Maximise Your Raise: The Valuation Playbook for Founders
Most early-stage founders focus on building — the product, the team, the traction. When it's time to raise, they pitch investors, negotiate a valuation, and hope for the best. Few stop to ask whether the way they've structured their company is costing them equity before the conversation even starts.
The gap between what a startup is worth and what a founder actually captures in a raise is often larger than anyone expects. Small adjustments in corporate finance positioning and legal structuring can shift equity value by 25–35% in the founder's favour. Most founders don't know this — until it's too late.
We're excited to welcome John D. Evans, Founder & Director of SEIML, and Roger Dong, Counsel - Corporate at Ashurst, to this Startup Grind Hong Kong virtual event. Together, they bring decades of experience across investment banking, corporate finance advisory, venture capital law, and early-stage fundraising — spanning China, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia.
In this session, John and Roger will break down how founders can apply corporate finance fundamentals and smart legal structuring to maximise the value of their next raise — with practical, real-world examples from the companies they work with.
📅 Date: Wednesday, 24 June 2026⏰ Time: 7:00 PM HKT📍 Location: Online (Virtual Event)
🎤 Meet the Speakers
John D. Evans is the Founder & Director of SEIML, a corporate finance advisory firm operating across China, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia. With 24 years in investment banking — spanning Toronto, New York, and London — John has deep experience in debt and equity capital markets, strategic advisory, and working with large institutional funds. He later moved into academia, designing and running MSc programmes in investment management at universities in the UK and China, and building one of Europe's larger financial professional training organisations.
Since 2016, John has focused on supporting early- and middle-stage startups, including serving as Director of the Hong Kong Founder Institute and Programme Director for the FI ASEAN Fintech Accelerator from 2023 to 2025. He moved to Hong Kong in 2024 to build SEIML's footprint in Southeast Asia.
Roger Dong is a Counsel - Corporate at Ashurst, one of the world's leading international law firms with over 30 offices across 19 countries. Based in Hong Kong, Roger specialises in early-stage fundraisings, venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, and private investment funds. He has advised on transactions across Asia Pacific, Europe, and the US, covering industries from technology and fintech to biotech and energy. Before his legal career, Roger worked as a mining processing engineer in Beijing — giving him a rare engineering-to-law perspective on building and scaling companies.
💡 What You'll Learn
✅ How corporate finance techniques can increase the value of your equity raise
✅ What founders consistently get wrong when structuring their company for fundraising
✅ The legal fundamentals every early-stage founder needs before approaching investors
✅ How to position your startup for VC, angel, and institutional investment across Asia
✅ Why aligning your finance and legal strategy early creates compounding advantages as you scale
🎯 Who Should Attend?
🚀 Early-stage founders preparing for or currently in a fundraising round
📈 Startup operators who want to understand how corporate finance impacts equity value
🏦 Angel investors and VCs looking for insight into deal structuring from the advisory side
🧠 Aspiring entrepreneurs exploring how to set up their company right from the start
🚀 Don't miss this opportunity to learn how to maximise the value of your next raise
📌 RSVP now to secure your spot
Agenda
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Speakers
John D. Evans - SEIML (Founder & Director)
- Master of International Public Policy (MIPP),
- School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University
- Master of Business Administration (MBA), Dean’s List, University of Toronto
- Honours BA, University of Toronto
- Chartered Financial Analyst, (CFA)
- Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers (FICB)
- Canadian Securities Officers and Directors Exam
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Roger Dong - Ashurst (Counsel - Corporate)
- University of Melbourne, Australia | Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Engineering
- University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong | Postgraduate Certificate in Laws
- Australian National University, Australia | Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice
- Practising solicitor in Hong Kong
- Qualified lawyer in Victoria, Australia
Roger is a counsel in Ashurst’s corporate transactions and private…
Hosted By
Jens Wernborg, Director
Over 25 years of experience doing business with companies in Hong Kong, China and India across a wide range of industries.
Have worked with companies to successfully increase sales, save costs through purchasing and outsourcing, establish local presences, recruit and train staff and use digitalization to improve their productivity.
Always looking for ways to streamline and make businesses more efficient using digital tools and services. Knows how to get things done.
Margaret Leung, Co-Director
Margaret is a seasoned Business Consultant and Project/Event Manager who helps foreign companies, both large and small, develop new business and expand in Hong Kong and Greater China. She also has over 20 years of experience in curating and managing events such as seminars, exhibitions, and official-cum-business delegations across multiple industries. This involves working closely with government officials, C-level executives, and collaborating with project team members from different countries and cultures.
Since joining the Startup Grind team in October 2017, Margaret has been deeply inspired by the dynamic energy of the startup ecosystem. She is passionate about community building and fostering meaningful connections among entrepreneurs and professionals.
Amrit Sethi, Startup Grind Moderator
Guest moderator Startup Grind Hong Kong.
Over 30 years of experience helping clients explore the world and make travel stress free.
Individual and corporate travel. Specialist groups, cruises, tours, worldwide hotels, sightseeing, sport competitions. Visa services in Hong Kong.
I combine my teams expertise with a personal touch to ensure that your travel plans meet your needs and wishes while eliminating all the hassle.
Marin Magré, Ambassador
A Frenchman who grew up in Poland, studied in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and started a coffee business in Guatemala before deciding to go back to Hong Kong to be closer to the world of Tech and AI.
My strengths are my international and broad vision combined with a keen sense for operational detail, my fearless go-getter attitude and my attraction to building mutually beneficial relationships.
Excited to be part of the SG community to learn and grow alongside inspiring and innovating people seeking to make a positive impact!
Keith Engine, Mentor
Life is too short to... I love to explore new things - globetrotter, bookworm, and you can see me in most of the startup events in Hong Kong (and beyond) - hunt me! Besides Startup Grind, I was the organizer of Startup Weekend and AngelHack. Some topics can get my immediate attention: emerging technologies, youth entrepreneurship, corporate innovation, startup ecosystem in Asia Pacific. I'm approachable, so, feel free to drop me a message on LinkedIn!
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Global Partner
Carta (http://www.carta.com/launch?utm_campaign=20240423-nam-general-smb-startup_grind_partnership&utm_medium=social&utm_source=startup_grind)
Carta helps people manage equity, build businesses, and invest in the companies of tomorrow. Carta Launch is the only free cap table product, helping new founders get started. The company is trusted by more than 40,000 companies, over 7,000 funds and SPVs, and over two million equity holders to manage cap tables, compensation, valuations, liquidity, and more. For more information, visit carta.com.
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-hong-kong-presents-maximise-your-raise-the-valuation-playbook-for-founders/.
