Fundraising for Startups 101

Our goal is to get you so well-versed and so comfortable with the language and mechanics of raising money that a VC would be impressed by your fluency and confidence. If you can effortlessly talk deal terms, you're more likely to raise more money, on better terms, so you can build something that matters.

• Find the right investors and that warm intro for a meeting.
• Include the right things in your pitch deck and 5-year forecast.
• Navigate a technical conversation on 3 venture deal types: Convertible Notes, SAFEs and Priced Rounds.
• Identify the 7 Key Deal Terms to focus on to keep as much equity and control in your company as possible.
• Push the deal to closing and start building.

Session 1: The Basics

• Foundational Concepts: Debt vs Equity, Cap Table, Angel vs VC
• Deal Sequencing: basic patterns in early series of fundraising
• Key Players in the Venture Ecosystem: Family, Friends, Angels, VC’s, Crowdfunding, Lenders
• Key Resources: To build relationships, to stay current in your industry, to learn how to find investors and raise

Session 2: Preparing For Your Raise

• Tapping Alternative Sources of Capital: Grants, Loans, Crowdfunding, Pre-Sale Campaigns
• Founder Mindset: What to expect while raising money
• Prep Before You Step: Investor Target List, Pitch Deck, 5-Year Forecast, Data Room
• Timeline: The Pitch Process

Session 3: Seed Stage Fundraising

• Terms of the Convertible Note
• Terms of the SAFE
• Pro Forma Cap Table: Your tool to predict your equity outcome
• The 7 Drivers of Your Financial Outcome

Session 4: Series A Stage Fundraising

• Terms of the Priced Round (Convertible Preferred Shares)
• Economics vs Control in a Priced Round
• How Employee Stock Options Plans Work
• Managing Investor Relations & The Exit

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