Date: Monday 9 March 2026 Time: 9.00am - 10.00am GMT
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Theatre, Cheng Kin Ku Building, LSE (map)
Speakers: Kate Hofman (Founder & CEO, Pesto), Hannah Leach (Partner, Antler), and Andreu Paddack-Pages (Founder & CEO, Listo)
Chair: Juanita Gonzalez-Uribe (FMG & LSE Finance)
This interactive session brings Antler into the classroom to unpack how venture capital works at company formation stage. Hannah Leach (Partner, Antler) will share insights into Antler’s talent-first investment model and how the firm identifies, builds, and backs founders from day zero.
The session will feature live pitches from two Antler-backed founders: Kate Hofman (Founder & CEO, Pesto), a second-time founder who previously built and exited one of the UK’s leading indoor farming businesses before launching her new software venture; and Andreu Paddack-Pages (Founder & CEO, Listo), a first-time founder building in AI commerce and currently raising his first round.
Following the pitches, the discussion will turn to storytelling, conviction, and investor evaluation: what makes a pitch compelling, how early-stage founders communicate vision under uncertainty, and how investors assess opportunity at formation stage. The session will conclude with an open Q&A.
Organised by Juanita Gonzalez-Uribe for the Entrepreneurial Finance class she co-teaches with Daniel Paravisini at LSE, this event reflects the course’s mission: bringing industry into the classroom and equipping students with rigorous, real-world insight from those shaping global capital markets.
Registration
This public event is delivered in-person only, is free and open to all, with no ticket or pre-registration required. Attendance will be on a first-come, first-served basis, within the limits of the venue capacity.
#LSEEntrepreneur
Biographies
Kate is Co-founder and CEO of Pesto, an operations and decision-making platform that fast-growing food and drink brands use when spreadsheets start feeling too risky. She previously co-founded and led award-winning and pioneering vertical farming business GrowUp Farms. Kate has 12+years in creating systemic change for sustainable food systems. She launched the UK’s first vertically farmed salad brand, scaled GrowUp to nearly 100 people and represented the UK vertical farming industry at the 2023 and 2024 Farm to Fork Summits at 10 Downing Street. Kate was Recognised as one of the Top 10 Women Shaping the Future of Grocery Technology in The Grocer Power List 2024 and awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Bath Spa for contributions to entrepreneurship and sustainability. She lives in London with her husband, son and fat dog.
Hannah is a venture capital investor and Partner at Antler, a global early-stage VC firm backing founders from day one. She focuses on identifying and supporting high-potential entrepreneurs, working closely with them from company formation through early growth. Hannah is particularly interested in mission-driven businesses and diverse founding teams, and she plays an active role in Antler’s investment decisions and portfolio development across the UK and Europe.
Andreu Paddack is the co-founder and CEO of Listo, a platform that enables businesses to sell and distribute themselves on AI platforms. He previously worked as an economic and political risk analyst at the Fitch Group, producing macroeconomic forecasts for emerging markets in Sub-Saharan Africa. Before that, he worked as an economic analyst at Blackelm Equity, contributing macro research to a student-led investment fund. Andreu holds a BSc in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the University of Warwick. Fun fact: Andreu was rejected from LSE in 2023.
Juanita Gonzalez-Uribe is Associate Professor in Finance at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Co-Director of the Financial Markets Group. Her research focuses on entrepreneurship, private equity and innovation. Her work spans different regions including Latin America, the UK, and the USA.
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