COURSE CONTENT:

If you’re serious about launching a company, raising capital, and actually scaling it, this intensive two-session course (designed for busy people) will give you a front-row seat to what it really takes. You’ll get practical frameworks, real examples from the trenches, and the unvarnished lessons most founders learn the hard way.

Session 1: Raising Capital & Knowing the Landscape

We’ll break down the fundamentals of raising money: the stages (from friends & family to institutional rounds), how to navigate angels, VCs, and strategics, and what investors actually care about. You’ll learn how to craft a story that lands, build a pitch deck that hits the 9 critical points, and run a disciplined raise — from knowing who to pitch first vs last, to managing your funnel, to creating deal momentum. We’ll also cover how term sheets work, what trade-offs around ownership look like, and why sometimes owning a smaller piece of something big beats holding tight to most of something small.

You’ll walk away with a toolkit that includes real pitch decks that raised millions, a proven deck template, investor targeting resources, and a framework to map your own raise.

Session 2: Being a Founder — Building the Business & Yourself

Then we’ll go beyond fundraising to what it actually takes to build and run the company you just raised money for. We’ll cover the mindset shifts from employee to founder (extreme accountability, moving fast, taking blame and sharing credit), why every founder must learn to sell — not just the product and vision, but also to recruit and keep top talent — and how to intentionally build a culture from day one that draws the right people.

We’ll get practical on how to show early traction and financial clarity, prep your business for due diligence (even as a tiny startup), manage your board, and avoid the pitfalls that kill young companies. Plus, we’ll tackle the realities of founder burnout and how to build a support system so you can stay in the game long enough to win.

You’ll leave with a toolkit including a founder self-check, a culture-building blueprint, a due diligence checklist, and a cheat sheet for working with your board and investors.

Real stories and experience (not theory):

We’ll share real stories — ours and our peers’ — from raising capital, building teams, exiting companies, and sometimes failing hard. This isn’t theory. It’s a chance to pressure-test your own plans, ask hard questions, and walk away with practical guidance you can apply immediately.

TOOLKITS:

What You’ll Walk Away With (bonus resources)

- A proven template for crafting a pitch deck that covers the must-haves

- Real pitch decks that helped raise millions (mine and peers’) 

- A curated list of sites and platforms to find the right Angels and VCs 

- A simple framework to prioritize who to pitch first, and how to build a tight investor funnel 

- Key questions to help you nail your equity mindset — big or small, what are you really building? 

- A founder self-check: key questions to keep you accountable, fast-moving, and transparent

- A simple blueprint for building a culture that draws top talent (and weeds out the wrong fits)

- A due diligence prep checklist: the core IP, contracts, and cap table items to keep clean from day one

- A cheat sheet for working with your board and investors — how to keep them engaged, helpful, and on your side

WHO THIS IS NOT FOR:

- Not for traditional business builders, small business buyers, or those focused on climbing the corporate ladder.

- Not geared toward lifestyle entrepreneurs or anyone looking to avoid the risk and pace of venture-backed startups.