Venture Capital in Tulsa Panel

You don't want to miss this overview of the Venture Capitalist perspective. They'll cover topics like approaching a fund, structuring your pitch, and negotiating terms. The panel will wrap up with time for public Q&A, followed by a pitch competition over lunch.

Panelists:

Susan Moring, Cortado Ventures: Susan Moring is a Venture Associate at Cortado Ventures, an Oklahoma City-based venture capital firm. A startup enthusiast, Susan has spent the bulk of her career supporting entrepreneurs and contributing to the growth of Oklahoma’s startup ecosystem. Susan launched a social entrepreneurship fellowship program in Oklahoma City and Grew the state’s first coding bootcamp. She is a steering committee member for the Oklahoma Entrepreneur Mentor Program (OKEMP), and she works nationally with Techstars as a Facilitator for Techstars Global Startup Weekend.

Brian Brackeen, Lightship Capital: Brian Brackeen is a General Partner at Lightship Capital, the $50 million dollar Cincinnati-based VC firm dedicated to backing underrepresented entrepreneurs in the Midwest. As General Partner, Brian oversees fund operations, leads the AI, Design & Engineering teams, and serves on the investment committee.

Dr. William Paiva, OLSF Ventures: Dr. William D. Paiva is the Managing Partner of OLSF Ventures, which is an early-stage health care fund, operational in the State of Oklahoma for 20 years.  In parallel and over the last six years, Dr. Paiva stood up Oklahoma State University's Center for Health Systems Innovation (CHSI) with Cerner CEO and OSU alum, Neal Patterson.  The Center is focused on transforming rural and Native America health through the implementation of innovative care delivery and IT solutions.  Dr. Paiva holds a Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of Oklahoma; an MBA from Dartmouth College's Amos Tuck School of Business; and completed an international finance program at the London School of Business.

Taleya Mayberry, i2E / ACT House Accelerator:  As the Program Manager for ACT Tulsa accelerator, Taleya oversees and manages the execution of ACT Tulsa’s accelerator program. Leveraging her past experience, she works with a group of amazing and diverse startups to support their growth and accelerate the diversity within the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Through the accelerator program, Taleya directs cohort members in the areas of team cohesion, product development, business development, and customer development. Taleya is dedicated to building strategic relationships within Tulsa’s rising ecosystem and assisting founders participating in the ACT Tulsa program to grow and develop their businesses.

Will Gray, Atento Capital: Will Gray is the Head of Partnerships and Investments in his current role, and has spent the majority of his career as a fundamental equity analyst for the internal mutual fund company Cavanal Hill Investment Management. In that role, he covered the Consumer Discretionary, Energy, REITs, and Communication Services sectors. While working on the buy-side, he became a CFA charter holder, and gained a strong interest in tech-related businesses.