About the House

Built in 24 hours.
Remembered longer.

In true startup fashion, Yorkseed House at SXSW 2025 came together in less than 24 hours — and it delivered. Hosted at The Lively & Grit Daily House in Austin, it became one of the most talked-about activations of the week.

Founders, investors, operators, and ecosystem leaders spent a full day connecting, pitching, learning, and building relationships that extended well beyond the conference. The house ran from 9:30AM to 5PM with nonstop programming — a true home base at SXSW.

The centrepiece was the Yorkseed Investor Panel: Beyond the Check — a candid, high-energy discussion with six top investors on what makes founders truly investable.

Date Sunday, March 9, 2025 · 9:30AM – 5:00PM

Venue The Lively & Grit Daily House
206 San Marcos St, Austin, TX 78702

Format All-day activation — networking, podcast recording, investor panel, open bar & food

Partners The Lively · Grit Daily House · SeedLegals · Ausnio · Inkle

Investor Panel

Beyond The Check

What investors look for beyond capital returns — and how to win over an investor in 5 minutes. A candid, no-fluff panel with six top investors sharing unfiltered insights on what makes founders truly investable.

Panelist

Tiffany Yu

Investor · Founder · Disability Advocate

Angel investor in underestimated founders — Esusu ($1B+), The Cru (acquired). LP in Backstage Capital, Fearless Fund, and Park Rangers Capital.

Panelist

Sophie Taitt

Media Consultant · Angel Investor

Angel investor in female-founded businesses via The Helm. Formerly Netflix & BBC, now investing in early-stage ventures.

Panelist

Juliana Garaizar

GP at Portfolia · VP Climatetech Global Ventures

Investor of the Year — Houston Innovation Map. Formerly led Greentown Labs, Texas Medical Center Venture Fund, Houston Angel Network.

Panelist

Kathryn Kuan

Angel Investor · Futurist

Investor with Keiretsu Forum, the world's largest investor network. Advising early-stage startups on product-market fit and due diligence.

Panelist

Breen Sullivan

Founder, The Fourth Effect · Angel Investor

Founder of The Fourth Effect, an AI platform connecting women with companies seeking diverse leadership. Featured in Forbes and Bloomberg.

Panelist

Brian Zisk

Entrepreneur · Investor · Industry Innovator

Serial entrepreneur and angel investor. GP in Exponential Creativity Ventures and the SF MusicTech Fund. First SXSW breakthrough tech in 1999.

Moderator

Jessica Sophia Wong

Founder, Yorkseed · Venture Partner & Startup Strategist

Full Day Programme

A full day of signal.

9:30 AM

Doors Open · Networking Begins

All-day networking space for founders, investors, and operators

9:45 AM

Welcome & Kickoff

Opening remarks with Mike White

10:00 AM

Goldie Chan

Restarting your career & redefining yourself

11:00 AM

Bloody Mary Brunch + Media Panel

Audience behaviour, tech & media shifts

11:30 AM

Podcast Recording How Cool Is This?

Pitch your startup — live recording sessions throughout the day

12:00 PM

SeedLegals Office Hours Anthony Rose

Expert advice on fundraising, SAFEs, and structuring rounds

1:45 PM

Yorkseed Investor Panel: Beyond the Check Yorkseed

6 top investors on what makes founders investable — candid takes, no-fluff

2:30 PM

Emily Ross Masterclass

Subversive market hacks for misfits & mavericks

3:00 PM

De-risking Innovation Panel

Rethinking startup funding & scaling strategies

4:00 PM

Rohit Bhargava

Seeing What Others Miss: Non-obvious thinking

5:00 PM

Doors Close

107 connections made. See you at the next House.

Yorkseed
House

Built in 24 hours.
Remembered longer.

A curated look inside Yorkseed House Austin

Beyond The Check

A full day of signal.

The series
continues.

YorkseedHouse

Built in 24 hours.Remembered longer.

A curated look inside Yorkseed House Austin

Beyond The Check

A full day of signal.

The seriescontinues.

Yorkseed
House

Built in 24 hours.
Remembered longer.

The series
continues.