Apply to practice your pitch to founder peers and investors.
Only three teams will be selected to pitch to investors and industry experts so apply now! Get the feedback that could make the difference in securing funding for your next round.
Applications to pitch close Thursday, July 13, 2023, at 11:59 PM PST.
All applicants must be ready to pitch in-person on Wednesday, July 26 at Sunstone Management in Irvine, CA.
You don't have to pitch to learn! Join us for an evening of networking and light refreshments as you watch and provide feedback to the pitching participants.
Nikki Arora is a highly accomplished professional, recognized as a founding member and Partner at CV, as well as a General Partner of CerraCap Cares, a prominent woman-led impact venture fund. With a strong commitment to making a positive difference, Nikki focuses on funding ethical and human-centered technologies that have the potential to create a meaningful impact worldwide, prioritizing speed and efficiency.
Having grown up in a family of renowned entrepreneurs, Nikki's entrepreneurial spirit runs deep. With an impressive 25-year tenure in the tech industry, she has proven herself as a versatile individual, excelling as an entrepreneur, investor, and executive. Throughout her career, Nikki has successfully built and led teams across the globe, implementing effective sales, talent, growth, and marketing strategies. These efforts have contributed to the establishment of exceptional global brands and valuable assets, resulting in substantial revenue generation in the multimillion.
Beyond her corporate accomplishments, Nikki is dedicated to purposeful leadership and actively strives to build and create opportunities. She remains passionately involved with various renowned initiatives aimed at promoting diversity, developing human capital, and fostering entrepreneurship among young students. Nikki's continued association with these impactful initiatives exemplifies her dedication to shaping a better future through education and empowerment.
Senior Life Science Executive with over 25 years of progressive career distinguished by architecting and executing strategies within the HealthCare and Life Sciences industries.
Built a reputation as a senior executive who provides leadership and direction for medical diagnostics/healthcare organization to drive improvements and overcome obstacles to meet long-term financial and operational goals.
Retired in 2019; however continues to stays connected with the MedTech / Medical device community as a startup advisor, mentor and an investor.
Mike Stone is Sunstone Management’s Chief Investment Officer. Mr. Stone has 15 years of experience in the information technology industry and another 16 years in finance. He began his career in the Marine Corps leading software development and consulting senior officers including generals on deploying technology. He has experience working in capital raising for startups, systems consulting, and managerial roles at firms like Oracle and Siebel where he advised startups, mid-size, and fortune 100 companies.
Following his career in technology, Mr. Stone was recruited by Alliance Bernstein, where he advised institutional and private clients and obtained his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. Next, he was recruited by Morgan Stanley, where he advised clients on alternative investments including venture capital. Mr. Stone looks forward to helping Sunstone shape the founder ecosystem with an integrated and cohesive blend of public sector, private sector, non-profit, and university engagement, removing barriers, democratizing access to capital and expertise, and opening new pathways for founders to gain equitable access to capital and critical guidance.
Sunstone Management is a diversified private capital firm located in Southern California that invests in diverse early-stage technology entrepreneurs who seek to build great companies. We believe in the aspirational power of the American economy to attract and inspire investors and entrepreneurs from throughout the world. We deliver new and exciting opportunities for economic growth through the creation of innovative public-private partnerships, and our unique experience across government, education, and private sectors.
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Founded in 1938, Snell & Wilmer is a full-service business law firm with more than 450 lawyers practicing in 16 locations throughout the United States and in Mexico, including three offices in California. The firm represents clients ranging from large, publicly traded corporations to small businesses, individuals and entrepreneurs. Snell & Wilmer’s life science and medical technology lawyers currently represent a diverse client base from the bioscience, pharmaceutical (both prescription and OTC), medical device and healthcare industries, ranging from large publicly traded organizations to early and mid-stage start-up companies. Clients include manufacturers, distributors, inventors, researchers, venture capitalists, angel investors, engineers, product designers and vendors, in their intellectual property, transactional, litigation and various other legal matters.
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Our tagline, HR that Makes a Difference™, defines what we do. It emphasizes that human resources is a key driver of growth and contributes to a business’s bottom line. This is what sets Insperity apart.
Insperity has a long history of improving the success equation of small and midsize businesses across the country – because when businesses succeed, communities prosper.
And in today’s changing business environment, it’s our privilege to take care of an organization’s most valuable asset: its people.
Do you have a great company in the bioscience or medtech industry? Do you need wet-lab and/or fabrication space to develop and test your product?
