Jasmeet is with JMoon Ventures, a Physical AI venture capital firm backing early-stage companies building real-world technology across robotics, humanoids, IoT, XR and wearables in the U.S. and Canada.
He brings a deep focus on technologies that move beyond the screen and into the physical world, which makes him a great fit for the kind of ambitious founders we want in the Arena.
Ranjit Singh Bal, 1,000+ Global Investor Relationships | VC, Family Offices & Strategic Partnerships
Ranjit has spent more than 17 years working across fundraising support, investor relations, business development and strategic partnerships, helping startups become more investment-ready and connect with the right capital.
His focus is on market-ready, scalable companies with strong teams, real customer demand and clear paths to revenue across AI, SaaS, FinTech, HealthTech, FoodTech, PropTech and digital assets.
Anthony Tijerino, Angel Investor
Anthony is an Angel Investor and brings experience across Bear Stearns, Morgan Stanley, investment banking, global wealth management, professional services, and early-stage technology.
He’s also an early-stage technology investor and advisor to global family offices focused on applied AI, giving him a strong perspective on capital formation, go-to-market strategy, operations, and what it takes to scale emerging businesses.
More Investors announcing soon...
Full Event Agenda
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | Arrival, Registration & Networking
Guests check in, meet founders, investors, partners, and ecosystem leaders, and begin informal conversations before the formal program.
1:00 PM – 1:30 PM | Opening Keynote
Himanshu Goel, Senior AI Engineer @ Ernst & Young
Keynote: SCOPE Before You Scale: Optimizing AI Agents for Reliability, Cost, and Growth
AI agents can look impressive in a demo and still break down in the real world.
In this keynote, Himanshu introduces the SCOPE framework for turning agent prototypes into reliable systems: Scope the outcome, Constrain the context, Orchestrate tools and authority, Prove task completion, and Enforce cost limits and escalation rules.
Founders will learn how to identify where agents actually create value, measure performance at the workflow level, control reliability and cost, and build AI systems that customers and investors can evaluate with confidence.
1:30 PM – 2:15 PM | Expert Panel Discussion
A moderated discussion featuring the keynote speaker alongside investors, founders, and subject-matter experts. The conversation expands on the keynote with practical examples, different perspectives, and actionable advice.
Keynote: SCOPE Before You Scale: Optimizing AI Agents for Reliability, Cost, and Growth
Investor Panelist 1: Jasmine Shih, Investor. Executive. Advisory Board Member. Philanthropist.
Founder Panelist 2: Dr. Lucas Root, MatchBeat
Investor Panelist 1: Jasmine Shih, Investor. Executive. Advisory Board Member. Philanthropist.
Founder Panelist 2: Dr. Lucas Root, MatchBeat
2:15 PM – 2:30 PM | Audience Q&A
Attendees engage directly with the keynote speaker and panelists. Final questions lead into the investment portion of the event.
2:30 PM – 5:00 PM | THE DEAL LOUNGE — ANGEL INVESTOR ARENA
2:30 PM – 2:40 PM | Arena Opening & Investor Introductions
Welcome from The Deal Lounge, introduction of the Investor Evaluators, explanation of the Arena format, and overview of the three investor decisions:
PASS • FOLLOW-UP • DEAL ROOM
Every participating founder receives:
2-Minute Founder Pitch
3-Minute Investor Q&A
FEATURED STARTUP PLAYERS:
Wei Hunter, Founder @ Classhare
Classhare is building Relationship Entertainment: short-form stories that turn expert relationship advice into something people actually want to watch, plus an AI counselor to help apply it. Love is a skill. Learn it through stories.
Kiefer Zang, Founder @ ReplyCorp
ReplyCorp tracks which social posts actually drive conversions, without links or promo codes. Brands can see what content works and reward customers for UGC only when it delivers real results.
Layne Singh, Founder @ Minefirst
minefirst.ai is building an autonomous shopping agent for secondhand fashion, helping shoppers find better deals with authenticity-screened alerts across the resale market.
Jasnoor Kaur, Founder @ Obeofit
ObeoFit is an autonomous health and fitness agent that uses data from 75+ wearables and apps to predict what you need, then acts on it, from meals and workouts to classes and coach coordination.
Segey Knysh, Founder @ Symulat
Symulat makes science and engineering computer simulations up to 1,000,000x faster, helping teams test, iterate and solve complex technical problems dramatically faster.
Luke Hartman, Founder @ Sematic
Sematic turns patient charts into care and revenue. Its AI finds care gaps, drafts care plans, and prepares claims across thousands of patients so small primary care teams can serve much larger populations.
David Nour, Founder @ AVNIR
Avnir is an AI-native intelligence layer for B2B relationships, helping sellers identify the people who matter most, understand why they matter, and activate the connections most likely to drive revenue and growth.
Aanjanaye Kajaria, Founder @ Fumav
Payments infrastructure for gaming that gives every game its own branded payment method - one-tap bank payments, instant settlement, and guaranteed zero chargeback fraud.
More Startups To Be Announced...
HOW THE DEAL LOUNGE WORKS
Each founder presents directly to a panel of aligned investors.
5 minutes per company
2-minute founder pitch
3-minute rapid investor Q&A
1 founder in front of 4–6 aligned investors
Real-time investor decisions
Private Deal Room opportunities
Direct follow-up after the event
Every investor response is designed to create clarity.
PASS
Not the right fit right now.
FOLLOW-UP
The investor wants another conversation, additional information, or an introduction.
DEAL ROOM
There is enough alignment to immediately continue the conversation in a private investor-founder setting.
WHO SHOULD APPLY?
PRE-SEED FOUNDERS
The Deal Lounge is designed for founders who:
Are actively fundraising or preparing to raise
Can clearly communicate their company and investment opportunity
Have a product, prototype, pilot, customers, users, or measurable market validation
Are typically raising approximately $250K–$2M
Want direct feedback from active investors
Are ready to participate in follow-up and diligence conversations
Founders should arrive prepared to clearly explain:
What are you building?
Why does it matter?
Why now?
What traction do you have?
How much are you raising?
What does this capital unlock?
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
ANGEL INVESTORS & PRE-SEED FUNDS
Ideal participants include:
Angel Investors
Angel Syndicates
Micro-VCs
Pre-Seed Funds
Family Offices
Operator Angels
Accelerator Investors
Strategic Investors
Venture Partners
Founders who actively invest
Investors receive curated access to startups matched around their investment interests.
Instead of sitting through unrelated pitches, investors can quickly evaluate founders within relevant categories and move the strongest opportunities directly into follow-up.
WHAT FOUNDERS GET
Direct access to multiple aligned investors
Live investor Q&A
Immediate fundraising feedback
Clear investor signals
Potential Deal Room selection
Investor follow-up opportunities
Introductions and diligence conversations
Exposure to the broader Deal Lounge investor network
This is designed to give founders something most pitch events do not:
A clear answer about what happens next.
WHAT INVESTORS GET
Curated pre-seed deal flow
Founder profiles before the event
Sector-based company matching
Structured five-minute evaluations
Side-by-side comparison of opportunities
Private Deal Room access
Fast identification of companies worth deeper diligence
The goal is to make early-stage discovery faster, more relevant, and more actionable.
The Deal Lounge — Championship Edition: Participants, Please Complete the Appropriate Intake Form
To ensure high-quality matching and the best overall experience, all participants are strongly encouraged to complete the relevant intake form below:
Liquidity Provider / LP Application Form
For LPs, allocators, family offices, and capital partners seeking curated deal flow and aligned opportunities.
Venture Fund Application Form
For GPs and venture funds looking to pitch to Liquidity Providers and explore allocations, co-investment, and strategic capital partnerships.
Startup Founder Application
For startups ready to engage GPs and capital partners on growth financing, strategic capital, or structured liquidity conversations. Open Google Form
Apply to Be a Speaker
For founders, investors, operators, LPs, GPs, ecosystem leaders, and subject-matter experts interested in contributing to the program through a keynote, panel, fireside chat, workshop, or curated discussion. Open Google Form
Apply for a Vendor Table
Showcase your product, service, or brand to a curated room of founders, investors, and operators. Drive demos, leads, and partnerships on-site. Open Google Form
Apply to Be a Sponsor
Put your brand in front of high-signal decision-makers with premium visibility, curated introductions, and partnership opportunities throughout the program. Open Google Form
Important Note
The more complete your intake form is, the better we can align you with the right investors, funds, founders, LPs, sponsors, vendors, speakers, and strategic partners.
The Deal Lounge works best when participants come prepared, share what they are looking for, and actively participate in the matchmaking process.