🎉 SF and LA Tech Week Goes Live Next Week!

• On Oct 11, we're hosting an AMA panel + mixer with early stage VCs along with our friends at Brex and Notion for SF Tech Week.

• On Oct 15, we're hosting an AMA panel + mixer with post-exit founders along with Techstars for LA Tech Week.

• As a Saywise member, you get early access to free event tickets! We'll send you the Luma links early PST morning on Sep 4.

• Anyone who joins our virtual AMA sessions or subscribes to our email list before Tech Week will also get an early RSVP. Forward this email to your friends and colleagues.

• Registration links and panelist announcements are coming soon!

⭐ Highlights from Fay's AMA
(edited for clarity)

What framework do you use for investment decisions?

When I began investing, I focused on areas where I had expertise, like consumer entertainment from my time at Netflix, Meta, and Disney. Now, I've broadened my thesis to include health, wellness, cyber, and climate. My lens is about impact, scale, ethics, and backing passionate, gritty founders.

What motivates you as an investor?

Working closely with founders is incredibly inspiring. Their dedication to solving industry-changing problems shows immense bravery and energy. I love using my experience from startups and big companies to help them grow. It’s a rewarding, mutual exchange of passion and knowledge.

What advice would you give to a founder?

Where you start isn’t where you’ll end, so don’t be too in love with your idea to pivot when needed. Also, early-stage founders should focus on improving communication—be intentional, set clear expectations, and own up to mistakes. This honesty helps maintain strong relationships.

What should founders think of when fundraising?

What problem is the founder solving, and how big is the market? Have you validated demand through customer discovery? The journey is tough—if you face many rejections, will you persist? Be ready to show traction, like user growth or product pivots. Investors will ask tough questions, so prepare well.

How to build a network of investors before fundraising?

Use digital platforms to connect with people beyond your immediate network. Research competitors and their investors on PitchBook and CrunchBase, and reach out. Build relationships before you need funds by offering value and thought leadership. Other founders can also be great resources for introductions and advice.

For the full AMA, click here.

📅 Upcoming AMAs

• Sep 5 at 3pm PST: Brent Murri, Partner at M13

  • Brent leads early-stage investments in software and marketplaces, previously focused on growth-stage enterprise software at Battery Ventures and strategic development for Samsung NEXT.

📺 Past AMAs

Missed any of our previous AMAs? No worries! You can catch up on all the guests here.

• Will Drewery, Founder and CEO at Diagon (AI-powered procurement platform)

• Gaurav Seth, Founder and CEO at PierSight Space (maritime surveillance using satellites)

• Tejes Srivalsan, Founder and CEO at Poppin (event-based social media)

• Christie Marchese, Founder and CEO at Kinema (film distribution platform)

• Michael Kapps, Founder and CEO at Sanii (longevity and lifestyle for the elderly)

• Ahmed Mirza, Investor at Techstars Los Angeles (leading startup accelerator)

• Clara Hong, Founder and CEO at Smore (B2B form building platform)

• Luiza Justus, Founder and CCO at Supersocial (gaming for the metaverse)

• Mark Linao, General Partner at Progression Fund (early stage consumer VC)

• David Yi, General Partner at Ethos Fund (early stage VC in Vietnam and the US)

📬 Contact Us

Have suggestions for future guests, feedback on the sessions, or just want to say hi? We’d love to hear from you! Reply directly to this email or send us a note here.

You can also join our Discord server here.