Preparing for your later-stage raise: Insider strategies from top investors at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 will host a pivotal session on October 29 featuring venture and growth equity leaders Andrea Thomaz (Diligent Robotics), Zeya Yang (IVP), and Lila Preston (Generation Investment Management), who will discuss securing major late-stage funding rounds. The session will focus on critical factors beyond revenue targets, including narrative, key metrics, and relationship building, offering insights into the evolving investment criteria for high-growth AI and robotics companies relevant to institutional investors assessing future capital deployment trends.

Analysis

A key session at the upcoming TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 provides insight into the evolving criteria for late-stage private market funding, particularly within high-growth technology sectors. The panel features leaders from venture capital firm IVP, growth equity investor Generation Investment Management, and AI hardware startup Diligent Robotics, signaling a focus on AI, robotics, healthcare, and ESG-driven enterprises. The session's premise—that securing major funding rounds now extends beyond revenue targets to include narrative, strategic metrics, and relationship building—highlights a significant shift in investor due diligence. This suggests that premier capital allocators are placing increased weight on qualitative factors and a company's ability to articulate a compelling, mission-driven vision. The composition of the panel underscores the convergence of advanced technology with impact-focused investment mandates as a critical driver for deploying significant growth capital.

Key Decisions for Investors

• Investors conducting due diligence on late-stage private companies in AI and ESG-related sectors should place greater emphasis on qualitative factors, including narrative strength and the specific non-revenue metrics being tracked, as these are key criteria for premier VCs.
• Monitor the portfolios of IVP and Generation Investment Management, along with the trajectory of firms like Diligent Robotics, for leading indicators on successful scaling strategies and valuation trends in the AI, robotics, and impact investing markets.
• It may be prudent to re-evaluate current private market holdings on their ability to articulate a compelling story beyond financial performance, as this capability is becoming critical for securing future financing rounds from top-tier investors.