Capital Readiness Workshop: Naturally Chicago Founder Growth Series I — 10/22/26 Live Event

2026-10-22 · 13:00:00 · Chicago

Coleman Entrepreneurship Center at DePaul Downtown Campus

1 East Jackson Boulevard (Suite 7900), 60604

This half-day Chicago workshop guides food and natural products founders through debt financing, non-dilutive grants, and early-stage equity before concluding with an investor reception.

Capital Readiness Workshop helps founders across the Good Food and Natural Products sector understand the full capital stack, from debt financing and grants to equity. The workshop features expert panels, a fireside chat with successful founder Emily Groden, and a networking reception with equity investors and debt providers.

Founder brief

Who should attend

Good Food and Natural Products operators from pre-seed to growth stages will benefit most. The sessions are shaped both for early-revenue brands working toward loan readiness and established businesses structuring their next investment round.

What happens

Sessions run through the complete capital stack at the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center. After check-in and introductory remarks, panel discussions cover debt financing, non-dilutive funding, and early-stage equity, complemented by a founder fireside chat with Emily Groden and a dedicated networking reception.

Who's in the room

Hosted by Jim Slama and Maura Downs, the afternoon features perspectives from institutional lenders, legal advisors, and equity investors. Speakers include representatives from BMO, CIBC, Pursuit, Barrel Ventures, Chicago Seed Co., AllRise Legal Counsel, Funding Trail, and Kiva.

How to prepare

Arrive ready for the 12:30 p.m. check-in with your current financial baseline clearly organized. Know your existing revenue, debt capacity, and near-term capital requirements so you can evaluate panels on grants, loans, and venture equity against your company's actual position during the closing reception.

Organizer: Naturally Chicago

Register

At a glance

Who can apply
Designed for founders across the Good Food and Natural Products sector, from early-revenue brands that are not yet loan-ready to growth-stage brands preparing their next raise.
Stage
Pre seed, Seed, Growth
Sectors
Agtech food

Agenda

  1. 12:30 p.m. · Registration and Check In
  2. 1 p.m. · Welcome and Event Framing
  3. 1:15 p.m. · Debt Financing - What It Takes to Secure Funding
  4. 2:00 p.m. · Grants & Non-Dilutive Funding
  5. 2:45 p.m. · Break
  6. 3:15 p.m. · A Successful Fundrasing Journey: Fireside Chat
  7. 3:45 p.m. · Raising Early Stage Equity
  8. 4:30 p.m. · Networking Reception with Investors/VCs/Capital Providers

Speakers, judges and hosts

  • Jim Slama — Naturally Chicago (Host)
  • Maura Downs — WBDC (Host)
  • Alex Felton — Pursuit (Panelist)
  • Christopher Parker — BMO (Panelist)
  • Jim Rolfe — CIBC (Panelist)
  • Kelly Gumbiner — WBDC/Kiva (Panelist)
  • Laura Luckman Kelber — independent investor (Panelist)
  • Leslee Cohen — AllRise Legal Counsel (Panelist)
  • Michael Krutz — Barrel Ventures (Panelist)
  • Sam Shanley — Funding Trail (Panelist)
  • Alok Advani — Senior Strategist, Chicago Seed Co. (Speaker)
  • Emily Groden — Evergreen (Speaker)

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