Sessions · Speaker session
Story as Strategy: How Founders Win Hearts, Funding, and Exits
Thursday, May 7, 2026 · 4–7 PM PDT
This session has ended.
About this session
As a first-time female founder in a B2C impact marketplace, the odds weren't exactly stacked in Laura's favor. What carried Give InKind from a bootstrapped startup to a $3.3M raise and ultimate acquisition wasn't just traction — it was story.
This session unpacks the storytelling strategy behind building a company from a deeply personal moment of loss into a platform that investors, customers, and acquirers couldn't say no to.
What we'll cover:
- Why storytelling is a strategic weapon, not a soft skill — and how to wield it at every stage of your company's growth
- How to thread the needle between selling a bold vision and the reality of where you are today — without losing credibility
- How to reframe what you (or the market) see as shortcomings into signals of conviction, insight, and resilience
- How to create genuine enthusiasm that turns skeptics into funders, customers into evangelists, and conversations into deals
What you'll walk away with: A new way of thinking about the stories you're already telling — and the confidence to tell them more deliberately.
Hosting this session
Laura Malcolm
Founder & President, Give InKind
Laura Malcolm is the Founder and President of Give InKind, a modern platform for coordinating support through major life events. Drawing on her product management background, Laura saw a gap in how friends, families, and communities show up for one another during life's hardest moments — and built a better way. Launched in 2016, Give InKind combines a Care Calendar, Wishlist, Crowdfunding, and Updates into one seamless support tool.
Laura bootstrapped Give InKind for three years, including relocating her family internationally twice to work alongside her development team, before raising $3.3M from leading Pacific Northwest investors including Madrona, Trilogy, Graham & Walker, and the Alliance of Angels. In December 2022, Give InKind was acquired by Pittsburgh-based Wolfe.com, where Laura continues to lead and grow the platform. She lives in Tacoma with her two young sons.
Next step
Have a question behind the session?
Share what you’re working through. If your company qualifies, we’ll reply personally within 24 hours.
For companies that have raised at least $1M from venture firms.