Inventus Law and Silicon Valley Bank invite you to the Founders’ Lounge at TIECON 2026
What is Founders’ Lounge?
Your home base at TiECon. A dedicated space built for founders to connect with investors, mentors, and each other over coffee, real conversations, and a curated lineup of panels throughout the day. Drop in for an hour or stay all day. Whether you're looking for your next investor, your first advisor, or just a good conversation with someone who gets it, this is the room.
What You’ll Get?
• Access to investors, mentors, and advisors: Throughout the day, VCs, angels, seasoned operators, and professionals who've built and scaled companies will be in the room for panels, firesides, and one-on-one conversations.
• Investment Insights: Learn where the money's going, what AI is changing, and how the geopolitical climate is reshaping the investment landscape in 2026.
• Founder-to-founder time: The best insights at any conference come from the person sitting next to you. This lounge is designed to make that happen.
Featured Panels
Panel 1: "Investment Climate in the age of AI" — 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
This session explores the shifting dynamics of venture capital and corporate development in an AI-first world.
It covers:
• Where are the investors investing in 2026?
• How is the current geopolitical situation shaping future investments?
• How large enterprises evaluate the decision to build versus buy and what they are looking to acquire.
• How founders should be thinking about building durable value in the AI age.
Panelists:
Andy Tsao, Head of Global Gateway, Silicon Valley Bank
Sanjay Nath, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Blume Ventures
Mohanjit Jolly, Partner, Iron Pillar
Jyotika Gupta, Partner, Z21 Ventures
Yashwanth (Yash) Hemaraj, General Partner, BGV
Anil Advani, Founder and Managing Partner, Inventus Law - Moderator
Panel 2: "Legal and Finance Issues for Startups" — 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Experienced startup lawyers, successful founders, and industry veterans break down what every founder needs to know from starting up to building a great business.
It covers:
• Incorporation & Cap Tables: Delaware vs. California, S-Corp vs. C-Corp, and structuring founder stock with vesting/acceleration.
• Fundraising: Closing seed financing and negotiating Series A terms with institutional investors.
• Operations: Setting up option plans (NSOs/ISOs) and protecting company IP.
• Global Growth: Building global teams and exploring investment/exit opportunities in India.
• Commercial Issues: AI compliance, SOC compliance, and global data privacy matters.
Panelists:
Anil Advani, Founder and Managing Partner, Inventus Law
Abhilipsa Panda, Of Counsel and Head of Commercial Law Practice Group, Inventus Law
Andy Tsao, Head of Global Gateway, Silicon Valley Bank
Kanav Hasija, Co-founder & CEO, MeltPlan
Ezhilarasan (Ez) Natarajan, Founder & CEO, CoreStack
Prateek Sharma, Managing partner, Ahead VC
Who Should Attend?
If you're building something, whether you're pre-idea or pre-Series A, this room is for you. First-time founders, repeat founders, and anyone seriously thinking about making the leap. Bring your questions — the people who can answer them will be here.
