The second instalment of London’s Largest Demo Day Investor and Founder’s Conference 2024, dubbed Series 1: Episode 2, got off to a great start in the heart of Mayfair, London on 14th October 2024, with a greatly enthused Rare Founders Founder Vasily Alekseenko at the helm alongside some new team members including Events Manager Fraya Brinkman and some truly spectacular volunteers.
Held at the home of The Royal Society of Medicine, this charming venue whose team’s hospitality and setting never ceases to amaze, ensured attendees were spoilt for choice with a welcome selection of pastries at the start of the day and refreshing beverages during the evening session thanks to an array of sponsors. 100 founders pitched on two stages as follows:
DEMO DAY PITCHING STAGE 1
HR Tech/ Recruitment
BioTech/ Life Science/ Pharma
Marketplace
eCommerce/ Online retail/ Consumer goods
Healthcare/ HealthTech/ MedTech/ Digital Health
Fitness/ Wellness/ Sport Tech
FinTech
DEMO DAY PITCHING STAGE 2
B2B SaaS/ Business Software
Analytics/ Big Data
B2C SaaS/ Consumer Apps
Blockchain/ Crypto/NFT/Web3/Cybersecurity
Sustainability/ Green Tech/CleanTech
Education/EdTech
AI/ Machine Learning
A new format was in place whereby investors were able to immediately raise their numbered card to indicate interest in meeting the Founder right after each pitch. Fundraising parameters ranged from £250k to £2.4M. The conference also trialled a number of high level Masterclasses that were also very well attended. Throughout the day, three content stages delivered engaging seminars, three of which were attended by the Latest Sale Founder. Google Cloud, a new sponsor who has recently come on board to support the Rare Founders team announced at the start of the Alex Arnot MASTERCLASS, that the Google Cloud startup hub in Shoreditch would soon be opening on the same day in fact, 15/10/2024 at 15h30 GMT and the Google Cloud team would be partnering with Rare Founders for future events.
DEMO DAY CONTENT STAGE 1
MASTERCLASS with Alex Arnot, Tech Board Advisor
“Why do 75% of funded tech start ups fail? And how to be the 25% that succeed.”
Arnot began his seminar by giving an overview on why he felt the 75% start up failure rate and 60% lack of profit generation amongst start ups was so high.
Arnot indicated that start ups should build a strong team early on and aim to have an adviser at the early stage of the business. He also suggested a mechanism for a 12-month review of boardroom attendees and also recommended Founder/ team operational board meetings on a monthly basis and both monthly and a quarterly investor board meetings.
DEMO DAY CONTENT STAGE 1
MASTERCLASS with Eva Dobrzanska, Angel Investor, Investor Outreach Specialist
“Pitching playbook: real life tips and strategies used by Founders to raise millions.”
Next up on the content stage circuit was the delightful Eva Dobrzanska whose optimistic presentation captivated the audience as she explored “strategies to raise millions.” Dobrzanska highlighted the importance of follow up, claiming that on average it could take up to seven interactions with a potential investor to close a deal. She also suggested Founders keep investors up to date with news and progress such as announcements of new team hires, monthly user growth and revenue figures, whilst summarizing the way help from a VC would be most effective.
Patience is the highlight of a Founder’s life and is much needed as Dobrzanska claimed VCs will often track a company for 1-2 years before making a move.
Cold emails were not discounted, however Dobrzanska emphasized the need for a clear strategy in order to reach success and directed the audience to her site for more insights; www.fundrainginplaybook.com.
Dobrzanska encourages Founders to stick to 10-12pp for the pitch deck and suggested Founders deploy tactics such as ending a meeting by repeating the elevator pitch, and summarizing users or partnerships achieved to give investors a reason to follow up by leaving them with a cliffhanger.
DEMO DAY CONTENT STAGE 2
MASTERCLASS with David Rose, CEO at US Expansion Partners
“How to target the right US VC investors”
Next the Latest Sale Founder visited content stage 2 to review the “Insights into targeting US investors” seminar.
David Rose took his audience on a deep dive trip into the US VC landscape, funding lifecycles, and legal parameters across states. He further explained how to target the right VC firms and identify the VC Partners to pitch to. Rose specified the importance of ensuring wherever possible that Founders reach out to VCs with a warm intro.
EVENING EVENT- CONTENT STAGE 2
“First money in” was hosted by Chris Howard, Investor and Serial Entrepreneur with 10 start ups and 20 investors placing a bet on them to invest a minimum of £1,000 right away after a three-minute pitch.
Rare Founders Limited has reached a pivotal stage in its journey to provide equitable support to start ups with a much more structured conference setting on offer second time round that promises to elevate the standard of meet ups for Founders seeking guidance into the high stake worlds of VC, Angel Investor and Family Office fundraising.