Boulder Startup Week 2025

Are you raising money for your startup? Or interested in eventually raising money? Join this panel discussion hosted by Boulder investors and founders to unpack what it means to raise money. Expect a candid conversation with the hopes of demystifying Venture Capital and other forms of funding. This panel will be hosted by:

Natty Zola - Partner at Matchstick Ventures (seed stage investor)
Nicole Glaros - former MD for Techstars Boulder
Jaclyn Hester - Partner at Foundry (growth stage investor)
Yoav Lurie - successful founder and angel investor

Healthcare providers engage with and connect with them patients in new and different ways due to the advances we have been able to make in digital health technologies and yet there are still clear gaps between what providers need and the pressures innovators receive from investors. Come and learn from healthcare providers about what they have found that works and what they are still seeking.

What makes a good founder a great founder? Sometimes it’s not more hustle, it’s clearer thinking.
Join us for a lively panel of founders and funders who’ve tested strategic decision-making tools in the wild. These aren’t abstract theories, we’re talking about practical mental models and frameworks used in real startups to clarify priorities, unlock growth, and navigate the chaos of early-stage building.
You’ll hear stories from Boulder-area founders and investors about the frameworks they’ve tried and failed, and the ones that actually stuck. Whether you're deep in the trenches or just getting started, you’ll leave with tangible tools and new ways of thinking you can apply immediately.

How can startups safeguard their intellectual property in the fast-paced and competitive field of artificial intelligence? Join Foley Hoag Partners Allie Clark and John Lanza as they share insights and strategies on IP protection in the age of AI. Learn about the latest trends, challenges, and best practices for securing your innovation and avoiding pitfalls.

Startups don’t fail because of the product — they fail because of people. In fact, over 65% of early-stage failures are tied to co-founder conflict, misalignment, and broken team dynamics. People and communication are the backbone of stable startups. This session is designed to share, identify and teach how to avoid the most co-founder issues before they happen.

Based on Google’s FoundersLab program and years of startup coaching, this workshop-style talk will give participants the tools to decode what makes (and breaks) co-founding relationships. Each co-founder relationship is different and unique in their own goals. This workshop provides tools and methods to discover what drives each founder. I cover psychological patterns that sabotage teams, and simple frameworks used by hundreds of startup founders globally — all designed to help you build trust, make tough decisions, and grow your startup without imploding your team.

In the talk I cover:
• A tested framework to understand your and your team’s motivations
• Ways to spot (and fix) the 25 most common co-founder bugs
• Tools to have the hard conversations early, before it’s too late

Whether you’re just meeting your co-founder, navigating a growing team, or already feeling friction, this session will give you practical ways to create alignment, resilience, and trust.

As your startup grows, understanding the legal essentials is crucial for protecting innovations, scaling effectively, and ensuring long-term success. This session covers key topics like navigating fundraising complexities, resolving disputes proactively, and staying compliant with evolving AI regulations. Gain practical insights to confidently tackle legal challenges and strategically scale your business in a fast-paced, regulated environment.