TechFW's Inaugural Women & Wealth Conference May 20

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Fort Worth’s inaugural Women & Wealth, a virtual event for female entrepreneurs and investors, will be 1-6 p.m. May 20.

Arlan Hamilton, founder and managing partner of the California-based venture capital firm Backstage Capital, will be the keynote speaker. Hamilton founded the firm in 2015 while homeless, dedicating it to investing in “high-potential” founders who are people of color, women, or LGBT. Backstage has raised more than $15 million and invested in more than 170 startups. In 2018, Hamilton co-founded Backstage Studio, which launched accelerators for underestimated founders in Detroit, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and London.

TechFW, the Fort Worth incubator and accelerator; the Cowtown Angels; Texas Woman’s University Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership Center for Women Entrepreneurs; and the Texas Women’s Foundation are presenting the event, billed as focusing on “education, connection, and inspiration.”

“Squash biases, gain knowledge about investing, learn how to articulate yourself and your ideas, and connect with like-minded women.” Tickets are $15 and for sale at the TechFW site.

Hamilton, who wrote the book “It’s About Damn Time: How to Turn Being Underestimated Into Your Greatest Advantage," published by Penguin Random House, will speak on the “landscape and importance of women investing in women.”

“Venture capital decision-makers overwhelmingly are men,” Brandy O’Quinn, assistant director of TechFW, said in a release. “They overwhelmingly invest in all-male teams. Since 2004, women-led companies have ‘jumped’ from 3% to 17% of all angel investments. It’s imperative that we change that narrative. Bringing together female entrepreneurs and investors for education and inspiration hopefully creates a dynamic that strengthens the connection points and ultimately increases the dollars invested in women-led ventures.”            

Events and speakers: “Current Landscape & Importance of Women Investing in Women” keynote: Fireside Chat with Arlan Hamilton, Founder of Backstage Capital

  • “Let’s Talk Real Numbers & Investor Lingo:” Laura Baldwin, managing director at Golden Seeds
  • “The Art of Pitching:” Elyse Stoltz Dickerson, CEO and co-founder of Eosera. Presented by HSC Next
  • “Startup Pitches and Q&A,” panel with startup founders seeking various levels of funding
  • “Pitch Analysis from Investor Perspective,” with panel of investors and entrepreneurs
  • “Beware of the Biases + Be Part of the Change,” Heli Prilliman, founder and CEO at Lacquerbar
  • “TableTalks: What Investors Look For,” with discussion topics such as 'Due Dilligence Best Practices' and 'The Role of the Deal Lead'
  • “What it Takes to Get to Market,” Oana Manolache, CEO of Introvoke. Presented by Bank of America
  • “Building a Board & Getting the Most Value,” Amanda Micallef, co-founder and president of Arsenic
  • “Networking with Investors and Entrepreneurs”

Here are participants in the Table Talks for Entrepreneurs:

Here are participants in the Table Talks for Investors: