The Revenue Room™, by H2K Labs
Welcome to The Revenue Room™, brought to you by H2K Labs. Our podcast is designed for CEOs and their revenue-critical executive teams leading media, events, data/info, and marketplace businesses. We focus on boosting revenue, enhancing profitability, and elevating enterprise value. Each episode delves into cutting-edge data-driven strategies to accelerate revenue, manage risks, and establish scalable, predictable processes. We also discuss elevating revenue to the core of operational excellence, empowering you to consistently outperform your competitors.
The Revenue Room™, by H2K Labs
Why Capital Alone Is Failing Event Founders and What Actually Builds Scalable IP
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this episode of The Revenue Room™ Podcast, Heather Holst-Knudsen is joined by Marilu Paez, managing director and co-founder of Events Venture Group (EVG), for an insightful conversation on why operational know-how and strategic guidance are just as critical as capital for early-stage event ventures.
Marilu shares how she transitioned from 17 years in senior leadership roles across major tech companies in Mexico to building EVG in Miami—a nonprofit consortium connecting event founders with seasoned operators and investors. She breaks down how EVG evaluates ventures, the signals investors watch for, and what makes an events business truly investment-ready. Drawing on her experience scaling Intuit in Mexico and advising early-stage founders, Marilu explains why collaboration accelerates growth, how founders can avoid common mistakes, and the strategic play behind EVG’s four standout investments: Quantum World Congress, Deep Tech Momentum, Explor, and Stable Con.
WHY LISTEN
This episode is essential listening for CEOs, founders, and event entrepreneurs who are:
- Seeking guidance on scaling early-stage events with limited capital and resources
- Navigating operational, strategic, and investor expectations
- Looking to build sustainable, profitable, and investable event businesses
- Curious about how mentorship, community, and strategic capital intersect in the events ecosystem
- Interested in actionable lessons from industry veterans who have built and exited major events
If you’re a founder, investor, or operator in the events, media, or data-driven experience industries, this episode offers practical insights and frameworks for turning a passionate idea into a scalable, revenue-generating business.
CONNECT WITH MARILU: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marilu-paez/
About RevvedUP 2026
RevvedUP 2026 is where CEOs and revenue-critical C-Suite leaders reset their growth playbook for the AI-first economy. Taking place March 23–24, 2026 at The Vinoy Resort in St. Petersburg, FL, this two-day strategy lab helps leaders pressure-test how AI moves from cost center to growth driver and turn data and disruption into competitive advantage.
About Heather Holst-Knudsen
Heather Holst-Knudsen is the founder and CEO of H2K Labs and Revenue Room™ Connect. A seasoned executive and operator across media, marketplaces, events, and technology, she specializes in digital transformation, data-driven growth, and customer-centric value creation. Heather shares her insights on multisided business models through The Revenue Room™.
About Revenue Room™ CXO
Revenue Room™ CXO is a private executive community for CEOs and revenue-critical C-Suite leaders navigating growth in the data and AI economy. Through curated peer discussions and strategy sprints, members tackle real-world challenges in revenue transformation, customer intelligence, and business model innovation.
Learn more or apply for membership at info.h2klabs.com/apply-cxo.
[00:00:00] – Introduction
Heather introduces the podcast and guest Marilu Paez, highlighting her 17 years in senior leadership roles at major tech companies, including managing director at Intuit Mexico. Marilu transitioned from corporate leadership to entrepreneurship in the events industry and is now managing director and co-founder of Events Venture Group (EVG), a nonprofit connecting event founders with experienced operators and investors. EVG has reviewed over 130 ventures and made four strategic investments.
[00:01:40] – Marilu’s Background
Marilu shares her career journey, from diverse early roles in healthcare, building materials, and marketing to senior positions in startups and fintech in Mexico. She emphasizes learning to influence teams without direct authority and leading regulatory authorization processes, which prepared her for executive leadership. Her experience at Intuit, including leading through the pandemic, taught her delegation, systems thinking, and operating at scale.
[00:06:09] – Transition to Entrepreneurship
Heather asks why Marilu left a successful corporate career. Marilu explains Intuit’s strategic shift during the tech winter led to Mexico operations closing, creating a turning point. She moved to Miami, started a consultancy, and was inspired by events like Tony Robbins’ Business Mastery. This transition eventually led to founding EVG.
[00:10:00] – Shift from Corporate to Startup Mindset
Marilu discusses the difference between corporate and entrepreneurial environments. In startups, scarcity and limited resources create challenges requiring patience and adaptability. She highlights the autonomy and freedom of entrepreneurship while acknowledging the difficulty of managing both current operations and future business growth.
[00:13:59] – Introduction to Events Venture Group (EVG)
Marilu explains that EVG is the first angel syndicate dedicated to early-stage event entrepreneurs. EVG is nonprofit, connecting founders with investors and sponsors. Investments are typically 10–20% equity, made individually by members. EVG provides mentorship, community, operational guidance, and tested playbooks, distinguishing it from traditional venture capital.
[00:17:10] – Member Engagement and Passion
Heather and Marilu discuss the 35-member collective of seasoned event professionals. Members, whether investing or not, contribute expertise to help founders scale. Marilu highlights the “give back effect” and encourages more women investors in the events industry. Members evaluate deals based on real-world experience rather than spreadsheets.
[00:21:57] – Investment Criteria
EVG considers events from pre-revenue to around $300,000 annual revenue. They look for strong founders, market opportunity, and operational discipline. Investments include mentorship and support, not just capital.
[00:23:00] – Notable Investments
- Quantum World Congress: Strong founder expertise, first-mover advantage, and collaborative champion model.
- Deep Tech Momentum: Dynamic founder duo, scalable international format, technology integration with events.
- Explor: Event tech/data platform, providing measurable ROI, and transforming industry intelligence.
- Stable Con: Emerging financial rails, strategic founder, real traction, and creating a flagship industry convening.
[00:33:00] – Common Mistakes by Event Entrepreneurs
Marilu identifies key mistakes:
- Trying to go it alone and avoid collaboration.
- Fear of idea theft, leading to hesitation in sharing plans.
- Lack of passion or conviction behind the project.
Heather adds that maturity and understanding the value of owned assets are critical.
[00:39:00] – Membership Criteria
Investors must be accredited and not full-time employees of public PE or trade companies. EVG also welcomes professionals with complementary expertise.
[00:40:26] – EVG Vision
Marilu shares that EVG aims to be the central hub for emerging event founders, providing funding, wisdom, and acceleration. Plans include launching the EVG Knowledge Base Center in 2026 with operator masterclasses and proprietary content. Focus will remain on depth and quality rather than volume.
[00:42:00] – Rapid-Fire Questions
- Red flag for founders: lack of passion.
- Favorite way to unplug: talking to her sister.
- Current book: The Story Capitalism and The Next Conversation with Jefferson.
