/ About this event
The consumer funding market reset and a lot of founders are still pitching like it didn't. The deck that raised in 2021 on a brand story and a founder photo does not clear the bar in 2026. Investors writing consumer checks today are underwriting a spreadsheet before they are underwriting a vision, and most founders find that out three meetings in, after they have already burned the intro.
It also covers the part that usually gets skipped on a stage in San Francisco, which is that venture is the wrong money for a large share of consumer brands. Plenty of good businesses get killed by taking a check that demanded a return curve the category cannot produce. The panel will be direct about which brands should be raising equity, which should be looking at revenue-based financing, inventory lines, or strategic capital, and how to tell which one you are before you spend six months in the wrong rooms.
Finally, the practical part. What traction actually looks like at pre-seed, seed, and Series A right now. How consumer investors get to conviction, and why the answer is usually a relationship built months before the raise. What a founder should fix in the 90 days before they open a round. And how to run a process instead of collecting nos one at a time.
Schedule 12:00 – 12:30 PM | Arrival + curated networking 12:30 – 1:30 PM | Talkback panel 1:30 – 2:30 PM | Drinks, small bites, curated intros
WHO SHOULD ATTEND CPG & consumer brand founders eCommerce operators Early-stage + scaling startups Investors + ecosystem builders
Thank you to our Sponsor:
SHOPLINE is a leading global SaaS platform that empowers brands and retailers to accelerate growth through intelligent commerce solutions that forges deeper, meaningful customer connections. SHOPLINE’s fully integrated and extensible commerce platform enables brands to build and scale online businesses, seamlessly integrate online with offline experiences, create hyper-personalized omni-channel engagement and shopping experiences, and effortlessly expand into new markets. Trusted by over 600,000 brands worldwide, SHOPLINE powers elevated shopping experiences that boost conversions and build lasting customer loyalty. Learn more at SHOPLINE.com
This event is a part of #SFTechWeek—a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. Learn more at www.tech-week.com. ecosystem. Learn more at www.tech-week.com.
