Cost

Free for FWA Members; note this meeting is for FWA members only

Registration closes at 11:59 pm EST on Aug 13, 2024.

To bring the fintech community and anyone interested in technology together, the FWA FinTech Committee is organizing quarterly virtual knowledge-sharing sessions.

Topic: Beyond the Dollars: A Deep Dive into Venture Capital Financing for Technology Investments

Description: Dive into the dynamic world of venture capital at our upcoming knowledge sharing session, "Beyond the Dollars: A Deep Dive into Venture Capital Financing for Technology Investments." This discussion offers a profound exploration into how venture capitalists strategize, evaluate, and capitalize on the expanding opportunities within the tech sector. We’ll discuss critical financial frameworks, risk mitigation strategies, and the due diligence necessary to secure financing for promising tech startups.

Learn how industry leaders leverage financial models to predict growth, use competitive analysis to gauge market viability, and integrate cutting-edge technologies like AI and blockchain into their investment thesis. Our virtual talk will shed light on the complexities of regulatory landscapes that impact tech investments and share methodologies for portfolio diversification to optimize returns.

Join us to understand the intricate mechanics of venture capital financing and discover the next wave of technology advancements poised to redefine the market.

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain insights from a venture capitalist lens and deepen your understanding at the intersection of finance and technology.

Speaker: Sophia Zhao brings a wealth of experience in capital advisory, corporate development, and operational optimization, establishing impactful collaborations with CXOs and Founders. With a diverse industry exposure encompassing cloud computing, mining and minerals, consumer goods, and Web3, Sophia has been at the forefront of transformative technologies. Since 2018, she has been immersed in the crypto universe, working at Galaxy Digital, Huobi US, and Crypto.com. In these roles, Sophia engaged with startups and institutional clients on capital raising and trading across the Americas, EU, and Asia regions. Actively fostering innovation and mentorship, Sophia serves as a mentor and judge at prestigious institutions such as Yale's Tsai City for Innovation, Berkeley’s Blockchain Xcelerator, Techstars, and Layer 1 protocols, including Ethereum, Algorand, and Solana. She maintains close ties with the blockchain communities at Stanford and Yale. Driven by a passion for shaping the future through frontier technologies, Sophia is currently supporting AI data and applications deals within her team. She holds a BBA from Simon Fraser University, an MBA from the University of British Columbia, and an MAM from the Yale School of Management.

Moderated by FWA member Bhuva Shakti: Bhuva Shakti is the Chief Sustainable Innovation Officer at Wallet Max, a FinTech startup revolutionizing fundraising for eco-conscious businesses globally, and the board director and fractional C-Suite advisor for several social impact corporations. With an MBA from Columbia University in New York and as a senior executive director on Wall Street, she led financial risk governance and product data compliance for investment banks, and is a keynote speaker on climate-AI economy and board culture.

Special Registration Note

The Zoom meeting link will be sent in a follow-up email before the meeting. Contact FinTech committee chair Theresa Blissing at [email protected] if you do not receive the link prior to the start of the meeting.