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Raising capital is often framed as a pitching problem. Get the deck right, nail the story, land the meeting. But spend an hour with experienced early-stage investors and a different picture emerges: by the time a founder is in the room, the evaluation has often already begun, and it’s rarely just about the idea.<\/p>\n
That was the central thread running through The Investable Founder, BVZ’s latest BrampUP session held on May 12th at B-Hive. Founders at the pre-seed and seed stages gathered for a candid fireside chat followed by a hands-on workshop all designed around one question: what does investor readiness actually look like in practice?<\/p>\n
The fundraising mindset: what investors are really evaluating <\/p>\n
The morning opened with a fireside chat featuring\u00a0Nick Kuryluk\u00a0of\u00a0Altitude Angels, moderated by\u00a0Dr. Holly Gardner\u00a0of\u00a0SoCitty.\u00a0Nick has worked with founders across a range of sectors and stages, and brought a refreshingly honest perspective to the room.<\/p>\n
Investors aren’t just betting on a market opportunity \u2014 they’re betting on whether this founder has the clarity, credibility, and resilience to actually build something in it.<\/p>\n
The conversation covered how investors evaluate founders long before a term sheet is on the table \u2014 including how a founder communicates, how they think about risk, and whether they’ve done the foundational work to demonstrate they understand their business deeply. Relationship-building, not just pitching, emerged as a recurring theme.<\/p>\n
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Fireside Chat featuring Nick Kuryluk & Dr. Holly Gardner as shown above.<\/p>\n
Building an investable startup: beyond the pitch deck <\/p>\n
Miryam Lazarte, Founder & CEO of\u00a0Global Startups Accelerator\u00a0and General Partner at\u00a0GSA Ventures, led the second half of the morning with a practical workshop grounded in her experience supporting 300+ international startups expanding into North America.<\/p>\n
Rather than pitching tactics, Miryam focused on the fundamentals investors expect founders to have in place before fundraising begins from a clear investment narrative to the signals that indicate a team is ready to scale.<\/p>\n
About BrampUp Series <\/p>\n
\u200bBrampUP\u00a0is a vibrant community event series designed to spark entrepreneurial spirit and skill-building across Brampton. It is designed for startups, side-hustlers, corporate professionals, students, and anyone looking to “ramp up” their ideas, careers, or ventures. Organized by Brampton Venture Zone by TMU & Powered by the Brampton Innovation District.<\/p>\n
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