The Fundraise, Unfiltered: What Investors Actually See

​Part of Twin Cities Startup Week 2026, September 14–18.

​This session gives founders an honest, investor's-eye view of what actually shapes a fundraise, beyond the standard pitch advice. We'll walk through patterns we've observed: what founder behavior builds investor confidence during a raise, and what quietly undermines it, from communication cadence to how a 'no' gets handled.

​Our goal with this talk is genuine transparency by giving founders insight into what investors are actually noticing, so they can walk away with something concretely useful for their next raise.

​Speakers:

• ​Garrett Lauderdale, Vice President of Idea Fund of La Crosse

​Getting here on Thursday. Parking, Basecamp, lunch, and the rest of the day: tcstartupweek.com/thursday