Founders + Funders Event Draws Entrepreneurs to New York Office

• 11.22.2019

An aircraft company developing 3D-printed engines that would dramatically cut global travel times. A purveyor of large-batch, but still top-quality, craft cocktails. The developer of a financial app aimed at helping Generation Z college students manage their money.

These startups—Venus Aerospace, The Wandering Barman and Pluto Money—were just some of the young businesses showcased at Founders + Funders NYC (F+F), a gathering for entrepreneurs and investors hosted at WilmerHale's New York office on November 8. 

F+F is an annual conference organized by Seneca VC, Women 2.0 and SheWorx, and focuses on startup growth, fundraising and investing for women and other underrepresented groups. The startups showcased at the event were all launched by female founders, and the panelists were primarily women who run or fund growing businesses.

Partner Stephanie Evans and Associate Morgan Monroe led the firm's involvement in F+F, which attracted a diverse crowd of 270 guests. Evans, a seasoned advisor to emerging companies, presented the session "Startup Legal 201: Getting Beyond the Basics" with Partner David Haber. Partner Gary Schall and Associate Elizabeth Brasher also attended.

"This event is really about helping women and other underrepresented groups learn how to navigate an ecosystem that is traditionally not accessible to them," says Evans. "It's a great opportunity for WilmerHale to show how we can help navigate that landscape, and also that we have a diverse group of lawyers who are players in it themselves."

Adds Monroe, "The Founders + Funders meetup relayed tangible, strategic advice to startups. This event stands out to me because it was tailored to women and diverse founders, with hopes of changing the status quo."