The Founder Institute and Decile Group are thrilled to announce the Venture Trailblazers Series, a lineup of exclusive, free events featuring some of the top investors in the industry. Join us over the next few months, to gain invaluable insights from leading experts who will shed light on the fundamental shifts in venture capital.
The last five years in the startup and venture capital industry have been a rollercoaster. The pandemic bubble, the end of the ZIRP era, and now the emergence of AI have demanded a level of speed and adaptability in venture that we have never seen before.
In preparation for what we expect to be a fascinating few years in technology, we are excited to host the Venture Trailblazers Series. This sequence of free events features top investors who will help us all better understand the fundamental shifts underway in the industry.
We kicked off the series on June 12th with James Currier, Founding Partner at NFX and angel investor in DoorDash, Lyft, and Patreon. James, one of the world’s foremost experts on growth and network effects, discussed the impact of new tools in venture capital, the arc of the industry, and the shift from ‘inbound VC’ to ‘outbound VC’ that he believes is underway.
Watch a replay of the fireside chat with James Currier here:
What's Next
June 25th with Kamal Hassan
In the next upcoming session, Kamal Hassan, Founding Partner at Loyal VC, will share insights on how savvy investors are removing bias and “ditching the pitch” to identify great investments. Loyal VC is part of a new wave of emerging funds leveraging innovative models to drive returns worldwide, so it should be an informative discussion.
- About the keynote: Kamal is the Managing Partner at Loyal VC, a fund inspired by his 20-year career as an entrepreneurial CEO and 15 years as an angel investor. His professional and philanthropic experiences include roles as a Global Director with the Founder Institute, President of the INSEAD Alumni Association, consultant at Bain & Co, and engineer at IMAX. Kamal holds an MBA from INSEAD and a degree in engineering physics from Queen's University.
- RSVP to this event at: How to Remove Bias from Your Startup Investment Decisions with Kamal Hassan
June 27th with Mike Maples Jr.
We are honored to welcome the legendary Mike Maples Jr., Co-Founding Partner at Floodgate, on June 27th. Mike, one of the Silicon Valley's most renowned early-stage investor with early bets on Twitter, Twitch, Okta, and more, will touch on all things venture. His focus will be on how top founders pivot and break away from standard best practices to build luminary companies.
- About the keynote: Mike Maples, Jr. is an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and author. He is focused on backing the founders of startup companies determined to achieve extraordinary success, from the very beginning. As a co-founding partner at Floodgate, he’s been on the Forbes Midas List eight times for his investments in companies such as Twitter, Twitch, Okta, Outreach, Rappi, Chegg, and Applied Intuition.
- RSVP to this event at: Venture Trailblazers with Mike Maples Jr.
August 22nd with Warren Packard
The series wraps up on August 22nd with Warren Packard of the AI Fund. Warren, a Silicon Valley VC veteran who served at DFJ for 13 years (with investments in Tesla, SpaceX, Box, Skype, Baidu, Hotmail, and more), will share insights on the AI revolution and its impact on venture capital.
- About the keynote: Warren Packard is a seasoned entrepreneur and venture capitalist with over 30 successful exits. At AI Fund, he specializes in nurturing early-stage startups and leading a team of innovators. With a career spanning decades, Warren has been instrumental in the growth of iconic companies like Tesla, SpaceX, Skype, and Baidu during his 13 years at DFJ.
- RSVP to this event at: Venture Trailblazers with Warren Packard
These events are interactive and designed to help entreprenurs make meaningful connections to fellow founders, investors, and executives from across the globe.
Venture Trailblazers is an exclusive, invite-only event series that connects leading investors, founders, and ecosystem leaders from across the globe to discuss the latest trends in startups and venture capital. The Venture Trailblazers events are typically reserved for the Founder Institute and Decile Group collective networks, but we are opening them up to empower the wider ecosystem for what we believe is a critical inflection point in the industry.
Previous editions of Venture Trailblazers were attended by 1000+ and the list of keynote speakers includes thought leaders like Roleof Botha, Tim Draper, Barry Eggers, and Scott Belsky.
Learn more about the Venture Trailblazers Series here
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