Agenda

We’ve been talking about investing in diverse founders for years — should we shift the focus to investors? What are the lessons from the other side — how do you get in? Hear honest advice from Included VC fellows who’ve climbed their way up the venture capital ladder. 

Host: Included VC

Startups rely on an increasing number of SaaS subscriptions to grow but are you making the best use of your tools? Is all this new technology empowering your team to achieve results or draining time and resources? What tech do you really need to scale? How do you decide what to leave behind?

Far from being a mere buzzword, ESG and impact are now an integral part of the venture capital scene. But is it really driving sustainable investments or is the administrative burden causing companies and funds to walk away? How can startups and VCs navigate this new landscape?

Recession is a scary word, with often particularly tough consequences for startups. Here, we’ll look into key insights and cover how to not only endure but thrive during an economic downturn. We’ll use compelling data to offer best-practice advice, with a special focus on diverse founders. What can you do to stand out from the crowd in a downturn? Which are the types of VCs to approach during tougher macro conditions? What should you do if you’re offered unusual types of funding instead of equity?

Europe is awash with digital nomad villages and employees logging in from beachside bliss and Italian lakes - but what is it really like to be a digital nomad? How do you become one? Where can you discover nomad communities?

As macroeconomics drives big corporations to invest in unserved markets, what new opportunities arise for fintech founders? How can you secure funding for your purpose-driven venture? Is it possible to scale while retaining control?

Companies are sitting on the thing that every prospective employee wants to know - what working environment do you offer? By packaging up your culture, working environment, and USPs, you can create an EVP that converts high quality talent into employees. Modern hiring hasn't adapted to the future of work, and by taking a marketing-led approach to hiring, you can dramatically cut costs, improve DEI in your organisation, decrease time to hire, and improve performance and culture. Sounds too good to be true? I promise it isn’t.

With deeptech innovation transforming the way countries tackle some of the world’s biggest problems, why are founders struggling to scale? What’s needed to build resilience in deeptech investment? In a cautious and volatile international environment, what new routes are available for commercial success? 

Facilitated by Nato Innovation Fund

Connecting startup founders, investors and academics preparing for tech’s next economic cycle.  

If unicorns aren’t real, what is? 
Unicorn status was once the holy grail of startup success – but the industry’s idolisation of the mythical creature is fading. Who are startups and investors crowning as their new hero?

Host: VentureESG

Different stages finish at different times so lunch will be available from 12:40 - 14:30. Make sure to get some lunch from the street food trucks in the outdoor area!

Join the Sifted intelligence team for a live demo of Sifted’s premium Pro subscription, packed with actionable insights and market intelligence on Europe’s startup ecosystem — saving you and your team hours of research and deal sourcing. We’ll dive into the dynamic features of Pro, including unlimited access to Sifted’s journalism, exclusive events with the industry’s rising stars and data-driven research.

Run by Jonathan Sinclair, Head of research, Sifted

Despite rapid growth, healthtech is still a fairly young sector — which emerging innovations will be gamechangers? Digital health providers have taken off, but not without controversy, raising questions around the role startups should play in public health systems?

It’s tough being a founder. You have a lot of responsibilities to juggle — deadlines, funding and meetings — as well as a team whose livelihoods are in your hands. Eventually, something's got to give — and for founders, the first to go is often their own wellbeing. So what steps can founders take to prioritise mental wellness for both themselves and their team?

Through the rise of AI, financial fraud is evolving faster than ever before. Startups now face a new bunch of modernised attacks — from creating fake identities and phishing emails to manipulating AI algorithms. But what fraud trends are the ones to watch? How can you detect (and prevent) such attacks? Who’s already doing it well?

The CFO is a hot hire in 2023 and an increasingly important voice in the boardroom. As businesses look for new funding, finance teams are having to prove their mettle. What are today's fastest-growing companies doing to navigate growing pains in their finance function? How are they maximising the team along the way— including how and when to find, equip and retain their top talent?

FISHBOWL FORUM What should AI’s role be in healthcare?

Hosted by Healthtech Pigeon

Finding PMF is one of the toughest challenges faced by startups — and it's vital you get it right. But how can you lay the right data foundation for PMF and growth in an uncertain economy? How can you build your dream analytics stack? What should your data stack look like?

Startups move quickly, embrace uncertainty and are highly incentivised to innovate to capture market share. As a corporate, how can you foster this mindset? When building the next £1bn revenue line, what culture, talent and workplace strategies should you have in place?

Bringing together startup founders building big while staying grounded.

What are the methods that make the founder?
How do top-performing founders operate in their personal lives? How can you create the right conditions to build something brilliant – and also establish boundaries to handle the bullshit you might face along the way?

Host: Founderland

AI is transforming healthtech, but how can we balance it with ethical and regulatory implications? Can we really trust algorithms to handle patient data responsibly? What challenges do regulated organisations, such as the NHS, face in adopting AI and how can they be overcome?

Successfully navigating today’s ever-changing social and political environments could be the difference between your startup flying high or falling flat. So, how can you pull regulatory and social levers to boost your go-to-market strategy? How can you ensure your messaging is well-timed and consistent? Is your strategic plan in sync with the regulatory landscape?

For any founder, negotiating fair deal terms with an investor is key. From fees and option pools to D&I and sustainability, what is the current market standard for term sheets? Which key words and clauses should you know and what are their meanings? How can you negotiate effectively?

With longer and larger rounds becoming the norm how should founders approach seed fundraising? When’s the right time to raise money? Where can you find the ideal investors? How should you effectively raise — and spend — your seed round?

Two years ago, embedded finance was highlighted as a key strategic initiative of almost every large technology brand. Two years later, where do we stand? What has changed? What does the future of embedded finance look like for brands?

Connecting founders and investors using tech to tackle social, cultural and environmental challenges.

Do we need a taskforce to 10x tech for good? 
A lot of startups tackling big social and environmental challenges fall outside the typical VC funding case. how do we make sure startups with real solutions are rewarded? How can we establish the right economic infrastructure to ensure these innovations make it to market?

Host: Zebras Unite

Prioritisation and decision-making in uncertain times

Join us at the Sifted Summit for an insightful panel discussion on prioritisation and decision-making in a downturn. In this session, we will hear from leaders across engineering, sales, product, and marketing who have navigated challenging macroeconomic environments covering decisions about strategy, headcount, resourcing, and trade-offs.