Closing Your Round: Momentum, Terms & Trust

Fundraising from VCs now takes more conversations and more months than it did a few years ago. This session works through the moves that close a round: restarting stalled momentum, negotiating terms, and building investor trust that pays off this round and the next. This is a conversational, working session with time for live questions. Christina Chang (EIR at The Engine, formerly of Lowercarbon Capital) and Liz Sisson (Director at The Engine, formerly of Third Sphere) will co-host. Momentum | Why rounds slow in the middle, and ways to give an investor a genuine reason to move: a milestone landing, a strategic partner committing, a grant coming through. Which conversations are worth reopening, and how to do it well. Terms | How to read a term sheet: what matters beyond valuation, including pro rata, board composition, and liquidation preference. What's worth negotiating at this stage and what isn't. Filling the Round | Bridge notes, angels, strategics, party rounds: what each one costs you later, and when it's the right call. Trust | How to be straight with investors about where things stand, while still giving them a reason to move now. Staying visible rather than going quiet, and treating the investor who passes this time as the one who can lead next time. This event is open to founders across The Engine network and broader ecosystem, whether you're mid-raise or getting ready to start one. ***Please fill out this form after registering.