Sense and Scalability: Investor-Ready Privacy, AI, & Security for Founders

Learn how founders can turn privacy, AI governance, and security into trust signals that accelerate fundraising and enterprise sales.

Founders rightfully obsess over product-market fit, but in 2026, institutional investors are conducting a "flight to quality." As you approach your first serious round of funding or your first Enterprise contract, the questions expand from "Will it grow?" to "Is it an asset, or a liability?"

In this highly interactive 90-minute session, we move beyond "compliance as a tax" to focus on trust and the specific privacy, security, and AI governance structures that signal operational maturity to VCs and enterprise procurement teams.

Whether you are building Deep Tech, FinTech, or B2B SaaS, you will learn how to transition from building "fast and loose" to "fast and solid." Instead of memorizing statutes, founders will learn the fundamentals of trust, master the "Big Five" diligence questions, and walk away with the Aetos GUIDE methodology to retrofit operational maturity into their product without halting development

What You’ll Learn

**Adopt the Defensible Narrative: **Turn "unpriced risk" into managed roadmaps to command higher valuations and speed up sales cycles.

**Master the "Big Five": **Confidently answer the toughest diligence question regarding data inventory, vendor risk, privacy rights, AI governance, and compliance frameworks.

**Navigate AI Risk: **Identify "Shadow AI" vs. "Product AI" and apply the Co-Pilot Protocol to avoid the "Dark Triad" of agentic AI vulnerabilities.

**Implement the GUIDE Framework: **Use the Govern, Understand, Implement, Demonstrate, and Evolve methodology to build a right-sized trust program

What to Expect

This workshop combines strategic discussion with practical exercises and founder-focused problem solving, including:

• Real-world investor and procurement scenarios
• A collaborative incident response simulation
• Tactical frameworks founders can immediately implement

Participant Takeaways

Attendees will leave with:

• A lightweight data mapping template
• Investor-ready “green flag” language for diligence conversations
• An AI governance protocol for reducing operational risk
• The Aetos GUIDE framework for scaling trust alongside growth

Who Should Attend

• Pre-seed and seed-stage founders
• AI-native, B2B SaaS, FinTech, HealthTech, and Deep Tech startups
• Teams preparing for institutional fundraising or enterprise sales
• Operators who want to build trust into their products from the beginning

Meet the Speakers

Shayne Adler** | **Co-Founder & CEO, Aetos Data Solutions

Shayne Adler is the operational and strategic force behind Aetos Data Solutions, where she helps founders navigate the complex intersection of governance, compliance, and operational maturity. With a background spanning law, nonprofit leadership, and business operations, Shayne brings a systems-oriented approach to helping companies scale responsibly. She holds a BA from Columbia University, a JD, and an MBA from the University of Michigan, blending legal insight with practical business strategy. Her work focuses on helping startups build the structures, accountability, and trust frameworks increasingly expected by investors, enterprise buyers, and regulators alike.

Lauren Krauss** | **Co-Founder, Aetos Data Solutions

Lauren Krauss brings an operator’s and investor’s lens to the relationship between compliance, trust, and business growth. With more than 20 years of experience working in regulated industries alongside legal, finance, and executive leadership teams, she specializes in helping companies understand how governance impacts buyer confidence, enterprise sales, and valuation. At Aetos Data Solutions, Lauren helps founders align compliance efforts with go-to-market strategy—turning operational readiness into a competitive advantage rather than a roadblock. Her approach focuses on reducing friction, accelerating procurement readiness, and helping companies build credibility with customers and investors alike.

Marlee Strawn** | **Co-Founder, Scholar Education

Marlee Strawn is the Co-Founder of Scholar Education, where she leads the development of AI-powered tools designed alongside teachers to personalize learning and support classroom instruction. A former teacher and school administrator with nearly two decades of experience in education, Marlee is passionate about ensuring emerging technologies solve real-world challenges for students and educators alike. She was recently recognized as one of ASU+GSV’s 2025 Leading Women in AI and delivered a TEDx talk exploring how AI will shape the future of education. As Curriculum Chair at Women in Tech & Entrepreneurship, Marlee has helped curate WTE’s 2026 educational programming and will open the session with context on why operational trust and responsible AI matter for today’s founders.

**Generously Sponsored by **Aetos Data Consulting

Aetos acts as the Chief Trust Officer for data-driven startups. We ensure your product is built to survive regulatory scrutiny and earn buyer trust. We take ownership of data privacy and AI governance, so you can make trust your competitive advantage and overcome go-to-market hurdles.

Connect with Aetos Data Consulting on Linkedin or learn more here.

About Women in Tech & Entrepreneurship (WTE)

Women in Tech & Entrepreneurship is a dues-free, member-led organization helping women across all industries start, scale, and lead in today’s economy. We provide educational programming, near-peer mentorship, and a thriving community of support for women building bold careers and businesses — on their own terms.