Prior to raising capital from professional investors, a first proof of concept is usually a prerequisite. MasterClass participants will hear the personal stories of experienced founders and will be taught by those who have already gone through that process successfully. 

There are many mistakes that can be avoided and valuable learnings that can save time, money and frustration.

In this section the founders will get input about how to build a water-proof business model. Based on the business model the most relevant KPIs will be identified and discussed. With industry experts you will have a deep dive into business models such as SaaS or Marketplaces & E-commerce.

A topic many founders at this stage do not give enough attention to is financial planning. There are various aspects that need to be considered when setting up a financial plan. Especially the liquidity planning, as well as the vision of where the company is heading, oftentimes is not clearly reflected.

There are hundreds of questions when setting up a founding team and often there is no universal right or wrong at this early stage. However, there are certain factors that should be considered carefully in order to avoid future problems, such as a clear division of responsibilities/roles, a mutually shared vision and the necessary skill set needed to execute on it.

There must be clarity on how to distribute shares among the founding team and - even though this might seem premature - how to deal with the potential departure of a co-founder.

This section will give you a hands on roadmap on how to go from storytelling to a pitch deck. We will explore fundraising strategies and the different forms of financing. For example, this may include the discussion whether a convertible loan or a second closing could be the preferred structure for raising capital.

You will gain a holistic and in-depth overview of the investor landscape, from accelerators and business angels over early-stage VCs to corporate VCs and growth investors. 

Participants will gain an understanding of the workings, peculiarities and expectations of all these investor groups and how to approach them.

Founders need to understand how the venture capital game is played, how the screening process works and what investors are expecting from you. 

Certain documents must be prepared before entering the fundraising process and approaching investors. 

We will teach participants how to build a winning pitch deck and how to master term sheets and negotiations. Of course, we will provide necessary templates that can be used in the future.

Furthermore you will be introduced to a data room setup.

A business plan serves as a basis for the future development of a start-up and founders are measured against it. However, in the early-stages the reality often looks very different compared to what was expected a few months earlier - in various aspects. Founders need to know how to align expectations and reality. This will make the founders' lives much easier. Investor communication is a key for future success - may they be existing or future investors. Strong founders should communicate proactively and transparently in order to keep the investors' trust. Things go wrong and investors should know that. 

There are a lot of best practices on how to establish a stable and constructive investor communication that will foster and not jeopardize the company's business.

Scaling a business within a certain period of time is a challenge many founders fail to achieve and one that can make future funding rounds very difficult.

That's why we want you to learn from those who have achieved in scaling their companies. Successful founders will give you deep insights into their main learnings and key mistakes.