Event Recap · Austin Tech Week 2026
Invested Recap
An Ayana Founder Readiness Workshop
91
Founder Readiness submissions
We had 91 Founder Readiness submissions today, a highly engaged room, strong participation throughout the exercise, and significant conversation continuing after the session ended.
The Data
Preliminary findings
A few preliminary findings from the data.
45%
said their primary 90-day move is to win customers or grow revenue.
37%
identified Connection as the investment that would make their next move easier, the largest of the five Founder Readiness lanes.
36%
said the person they most need closer to the work is a buyer or customer.
32%
said a warm introduction or better access would make their next yes easier.
30%
said their immediate next credible yes is a paid pilot or customer yes.
46%
of founders focused on raising capital said stronger proof or traction would make the next yes easier.
91%
of participants who answered the follow-up question opted in for their takeaway and relevant Founder Readiness follow-up.
In the Room
A few things I noticed
The specificity worked
People moved from broad statements like "I need funding," "I need customers," or "I need connections" into a specific 90-day move, one person, one decision and one ask.
The five Founder Readiness lanes worked
Capital, Capacity, Connection, Visibility and Structure gave people an immediate way to locate themselves without overcomplicating the exercise.
The stickers were a huge hit
People put their lane on their conference badges, compared results and kept talking about them after the workshop. They turned the exercise into something that could travel with participants through the rest of Tech Week.
The experience created continued conversation
People stayed afterward, came up in groups, asked questions, compared results and wanted to keep talking. From my vantage point, it was the most actively engaged and discussed session I observed today.
The Signal for Ayana
Founder readiness showed up as much broader than access to capital.
Revenue, customers, proof, introductions, positioning, capacity and operating structure all appeared in the data as things founders believe stand between where they are and the next meaningful yes.
That gives us a useful baseline going into South Bend.
Next Iteration
Keep the core, sharpen the rest
For the next iteration, we would keep the core experience intact and sharpen a few things:
- Preserve the five lanes and badge-sticker mechanic.
- Capture founder stage so we can compare needs by business maturity.
- Use the "I need / I can help with" data more intentionally for matching.
- Add one very short exit measure so we can compare immediate clarity with what actually moves 7–30 days later.