Upcoming events.
Q4 2025 Venture Conference
Join us for an energizing day of insight, innovation, and connection at the Q4 Venture Conference.
This year’s program features a powerful lineup designed to support founders and investors building at venture scale:
🔥 Fireside Chat: Transitioning From Pre-Seed to Seed
A candid conversation between Dr. Ryan James, CEO and founder of Dopl Technologies, and David Garner, Venture Black COO, advisor, and angel investor. Together, they’ll break down what it truly takes to make the leap from pre-seed to seed — from traction and team readiness to investor expectations and strategic positioning.
🌍 Panel: Raising Capital Outside the PNW
Moderated by Robert Frederick, technical co-founder of Amazon Web Services and CEO of Sirqul, this panel explores how founders can successfully raise in ecosystems beyond the Pacific Northwest.
Panelists include:
Bam Sparks, CEO of Culture Wireless
Davonne Reaves, CEO of Vesterr
Morris Jackson, Valhallan Esports Training Co-founder
🚀 Startup Exposition
Discover emerging companies led by Black founders and allies as they showcase their products, innovations, and early traction.
🤝 Networking Lunch
Connect with founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders over a shared meal designed for meaningful relationship-building.
🎤 B2C & B2B Pitches
Watch founders deliver fast-paced, high-energy pitches across both consumer and enterprise sectors.
Startup Strategic Positioning Workshop
Strategic positioning is the cornerstone of an effective Go-To-Market strategy. In this workshop, you'll first be introduced how Wilson Sonsini supports startups with go to market by partner Eva Yin who is a partner at the firm and then Anders Maul, CEO of Fluent, spills some of the secret sauce on how to think through strategic positioning as a startup, how it can unlock a better sales pitch, and how it can supercharge your growth.
*Light refreshments will be served*
By the end of the workshop, you will have learned:
1. The various ways the legal firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati works with early stage startups to help them launch.
2. How to use the secret sauce behind Fluent's 9Cs positioning framework in your company.
3. How other startups have launched successfully, carved out strategic niches, or pivoted to growth.
4. How to improve your messaging, pitch, and go-to-market speed.
Q3 Venture Conference
Enjoy lunch this Saturday with Venture Black as we host an inspiring fireside chat with Chris Smith, multi-exited, venture-backed founder and CEO of COUNT, the AI-driven accounting platform modernizing how businesses manage their books. Chris will share lessons from:
* Founding New Zealand’s largest event ticketing company while at university
* Raising a Series A round for Ticketure just before COVID
* His leadership roles at Amazon, including committee leadership for the Black Employee Network.
* What it takes to build a successful AI-native startup in the Pacific Northwest
🚨 You won't want to miss this conversation on scaling, resilience, and leadership at the intersection of AI, venture, and community.e do!
Q2 Venture Conference
A keynote by Mark Monroe, founder of From the Culture Studios, and The Come Up Series investor podcast CEO, on the value of a business.
A panel on startup launch and success with
Sierra Clouse - Founding Managing Partner of Quantum Computing focused VC, Barclo Ventures
Marcus Knight - Founder of Cultured Perspective, a Chief Revenue Officer that has worked at successful AI startups including Textio and Shipum
Frederik Groce - Founder of BLCK VC a national professional association for Black Venture capitalists.
The pitches of the 5 Dreamward Event Fund II finalists. Black-founded early stage startups that have built venture-scale companies and are pitching for $50-$100k of investment from our angel investor network.
An exhibition of 7 early stage Black-founded venture-scale tech startups
Networking with Venture Capitalists, Angel investors, and Venture Startup founders
Refreshments
Q4 Venture Conference
📅 Date & Time: 11/9/24 1-5pm
📍 UW Dempsey Hall 302 4273 Stevens Way NE, Seattle WA 98195
🎟️ Click here to RSVP
Venture Black’s Q4 venture conference focuses on strengthening the pipeline of diversity into the Pacific Northwest entrepreneurial ecosystem’s upper strata of venture scale, high-growth, startups by demystifying pathways into venture. We will bring together founders, investors, service providers, and BIPOC university students, fostering an environment where knowledge, relationships, and opportunities can flourish. Attendees will gain valuable insights, make meaningful connections, and explore how to navigate the venture landscape effectively.
The event agenda includes a targeted keynote, an expert panel on early-stage startup funding with live Q&A, a prized pitch competition of companies currently fundraising, and a networking session with some of the Pacific Northwest startup ecosystem’s keystone institutions. Light refreshments will be served.
Location Details: The conference will be held in UW's Dempsey Hall Room 302 "Anthony's Forum"
Parking: Use lots N01, N02, or N05 and walk over.
Venture Black Meetup
Come join us to hear Jill Johnson of the Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership and Making of Black Angels speak on relationship capital in the founding and funding of startups. After the Keynote we will have founder pitches and an hour of networking.
Tech Innovation and Wealth Summit
The Summit, in partnership with the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship in the UW Foster School of Business, aims to revolutionize diversity and inclusion in tech and finance by empowering underrepresented entrepreneurs and driving systemic change.
With industry leaders, discover cutting-edge startups led by diverse founders, and participate in discussions on building a more equitable future. The Summit offers a dynamic lineup of keynotes, fireside chats, workshops, and an AI hackathon.