THE DEAL LOUNGE - SERIES A+ STARTUPS & GROWTH-STAGE FUNDS EDITION
The Deal Lounge — Series A+ Edition is a curated, executive-level capital and strategy room for companies that have moved past “promise” and into proof—and are now scaling growth, expanding distribution, and raising larger rounds with precision. This edition is built for Series A, Series B, and growth-stage founders and the institutional investors, strategics, and operators who can unlock capital, customers, and partnerships fast.
Investor Evaluators Include:
Paul Williams — Chief Procurement Officer, University of California
Paul brings a uniquely strategic perspective at the intersection of enterprise-scale operations, innovation, and emerging technology adoption. His interests span Artificial Intelligence, Climate Tech, FinTech, HealthTech, Deep Tech, Cybersecurity, Robotics, Spatial Computing, and EdTech—alongside a strong commitment to supporting women founders, founders of color, and university spinouts pushing meaningful innovation forward.
Pablo Grodnitzky — Managing Partner, Plus Ultra Capital Partners
Pablo invests at the Series A stage—backing founders scaling across AI, climate tech, fintech, healthtech, and frontier sectors including creator economy, gaming, spatial computing, cybersecurity, Web3, and robotics. His approach spans both high-growth and high-impact companies, with a strong focus on supporting women founders, underrepresented founders, and technical teams building at scale.
Ning Sung — Investor, Sand Hill Angels
Ning invests across growth-stage companies—backing repeat founders, university spinouts, and teams building at the intersection of AI, fintech, deep tech, spatial computing, cybersecurity, Web3, and robotics.
Tess Robinson — Managing Partner, FTB Capital Group
Tess invests across Series A—backing founders scaling real businesses across AI, healthtech, deep tech, spatial computing, and high-impact companies led by women and underrepresented founders.
Abhijith Neelamchalil — SF Venture Lead, Legendary Ventures
Abhijith stood out in our investor directory because of his strong alignment with the kind of founders this room is built for: companies that have moved beyond early traction and are now scaling with intention.
Ananya Indwar — Vice President, WestBridge Capital
Ananya invests at the Series A stage—backing founders scaling across AI, fintech, and healthtech with a strong focus on high-growth companies led by women and underrepresented founders.
Rupam Shrivastava, CFA — General Partner, Frontiers Capital
Rupam invests at the earliest stages—backing technical founders, university spinouts, and research-driven teams building at the edge of what’s possible across AI, deep tech, spatial computing, cybersecurity, and Web3.
David Gutierrez — Vice President, Private Shares Fund
David invests in growth-stage companies—backing founders scaling across AI, fintech, deep tech, and robotics, with a focus on repeat founders and university spinouts building at the frontier of innovation.
Bernie Kong — Investor | Web3 & AI, Langrenus Fund
Bernie invests at the seed stage—backing early teams building across AI and climate tech, with a focus on founders tackling real-world challenges through innovation and execution.
Vince Kohli — Exponential Global Impact Tech Capitalist | Startup Judge, MIT | Venture Mentor, Trillion Global Capital
Vince invests across stages—from pre-seed through Series A—backing founders building across AI, climate tech, healthtech, deep tech, robotics, and the creator economy. His focus spans both frontier innovation and high-impact companies, with a strong commitment to supporting women founders, underrepresented founders, and teams with real grit.
Sarah Hajipour — CEO, SV Capital Collective
Sarah investment interests center on founders building automation, data intelligence, digital finance, personalized learning, and high-growth ventures led by women and diverse operators.
The format stays ruthless and outcome-driven: 5 minutes per company — 2-minute scale story + 3-minute investor/operator Q&A — with real-time outcomes: Pass • Follow-Up • Deal Room. The companies with the strongest signal advance into private, closed-door Deal Room conversations designed to turn traction into term sheets, strategic partnerships, and growth commitments.
Expect a room where the questions are sharper, the bar is higher, and the conversations are about unit economics, GTM efficiency, expansion strategy, hiring leadership, and durable moats—not hypotheticals. If you’re building a real company with real momentum, this is where you meet the people who can help you scale it.
How It Works
5 minutes total per session
2-minute founder pitch
3-minute rapid investor Q&A
1 founder vs. 4–5 aligned funds
Real-time outcomes: Pass • Follow-Up • Move to Deal Room
Top founders advance to private, closed-door Deal Room discussions
Event Agenda
12:00 PM — Doors Open & Networking
Guests arrive, check in, and begin connecting with founders, investors, operators, and partners. This opening window is designed for informal introductions, relationship-building, and early conversations before the first Deal Lounge session begins.
1:00 PM — Deal Lounge Session 1
The first Deal Lounge session begins with selected companies presenting their growth story to investors and evaluators. Each founder will have a concise presentation window followed by investor Q&A, with the goal of creating clear signal around traction, readiness, and potential next steps.
Pablo Grodnitzky — Managing Partner, Plus Ultra Capital Partners
Rupam Shrivastava, CFA — General Partner, Frontiers Capital
Vince Kohli — Exponential Global Impact Tech Capitalist | Startup Judge, MIT | Venture Mentor, Trillion Global Capital
Tess Robinson — Managing Partner, FTB Capital Group
Sarah Hajipour — CEO, SV Capital Collective
2:30 PM — Investor Checklist Presentation with Pablo Grodnitzky
Pablo Grodnitzky will present an investor-focused checklist designed to help founders understand what investors look for when evaluating companies. The session will cover key areas such as product-market fit, revenue quality, go-to-market readiness, capital efficiency, team strength, and what separates a promising company from an investable opportunity.
5:00 PM — Deal Lounge Session 2
The second Deal Lounge session continues with another group of companies presenting to investors and evaluators. This session will provide additional opportunities for founder-investor engagement, targeted feedback, and follow-up conversations for companies that demonstrate strong investment potential.
Ananya Indwar — Vice President, WestBridge Capital
Paul Williams — Chief Procurement Officer, University of California
Vince Kohli — Exponential Global Impact Tech Capitalist | Startup Judge, MIT | Venture Mentor, Trillion Global Capital
Tess Robinson — Managing Partner, FTB Capital Group
Sarah Hajipour — CEO, SV Capital Collective
Who It’s For
Founders
You want serious investor feedback fast
You can pitch clearly under pressure
You’re actively fundraising or preparing to raise
Investors
You want curated deal flow
You prefer fast filtering + structured Q&A
You want follow-ups that turn into real conversations
What You Get
Founders
Direct exposure to multiple aligned funds at once
Live Q&A + clear next-step signal (Pass Follow-Up Deal Room)
A real shot at closed-door Deal Room discussions
Investors
Structured pitches with rapid diligence-style Q&A
Side-by-side comparison across the same category
Fast identification of who’s worth moving forward
Participants — Please Complete the Appropriate Intake Form (Series A+ Edition)
To ensure the best matching and overall experience, all participants are strongly encouraged to complete the relevant intake form below:
Series A+ Investor Intake
Complete this form so we can match you with growth-stage companies aligned with your check size, thesis, and partnership priorities.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScKgs9uLvEIzQqP8cedqrkWPdedMxlgbvsNuFFJlgZRIGdHYA/viewform?usp=header
Series A+ Startups Intake
Founders will be matched with the most relevant investors, strategics, and operators based on your traction, stage, and growth needs.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeJHQkd9UhExKYqT5DVTq8Pfr9-XStpKfRFvqDHXuBainMOOA/viewform?usp=header
Apply for a Vendor Table
Showcase your product, service, or brand to a curated room of Series A+ founders, investors, and operators—drive demos, leads, and partnerships on-site.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc1XC1CTLVwwIxVgDohkRS-B1HyaS7kkPMBRfRZJj0EnHy_QQ/viewform?usp=header
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.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSforhyen765W9TjLG7IeiTE9VeIuaVFMIWVihNwgEmsgXrljA/viewform?usp=header
Venue Sponsor:
The Kilpatrick Team at NAI Northern California is a commercial real estate advisory group specializing in investment sales, acquisitions, and leasing across office, retail, multifamily, and mixed-use assets in the Bay Area. We represent private owners, family offices, and institutional investors in the disposition, repositioning, and acquisition of investment assets. Backed by one of the Bay Area’s top-ranked brokerages with over 30 years of market experience, a proprietary database of 25,000 active investors, and more than $2 billion in total transaction volume, our team brings disciplined underwriting, market intelligence, and a hands-on leasing approach to every assignment. We are strategic partners in commercial real estate.
Parking Information – 1000 Van Ness
Parking is available on-site for all guests at 1000 Van Ness, with direct access to the building from the garage.
Garage Entrance:
The parking garage entrance is located at the corner of O’Farrell Street and Polk Street.
If Driving North on Van Ness:
Turn right onto O’Farrell Street
The garage entrance will be on the left side at the end of the block, just before reaching Polk Street
Parking Rates:
$8 per hour
$28 daily maximum
Building Access:
From the parking garage, take the elevator to the Lobby level.
Upon exiting the elevators, the Grand Gallery will be directly in front of you.
If you have any trouble locating the entrance, please feel free to reach out and we’ll be happy to assist.