Ask any founder who chooses Lighter Capital, and they will share that we're committed to their success. Access to flexible non-dilutive funding, product discounts, events, and networking gives founders many advantages. But founders/CEOs commonly say our CEO summit is one of the most valuable benefits that Lighter Capital provides them.
We recently hosted our annual Lighter Summit. CEOs and Founders from all over stepped away from their busy lives of leading their startups and journeyed to Nashville, TN, to connect, learn and share with other like-minded leaders. The gathering was for two short days, but the event's impact will last many months.
After more than ten years of working with startup leaders, we've learned the most powerful asset a founder can have is the network of professionals with whom they can seek advice. Which is why the Summit is valuable to so many. It allows our portfolio companies to gather, grow their network, share stories, seek advice, and relay challenges and victories.
Lighter Summit 2022 Recap
The two days gave us a chance to have several attendee-led content sessions. Here’s an outline of what we covered.
Panel Session on Growth: Managing growth, expansion, and what our panelists wish they knew at $1M that they know at $5M+.
Brandon Bornancin (CEO, Seamless.AI), Ray Carbonell (CEO, Qnary), and Sunil Patro (CEO, Signeasy). Moderated by Lowery Thomas (Investment Director, Lighter Capital)
Panel Session #1 on M&A: Selling to private equity and raising venture.
Brandon Bornancin (CEO, Seamless.AI), Steve Proctor (Nashville local and CEO of Edgenet), and Kellen Haines (Principal, K1 Investment Management). Moderated by Melissa Widner (CEO, Lighter Capital).
Panel Session #2 on M&A: Preparing for an exit and the current state of the market.
Mark Montgomery (Nashville entrepreneur, founder, and investor), Matt Barber (Managing Director, Highwire Ventures), and Kellen Haines (Principal, K1 Investment Management). Moderated by Melissa Widner (CEO, Lighter Capital).
Panel Session #3 on Culture: Managing a hybrid and remote culture.
Chris Vance (Founder & CEO, Playground Sessions), Sombit Mishra (Founder & CEO, QMedic), and Tiger Safarov (Founder, ZenSupplies). Moderated by Jamie Moy (Investment Director, Lighter Capital)
Panel Session #4 on Sales and Marketing: Guerrilla marketing tactics, building sales teams, and lessons learned.
Bonnie Crater (President and CEO, Full Circle Insights), Scott Moran (Founder, Go2 Impact), and Bant Breen (Founder and Chairman, Qnary). Moderated by Nate Kievman (CEO, Linked Strategies)
Out for some fun!
In just two short days, we covered a lot of ground, but we also made time for socializing
and soaking in the Nashville area. One of the highlights was a visit by a local historian and 9th-generation resident of Nashville David Steele Ewing (CEO, Nashville History on Tour), where he shared stories on the area's history.
We also had a little fun playing poker, walking through Broadway street in Nashville, and more.
“Community is a big part of our mission in helping founders achieve success. Our passion is for providing founders with more opportunities to meet, learn from each other, and grow as startup leaders. We’re excited for what’s ahead.” Caitlin Goetze, Head of Community at Lighter Capital
Thank you to Gold Sponsor K1 Investment Management and Kellen Haines, principal at K1, for contributing to our panels and sharing their insights on selling to private equity, raising venture, and preparing for an exit.
K1 is a global investment firm that builds category-leading enterprise software companies. K1 partners with strong management teams of high-growth technology businesses to help them achieve successful outcomes. Read more at https://k1im.com/.
We’re already looking forward to next year’s Summit. Please sign up for our free newsletter to stay in the loop. We will share invitations for future events, networking opportunities, partner discounts, industry news, client successes, and more.
