Early-Stage Venture Summit, Powered by Florida Funders
Join us on Wednesday, May 6 and Thursday, May 7 for the Early-Stage Venture Summit, Powered by Florida Funders. This annual two-day event connects early-stage tech founders with angel investors. The event kicks off with a reception, followed by a full day of interactive sessions and valuable networking opportunities. This summit is the ideal event to elevate both your startup and investment strategies.
Who is the Early-Venture Summit for?
The Early Stage Venture Summit, Powered by Florida Funders is designed for founders who are actively building and preparing to raise. This event is a strong fit if you are:
- Making less than $1M in ARR
- Working full-time on your startup
- Preparing to raise a Pre-Seed or Seed round in the near future
What do Founders walk away with?
Strategies to refine their product, build teams, and gain a deeper understanding of what Investors look for when evaluating startup opportunities.
View the official Founder Application here
What do Investors walk away with?
Connections with fellow early-stage investors, the opportunity to uncover promising early-stage startups, and a chance sharpen their investment strategies to spot the next breakthrough in Florida’s tech ecosystem.
View the official Investor Application here
Note: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and applicants can expect to hear from us as decisions are made. The final application deadline is Monday, April 27, at 12:00 PM.
What's in Store?
Day 1, May 6:
1:00 PM – 1:20 PM: Open doors + Networking1:20 PM – 1:30 PM: Opening Remarks Brian Murphy, ReliaQuest1:30 PM – 1:40 PM: Sponsor Remarks Saxon Baum, FLF1:40 PM – 2:30 PM: The State of Early-Stage Venture: Navigating a New Fundraising Reality – Josh Pherigo, Principal Researcher of Market Insights, Silicon Valley Bank2:30 PM – 2:40 PM: 10 Min Break2:45 PM – 2:50 PM: Opening Notes on Presentations, Tom O’Neil2:50 PM – 3:50 PM: Founder Presentations2:50 – 3:05: REHQ – Augie Schmidt, (Rachael Ferm, Florida Funders)3:05 – 3:20: COI Energy, SaLisa Berrien, (Junior Gaspard, Fulcrum Equity Partners)3:20 – 3:35: BiaTech – Nathaniel Hartwig, (Rachael Ferm, Florida Funders)3:35 – 3:50: Compass Health – Rafael Fernandes, (Jason Swoboda, TGH Ventures)3:50 PM – 4:00 PM: 10 Min Break4:00 PM – 4:50 PM: Ending Session, Founder Mindset – Tony DiBenedetto, Founder, Think Big for Kids and Executive Chairman, Appspace5:00 PM – 7:00 PM: Welcome Reception @ Small Giant7:00 PM – 9:00 PM: VIP Dinner @ Boulon
Day 2, May 7:
8:00 AM – 8:30 AM: Doors Open & Networking
8:30 AM – 8:40 AM: Sponsor Remarks, Saxon Baum, Managing Partner, FLF
8:40AM – 9:00 AM: Opening Remarks – Alex Kelly, Secretary, Florida Commerce
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Session 1 – Raising Early-Stage Capital (Ryan Schneider, Strategy Coach at Embarc Collective and Founder of Thrive25)
10:00 AM – 10:10 AM: 10 Min Break
10:10 AM – 11:00 AM: Session 2 – What Early-Stage Investors Look for
-Moderator/Panelist – Saxon Baum, Managing Partner, FLF
-Rachel Feinman – Senior Vice President, Innovation, Ventures, and Digital Solutions, TGH Ventures
-Monique Villa – Managing Partner, Daytrip Ventures
-Ken Hall – Partner, Deepwork Capital
11:00 AM – 11:50 AM: Session 3 – Solving Real Problems: Mastering Customer Discovery & Customer Obsession (Kate Heath, Executive Advisor + Brand & Marketing Strategy Coach at Embarc Collective)
11:50 AM – 1:10 PM: Lunch + Office Hours
1:10 PM – 1:15 PM: Delta Remarks + Ticket Giveaway
1:15 PM – 2:05 PM: Session 4 – Talent Road mapping for Fundraising Founders (Kailah Maytas, Talent Strategy Coach at Embarc Collective and Managing Partner at K & Co Talent)
2:05 PM – 2:55 PM: Session 5 – From First Customer to Repeatable Pipeline: A Stage-Aligned GTM Playbook (Jess Shultz, Co-Founder & CEO, Amplify Group)
2:55 PM- 3:05 PM: 10 Min Break
3:05 PM – 3:55 PM: Session 6 – Pricing Your Product for Early Traction (Kristen Koenig, B2B Sales Strategy Coach at Embarc Collective)
3:55 PM – 4:45 PM: Session 7 – Financing Your Venture Beyond Traditional Fundraising
-Elizabeth Nelson – Director, High Tech Corridor, USF
-Scott Chamberlin – Managing Director, VC Relationships, Customers Bank
-Moderator – Rachael Ferm, Director of Investments, FLF
4:45 PM – 5:00 PM: Closing Remarks Tim Holcomb, Embarc Collective
5:00 PM: End Program
Frequently Asked Questions
Learn more about the Early-Stage Venture Summit, Powered by Florida Funders
This Summit is for early-stage founders and investors (pre-seed, seed, and angel investors).
This Summit is held annually in April or May
This Summit is held in the ReliaQuest Auditorium @ Embarc Collective in downtown Tampa, located at 802 E Whiting St., Tampa, FL 33602.
There are no fees to apply for, or attend this Summit.
Parking is readily available surrounding Embarc Collective:
- Street Parking: Available alongside E Whiting St, reserved via the ParkMobile app (recommended)
- Lot Parking: Across the street at the Seven One Seven lot (126 S Jefferson St, Tampa, FL 33602)
- Garage Parking: County Center Garage (710 E Jackson St, Tampa, FL 33602)