Midday Connect

10/05/2026

𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁, 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝘁. 👀

Tomorrow on Midday Connect, Andrew Lees of Stoke Ventures is breaking down what founders should know BEFORE working with a product development firm.

𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:

✅ 5 things to have ready before talking to a development firm

✅ Why filing a patent too early can be a bad move

✅ Where founders get market research wrong

Got a product idea? This could save you some expensive mistakes.

🔗 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘: https://luma.com/19s7tnr0
📅 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: Tue, Oct 6, 2026
⏲ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: 11 am MT

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𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿

Andrew Lees is the founder of Stoke Ventures and has a background in mechanical and aerospace engineering. For the past 12 years, he has helped entrepreneurs turn ideas into real products by bringing together design, engineering, product development, and business strategy.

Today, he leads a team of designers, engineers, and product launch experts building hardware and software products for the consumer and healthcare markets.

10/02/2026

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮. 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁? 👀

Before you call a product development firm, there are a few things you should have figured out first.

And no, filing a patent right away might not be one of them.

Join us for our next Midday Connect with Andrew Lees, founder of Stoke Ventures, for a practical conversation about what founders should know before turning an idea into a real product.

𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:

✅ The 5 most important things to have ready before talking with a product development firm

✅ Why filing a patent during the ideation stage may be a bad move

✅ Why good market research matters and where most founders get it wrong

A little preparation can save you a lot of time, money, and unnecessary back and forth once development starts.

🔗 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘: https://luma.com/19s7tnr0
📅 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: Tue, Oct 6, 2026
⏲ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: 11 am MT

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𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿

Andrew Lees is the founder of Stoke Ventures and has a background in mechanical and aerospace engineering. For the past 12 years, he has helped entrepreneurs turn ideas into real products by bringing together design, engineering, product development, and business strategy.

Today, he leads a team of designers, engineers, and product launch experts building hardware and software products for the consumer and healthcare markets.

09/25/2026

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹.

It’s what the investor finds after the pitch. 🔎

Juan Arango shared several red flags founders should clean up before they start serious investor conversations.

🚩 𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝘁

Investors generally don’t want their new money going straight toward old problems.

🚩 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝘄𝗮𝘆

If you only have a few months of cash left, investors may see more risk and decide to wait.

🚩 𝗔 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗽 𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲

Stacked SAFEs, convertible notes, side letters, unclear ownership, and missing documents can turn diligence into a headache.

🚩 𝗨𝗻𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀

Your deck, executive summary, website, follow up, and data room all shape how an investor sees you. You’re asking someone to trust you with serious money. Look prepared for it.

🚩 𝗡𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁

Juan encouraged founders to understand who could eventually acquire the company, not just who buys the product today.

And there’s one more thing that’s harder to put into a spreadsheet: trust.

Can you answer hard questions clearly?

Can you take feedback?

Are your numbers consistent?

Do your answers match what’s in your deck and data room?

Would the investor actually want to work with you for years?

The best time to find your own red flags is before an investor finds them for you.

Clean up the cap table. Organize the documents. Know your numbers. Prepare your answers.

Make diligence boring in the best possible way. 😎

🎥 Want the full replay of Juan Arango’s session? 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://lnkd.in/g6YVXmyc

09/24/2026

𝗗𝘂𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺.

It starts with hello. 👋

That was one of the biggest takeaways from Juan Arango during this week’s Midday Connect.

Investors are evaluating you much earlier than most founders think.

They may Google you before the meeting.

They may scan your deck in 30 seconds to 2 minutes.

They’re checking your traction, stage, sector, deal terms, and whether your company even fits what they invest in.

And every question they ask is part of diligence.

𝗦𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲?

✅ Research the investor before you pitch. Know their stage, sector, geography, and typical investments.

✅ Keep your website current and credible.

✅ Update your pitch deck regularly. Juan suggested having a version that is no more than 30 days old.

✅ Have a clear one page executive summary ready.

✅ Write down every question investors ask you.

That last one is especially useful.

If the same questions keep coming up, turn them into an FAQ. Answer them clearly, keep the answers short, and update the document after every investor conversation.

Over time, you’re building a playbook for the questions you already know are coming.

The goal of your first pitch usually isn’t to get the check.

It’s to get the next meeting.

Then the next conversation.

Then the data room.

Then the deeper questions.

Fundraising is a process. Prepare for the whole process, not just the pitch.

🎥 Want the full replay of Kristin Wihera’s session? 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://lnkd.in/g6YVXmyc

09/21/2026

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁. 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴? 👀

Tomorrow, Juan Arango is joining Midday Connect to break down what happens when investors stop listening to the pitch and start looking under the hood.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴

You’ll learn:

✅ What investors check first
✅ Red flags that raise questions
✅ What to have ready before diligence
✅ How to answer investor questions clearly
✅ How to make your company easier to evaluate

Juan has years of experience working with startups and investors, including helping build and run a structured due diligence process at Keiretsu Forum.

If you’re raising soon, this is one you’ll want to catch.

🔗 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘: https://luma.com/zw75f66c
📅 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: Tue, Sep 22, 2026
⏲ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: 11 am MT

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𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿

Juan Arango is the Senior Manager of Venture Development at the University of Utah’s Technology Licensing Office, where he works with founders, researchers, and early stage companies on venture development and commercialization.

Before joining the University of Utah, Juan worked closely with angel investors and startups through Keiretsu Forum, where he helped develop and run its due diligence process for evaluating investment opportunities.

09/18/2026

𝗔 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵.

Asra shared a simple way to test your message before spending hours polishing slides.

Pitch your company to someone who knows nothing about it.

Give them your two minute version.

Then ask them to explain it back to you.

What did they remember?

What confused them?

What made them curious?

Do this a few times and you will quickly see which parts of your story actually stick.

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗿:

What problem are you solving?

How big could the opportunity become?

Why are you the right person to solve it?

How far have you already gotten?

What makes your approach different?

The message matters more than the production value.

Asra put it pretty clearly. She has invested in plenty of companies with ugly decks.

Get the story right first. Make it pretty later.

👉 Don’t miss next week’s Midday Connect — 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://luma.com/zw75f66c
🎥 Want the full replay of Asra Nadeem’s session? 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://youtu.be/WbmlietAkko

Here's a quick look at what you're going to learn:✅ How does earl...

09/17/2026

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁.

What happens when an investor starts digging deeper?

Join us for the next Midday Connect with Juan Arango, Senior Manager of Venture Development at the University of Utah, for a practical look at how founders can make it through investor screening and prepare for due diligence.

How to Pass the Diligence Screening

𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:

✅ What investors look for first
✅ Red flags that can raise concerns
✅ What to have ready before diligence starts
✅ How to answer investor questions clearly
✅ How to make your company easier to evaluate

Juan has years of experience working with startups and investors. He previously served as the first Due Diligence Director for Keiretsu Forum Northwest and Global and helped build its structured process for evaluating startup investments.

If you’re raising now or planning to raise soon, this session will help you understand what investors may check and how to prepare before the requests start coming.

🔗 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘: https://luma.com/zw75f66c
📅 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: Tue, Sep 22, 2026
⏲ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: 11 am MT

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𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿

Juan Arango is the Senior Manager of Venture Development at the University of Utah’s Technology Licensing Office, where he works with founders, researchers, and early stage companies on venture development and commercialization.

Before joining the University of Utah, Juan worked closely with angel investors and startups through Keiretsu Forum, where he helped develop and run its due diligence process for evaluating investment opportunities.

09/04/2026

𝗔 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹.

Investors may love the story, the market, and the vision. But once they start digging deeper, the real test begins.

Join us for our next Midday Connect with Asra Nadeem, CEO of Draper University and Partner at DraperU Ventures, for a conversation about what really happens when investors lean in.

𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:

✅ What investors start looking for once the pitch is over

✅ The red flags that can turn investor interest into a no

✅ How founders can prepare for diligence before investors start asking questions

A pitch deck can open the door. Being ready for what comes after is what keeps the deal alive.

🔗 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘: https://luma.com/yq1tny2r
📅 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: Tue, Sep 15, 2026
⏲ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: 11 am MT

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𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿

Asra Nadeem is the CEO of Draper University and a Partner at DraperU Ventures, its early stage venture capital arm. She works at the intersection of entrepreneurship, technology, and venture capital, helping support the next generation of founders. Through the wider Draper ecosystem, she is part of a global community that has helped more than 5,000 alumni across 105 countries start over 3,500 companies, create more than 20,000 jobs, and raise over $1.2 billion from global investors.

08/29/2026

𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁.

“Write me an email.”

“Make me a presentation.”

“Give me a marketing plan.”

AI can answer all of those.

But the result will probably feel generic.

Michael Marshall shared a much better approach during Midday Connect.

Give AI the same context you would give a real person helping you solve the problem.

𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝘁:

✅ What you are actually trying to accomplish

✅ Why it matters

✅ Who the audience is

✅ What limits or rules you are working with

✅ What a good result should look like

✅ What you liked or disliked about the last answer

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:

“That sounds too corporate.”

“I would never say that.”

“Make it shorter.”

“That is too nice. I still need to be firm.”

That feedback matters.

Over time, AI gets much better at helping you communicate in your own voice because you are teaching it how you think.

Mike's approach is simple.

Bring the ideas yourself.

Let AI help you organize them, test them, and say them more clearly.

The best AI writing should still sound like you.

Just you on a really good day.

🎥 Want the full replay of Michael Marshall’s session? 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://lnkd.in/ggPkJ3rY

08/21/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝗔𝗜 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗽𝗲𝗿, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲?

AI is more than a tool for writing emails or creating content. Used the right way, it can become a powerful part of how you think, solve problems, and build your business.

Join us at our next Midday Connect session with Michael Marshall to learn practical ways to make AI a force multiplier in your everyday work.

𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼:

✅ Think more clearly with AI
✅ Communicate your ideas with confidence
✅ Build better and faster with AI

If you want to go beyond simply using AI and start getting real value from it, this session is for you.

🔗 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘: https://luma.com/ue310z9s
📅 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: Tue, Aug 25, 2026
⏲ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: 11 am MT

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𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿

Michael Marshall is the Chief Technology Officer at Axomo, where he has spent nearly two decades helping the company grow into a modern SaaS platform for branded merchandise and employee recognition. He also founded FeatherQuest, where he explores AI, product development, SEO, and digital marketing. Mike focuses on sharing practical ideas that entrepreneurs and business leaders can use in their own work