Session #11 - Building Fundable Startups in the AI Era

Session #11 - Building Fundable Startups in the AI Era

In today’s AI-driven world, launching software has never been easier — but building a startup that truly stands out has never been harder.This Founders500 X Signal session explores what actually makes startups fundable in the current AI landscape: solving meaningful problems, validating real value, and building with strong market understanding rather than chasing trends.Hosted as a live conversation with Nikolas Pyrgiotis, this session dives into how venture capital expectations are changing, how AI is reshaping startup building, and why domain expertise and problem selection matter more than ever.Topics covered include:• What investors are really looking for in AI startups today• How AI is changing the startup and fundraising landscape• Why the best ventures start with the right problem• How founders can identify commercially meaningful opportunities• What makes startups defensible in increasingly crowded markets• Where real-world industries like logistics, supply chain, and maritime present major opportunities for innovation• How technical founders can turn engineering and AI capability into scalable businessesWhether you are a founder, aspiring founder, engineer, data scientist, or AI builder, this session offers practical insight into building ventures that create genuine value in the modern startup ecosystem.About the speaker:Nikolas Pyrgiotis leads ventures and investments at Signal, focusing on opportunities across logistics and supply chain. His background spans engineering, applied mathematics, company building, and venture investing, making him uniquely positioned to speak about both startup execution and investor expectations.

Session #10 - What leaders won’t talk about, but need to know

Leading a team is one of the hardest and most meaningful challenges you can take on. Whether you’re building a company, scaling a function, or guiding people through change, leadership demands clarity, resilience, and the ability to perform under pressure. This evening is an honest, inspiring conversation for leaders at any stage who want real insight into what it actually takes to lead well, especially when things are messy, uncertain, or moving fast. It is a candid, interview-style conversation with Ben Stocken, founder of Atherio, exploring the realities of leadership: the setbacks, the hard decisions, the moments of doubt, and the habits that separate strong teams from struggling ones. Ben has spent over 20 years advising FTSE 250 companies and high-growth organisations on leadership and performance. As the founder of Atherio, a real-time Leadership Intelligence Platform, he works with leaders navigating the human side of scale: trust, engagement, accountability, and culture. A former England Rugby coach and extreme endurance athlete (including summiting the world’s 10th deadliest mountain and completing the Marathon des Sables), Ben brings a rare perspective on what pressure reveals, and what great leadership requires. This conversation will explore: The leadership mistakes most people make early, and what they cost How trust, feedback, and conflict shape team performance What resilience actually looks like in high-pressure environments How leaders avoid becoming the bottleneck in their own organisations What AI will change (and won’t change) about leading teams in the future You will leave with practical insight, fresh perspective, and tools you can apply immediately, whether you lead a startup, a scale-up, or an established organisation. Who Should Watch? Leaders and managers at any levelFounders, operators, and executives navigating growth or changeData, product, and technology leaders building high-performing teamsAnyone curious about the realities behind strong leadership and culture

Session #8 – Soho Startup Showcase: Truths from the Trenches

An honest startup showcase with three founders at different points in their journey. You will hear why they launched, the highs and lows so far, what they wish they had known on day one, how they see the future, and the practical tips and tricks that keep them moving. Founders will leave with sharper ways to validate ideas, common pitfalls to avoid, simple playbooks for early growth, and fresh connections with peers and mentors. Key takeaways include proven tactics for customer discovery, fundraising readiness, building resilient teams, and staying focused when everything feels urgent. Tina Chen: [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tina-chen-tea-latte/] Our Chief Tea Officer Tina was inspired by Taiwanese bubble tea concept and British tea drinking culture to develop a delicious, well-balanced tea latte beverage. With her love for a quality cuppa and her desire to make a positive impact on society, Tina made a career switch from IT to just tea, and HumaniTea was born! A proud social enterprise, HumaniTea supports wellbeing and sustainability initiatives through wholesome tea. Spreading Me Time, Tea Time, Any Time, we encourage people to take tea breaks to find mindfulness. Madalina Mihailescu:  [http://www.linkedin.com/in/madalina-daniela-mihailescu-mdm]My entrepreneurial journey began in the classroom, while delivering lectures to MSc Data Science students, where I witnessed a critical gap in education delivery. Students struggled to find employment despite completing rigorous academic programmes because companies demand industry-specific skills that rigid curricula fail to provide. Academic institutions prioritise theoretical knowledge over practical application, leaving graduates unprepared for real-world challenges. This educational crisis resonated deeply with my personal experience as a neurodivergent learner who had struggled through traditional educational systems until discovering personalised study techniques that transformed my learning approach. Recognising that different learners require different methods, I founded HiveMind with a mission to make education efficient, personalised, and responsive to how people actually learn – especially in our rapidly digitalising world where time is precious and adaptability is essential. Fredi Monk Porcel – [https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredi-monk-porcel-fka-beard-8360971aa/] Fredi oversees the smooth running of Voicebox, and is the company’s Director of Partnerships & Strategy. He has completed an MSc in Creative Arts and Mental Health from Queen Mary, University of London. Fredi has extensive experience of facilitating conversations on masculinity with a breadth of different audiences including adolescents, primary age children & professionals. Fredi’s particular interests lie in male mental health and facilitating spaces where men and boys can proactively increase each other’s wellbeing and bond with each other.

Session #9 – Bubbles & Big Ideas: A Festive Founder’s Story & End of Year Wrap Up

This isn’t your average fireside chat. It’s an unfiltered exploration of what it really takes to build bold ideas from scratch, the late nights, the turning points, and the moments of clarity that define an entrepreneurial journey. Featuring an intimate Heart-to-Heart with Marc Albert, an extraordinary founder reshaping how operational and market decisions are made in bulk shipping. Marc Albert is an Entrepreneur in Residence at The Signal Group, where he’s building a digital twin of the bulk shipping market, a groundbreaking platform that helps industry stakeholders anticipate market movements and make smarter, data-driven decisions. To understand Marc’s work is to appreciate the scale of the challenge: over 80% of global trade moves by sea, yet the shipping industry remains at the mercy of volatile freight rates and dynamic market swings. Marc’s mission? To bring clarity, stability, and intelligence to one of the world’s most complex supply chains, transforming how global trade decisions are made. Before his current venture, Marc was part of the pioneering team at nuTonomy, an MIT spin-off developing self-driving cars, where he witnessed the full arc of a startup journey, from bold idea to acquisition and beyond. He’s now also pursuing a PhD at ETH Zurich, focusing on strategic decision-making and coordination in multi-agent systems. Marc’s career has been anything but linear, and that’s exactly what makes his story so compelling. From engineering to entrepreneurship, academia to innovation, he embodies the resilience, curiosity, and courage that define today’s most forward-thinking founders. Thank you to our founding partner Signal [https://www.thesignalgroup.com/signal-ventures] for making this event happen.

Session #7 – Money Talks: What Investors Really Want from Early-Stage Founders

This panel brings together top venture capitalists and angel investors to provide clear, practical advice for early-stage founders looking to build fundable businesses. Aimed at those in the pre-seed to seed phase, it explores what investors truly value beyond the pitch deck—covering topics such as founder-market fit, storytelling, and personal vision; what materials investors actually review; how to time fundraising; and how to balance traction with hype. It also examines strategies for authentic networking and accessing investor communities, especially for underrepresented founders, as well as how to identify supportive investors who offer more than just money. Attendees will gain honest insights, real-world examples, and actionable guidance to help them confidently grow and navigate their startup journey. Meet the panel: Jem Stein [https://www.daringcapital.co.uk/], is the founder of Daring Capital, an impact investor syndicate backing early-stage, purpose-driven founders, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, with over £1.9 million invested since its launch in September 2023. Previously, Jem founded and scaled The Bike Project, a social enterprise supporting refugees, growing it to £2.5 million in annual revenue and earning awards such as Social Entrepreneur of the Year. He also sits on the social investment committees of two major charitable trusts. This series offers not just inspiration but practical, actionable advice for founders, creatives, and future leaders ready to grow, adapt, and thrive. Carmel Rafaeli [https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmelrafaeli/] is the Founding Partner of The Table, a global community of over 280 investors co-funding early-stage climate ventures led or co-led by women. She backs climate-positive startups across sectors, with a focus on inclusion, intentional capital, and measurable environmental impact. With more than 15 years of entrepreneurial experience spanning fashion, tech, and sustainability, she began investing through small angel deals to support overlooked founders and accelerate climate solutions. Today, she provides capital, mentoring, and strategic advice, with a particular emphasis on financial storytelling and founder-investor alignment. She is also a Venture Partner at The Conduit Connect and a trusted advisor to early-stage founders. Carmel believes inclusive innovation and smarter capital allocation are essential to solving the climate crisis. Dan Bowyer [https://www.superseed.com/] is a Partner at SuperSeed VC. Dan has more than 20 years of entrepreneurial experience, having built and exited 2 startups and angel invested in many more. He’s most passionate about connecting people, product and process, creating something from nothing. At SuperSeed Dan looks after partnerships and portfolio companies, alongside new and existing investments. Thank you to our founding partner Signal [https://www.thesignalgroup.com/signal-ventures] for making this event happen.