VC-Ready: Raising in the Back Half of 2026 | The Capital Raising Series 🤑

Founders, are you gearing up to raise capital in the second half of 2026? This event is for you.

Join us for VC-Ready: Raising in the Back Half of 2026, part of our Capital Raising Series designed to help startups navigate the fundraising journey and become investment-ready.

As the funding landscape continues to evolve, understanding what venture capital investors are looking for has never been more important. Hear directly from leading venture capital firms such as Salus Ventures and Skalata Ventures as they share what they're seeing in the market, what makes startups stand out, and how founders can position themselves for a successful raise in the months ahead.

Whether you're preparing for your first funding round or planning your next raise, you'll walk away with practical insights, actionable advice, and a clearer understanding of what it takes to secure VC investment in today's market.

Secure your ticket today!

Event Agenda

12:00 PM: Doors open
12:30 PM: Archie Judd - Salus Ventures - Keynote on the VC Landscape - Raising in the Back Half of 2026
12:50 PM: Shahirah Gardner - Skalata - Investor Readiness: 5 things pre/seed investors look for in 2026
1:05 PM: Fireside chat with Archie Judd - Salus Ventures + Shahirah Gardner - Skalata
1:25 PM: Audience Q+A
1:35 PM: Lunch + Networking
2:15 PM: Close

More about our speakers:

Archie Judd - Salus Ventures

Archie Judd is a senior member of the Investment Team at Salus Ventures, Australia's leading venture capital fund focused on critical technologies and national resilience, and leads investments across AI, advanced materials and quantum at the fund.

Prior to Salus, Archie worked at IQ Capital, one of Europe’s leading deep tech funds, where he worked with companies focused on AI, robotics, cybersecurity and novel materials.

Prior to IQ Capital, Archie worked in London with Deloitte’s M&A team supporting technology founders selling their businesses to strategic and private equity buyers. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in Deloitte’s assurance practice where he specialised in private equity and venture capital and also worked with Deloitte Ventures to build a mobile app to provide financial insights to SMEs.

Archie holds an MSc in Artificial Intelligence from King’s College London where his research developed data driven approaches to valuing companies. Areas of focus included agents and multi-agent systems, natural language processing and transparency and ethics of AI. He also holds a BSc in Natural Sciences (Mathematics and Chemistry) from Durham University.


Shahirah Gardner - Skalata

Shahirah is an investor at Skalata, where she backs and mentors founders from pre-seed to Series A. She’s also co-founder of Finch, a data platform that provides Australian banks and financial services with transaction data intelligence. Prior to that she got her first taste of startups earlier in her career, working in tech PR and marketing in SF. Shahirah is also a yoga and breathwork teacher, and sees nervous system regulation as an underused tool for managing the mental rollercoaster of startup life.
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The Precinct is QLD's leading innovation hub where the startup community converge to champion innovation in Queensland. Together, we’re paving the way for new possibilities. For more information visit: https://precinctqld.com.au/. By purchasing tickets to this event, you agree that your details will be shared with event organizers and used for marketing and event correspondence. For any questions on this or to opt out, email amyleigh@cospaces.com