Beyond the Pitch: Building Relationships That Secure Funding

Event Description:
Securing funding is about more than just the perfect pitch—it’s about building meaningful relationships that inspire trust, create value, and lead to long-term support. Join us for this engaging webinar, designed to help entrepreneurs, tech innovators, and startup leaders shift their focus from transactional pitching to strategic relationship-building with investors.

What You'll Learn:

• Topic: How to Build Relationships That Inspire Investor Confidence
• Focus: Understand the importance of relationship-building in securing funding, with actionable strategies to foster trust, credibility, and collaboration with potential investors.
• Takeaway: Practical networking tips and a downloadable relationship-building roadmap to guide your efforts toward successful funding partnerships.

About the Facilitator:
Scott Kelly, Founder and CEO of Black Dog Venture Partners, is a seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and fundraising expert with over 25 years of experience. He has raised millions of dollars in capital for disruptive companies, trained more than 1,000 sales professionals, and built an extensive network of over 13,000 investors.

Scott's approach combines practical advice, real-world insights, and a deep understanding of how relationships drive business success. His expertise has helped countless startups secure funding and build sustainable growth.

Who Should Attend:

• Entrepreneurs and startup founders
• Tech innovators
• University faculty working in entrepreneurship and commercialization
• Economic development leaders and startup ecosystem builders

Why Attend?
This webinar offers actionable insights to help you move beyond traditional pitch strategies and focus on building the trust-based relationships that are key to securing funding and long-term investor support.

USF is an Equal Opportunity/ Equal Access/ Affirmative Action Institution. Please notify USF CONNECT, 3802 Spectrum Blvd., Suite 100, Tampa, FL, 33612, call 813-974-1082, or email usfconnect@usf.edu, a minimum of five (5) working days in advance, if an accommodation for a disability is required.

Disclaimer: The University of South Florida and USF Research Foundation, Inc. are committed to the free exchange of ideas, reasoned debate and intellectual dialogue. Speakers and scholars with a diversity of opinions, perspectives and professional experiences are invited to the campus to provide the community with important or differing points of view, some of which may be deemed controversial. The views, opinions and conclusions of those invited to speak on the campus do not necessarily reflect the views of the university administration or any other segment of the university community. Nor are those invited to speak on campus necessarily authorized agents or representatives of the University or Research Foundation. The use of University or Research Foundation facilities for an event or presentation does not constitute an endorsement by the University or Research Foundation of the views, opinions and conclusions of those invited to speak.

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