Shoobx Drive - Conference for Startups

Rev Up Your Startup!

Join entrepreneurs, investors, and innovation community leaders for a day of actionable insights on fundraising, startup operations, and retaining top talent to rev up your startup’s growth.

Check last year's recap and learn more.

Schedule:

12:00-1:00 pm

Registration Opens

1:00-1:30 pm

Introduction and Keynote
Diane Hessan knows a lot about building great companies. She was the founder and CEO of C Space, and continues to serve as their Chairman, and she served as the CEO of Startup Institute. She wrote Customer-Centered Growth: Five Strategies for Building Competitive Advantage, and has received many honors for her leadership and entrepreneurial talents. She’ll be sharing her insights on the essential parts that keep successful startups running.

1:30-2:30 pm

Panel Discussion: Keeping Your Startup Operations Running Smoothly
Jules Pieri, Founder and CEO of The Grommet, and Chris Comparato, CEO of Toast, will talk to Mike Jabbaway of Morse Barnes-Brown & Pendleton and Johnnie Walker of TempCFO about what it takes to run a startup and when you need to call in the experts. Amy Choi, Chief Growth Officer at T3 Advisors, will moderate the discussion.

Shoobx Presents: Fundraising - Past, Present & Future
Raising money for your startup can be a long and painful process. But does it have to be? Shoobx Founder & CEO Jason Furtado and General Counsel Matt Rowe will walk you through the evolution of startup fundraising—from SAFEs to Notes to Preferred Stock—and preview how things are improving.

2:45-3:45 pm

Panel Discussion: Funding Options to Fuel Your Startup
Scott Kirsner, who covers the city’s innovation economy for The Boston Globe, will moderate a discussion about funding options for startups, followed by small group Q&A with each of the panelists - Payal Divakaran from .406 Ventures, Lily Lyman from Underscore.VC, David Chang from Harvard Business School, Sheila Narayan from Golden Seeds, Bob Nelson from the US Small Business Administration and Erik Noyes from Babson College.

Shoobx Presents: Founder Fails
If you’ve ever wondered, “What are the most common mistakes startup founders make when running their businesses?”, this session is for you. Join Shoobx Client Services Manager Kathy Nolan for a breakdown of how things break down for founders, so you can avoid making similar mistakes with your company.

4:00-5:00 pm

Panel Discussion: Aligning the Gears of Recruiting, Compensation and Culture
Startup founders know that recruiting the right talent and creating a great culture are essential for building strong companies. Nettie Nitzberg, who runs learning and development for Toast, will moderate a panel of executives and HR leaders, including Debbie Millin (COO of Globalization Partners), Julia Sigel (Head of People at LovePop), and Jarrett Mackin (Recruiting Manager at CarGurus), and Thad Eby (CEO & Founder of Ombud) who will share war stories and best practices to get you on the right route.

Shoobx Presents: Founder Finishing School
Running a company is a lot of work—and so is managing all the people who are involved in helping your company succeed. This session, led by Shoobx Head of Customer Success Lynne Zagami, will offer practical guidance on managing your board, investors, and employees.

5:15-5:45 pm

Closing Remarks
Did you ever wish there was a how to manual for building a great startup? Well good news, Will Herman and Rajat Bhargava have written just that. Their book, The Startup Playbook: Founder to Founder Advice from Two Startup Veterans, is a go-to guide for first time entrepreneurs. Will will share lessons from the book and his experiences as a 5-time founder, including, as he says, “some successes, but a couple of miserable failures.”

5:45-7:00 pm

Happy Hour
Meet other founders, mingle with investors, and discuss all the exciting things you learned during the conference! With drinks and snacks, of course.

For more information, visit www.shoobx.com/drive.

Shoobx Drive is sponsored by: