The Fundraising Roadmap: From First Pitch to Lasting Partnerships

For early-stage founders, raising capital is one of the most critical and challenging steps in transforming an idea into a sustainable venture. Join Aina Fadina for an interactive session that provides a clear roadmap from building authentic investor relationships to securing your first term sheet. The session begins with the strategic setup, covering the shift from “asking for money” to cultivating trust, preparing early materials, and leveraging advisors for credibility. Next, the tactical raise section breaks down stage-specific priorities (what investors value at Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A), defining your ideal investor profile, running an efficient process, and maintaining leverage. The session will also examine investor psychology and fund dynamics, offering insight into how funds assess timing, risk, return, and founder potential. Finally, the session focuses on story and execution, including crafting a narrative aligned with investor theses, creating a traction slide that highlights key metrics, and overcoming the hurdles of being a first-time founder. The session concludes with live Q&A and rapid-fire tactical tips on valuation benchmarks, SAFE versus convertible notes, investor updates, and negotiation pitfalls.
 
About the Speaker
Aina Fadina is a strategist, investor, and storyteller working at the intersection of catalytic capital, culture, commerce, and community. Most recently, she served as Chief Investment Officer at 10xBeta, a medtech venture studio, where she led fundraising strategy, investor relations, and operational readiness. Previously, she was Principal at Rogue Women Fund, investing in early-stage companies to advance equitable economic growth, and built the value-creation platform at Atento Capital, the venture arm of the George Kaiser Family Foundation. She also created and hosts I of Africa, a digital series spotlighting innovators and entrepreneurs inspired by Africa, with guests who have gone on to direct Oscar-nominated films, win Grammy Awards, and raise millions in venture capital. Aina serves on the associate boards of Amref Health Africa and the Alliance for AI, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Temple University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.