About this event
Money, money, money. You know you are going to need it to set up and grow your business, but how much, where from, and what are the risks of ‘selling’ a % of your venture to an investor? For most entrepreneurs, securing that first cheque is a significant milestone in building a business and is the oxygen a startup needs to survive and thrive beyond the idea stage. Yet, unless you have a background in finance, building a solid funding strategy that will both allow you to convince an investor to part with their cash and stay solvent can be a daunting task.
Agenda
In these 60-minute sessions we will cover the key areas of entrepreneurial finance, so you can walk away with the foundations of a funding strategy, including:
- Grants vs investment – which is right for you?
- Dilution – the cost of taking investment
- Investor types – Friends and Family vs Angels vs VCs
- Funding rounds – Why you should raise money in chunks
- Your funding strategy – building a cash roadmap
This information will give you an overview of venture funding. There will be plenty of opportunities to ask questions of the tutor and you will be guided through mapping out the first draft of your funding strategy.
Who is this for?
In this masterclass we will assume zero knowledge of entrepreneurial finance and certainly won’t be doing any calculations! Therefore, whether you have raised your first £50K and want to check if your plan is sound, or have yet to even think about whether the first £ will come from, we’ll cover the principles of startup funding and our expert will share insights into what drives decision making by those who hold the purse strings.
This event will be held virtually on Zoom. Meeting details will be sent in your confirmation email when you book a ticket.
This activity will support your progress towards the Imperial Award.
About the speaker
James Groves is an investment manager from Imperial’s seed investment team. He invests the Imperial College Enterprise Fund into ventures led by student, staff and alumni founders and also supports Imperial spinouts and startups by advising on investor readiness. Prior to joining Imperial James spent 8 years at Oxford University Innovation commercialising University IP through licensing and setting up spinouts. James therefore has considerable experience working at the coalface of academic venture financing, working as both ‘gamekeeper and poacher’ in the field of seed investment.
Privacy and security
Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine (the “College” or “Imperial”) is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. This privacy notice describes how we collect and use personal information about you during and after your relationship with us, in accordance with the applicable data protection legislation and the College’s Data Protection Policy.
Please find the Imperial College London – Enterprise Division Privacy Notice here.
