Feb. 10, 2026 | 12:00 – 1:00 PM ET
Venture Café, 1 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02142
For CIC Members Only. Register Here
About this session
Bring your lunch and join fellow CIC Members to take a mid-day break, connect with your community, and learn about the role credibility plays in startup success. In a world with over 582 million entrepreneurs, standing out requires more than a strong product — it requires trust. Many founders struggle when investor outreach stalls or customers hesitate, not because of performance gaps, but perception gaps. In this session, we’ll explore the most common positioning missteps that limit startup momentum and share practical strategies to elevate the founder’s expertise and vision — turning credibility into a competitive advantage that attracts investors, partners, and customers.
Parna Sarkar-Basu
An architect of What’s Next and a champion of inclusive innovation, Parna Sarkar-Basu partners with CEOs and founders of emerging and growth-stage companies to navigate inflection points — moments where decisions around emerging technologies, market focus and positioning shape the future of their business. As the founder of a strategic advisory firm, she provides candid guidance to leaders on launching, scaling and revitalizing companies, while architecting and pressure-testing strategies and supporting fundraising and exit readiness.