A hands-on program helping you navigate negotiations and pitches where you might be facing bias. Built by founders, for founders, the training hones your skills so that you can ace that next pitch or fundraise.
Throwback to Compass Demo Day 2024
Compass 2024
>
Compass 2024 >
2024 speakers
Arlan Hamilton
Arlan Hamilton is the founder of Backstage Capital and HireRunner.co, is a serial entrepreneur, author of “It’s About Damn Time,” and prolific speaker.
She founded Backstage Capital in 2015 to invest in founders who are people of color, women and/or LGBTQ. Since its founding, Backstage has raised nearly $30 million and invested in 200 startups led by underestimated founders. Arlan is also the founder of HireRunner.co, a startup that connects outstanding employee talent with inclusive companies.
Mirko Twardy
Mirko is a startup coach, entrepreneur and grants consultant and founded his first company at the age of 19. He turned his hobby into a profession and ran a tennis academy alongside his studies. However, he only realized later that this made him a founder. Since 2012, he has now been working as a consultant with a focus on grants and commercial management and the implementation of major construction projects as well as the establishment and expansion of business fields and start-ups. At the beginning of 2019, he took over as head of the funding and grants department at Dr. Kakuschke und Partner.
Alissa Hitzemann
Alissa is the founder/CEO of B wie Berlin and H wie Hamburg. She launched her first business, B wie Berlin, during the Corona pandemic, with no prior experience in or knowledge of entrepreneurship. B wie Berlin's first product, the Berlin ABC flashcards for kids, was an instant hit! She used the power of storytelling to create a love brand with loyal customers and a very engaged online community. She won the "Kultur- und Kreativpilotin Deutschlands'' award from the German Government and has appeared in numerous TV shows, radio features, and podcasts.
James Church
James Church is the best-selling author of Investable Entrepreneur: How to convince investors your business is the one to back and COO of Robot Mascot, a global award-winning investment readiness agency.
He’s on a mission to stop great ideas from failing due to poor communication, and he is passionate about working with founders to present a clear, concise, credible business case to investors.
He was awarded Business Advisor of the Year at the Growing Business Awards and featured in Entrepreneur Magazine and Forbes. He has run mentoring sessions at Tech Hub and Google Campus and delivered mastermind sessions for accelerators run by The Chartered Institute of Marketing and Design Museum, to name a few.
Tunde Adekeye
Tunde founded Pitchdoctor, an AI-powered pitch coach, to help founders improve their fundraising by providing instant feedback on VC calls. Before starting Pitchdoctor, he worked as an investor at LocalGlobe and Creandum, where each fund invested in over ten unicorns, and at Icebreaker, the most active Pre-Seed fund in the Nordics. As a VC, Tunde was involved in over 20 Pre-Seed and Seed deals, including Laka and Payaut, which later raised €20m and €12m. Tunde's fundraising experience includes a role in the Strategy and Finance team at Infarm, a German AgTech Unicorn, where he built financial materials for their $100m Series B fundraise.
Esme Verity
Esme is the founder of Considered Capital, a platform for impact startups and organisations seeking alternative funding. Considered Capital simplifies and speeds up the journey to finding and accessing the right funding fit through courses, community and content.
Esme teaches about alternative funding and has worked with hundreds of purpose-driven startups, nonprofits and governments to help democratise access to alternative funding sources.
Samira Ann Qassim
Samira loves backing founders building the future at speed! She founded Pink Salt Ventures to capitalise on the untapped potential of female-led technology companies. Prior to VC, Samira was a tech entrepreneur and brand strategist.
Stefanie Schubert
Stefanie is a Professor of Economics at SRH University Heidelberg, ICF-certified Executive Coach and Negotiation Advisor. She leads the Economics Group and is the Director of the International Bachelor Program at the University. As a coach, she empowers leaders to achieve their goals, and as an advisor, she guides clients in strategic thinking and negotiation based on game theory principles. Beyond Higher Education, she brings experience in Alliance Management and the Biopharma Industry. Stefanie is an active member of the Association of Alliance Management (ASAP) and serves as the DACH Chapter Co-Lead of European Women on Board (EWOB).
Marcel Deveny
Marcel equips individuals with the toolbox to succeed in critical negotiations at the workplace. A certified Trainer and Master coach with 25+ years of sales & negotiation experience at companies including P&G, MARS, and LEGO, Marcel offers a holistic approach: honing hard skills and conquering mental barriers with a gender-tailored approach. Furthermore, Marcel provides comprehensive training extending to pre-negotiation steps, including interviewing and sales.
Marcel's impact extends to prestigious institutions like Harvard, London Business School, & Columbia Business School, and he has delivered workshops at conferences, including the Forbes Women's Summit.