Below is an overview of our agenda. Specific speakers and panel topics will be announced closer to the event.
10:00 - 10:25
Keynote Speaker: Darcy Burner on The Founders Survival Guide
"The last company I built ended in an emergency room. Between its founding in 2013 as my son's 4th grade project and that emergency room, we bootstrapped to millions of dollars per year in revenue, built software that got national press, and served more than a million customers. I'm going to tell you the most important things I learned - not about unit economics or growth hacking, but about the one investment that matters most: your survival as a human being."
10:30 - 11:10
Session 1 - Track 1 [Leonardo Room] TBA. These sessions are typically a panel discussion, speaker or breakout session on topics relating to successfully running your startup, building your team, or successfully investing in startups.
11:15 - 12:00
Session 1 - Track 2 [Airbus Room] TBA. These sessions are typically a panel discussion, speaker or breakout session on topics relating to successfully running your startup, building your team, or successfully investing in startups.
11:15 - 12:00
Session 2 - Track 2 [Airbus Room] Nearly Free IP with Jonathan Olson, Aeon Law
Tired of IP feeling like a four-letter word? Worried your ideas will get swiped before you launch? Then buckle up! In 40 brisk minutes we'll demystify patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets with a focus on pitfalls, measures that don’t cost much, and current events. Jonathan Olson has advised numerous IP clients and written hundreds of patents, including some for Bill Gates, Paul Allen, and Satya Nadella. He has created potent IP in cryptographic security, machine learning, computer vision, drone and robotics applications, recommendation and curation systems, medical devices, and Web3/blockchain applications. His clients have used his patents to win licensing revenue, drive off competitors' investors, and navigate successful exits for more than 20 years. In this talk he'll share how startups can leverage practical, early-stage IP strategies for maximum impact.
12:00 - 1:00
Networking Lunch - Opportunity to meet fellow founders, funders and advisors. Lunch is provided or you can bring your own.
1:00 - 1:50
Raw Concept Pitch Competition - This low-stakes pitch competition is an opportunity for aspiring founders to pitch their concept for a venture-scale startup. They get three minutes to pitch and two minutes of Q&A with the judging panel. The judges will cast their votes for the most promising business concept, and the audience will be able to crowdvote their favorite as well. Will the winner of the two votes be the same or different? Come find out! Judges TBA.
1:00 Judge Intros
1:05 Ambeince, Jordan Friedman
1:11 Leetcare, Marnel Ramirez
1:17 Lost In Translation, Nalin Singal
1:23 BridgeYield, Smitha Shivakumar
1:29 Company #5
1:35 Company #6
1:41 Judge vote and crowd vote
1:47 Winners announced
2:00 - 2:45
Session 3 - Track 1 [Leonardo Room] - Panel: How Startups Can Partner With Federal Government. Moderated by David McFeeters-Krone. Learn about the many resources available to startups via partnership with the federal labs, DoD and other parts of the government, from the experts.
Session 3 - Track 2 [Airbus Room] - Workshop: Branding at the Pre-Seed Stage with Gaurav Malhotra
Branding at the pre-seed stage isn’t about polished campaigns—it’s all about the founder. Your clarity, pitch, and presence shape how the world sees your startup. Long before your product or service becomes the brand, you are the brand. In this 40-minute interactive session, you’ll learn how early-stage branding differs from later-stage efforts, and how to position yourself and your company for success. We’ll break down brand, marketing strategy, and go-to-market—and give you actionable takeaways, real-world examples, and a workbook to help you create buzz, attract VCs, co-founders, early hires, and customers.
3:00 - 3:45
Session 4 - Track 1 [Leonardo Room] - Workshop: Idea Validation and Brand Building with Angie Parker
Learn all about how to conduct a rigorous Customer Discovery process and flow the outcome into building a strong brand for your startup. The instructor, Angie Parker, is the Executive Director of the Alliance of Angels and long-time Venture Mechanics mentor and course instructor (Founder Workshop Series: Customer Discovery).
Session 4 - Track 2 [Airbus Room] Panel: How To Do Great QA When You're An Under-resourced Startup moderated by Tatyana Arbouvoza
Startups that rely on a good UX experience can have a hard time getting enough employees, beta users and friends to really put their website and/or software through its paces. Learn some valuable guerilla techniques that these career software QA professionals use to get the job done when you don't have a large team to help you.
4:00 - 4:50
Venture Pitch Competition - This is the “high stakes” pitch competition as opposed to the raw concept competition earlier in the day. The five presenting startups will get 5 minutes to pitch, plus 4 minutes for Q&A with the judges (experienced investors). These startups will also have demo tables at the event where potential investors, customers, mentors, etc., can meet with them after the competition. The judges will cast their votes for the best investment opportunity, and the audience will be able to crowdvote their favorite as well. Will the winner of the two votes be the same or different? Come find out! Judges TBA
4:00 Judge Intros
4:05 Branden Doyle, Violett
4:15 Ben Blue, Ora Biomedical
4:25 TBA
4:35 TBA
4:45 Judges vote and crowd vote
4:50 Winners announced
5:00 - 5:50
Introduction to the Venture Mechanics Catapult Accelerator Program - Learn all about the patently unique incubator/accelerator model we employ at Venture Mechanics to take in highly-vetted startups, fully train their founders to run a venture-scale business, and complete their funding. This is nothing remotely like the Techstars or YC model. Hear directly from the mentors who participate in the "mentor conclave" processes at the beginning and end of a founder team's journey through. Also hear from founders currently going through the process.
6:00 - 7:00
Founders & Mentors Mixer Afterparty - More than just a good time, founders and mentors can use this opportunity to get to know one another in a casual environment. Whether you want to speed date or spend quality time with particular individuals huddled in one of the conference rooms, this party is a great opportunity for founders to meet other founders, and mentors to meet other mentors, as well. Light snacks and adult drinks will be served.
Share Your Event Experience: Exclusive Pop-Up Interviews!
We're excited to offer a unique opportunity for event attendees to connect with Chris Hines for a special series of "pop-up" interviews!
These concise yet impactful interviews are designed to give you a platform to:
How it Works:
Keep an eye out for Chris and our interview team during the event. These interviews are informal and spontaneous, designed to capture authentic reactions and perspectives. If approached, we encourage you to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to share your story.
Why Participate?
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