The Agenda
March 6, 2024
Breakfast
Opening Remarks
Presentation
State of the Venture Debt Market
- What is happening in the venture debt market today
- The impact of unpredictable market changes over the past year
- Innovative ways to maximize current venture debt opportunities
Round Table
Venture Debt in a Post-SVB Era
- Circumstances leading to the SVB era and how to rebound
- The evolving face of venture debt today, including
- Navigating the current venture debt market successfully
Panel
Why is Venture Debt a Terrible Idea?
- The good, bad, and ugly of venture debt
- When is venture debt a poor plan?
- Using venture debt wisely to fund growth
Chief Operating Officer and Chief Investment Officer
Horizon Technology Finance
Moderator
Networking Break
Fireside
Preparing Your Company to Receive Venture Debt
- Who should you call, an investment banker or debt broker? What to look for in a venture debt partner
- Preparing for the underwriting process and modeling the financial covenants impact on your company
- Action items post-closing
Round Table
Cross-Border Venture Debt Deals – Israel, UK, Canada, the EU and Beyond
- International venture debt considerations
- Cross-border deals in Israel, UK, EU and beyond
- Unexpected benefits of cross-border venture debt deals
Fireside
A Borrower’s POV: A Look at Late-Stage Venture Debt
- State of the late-stage venture market
- How borrowers benefit from late-state venture debt
- Mitigating potential risks and reaping rewards
Lunch
Panel
VC Debt Lending: How It Is Filling the Funding Gaps in the Equity and Bank Lending Markets
- What are funding gaps, and how do companies fill them?
- VC Debt lending provides essential funds in equity and bank lending markets
- Tapping into the possibilities for growth and revenue
Fireside
Big Check Venture Debt - Large Corporations Need Capital, Too
- Venture debt is writing bigger checks and why
- Large corporations looking for capital know how to find it
- Navigating the landscape for growth and profit
Managing Director, Deutsche Bank Private Credit & Infrastructure
Deutsche Bank
Speaker
Panel
The Proliferation of Deal Terms in a Stressed, Early Stage Financial Market
- Discover real-world venture debt trends and terms
- More about delayed transactions and sponsor selectivity
- Overcoming the challenges of meeting obligations to lenders
Networking Break
Panel
Asset Backed Lenders for Venture-Backed Companies
- Benefits of asset-backed lenders for venture-backed companies
- How asset-based lending provides working capital based on assets rather than credit history
- Ways startups can use asset-backed lenders to support expansion
Panel
A Healthy Alternative: Venture Debt Financing for Healthcare Industries
- Venture debt financing options for health and tech companies
- Non-dilutive financing solutions for healthcare
- Specific concerns related to the health and tech industries
Panel
Valuation and the Delicate Balance Between Growth and Profitability
- Changes in valuation metrics may impact traditional venture debt vs growth debt
- Financial forecasts and cost structures in venture-backed emerging companies
- The increasing importance of the “Rule of 40”
Fireside
Navigating Distress in Venture Debt
- How companies define distress in venture debt
- Role of venture debt in challenging business situations
- Navigation strategies to define and achieve company goals
Closing Remarks
Cocktail Reception (Sponsored by Barnes & Thornburg)
The Agenda
As we build toward another successful Venture Debt Conference, our focus is on creating an agenda that sparks the interest of the professionals working in the venture debt market. Here are just a few of the unique presentations and panel discussions we’re developing for The Venture Debt Conference 2025.
- How a Rising Interest Rate Environment Might Impact Venture Debt Pricing and Structure
- Why SVB’s Collapse Created More Competition for High Tech Investment Targets
- Continuation Funds: Should Lenders Think about Reserves Differently?
- Overview of Differences between Bank and Non-Bank Loan Strategies
- Total Addressable Venture Debt Market; 2025 Projections
- Understanding the Underwriting Process: Creditworthiness and Assessment of Equity Sponsors
- Using Warrants and Equity Kickers to Achieve Expected Returns
- Changing Dynamics of the Market: Are Venture Debt Borrowers Still Seeing Valuation Pressure?
- Timing Considerations: Raising Debt Alongside Equity, Raising Between Rounds, Raising to Fund an Acquisition – and the Unique Considerations of Each Approach
- Common Venture Debt Options: Revenue-based Financing, Equipment Financing, Accounts Receivable Financing, Term Loans
- The VD Lender Landscape and Pros/ Cons: Commercial Banks, Specialty Venture Finance Firms, Alternative Lenders
- Alternative Lending Structures: Lines of Credit, Bridge Loans, Factoring, Merchant Cash Advances
- Market Participants: Lenders, Underwriting and Credit Companies, Loan Servicers, Loan Brokers
- Debt for Working Capital vs. Growth Capital
- Learnings from Scaled Companies who’ve Shut Down: What is a “Fundable Asset” in the Current Lending Environment?
- Peripheral VD Investment Strategies: Litigation Funding and Royalty Financing
- Navigating the ‘Lite’ Regulatory Regime: Should Banks be able to Play or does this Asset Class move toward Private Credit Funds
- Sectors Benefitting from Debt Inflows: AI, Cybersecurity, Direct-to- Consumer, Rebounding Crypto?
- Differences Between How Banks and Non-bank Lenders Deal with Workout Situations
