ABOUT THIS EVENT: 

With the Venture Capital market breaking records on a regular basis, the prospects for securing VC financing for your company have never been better. But there is a steep learning curve in understanding the key terms, process and negotiating strategy involved in closing on a round of VC funding.

At this event, we will present a webinar featuring a panel of accomplished VC professionals, including several VCs along with a lawyer and an accountant who advise on VC transactions. Together, the panel will address critical issues in VC transactions, including the following:

• Phases of the typical VC financing transaction, from term sheet through closing
• Understanding the purpose of a VC term sheet and the negotiation process
• Fundamental terms that appear in most VC preferred stock deals and current trends in the most important terms
• Strategies for negotiating with several VCs simultaneously
Whether you are currently pitching to VCs or are looking to do so in the future, this session will be a valuable opportunity to hear from this seasoned panel about the essential considerations in this complex topic.

Upon registering, please think through the following questions and make sure to bring your own for our panellists.

1. For startup founders and principals and prospective founders, what is your most important concern at the moment?
2. Please list up to three questions that you would like for the panelists to address.
3. What additional programming by Tech Alliance would be useful to you over the coming weeks and months?

AGENDA:

11:30 - 12:00 - Virtual Networking
12:00 - 1:00 - Panel Discussion
1:00 - 1:30 - Virtual Networking

HOST:

Paul Ellis, Managing Partner, Paul Ellis Law Group LLC

As Managing Partner of the 9-lawyer Paul Ellis Law Group, Paul counsels on issues including formation, early-stage financing (friends and family, angel and VC), joint venture and strategic partnering relationships, employment, equity plans, mergers and acquisitions, and, together with his colleagues, protection and licensing of intellectual property. Beyond the internet/mobile/IT industries, he has practiced in industries including telecommunications, healthcare, manufacturing, banking, real estate, consumer products, and entertainment. He has represented companies ranging from startups to multinationals, as well as funds and individual and institutional investors.

PANELISTS: 

Alan Wink, Managing Director - Capital Markets, EisnerAmper

Alan Wink, Managing Director – Capital Markets, assists clients with capital budgeting, capital structuring and capital sourcing. Alan has 20 years of financial and consulting experience, having served as Director of the Interfunctional Management Consulting Program at Rutgers Graduate School of Management, a program he helped build into one of the largest business school-based management consulting practices in the country. He started his career in accounting, spending six years on the audit staff of a Big 4 accounting firm and a Fortune 500 Company. Alan left the accounting field to expand his horizons in the area of Corporate Finance. Alan spent several years as Director of Financial Analysis for AmBase Corporation (NYSE), where he led approximately $2 billion of corporate acquisition activity. He is also a past Vice President of Capricorn Management, a $100 million private equity fund specializing in restructuring and turnaround opportunities. In addition, Alan is a leader in the firm’s Technology Group, providing a variety of industry-specific services to technology and life sciences firms, including business and strategic planning, marketing and competitive analyses, financing assistance, and operational and financial benchmarking. He has worked with many early stage and emerging growth companies on developing the appropriate capital structure for their position in the business life cycle. He maintains an active contact base with angel investors, venture capital funds and private equity funds. Alan also understands the level of returns private investors are trying to realize and devises strategies that allow both entrepreneurs and their investors to achieve desired return thresholds.

Aaron Holiday, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, 645 Ventures

Aaron Holiday is the co-founder and Managing Partner at 645 Ventures, a $200 million+ early-stage venture capital firm that is considered a pioneer in data-driven deal sourcing powered by proprietary software. Aaron oversees the firm’s investing approach and decisions, proprietary software development strategy, investor relations, and firm governance. Aaron has 20 years of deep finance and technology expertise, having developed advanced equities Program Trading and foreign exchange derivatives software at Goldman Sachs and GFI Group, combined with operational experience working with CEOs to build growth-stage companies. Aaron is now on the governing board of Cornell Tech alongside of a small group of tech and business leaders including Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Eric Schmidt, David, David Siegel, Robert Smith, and Ursula Burns.

Robin Li, Principal, GGV Capital

Robin Li is based in New York and focuses on investments in consumer, new retail, and digital economy for GGV Capital. She serves on the board of directors for Bustle Digital Group, Flieber, Glow Concept, and Odeko. She is formerly a board director for Lively, which was acquired by Wacoal in 2019. She is also a board observer or actively involved with Bowery Farming, Chief, Fishbowl, Frubana, Function of Beauty, Ibotta, K Health, Minerva, Poshmark, Shelf Engine, Slice, Snappy Gifts, StockX, Stori, The Mighty, Valence, and Yamibuy.

Robin created Evolving|E, a highly engaged community of top entrepreneurs and executives from the ecommerce, retail, and consumer goods sectors that connect at the EvolvingE annual summit and other events around the country.

Prior to joining GGV, Robin worked at Flextronics' Venture Arm covering hardware and technology investments. Before venture capital, she spent three years at Teach For America as a teacher and administrator. Robin holds a B.A. in Economics and Art History from Rutgers, M.S. in Special Education from Hunter College, and an M.B.A. with a specialization in Entrepreneurship and Management from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.