Start-up Funding and Corporate Partnerships
With Subject Matter Experts
Matt Sitter - CEO, AFN
Will Decker - VP & Partner, Plug and Play Tech Center
Funding and Partnerships: Early Stage Capital and Gaining Corporate Customers
In the lifecycle of your business, two areas critical to your success are funding to grow and gaining the right corporate customers to increase your volume.
As Head of the Brand & Retail and Media & Advertising verticals at Plug and Play, Will Decker raised a fund on the Investment Committee for early-stage deals at one of the most active early-stage investors in Silicon Valley. He has also seen thousands of sales pitches by startups to his corporate clients across all stages and the globe.
In our discussion with Will, we’ll discuss the fundraising journey in early-stage businesses, the corporate innovation sales cycle, and how to sell to large corporate customers effectively.
Will Decker
Will Decker is a Silicon Valley exec and investor who leads the Brand & Retail and Media & Advertising programs at Plug and Play and is a founding partner of the Future Commerce Fund. Over the past 20 years, he has advised board members, C-level execs, and startup founders, helping invest in, build and grow businesses across multiple industries and geographies. He founded an e-commerce company, advised on enterprise innovation at EY, and helped grow the largest global mobile consumer and advertising audience at Yahoo!. Will has a BA in Mathematics from UC Berkeley and an MBA from the University of
Chicago Booth School of Business.
VP, Partner
Matt Sitter
Matt Sitter is a passionate believer in the power of networks to innovate and realize new opportunities. His career has focused on helping leaders grow, succeed, and to mobilize their teams, organizations, and networks.
Matt’s work has spanned a broad array of industries including Healthcare, Technology, Real Estate Investment, Consumer Products, and Finance (amongst others). He has worked with multiple Fortune 500 executive teams, Private Equity firms, startups, and everything in between.
In addition to his role at AFN, Matt is currently a partner at the Advisory Services firm, Advantary. His experience includes leadership roles at The McChrystal Group, CrossLead, Inc., and MedLever. He has led multiple functions including Product Management, Marketing, Reimbursement, and Product Development.
Matt is a certified Executive Coach, completed his undergraduate studies at Brown University and received his MBA from Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business. He is a proud father and husband.
CEO, AFN