The NYC startup scene is flooded with fundraising advice, but what do top-tier VCs actually want to see? How do you move from a promising idea to a defensible business in a market that demands more than just a good story?
Join Startup Grind for a no-fluff fireside chat with Katie Weiss, Principal at ff Venture Capital, one of the city's best-performing seed and early-stage VC firms since 2008.
With ffVC's sharp focus on AI, Manufacturing, and Robotics, as well as a track record of portfolio companies advancing to Series B at 5x the industry average, Katie brings a rare, operator-first perspective to venture.
Drawing on her experience building programs at Salesforce and managing ffVC's innovative "AIPS" (AI Point Solutions) program, this conversation goes beyond the pitch to focus on the playbook for building a real, scalable business.
This Event is For You If:
You're an early-stage founder preparing to raise your seed round and need to cut through the noise with a clear, compelling strategy.
You've built a promising MVP with no-code or low-code tools and are now facing the challenge of building a production-grade, scalable product.
You're a startup employee, PM, or engineer who wants to understand the VC mindset to better contribute to your company's growth and fundraising efforts.
Key Takeaways: What You'll Learn
The 90-Second Test: Learn what VCs look for in the first 30-90 seconds of a deck review and how to structure your problem-solution slides for immediate impact.
Go-To-Market for Hard Tech: Get specific GTM insights for startups in ffVC’s focus areas of AI, Manufacturing, Energy, and Robotics.
Operational AI: Discover how to leverage AI within your company's operations—not just in your product—to build a more efficient and defensible business.
Common Mistakes to Avoid: Hear the most frequent (and avoidable) pitfalls in founder outreach, valuation, and timing that lead to a quick 'no' from investors.
Your ticket includes drinks, food, and direct access to an evening of practical advice on building your business. You'll also meet dozens of other high-performing entrepreneurs who are creating their next big thing. Seriously, it's some of the best founder networking in the city.
Space is limited. Secure your spot and get ready to refine your playbook.
Getting a ticket guarantees admission. No waitlisting.
Agenda
6:00 PM: Networking with Food & Drinks
07:00 PM: Fireside Chat w/ Katie Weiss
08:00 PM: Meet the Speaker
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Speaker
Katie Weiss - ff Venture Capital (Principal)
Katie Weiss, Principal at ffvc, has over 15 years of experience working with seed, early-stage, and growth companies. At ffVC, Katie leads the firm’s due diligence process, sources new investment opportunities, manages the “AIPS” program, oversees the firm’s platform, and serves on various boards. Prior to ffVC, Katie held business development, channel sales, and venture capital roles at Sales…
Hosted By
Joshua Ness, Director, Startup Grind
Joshua Ness is Executive Director at Startup Grind NYC and Director of Emerging Technologies with IEEE. He provides opportunities and access for startups to build and scale their companies. He advises new entrants in tech-driven sectors from startup to scale-up, and provides guidance on enterprise partnerships and venture opportunities. He is an international technology development specialist with Fulbright in the field of AI in public sectors, and a Professor of Technology at City University of New York.
Tova Feldheim, Cofounder
I am a strategic advisor and marketing expert with 20+ years in B2B SaaS, brand building, and customer discovery. Specializing in aligning human behavior with technology to build products that resonate and marketing that converts. I've worked with enterprise clients and early-stage startups alike to refine messaging, strengthen go-to-market efforts, and accelerate growth
Prianka Ball,
Currently working in data at a early stage startup. Ex founder and looking for my next startup building adventure.
Paul GUILLARD, Chief of Staff / BizOps / Project Manager / BD
I moved to NYC in April 24. I am currently coaching and advising early-stage founders on ideation, Business Model x Ideal Customer Profile x MVP, GTM and Fundraising.
Received my authorization to work in Nov so now also looking for a full time job as BizOps / Chief of Staff / Strategic Project Management for B2B SMB or Series A+
Before that, an Engineering Degree and 2 years of SMBs consulting in France, 10 years in APAC doing Strategic Project Management, Sales and BD; and 4 years in Spain for an MBA at IESE (consistently ranked Top10 in the world by FT) and working on some startups.
Rebecca Liang,
Ex-founder | Ex-VC | 5 yrs @ Startup Grind Shanghai
Community over Competition
Shanghai → Hong Kong → Singapore → New York
Madison Simon,
I've spent the past 8 years working closely with startups in revenue-focused roles, and I genuinely love being in the trenches with bold, compassionate founders tackling real-world problems. There's nothing more energizing than teaming up with people who think differently, move fast, and build with heart. I believe being genuine, knowledgeable, and deliberate in business relationships is essential.
Business aside - I enjoy scuba diving, sailing, painting, cars, and all things going on at www.thegirlswhogather.com.
Daniel Silver, Owner
Creative, Thoughtful and Results-Driven Product Marketing Strategist Focused on Building, Launching and Optimizing New and Existing Products Across Their Life Cycle.
KT Goldthorpe,
I'm a NYC-based brand strategist and startup advisor with over 20 years’ experience guiding both global corporations and early-stage ventures.I specialize in foundational brand development—helping founders articulate their business’s inner narrative, align teams, and build brands that resonate from the inside out. I am a champion of helping early-stage startups strategically position themselves in crowded markets, using audience insights and agile frameworks like The Wayfounding Map to operationalize brand strategy for real growth.
After years advising corporate, agency, and startup teams—including roles like founding member and CMO at Thirstie—I’ve learned that standing out starts with building brand from the inside out. My programs are designed to help startups find their market fit and shape messaging that actually connects. I lead with practical coaching and actionable frameworks grounded in experience, and while my work hasn’t won awards, yet, it’s delivered meaningful impact and momentum for founders pushing their brands forward.
I’m also the creator of Champ, built to help founders and teams navigate brand development step-by-step. Outside of work, I’m a two-time NYC Marathoner, a steady runner, and an active community builder—focused on making healthy brand growth accessible, collaborative, and fun for those who want to move fast and make purposeful change.
Michaela Freedman,
As a freelance business consultant, I help companies go-to-market in highly regulated industries globally, advising an industry-agnostic clientele spanning AI/tech, healthcare, consumer goods, industrial manufacturing, and logistics.
I specialize in navigating regulatory compliance protocols and developing business action plans, including lead generation strategies and securing high-value partnerships that successfully expand revenue channels.
Payton Shafer,
Nabila Okudo,
Bhavnish Walia,
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Global Partner
Snowflake (https://www.snowflake.com)
Snowflake delivers the Data Cloud - a global network where thousands of organizations mobilize data with near-unlimited scale, concurrency, and performance. Inside the Data Cloud, organizations unite their siloed data, easily discover and securely share governed data, and execute diverse analytic workloads. Wherever data or users live, Snowflake delivers a single and seamless experience across multiple public clouds. Snowflake's platform is the engine that powers and provides access to the Data
Strategic
Codewalla (https://www.codewalla.com/startup-grind-offer)
Codewalla is a small product development studio dedicated to helping startup founders launch products quickly. As founders ourselves, we understand the challenges of traditional development: high costs, long timelines, and risks. We are a CTO-led studio of developers, designers, and project managers dedicated to building exceptional products. With expertise in startups, SaaS, fintech, and more, we bring creativity and experience to every project.
Partner
The Yard (https://theyard.com/)
The Yard is a coworking space at the intersection of innovation, creativity, design, & play -- with locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Philly, and DC -- with a variety of shared and private workspace options.
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Startup Grind is a global startup community designed to educate, inspire, and connect entrepreneurs. We host monthly events in more than 600 cities and 125+ countries featuring successful local founders, innovators, educators and investors who share personal stories and lessons learned on the road to building great companies. Our monthly fireside chat interviews, startup mixers and annual conferences provide ample opportunities to connect with amazing startups and the people behind them, tap into a strong support network, form meaningful connections and gain inspiration for the startup journey ahead. For more information visit StartupGrind.com or follow us on twitter @StartupGrind.
Complete your event RSVP here: https://www.startupgrind.com/events/details/startup-grind-new-york-city-presents-the-vc-playbook-nailing-your-pitch-gtm-and-ai-ops/.
