Join us for the third of three educational programs that are designed to provide founders with an overview of the skills you need to raise capital for your startup. Richard Munassi (bio below) and Derek Barnett (bio below) will walk founders through an overview of the fundraising market. Their background and experience position them well to walk through the fundraising environment, investment structures, and participants (capital allocators) that make up the early-stage capital market.

Event Summary:

6:00pm – Richard Munassi and Derek Barnett

7:00pm – Audience Q&A

7:30pm – The Bridge – Networking Hour

Richard Munassi (Bio)

Dr. Richard Munassi is the Accelerator Managing Director at Tampa Bay Wave. He has been a part of the Wave team since 2016, first as a Mentor, then as Entrepreneur in Residence, and since 2018 has held the Cohort Director position. Dr. Munassi leads the Wave’s multiple 90-day Accelerator programs, ensuring cohort companies maximize their opportunities during the sprint. A serial entrepreneur with deep ties to California and the Gulf Coast, Dr. Munassi brings a unique network and background to Wave that includes ties to MassChallenge, NASA, SXSW, FedTech, MIT Solve, UCSF Health, TMCx, and more.

Derek Barnett (Bio)

Derek comes from a long career in finance, venture capital, and ecosystem development. Currently, he helps lead Silicon Valley Bank’s expansion into the early-stage ecosystem in Florida. Derek’s professional experience spans multiple roles from leading the venture capital arm of a family office, a venture partner at an early-stage venture capital firm, investor at a private equity mid-market buyout firm, and a risk analyst at multiple buy side investment firms. Derek graduated with a Master’s of Finance from Queen’s University and is also a Certified Scrum Master (“CSM”), a Certified Scrum Product Owner (“CSPO”), Chartered Investment Manager (“CIM”), and holds a Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement (“CIPM”) from the CFA Institute. In addition, Derek also sits on the Executive Board of Queen’s University’s Alternative Asset Fund.