Fundraising 101: Master the Art of Early-Stage Capital with David S. Rose
Details
Are you an early-stage startup founder navigating the complex world of fundraising? Join Startup Grind for an intensive, in-person session with legendary angel investor and serial entrepreneur, David S. Rose, as he delivers his renowned "Fundraising 101" workshop.
Based on his decades of experience raising and investing capital, and his best-selling books "Angel Investing" and "The Startup Checklist," David will cut through the noise and provide actionable insights on securing the funding your startup needs.
In this jam-packed session, you'll learn:
The critical distinction between small independent businesses and scalable high-growth startups—and why it matters for your funding strategy.
How to navigate the fundraising landscape, from bootstrapping and grants (like SBIR/STTR) to angel investors and venture capitalists.
The essential elements of a compelling pitch that resonates with investors. 👈
How to understand and approach valuation, term sheets, and finding a lead investor.
Practical advice on building traction and demonstrating your company's potential.
How to understand, and navigate the different types of funding instruments, such as convertible notes, and safes.
How to build a fundraising sales funnel. 👈
Insight into the angel investor mind set.
David's candid, no-nonsense approach will equip you with the knowledge and tools to confidently approach potential investors and secure the capital you need to fuel your startup's growth.
Who Should Attend:
Early-stage startup founders seeking funding.
Entrepreneurs looking to understand the fundraising process.
Anyone interested in learning from a seasoned angel investor.
About David S. Rose:
David S. Rose is a fifth-generation serial entrepreneur, a prolific angel investor, and the founder of Gust. He's invested in over 120 companies, including Comixology (acquired by Amazon and recent Startup Grind featured founder) and Jump Bikes (acquired by Uber). His insights are invaluable for any founder looking to raise capital.
Don't miss this opportunity to learn from one of the best in the business!
Agenda:
5:30pm - Founder Networking w/ Food & Drinks
6:30pm - "Fundraising 101" with David S. Rose
7:30pm - Discussion + Q&A
8:00pm - Meet David + More Networking
Tickets for this event include food and drinks, as well as exclusive access to this world-famous investor.
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.
Getting a ticket guarantees admission. No waitlisting.
And don't miss our recurring founder social events over coffee or cocktails. It's a great opportunity for operators to network with each other to share best practices and find new resources to build your startup the right way. See our full event lineup here.
Agenda
5:30 PM: Founder Networking w/ Food & Drinks
6:30 PM: "Fundraising 101" with David S. Rose
7:30 PM: Discussion + Q&A
8:00 PM: More Networking
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Speaker
David S. Rose - Gust (Founder and CEO)
David S. Rose is an Inc. 500 CEO, serial entrepreneur, and early-stage investor who has founded or funded over 100 companies. Described by Forbes as "New York's Archangel" and by Red Herring magazine as the "patriarch of Silicon Alley", he is the New York Times best-selling author of both Angel Investing and The Startup Checklist. David is the Founder and Chairman Emeritus of New York Angels, …
Hosted By
Joshua Ness, Director, Startup Grind
Joshua Ness is the Manging Director at Startup Grind NYC and is a Director of Emerging Technologies with IEEE. He works with enterprise, startups, and academic teams to drive innovation. He also works to educate, inspire, and connect the dots for businesses interested in moving forward with emerging technology.
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
Arjun Mehta, Co-founder
Arjun Mehta is a recent graduate of NYU, holding a degree in Business and Tech Management with a concentration in Finance. During his time in college, Arjun gained invaluable experience through internships at a VC firm, a startup, and his own passion project. At the VC firm, he evaluated the growth potential of numerous health tech startups, analyzed pitch decks, and contributed to investment strategy meetings. Arjun also hosted strategic advisory calls for over 30 startup teams, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the startup VC ecosystem.
His longest tenure was at Invincible Entertainment as a Business Development Associate, where he utilized CRM tools to engage over 100 leads, significantly boosting sales outreach. He also closed multiple licensing deals and developed no-code AI tools to enhance workplace efficiency. Recently, Arjun co-created a chatbot for NYU's ambassador program, streamlining operations and reducing the need for on-shift counselors. Arjun is now seeking a role at a high-growth seed-stage startup to leverage his skills in sales, partnerships, and business strategy.
Jenny Sumeragi, CEO & Founder, JS Global Investment
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.
Prianka Ball,
Currently working in data at a early stage startup. Ex founder and looking for my next startup building adventure.
Benji Decker,
Franziska Oschmannn,
studying at Columbia University - passionate about tech, startups & VC
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.
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Global Partner
Golds
Redrob, Inc (https://bit.ly/redrob-sg-nyc-2025)
Redrob is a platform that provides early-stage startups access to world-class talent, streamlining the hiring process with tools like Talent Search GPT, Skill Test AI, and General Counsel GPT. Redrob Talent Search GPT employs AI agents to find and recruit exceptional candidates from the global talent pool. As an Employer of Record (EOR), Redrob enables seamless onboarding and management of international talent without the need for local entities—saving startups time, cost, and compliance risk.
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.
SeedLegals (https://bit.ly/seedlegals-sg0325)
Raising investment? SeedLegals is the go-to platform to get investment ready, build your cap table, issue SAFEs or do a priced round. Includes all the help and support you need from our team of experts. Over 60,000 companies use SeedLegals, the new way to do the legals for your next fundraise—at a fraction of the cost of traditional lawyers. Book a call with our team to see how we can help you fundraise faster!
Patrick IP Law (https://bit.ly/sgpatrickiplaw0525)
Patrick IP Law provides patent & IP strategy for startups. We have a passion for empowering startups to protect their innovations strategically and cost-effectively. With over 15 years of experience in patent law and global IP strategy - particularly in high-tech and bio-tech industries - Patrick IP specializes in providing the highest quality IP services tailored to the unique needs and financial situations of emerging businesses.
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-fundraising-101-master-the-art-of-early-stage-capital-with-david-s-rose/.
Fundraising 101: Master the Art of Early-Stage Capital with David S. Rose