In today’s AI-native world, founders are building faster, often solo, and constantly redefining the rules of what early-stage success looks like.
This roundtable brings together solo founders, product leaders, and operators from across healthtech, edtech, SaaS, and voice AI — all navigating what it means to raise (or not raise) capital, adopt AI into operations, and grow with intention.
💡 What we’ll explore:
• Should you fundraise — or can you actually afford not to?
• What are the real alternatives to VC: grants, angel capital, revenue-first growth.
• The emotional and practical sides of solo entrepreneurship.
• How early-stage founders are embedding AI tools into marketing, ops, and even mental health.
• Fundraising for growth in AI startups — why speed matters, and how to justify the ask.
• Regional dynamics — what makes the UK/EU fundraising scene different?
• Can you run a PLG strategy in an AI-native product?
🎤 Speakers:
— Anna Zhabina, CEO & Co-founder at Beyond Tech and founding member of Konnekt Club
— Kate Kupetskaia, Founder, SOVA School & Studio | UX/UI Designer
— Anna Maikova, Head of Marketing, Synthflow AI
— Ksenia Sukhova, Co-Founder @ ASAO DS
— Ester Neznanova, Creator, Founders Rehab
— Natalia Shipshiley, Serial Tech Entrepreneur | Founder at quoroom
— Charlie Rosier, CEO, Babbu | Top 50 IMPACT Companies
Moderated by Anna Zhabina
This isn’t just a talk about building startups. It’s a conversation about resilience, speed, and the deeply personal choices behind every AI-driven venture.