Capital Isn't Cash: How to build a company before the pitch deck

i4Series panel on what gets startups funded, long before the pitch = customers, grants, partners, and the groundwork investors check first.
About this Event

Most startups don't fail because they can't raise money. They fail because they try to raise it before they've built something worth funding.

Long before a check gets written, the real work happens with customers who pay, partners who commit, grants that de-risk, sponsors who believe early. Even a vendor who builds your prototype for equity instead of a check belongs on that list, whether you've thought of it that way or not. That's the capital stack, and most founders only see half of it.

Commercialization isn't your first sale. It's proving you can consistently create value, so funding becomes a tool instead of a requirement.

We'll get into:

• What a capital stack really is, and the half most founders never count
• How grants, sponsorships, partnerships, and equity-for-services speed up commercialization without touching your cap table
• The operational basics investors check before they'll take the meeting: banking, entity structure, sam.gov, UEI and CAGE numbers for anyone chasing grants
• When bootstrapping works and when it just slows you down
• How to position for grants, angels, crowdfunding, or VC instead of guessing which one fits

Panelists include:

Chris Petrella, Founder, SC Forge
Blake Blakeborough, Founder, Launchpad
Jemiah Battle, Founder, Proélium Legacy Partners

SCHEDULE

Check-in: 4:30 pm

Discussion + Q&A: 4:45 pm-5:30 pm

Networking: 5:30-6:30 pm

**Light bites and drinks provided

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About i4 Series

Greenville's business conversation for people who build things - connecting entrepreneurs, operators, and innovators across the Upstate.

Innovation • Intelligence • Industry • Involvement