At the earliest stages of a deep-tech startup, investors have limited traction or financial data to evaluate. This makes the founding team one of the most important factors in an investment decision. But what does a VC actually look for when evaluating a team?
In this R2B Monthly Meeting, Paavo Räisänen, General Partner at Maki.vc, will share an investor's perspective on building successful deep-tech startup teams. Drawing on his experience as an entrepreneur and startup executive turned VC investor, Paavo will discuss what makes a strong founding team, common pitfalls investors see, the role of commercial founders, and how the team needs to evolve as a startup grows.
Learning outcomes
After this session, participants will be able to:
- Understand why the founding team plays such an important role in early-stage VC investment decisions.
- Recognize the characteristics investors look for in strong deep-tech teams.
- Identify common pitfalls in building and committing to a founding team.
- Recognize how co-founders and early hires can bring complementary skills into the team.
- Understand how investor expectations and team requirements evolve as a startup grows.
Who should attend?
This R2B Monthly Meeting is intended for Aalto Research to Business project teams. Business Developers, Technology Champions, researchers, and other R2B team members are all warmly encouraged to attend.
The session is particularly valuable for teams preparing to spin out and considering how their future founding team will be structured, developed, and evaluated by venture capital investors.