Event category: Tactical Breakouts

While primary investments are the bread and butter of venture capital, they are by no means the only way that investors buy shares. Indeed, for companies that have reached stable profitability, secondaries are sometimes the only way to get involved. They can also be a crucial tool for re-aligning cap table ownership, winning competitive rounds and supporting founders to go big. Naturally, these benefits come with challenges, especially in terms of aligning interests across the transaction. Speaking from both the investor and founder side, our panelists will unpack some of these challenges while sharing their insights from past secondary transactions.

Join our trio of metric maestros as they dissect the puzzle of performance metrics, the gospel that data-centric teams reign supreme, and the not-so-sunny side of Business Intelligence. Gain insights into which metrics are your secret sauce for 2024, how you stack up against the competition, and arm yourself with the knowledge to sidestep the pitfalls that have been the death knell for many a BI initiative.

Join us as we untangle the twists and turns of the tech M&A rollercoaster, from its 2022 nosedive to the promising signs of a triumphant comeback in 2024 and learn why 2024 is predicted to be the year of recovery.

An in-depth look into how Zapier navigates the complexities of AI development. Reid Robinson, Lead Product Manager of AI at Zapier, will cover Zapier’s end-to-end approach to creating AI-driven features and products, offering actionable insights on effectively integrating AI into your SaaS product roadmap. You’ll also learn how to identify and prioritize the data crucial for building impactful AI features and products. Additionally, we’ll explore practical ways to weave AI into your existing product development process.

Build or Buy? A company is sitting on new investment funds with a mandate to build out their product. Is the best choice to build out the engineering team organically or look to acquire a company with technology already at least partially built and a team in place? This panel will discuss the risks and benefits of organic growth or growth through acquisition, as well as current market trends.

Join Vince Kadar, the leader behind Polymath's evolution from a blockchain-focused company to a cutting-edge Software as a Service (SaaS) company, as he explores his learnings from the forefront of disruptive technology solutions. With over 25 years of experience in scaling startups and innovating in the realms of financial software, telecom, and fintech, Vince will share his insights on the strategic shift that led Polymath to reimagine its role in capital markets, bridging the gap between traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi).
You'll gain valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities encountered during this transformative journey, being at the edge of the alternative investing industries, and learn how the company is successfully adapting to the ever-changing landscape of finance and technology.

Drowning in data but thirsting for insights? Cut through the noise with Joseph Fung, a seasoned tech entrepreneur with over two decades of experience. In this session, he'll break down how to zero in on the metrics that actually drive success for your startup. Learn tactical tips like how to differentiate noise from actionable KPIs, the art of delegating metrics across your team, and techniques for connecting metrics to strategy. You'll walk away with a clear understanding of how to identify meaningful metrics, how to bootstrap your business intelligence infrastructure, and how to make data-driven decisions that matter. No fluff, just actionable tips tailored for startup leaders.

During this session, Brandon Zhao from Two Small Fish Ventures, an early-stage venture firm, will speak on the importance of building defensible products in today's tech landscape. By leveraging the powerful combination of network effects and the transformative potential of generative AI, they showcased how businesses can redefine their atomic units, boost supply through AI-driven content generation, and enhance user engagement through hyper-personalization. This paradigm shift not only strengthens a product's competitive edge but also creates avenues for innovative business models and offers unprecedented user value.

What sets influencer marketing apart is the emotional connection it creates. Influencers are not just promoting a product or service, and they're sharing their personal experiences and emotions. They're making a connection with their followers and creating a sense of community. And when we see someone we admire and trust using a product or service, it creates an emotional response in us. It makes us feel like we're part of something special.