Understanding Investors: What They Really Look For

This session is designed to help founders step into an investor’s mindset, uncover what truly drives their decisions, and learn how to shape a pitch that resonates.

We’ll break down how investors evaluate opportunities, what signals they pay attention to, and how you can position your business to meet those expectations with clarity and confidence.

• How investors think and make decisions
• What investors are really looking for in early-stage businesses
• How to prepare effectively for a fundraising round
• How to align your pitch with investor expectations

• Types of investors: Understanding how angels, VCs, and others think differently
• What investors are “listening for”: Growth potential, capital efficiency, traction, team, and scalability
• Tailoring your financials: Clearly communicating how funds will be used and the expected return
• Common investor questions: What to expect — and how to answer with confidence

By the end of this session, you’ll have a clearer understanding of how to frame your pitch, communicate your value, and align your strategy with what investors actually want to see.

Speaker: Liza Sutherland, Enterprise Manager at Bright Red Triangle

Liza is an entrepreneur, start-up advisor and investor with 20 years’ experience in early-stage fundraising from both sides of the table. She’s advised over 150 start-ups and helped raise more than £50m in early-stage investments.

Liza was previously Head of Ecosystem at Techstart Ventures, a seed stage venture capital investor. Prior to that she founded a £1M-invested venture focused on revolutionizing audience engagement at live events, was EIR at Wayra’s AI & Blockchain Accelerator, and spent over 10 years advising high growth tech start-ups focused on software, AI/ML, synth bio, and regenerative medicine while personally investing in a few.

Originally from NYC, Liza has an MBA and BA in Psychology. Her entrepreneurial journey began immediately after university, where she spent her formative years co-founding and leading a music company while simultaneously DJing internationally.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher Bright Red Triangle