Builder → Backer: When Founders Become Investors

*Austin RAW Conversations is a free, highly curated monthly meetup hosted by Arturo for founders, investors, and operators building at the edge of early-stage tech.*

Does knowing how to build a great company mean you know how to recognize one?

The transition from founder to investor brings years of operating experience into a different kind of decision-making. But how much of that experience actually translates into better investment judgment?

This month at Austin RAW Conversations, we're examining how building experience shapes the way we evaluate founders, allocate capital, and navigate uncertainty. We'll dig into the tensions between pattern recognition and bias, conviction and evidence, persistence and optionality, and empathy and judgment.

Through The Perspective Switch, we'll put some of these assumptions to the test, inviting founders, operators, and investors to challenge each other's reasoning. We'll also open the floor for an AMA, bringing firsthand experiences, questions, and different perspectives into the conversation.

The session will be highly interactive. Participation is strongly encouraged.

📍 Location STATION Austin \| ACL Room 701 Brazos St., Austin, TX

*STATION Austin is located inside the Omni building at the corner of 7th Street and Brazos Street, with entrances on 7th Street, Brazos Street, and 8th Street.*

🚗 Parking Grab a $10 parking validation via QR code when you arrive. For the most up-to-date parking information, visit [Capital Factory Parking](https://capitalfactory.com/parking/).

🗓️ Date & Time Thursday, October 22, 2026 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM CT

👤 Who This Event Is For

• Founders who have built, scaled, or exited companies, or are curious about the investor perspective. • Investors interested in how operating experience shapes investment decisions and judgment. • Operators exploring the transition from building companies to backing them.

🤝 Sponsor Thank you to STATION Austin for sponsoring RAW Conversations Meetup.

*STATION Austin is the center of gravity for entrepreneurs in Texas. Day and night, in-person and online, we gather the best founders, programmers, and designers outside of Silicon Valley and introduce them to investors, employees, and customers who help their ideas launch. STATION Austin is powered by Capital Factory, whose investments and leadership have helped power the Texas startup ecosystem for more than a decade. To sign up for a STATION Austin membership, [click here](https://capital-factory.officernd.com/signup?office=5d1bcda0dbd6e40010479eec).*