A5X: The Ascent Series is a curated lead-up to NUS Enterprise’s flagship A5X: Global Innovation & Venture Summit.
​​This series brings you closer to the leaders who have already mastered the climb, offering the first-hand insights necessary for the challenging road ahead.
Your ascent starts today as we tackle one of deep-tech’s toughest execution challenges:
​Securing venture capital for deep tech isn't just about having brilliant science, it's about demonstrating you understand the translation from research breakthrough to market-ready business.
​Most academic founders struggle not because their technology lacks promise, but because they haven't made the critical mindset shift from "technology push" to "market pull."
​Join Howard Morgan, Chair and General Partner of B Capital and co-founder of First Round Capital, for an insider's perspective on what top-tier VCs look for when evaluating deep tech ventures. As one of the pioneers of early-stage investing and the early internet, Howard has taken companies from seed stage through IPO and mentored generations of technical founders through this exact transition.
​Drawing on his journey from bringing the ARPAnet to Philadelphia to building one of the first professional seed-stage funds, Howard will show you how to position your deep tech venture for serious VC consideration and why shifting from academic to founder mindset is the critical unlock for turning research breakthroughs into venture-scale companies.
​​What You’ll Learn
-
​The Academic-to-Founder Mindset Shift: Overcoming the "Translation Trap" and moving from technical "Technology Push" to commercial "Market Pull"
-
​Incubating for Success: Factors that determine why university-led incubators succeed or fail in producing venture-scale companies.
-
​The VC Lens (The "6 P’s"): How you evaluate early-stage ventures through People, Product, Plans, Profits, Passion, and Persistence.
-
​Founder DNA: What you look for in a technical founder, and why "Grit" and the "Bad News First" rule are non-negotiable.
-
​Deep Tech & Dual-Use: Navigating the path for R&D originally intended for defence or high-level research to find global commercial applications.
​Event details
-
​​6 March 2026 (Friday)
-
​​10:30 AM – 11:30 AM (SGT), Registration starts 10 AM.
-
​NUS Enterprise Seminar Room 3
Join us for the event via this link: https://luma.com/0vz5scw7
​Limited spots. RSVP early.
About Howard L. Morgan
​Howard Morgan is Chair and General Partner of B Capital and a pioneer of early-stage investing. He co-founded First Round Capital, helped found Idealab Studio and served as the Founding President of Renaissance Technologies.
​He has served as a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University and as an Executive Fellow at UC Berkeley.
​Howard currently serves as Director of Idealab Studio and on the boards of Cornell University, NY Public Library, Cold Spring Harbour Laboratories and Math for America.
​He has a PhD from Cornell University and a BS from City College of the City University of New York.
