Exclusive Masterclass on getting ready for investors

Registration closes 10 June 2020, 23:59.

Objectives of this Masterclass

How entrepreneurs finance their company is one of the most critical decisions they will make, whether bootstrapped or financed by investors, the structure of their financing will be one of the key drivers of their financial return from their venture. Being able to craft solid financials and fundraising strategies are indispensable skills for any growth-oriented business.

This masterclass focuses on equipping participants with the essential knowledge, skills and tools to successfully execute their financial strategy and to adapt to challenges of the global pandemic.

Who should attend?

The Masterclass has been designed specifically for Stage 3 and alumni start-ups which already have a concrete business idea and are interested in preparing their business for the next step of growth and development.

Learning outcomes

After the three-day session, participants will be able to:

• finalise their financing process planning and identified critical milestones, including a contingency planning adapted to the current pandemic crisis
• be at ease with building and presenting key financial statements to investors
• have identified the necessary assets (teaser, pitch, business plan, … ) required to execute a financing round
• have identified key financial sources to support their start-up and how to address them
• understand the main methods of company valuation
• understand the terms and conditions involved in financing as well as investors’ preferences
• be familiar with financing deal structures and negotiation with investors
• understand financing options specifically open to climate entrepreneurs and how to address these

Dates

Module 1:         23 June 2020, 15:00 – 17:00 CET

Module 2:         25 June 2020, 09:30 – 17:30 CET

Module 3:         26 June 2020, 09:30 – 17:30 CET

Attendance of all sessions is mandatory once you have registered, as the modules complement each other. Preparatory material will be forwarded to accepted participants prior to the workshop.

A detailed agenda will be circulated after successful registration.

Preparation

Prior to the course, participants should have established a project pitch and prepared a draft of their financing strategy and started to identify potential financing sources. Participants are also expected to have read the business case provided upon confirmation of attendance.

The following book is also strongly recommended: ‘Raising Venture Capital for the Serious Entrepreneur’, Dermot Berkery. Although the masterclass will not focus on venture capital financing, it provides a strong basis for understanding the necessary elements for a successful fundraising strategy.

We recommend brushing up on your basic financial knowledge and reacquainting yourself with concepts including balance sheet, cash flow, and ‘profit and loss statement’. As only one of many resources, this webpage may be useful for brushing up on your basic financial knowledge.

Jordi Montserrat

For the past 20 years, Jordi has been active in the high-tech scene, contributing to the development of innovative businesses. He is the co-founder and managing partner of Venturelab Ltd, a company supporting world-class entrepreneurs and startups on their path to building successful ventures and fundraising. He is also co-managing director of Venture Kick a financing initiative supported by private donors, which has supported over 700 projects in the past 12 years, which have cumulatively raised more than €3.5 billion and created over 7000 jobs.

He also acts as a business angel and board member in start-ups. As an entrepreneurship professor, Jordi trains at major Swiss universities as well as international programmes.

Jordi holds a master degree from the Swiss Institute of Technology in Environmental Engineering, as well as a masters in Management of Technology. He fluently speaks and writes French, Spanish, English and German.

Stefan Steiner

Stefan has been actively involved in entrepreneurship for over 18 years as entrepreneur and investor.

After over ten years in banking at Credit Suisse, Stefan went on to work with Redalpine Venture Partners, a leading European early stage VC, acted as COO  of the digital startup Quest.li, building its US activities and later joined Tamedia as Digital project lead, a global media group actively working with startups.

Today Stefan is Co-Managing Director at Venturelab, leading, in particular, the Venture Leaders program –  a platform taking multiple startup teams per year for international fundraising roadshows to top global startup hubs such as Barcelona, Silicon Valley, Boston, Hong Kong or Shanghai – and the TOP 100 investors Summit, which gathers international investors to meet with the best startups.

He also acts as a business angel and trainer in multiple international training programs.