AI x Funding: The Next Wave of Startup Capital

AI x Funding: The Next Wave of Startup Capital
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Artificial intelligence isn’t just transforming products — it’s transforming how startups are built, funded, and valued.
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Join us for a live panel discussion exploring the real impact of AI on startup funding, valuations, and equity incentives across Australia and the US.
Hosted by Cake Equity, this session brings together leading investors and startup finance experts for a grounded conversation on how AI-driven business models are influencing investor behavior, deal structures, and employee ownership.

Our speakers will unpack the latest data and trends shaping today’s funding landscape, including:
• How early-stage capital is flowing toward AI-native startups
• Shifts in valuations, graduation rates, and capital efficiency
• Differences in equity incentives and vesting between AI and non-AI roles
• What these shifts mean for founders, CFOs, and employees in 2025

🗓️ Date: October 23, 2025
⏰ Time: 12-1 PM AEDT
📍 Format: Live Online Panel + Q&A
🎙️ Hosted by: Cake Equity

Featured Speakers
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Yash Varma – General Partner, Empress Capital

Yash Varma is the General Partner of Empress Capital, Australia’s only dedicated AI venture fund. With over two decades of experience building and exiting global software businesses to Fortune 500 clients, Yash blends deep technical expertise (BIT UTS Sydney, AI Stanford) with sharp investment insight as an active angel investor.

As a certified High Performance Coach, he partners with AI founders at the critical intersection of technological breakthrough and commercial execution. Empress Capital focuses on exceptional AI-first companies across ANZ, supported by a rigorous investment framework that combines proprietary deal flow, hands-on founder support, and strategic value creation. The broader Empress Group operates across three integrated divisions — Invest, Advise, and Build — spanning venture capital, AI transformation consulting, and co-creation through its Empress Studio.

Chris Gillings – Venture Capital, Five V Capital‍

Chris Gillings has more than 15 years of experience in operating and investing roles across the US and Australia, with a focus on technology-driven private companies.
Prior to joining Five V Capital, he spent a decade in New York, where he held key operating roles at OnDeck and led Mastercard’s startup investment and engagement programs. Chris was also an investor at TDM Growth Partners and a member of KPMG’s Mergers & Acquisitions team in Sydney. Chris holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Sydney and an MBA from Yale University, and is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

Kate Coffey - Investor, Airtree
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Kate is an Investment Manager at Airtree where she focuses on seed to growth investments in tech across Australia and New Zealand. She was born and raised in Sydney with two brothers and spent weekends playing netball and tennis, and watching hours of cricket and rugby from the sidelines.Prior to Airtree, Kate was a Management Consultant at Oliver Wyman working on a range of projects from wargaming potential merger strategies for large oil and gas businesses, to APRA regulation implementation for insurers and banks. She also spent time interning at a boutique investment bank. Kate completed her Bachelor of Commerce and Advanced Studies at Sydney University with majors in Finance and Business Information Systems.