Boulder Startup Week 2025

This panel will dive into current fundraising trends at the Seed and Series A stages, specifically focusing on how companies should be preparing ahead of a Series A fundraise. Discussion topics include current benchmarks at the Seed/Series A and best practices for companies ahead of a Series A.

What happens when you mix a group of investors with rapid-fire startup questions?
Welcome to the most chaotic and entertaining panel of Boulder Startup Week, a high-stakes mashup of Shark Tank meets The Dating Game. But instead of roses, we’ve got whiteboards, and brutally honest investor opinions.

• We ask spicy, high-leverage questions:
   Would you fund a startup without a technical cofounder?
   How much traction is “enough”?
• Every investor has a chance to answer - all at once. 
• We follow up on the most surprising or controversial answers.
• And you get to play along by asking your questions!
  
  
  

Expect sparks, real talk, and some surprising responses. You’ll walk away with insights into how investors think, what they’re actually looking for right now, and what founders get wrong when trying to stand out.
Whether you’re raising or just curious, this is one session you won’t want to ghost.

One of the most important parts of the fundraising process is having a pitch deck that stands out and gets investors excited. In this session we’ll look at a successful pitch deck and see what they did to stand out. Startups will leave this session with clear, actionable ideas about how to make the best pitch deck for their business.

Deep-tech is seeing strong interest in Colorado. There is new access to capital for startups, along with many changes in federal and grant funding. Part of the trick for startups is finding the right partners to support company growth. The panel will discuss what it takes to get funded and how to find the right fit.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs are highly competitive programs that encourage domestic small businesses to engage in Federal Research/Research and Development (R/R&D) with the potential for commercialization. Through a competitive awards-based program, SBIR and STTR enable small businesses to explore their technological potential and provide the incentive to profit from its commercialization.

This session will explore the basics of the SBIR and STTR programs and what you need to do to set your self up for success in your submission.

Join Rockies Venture Club for Angel Investing 101 to acquire the necessary skills to successfully secure and/or deploy angel investment. Without such training, new investors might spend years and over $250,000 to learn effective investment strategies on their own.

This session is open to both entrepreneurs seeking to learn more about how to secure angel investment and "angel-curious" investors who are in pursuit of the best early stage startup investment deal flow. Rockies Venture Club offers education to both entrepreneurs and investors through the extension of this program, Angel Accelerator, the RVC Pitch Academy, and the RVC HyperAccelerator. In addition to education, RVC Members receive access to 140+ events annually, which include Monthly Investor Forums, Industry Investment Nights, and the Angel Capital Summit.