Beyond Diversity: Inclusion & Resilience in Company Culture

Speakers: Evie Mulberry, Astia Fund, & Niquette Hunt, Candesant Biomedical

Thursday, September 16, 1:00 to 2:00 PM PDT

Building diversity is a priority for many companies. But once you’ve got a team representing diverse backgrounds and experience, you need to ensure inclusion: that everyone is, and feels, included in company initiatives and operations. Research shows that this is important for the success of companies at all stages of growth.

Alongside inclusion, resilience is a key characteristic of successful entrepreneurial teams. How can entrepreneurs build resilience? Can resilience be learned? How can we impart resilience to others so our teams can be more successful as a whole?

Evie and Niquette will share practical advice about inclusion and resilience that you can apply to your own team in this conversation.

The First Dollar: Strategies and Ethics of Seed-Stage Fundraising

What is the right way to raise a seed round?  Even as founders strive to focus on innovation and execution, they must make myriad decisions, big and small, on fundraising.  Whom should I pitch first?  What’s the smallest check I should accept?  Do I price the round or raise on a convertible note, and on what terms?  Join us as healthcare product designer, entrepreneur, and investor Ryan Pierce tests conventional wisdom against a survey of his peers, considers the ethics of taking early-stage money, and shares his own lessons from both sides of the table.