Funding is one of the most complicated and elusive challenges that early entrepreneurs face. It becomes a catch 22 -- you need money to grow your business but you need a business to get money. Venture capitalists and angel investors are the best known sources for capital, but other resources and approaches exist for companies that are just starting out.
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Note: Doors for the event will open at 5:00pm.
Funding is one of the most complicated and elusive challenges that early entrepreneurs face. It becomes a catch 22 -- you need money to grow your business but you need a business to get money. Venture capitalists and angel investors are the best known sources for capital, but other resources and approaches exist for companies that are just starting out.
Panelists will weigh in on different funding opportunities and strategies, from approaching VCs to applying for business loans.
Panelist: Sonia Nagar, VC at Pritzker Group VC
Sonia joined Pritzker Group Venture Capital in 2016. She is responsible for sourcing, diligence and oversight for the firm’s investments in consumer, enterprise and emerging technologies. Most recently, Sonia was vice president of product and head of mobile apps for RetailMeNot (NASDAQ: SALE), responsible for cross-platform strategy and leading an app redesign that earned a 2015 People’s Voice Webby Award for Best Shopping App. Sonia joined RetailMeNot in 2014 following its acquisition of Pickie, the venture-backed mobile shopping start-up she co-founded in 2011. Prior to Pickie, Sonia was a senior associate for Booz & Company leading post-merger integration and growth strategy projects for digital media and retail clients. Previously she worked in product management, investment banking, and engineering roles with Amazon, Goldman Sachs and General Motors. Sonia is on the board of directors of Interior Define, Sittercity, Curiosity.com and led Pritzker Group’s investments in Wander Beauty and Maisonette.
Panelist: Tony Wilkins, Private Investor
Tony Wilkins is a veteran angel investor and mentors at the Junto Institute. He spent 26 years in the investment industry starting as a portfolio manager at Stein, Roe & Farnham, moving to sales with Weiss, Peck & Greer and held a variety of roles over 15 years at Northern Trust in Chicago. Tony served as the Membership Chair of Hyde Park Angels, an Advisory Board member of Great Oaks Venture Capital, Senior Advisor to the Arise 2.0 Accelerator and served as Excelerate Labs (now TechStars Chicago) 2012 Executive in Residence. He has invested in 28 startup ventures since 1992 with recent exits in FeeFighters and ASAP Advisor Services. A CFA charter holder, Tony holds an electrical engineering degree from Northwestern University and an MBA from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago.
Panelist: Andrew Schwartz, Managing Director - Innovation Banking at CIBC
Andrew Schwartz is a Managing Director on CIBC’s Innovation Banking Team where he provides senior debt financing to early and growth stage technology companies. He also supports companies with banking services, financing strategy advisory, and introductions to value-add partners to growing tech companies. Andrew’s focus includes working with both venture-backed startups as well as bootstrapped or non-institutionally-backed software companies.
Moderator: Charlie Connor, Founder of Heretik
Charlie Connor is the CEO and Co-founder of Heretik. Heretik is a Chicago based software company that uses machine learning to make the contract review process smarter, helping the world’s best problem solvers identify risks, obligations, and opportunities in contracts. As a CEO with more than a decade of experience in technical product management roles in enterprise SaaS, Charlie believes that any challenge can be solved through the right mix of people and technology.
