Celebrate the end of the year with Startup Grind London - drinks, pizza, and real talk with founders, VCs, and media leaders shaping the next wave of innovation.

Founders today aren’t just competing for capital -  they’re competing for attention.
In a world where investors, journalists, and customers are flooded with noise, being great isn’t enough. You need to be discoverable and credible long before a pitch meeting or press outreach.

This evening will run in two parts:

1. Lightning Rounds - practical insights from brand, media, and marketing experts on how early-stage companies build visibility from day one.

2. Investor + Founder Panel - what actually moves the needle: A candid chat with investors and a unicorn founder on the signals they look for, what builds trust before traction, and how founders can stand out in a crowded market.

What you’ll learn

✅ The signals VCs actually respond to (beyond the deck)

✅ Build trust before traction at pre/seed

✅ How early-stage brands create pull: Using narrative, community & content to accelerate deal flow

✅ Media visibility: what journalists notice and ignore

Speakers

Lightning Rounds:

• David Soffer – CEO, TechRound

• Dani Markovits – CCO, Shake Content (ex-LinkedIn)

• Jordan Mulvaney – Brand Strategist, Mischief

Panel:

• Josh Hart – Co-founder & CTO, YuLife

• Isabelle O’Keeffe — Investor

• Maria Markusjan — Investor, Citi Ventures

• Chloe Hall — Investor

Who should attend

✅ Early-stage founders (pre-seed to Series A)

✅ Operators supporting fundraising & GTM

✅ Angels & fund managers