Clarity, Confidence, and Campfire Courage: Recapping the Fundraising Workshop

Fundraising can feel like a black box, full of vague advice, mismatched expectations, and high-stakes pressure. But founders from across Indiana gathered to demystify the process and approach it with structure, confidence, and clarity.

The event channeled summer camp energy, complete with barbecue, playlists, and a strong dose of community. But behind the whimsy was a serious mission: equip founders with tactical tools and shared wisdom to raise smarter.

You can watch more than a dozen insightful clips from the event here, or read the summaries below. Let’s dig into the sessions.

 

 

Reframing Fundraising Like a Sales Process

Aman Brar, Founding Partner @ Ground Game Ventures

 

Aman kicked off the afternoon by encouraging founders to rethink their approach to fundraising, not as a mysterious black art, but as a repeatable sales process.

From emotional storytelling to investor psychology to fundraising timelines, he challenged the group to own their narrative and avoid the trap of “normal inputs” that lead to “normal results.”

 

“If you do normal things, you get normal results. But venture isn’t built on normal—it’s built on asymmetric outcomes. That takes bold messaging, obsessive prep, and a little irrational optimism.”

— Aman Brar

 

Key Highlights:

• Fundraising should follow a structured 120-day plan tied to your runway
• Your “Investor ICP” (Ideal Capital Partner) is as important as your customer persona
• Start BCC’ing dream investors now via update emails to build familiarity and trust
• Story > Math (at first). Win them emotionally, then back it up with data

 

 

Preparedness is a Fundraising Superpower

Matt Tyner, Jr., Managing Partner @ Elevate Ventures

 

Matt took the stage to deliver a deep dive on operational readiness. His session made one thing crystal clear: prepared founders inspire confidence.

He walked through a diligence checklist used by real investors, explored a tech stack that can be built affordably, and shared war stories from his 21 rounds of capital raised.

 

“When I ask for your cap table and it takes two weeks, I don’t think you forgot—I think you’re building it from scratch. And that’s a red flag.”

— Matt Tyner

 

Key Highlights:

• Use tools like Carta, Gusto, bill.com, QuickBooks, and HubSpot early—and keep them integrated
• Get your data room built before you need it
• Consider fractional talent to keep your back office investor-ready while you scale
• Oversubscription and momentum are real levers. Plan accordingly

 

 

Pro Forma & Pitch Deck Alignment

Ben Pidgeon, Executive Director @ VisionTech Partners

 

Ben’s session zoomed in on consistency, specifically between your numbers and your narrative. Investors want to see alignment across all artifacts, not just charisma on the Zoom call.

 

“Your pitch deck and your pro forma aren’t separate documents. They’re the same story told two different ways and investors will notice if they don’t match.”

— Ben Pidgeon

 

What We Learned:

• Your financial model needs to support your go-to-market story, not conflict with it
• Clean up organizational docs and bylaws. Messy PDFs erode trust
• Make your fundraising assets easy to read, easy to verify, and easy to share

 

 

 

Fundraising Mechanics & Legal Landmines

Audrey Wessel, Partner @ Gutwein Law

 

The day closed with a practical walkthrough of term sheets, instruments, and red flags. Audrey’s message was clear: a clean deal is a faster deal, and founders have more power than they think if they’re prepared.

 

“Clean books. Clean cap tables. And clean term sheets. Anything less is a distraction at best or a dealbreaker at worst.”

— Audrey Wessel

 

Topics Covered:

• Key differences between SAFEs, convertible notes, and priced rounds
• Common red flags investors flag during legal review
• How and when to negotiate and what’s not worth dying on the hill for

 

A Community, Not Just a Workshop

After the final session wrapped, the group spilled into the hallway for barbecue, cold drinks, and candid conversation. Founders connected over shared challenges. Advisors offered informal feedback. People stayed not because they had to but because they wanted to keep talking.

This was more than just a workshop. It was another step in building a tighter, more transparent startup community in Indiana—where tactical knowledge flows freely, and founders feel seen, supported, and challenged to think bigger.

 

Final Thoughts

The best part of the day? Seeing how willing this community is to show up for each other.

Whether you were front row with a notebook, standing in the back with a question in mind, or replaying the highlights online, this is what momentum looks like.

Fundraising doesn’t have to be mysterious.

It can be methodical. It can be taught. It can be practiced.

And together we’re making it a little less intimidating for the next founder in line.

Special thanks to everyone who participated, asked hard questions, and shared hard-won lessons. You brought this event to life.

See you at the next one.

 

Build boldly.