We recently hosted the Atento Capital Portfolio Retreat—a two-and-a-half-day event in New York City designed to forge meaningful relationships between our portfolio founders and NYC investors, industry experts, and fellow entrepreneurs. With a focus on engagement and growth, we curated every session to maximize impact.
We kicked off with an inspiring panel discussion, "How I Built This", Brian Rudolph, Rom Cohen, Liya Shuster-Bier, Ariela Safira, Rema Matevosyan. Moderated by our Managing Director and Co-Founder Will Gray, CFA, the conversation delved into the founders’ journeys and key lessons learned. From there, the energy carried over to a dynamic happy hour at the stunning Company Ventures space, where Tulsa’s talent met with NYC founders, operators, and VCs. We followed the happy hour with a private dinner at Upland where our founders had the opportunity to break bread with a group of amazing investors.
Day two was all about learning and sharing. The morning workshop, Trust in Action: Aligning Product Vision with Customer Experience, led by Sam Dix and Prag Anand, encouraged founders to dive deep into how their product vision connects with customer needs, and provided a platform for peer-to-peer feedback. Following the workshop, founders engaged in one-on-one meetings with relevant investors and business development leads, expanding their networks even further.
The evening took us to a private dinner hosted in partnership with Resident Hospitality, which was more than just a dinner—it was a curated culinary experience! 🍷 With a private chef and sommelier guiding us through a series of exquisite dishes and wine pairings, the night turned into a space for open dialogue, thoughtful reflection, and forging new partnerships in a truly unique setting. From there, we headed to the Comedy Cellar for a classic New York experience.
The final day featured a panel on Navigating Corporate Waters: Strategic Partnerships and Customer Engagement for Startups, where corporate innovation experts Ryan J. Piela, Taylor Buser, Jennifer Agran and Karen Hui-Ying Wang shared practical strategies for landing major customers and navigating corporate relationships with moderator, Perfecto Sanchez. We wrapped up the sessions with When and How to Scale Your Technical and Product Teams, led by Igor "Iggy" Moliver, offering valuable insights into scaling efficiently.
And, of course, what better way to conclude than a delicious food tour at Market57 in Chelsea? The founders had the chance to relax and continue building connections in a more casual setting.
The Atento Portfolio Retreat was a tremendous success. We are incredibly grateful to all who participated and helped make this retreat a truly memorable experience. A huge thank you to my team Naomi Cervantes, Vondell J. Burns and Kumbaya Okorie for their amazing work and dedication to the event and to all the friends and colleagues from former lives that came out to support!
