Make From Research to Venture Backed Startup: When Your Startup Is Ready for Venture Capital

Great science isn’t automatically a venture-backable company—yet. Please join this workshop where Kaija Gisolfi-McCready, a Venture Capital Investor with Lockheed Martin Ventures will explain when VC becomes the right tool, what evidence of market demand and execution investors need to see, and how founders should communicate traction without over-claiming. Designed for university startups who want an honest, actionable roadmap to becoming VC-ready.

Presenter: Kaija Gisolfi-McCready, Investor with Lockheed Martin Ventures, focused on deep tech, AI security, cybersecurity, and defense technology. Kaija is looking to back companies with defensible technology, scalable models, and dual-use applications.