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There are 4 modules in this course
This course is for aspiring or active entrepreneurs who wants to understand how to secure funding for their company. This course will demystify key financing concepts to give entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs a guide to secure funding.
Examine the many financing options available to get your new venture funded. Learn the basics of finance, valuations, dilution and non-dilutive funding sources. Understand capital structure for new ventures, term sheets and how to negotiate them, and the differences between early-stage versus later-stage financing. Develop an understanding of how to develop winning investor pitches, who and when to pitch, how to avoid common mistakes that limit the effectiveness of the pitch, and how to ‘get to the close’. Key questions answered within the course include:
* When to raise outside capital?
* What kind of investors invest by stage and where to find them?
* What are your fundraising options?
* What are the key components of the term sheet?
* How to perform company valuations?
* How to pitch to investors?
* What techniques help the entrepreneur ‘get to the close’?
With this course, students experience a sampling of the ideas and techniques explored in the University of Maryland's master's degree in technology entrepreneurship, an innovative 100% online program. Learn more at http://mte.umd.edu/landing.
This session provides insights into the investment landscape, to include how investors and lenders evaluate new ventures. Key terminology and principles are addressed to provide learners without an accounting or finance background with an understanding of these areas.
What's included
14 videos43 readings2 assignments
Show info about module content
14 videos•Total 124 minutes
Preview of the Course•2 minutes
Welcome to New Venture Finance•4 minutes
Special Interview with Andrew Sherman, Attorney and Author•24 minutes
The investment landscape•5 minutes
Do you speak the language of raising start-up capital?•15 minutes
Why should you start with the business plan?•6 minutes
What do venture capitalists look for in a "good plan"?•8 minutes
What financial statements do investors want to see?•7 minutes
How do you develop a balance sheet?•4 minutes
What should an income statement present?•6 minutes
What is the purpose of the cash flow statement?•5 minutes
What corporate structure should I use?•8 minutes
Special Interview with Michael Labriola, Attorney•21 minutes
How do investors view your early stage venture?•9 minutes
43 readings•Total 307 minutes
Meet Michael Pratt•3 minutes
Course overview•3 minutes
Our suggested book for the course•3 minutes
Connect with your classmates•3 minutes
Accelerate Your Career with the #1 Online Master’s Degree for Startup Entrepreneurs and Corporate Innovators•5 minutes
E&Y Global Venture Capital Insights•10 minutes
The Shifting Investor Landscape•10 minutes
New Venture Landscape•10 minutes
Optional Reading: Sherman•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
Forbes - 10 Terms You Must Know Before Raising Startup Capital•10 minutes
Tech Republic - Startup and Venture Capital Terms You Should Know•10 minutes
Washington, DC Archangels - Financing Terms•10 minutes
Optional Reading: Sherman•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
Forbes - How To Build A Billion Dollar Business Plan: 10 Top Points•10 minutes
U.S. Small Business Administration - How to Write a Business Plan•10 minutes
Optional Reading: Sherman•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
Global Entrepreneurship Institute - What Financials Do We Need For Investors?•10 minutes
Tomasz Tunguz - The 10 Most Important Metrics In A Startup’s Financial Statements•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
Lecture Slides•1 minute
Forbes - Mastering the Balance Sheet Can Make or Break A Startup•10 minutes
TD Bank - How to Develop a Balance Sheet•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
TD Bank - Sample Balance Sheet•10 minutes
Purchase Area Development District - Balance Sheet Template in PDF•10 minutes
Money-Zine - Building an Income Statement•10 minutes
Forbes - Top 5 Reasons EBITDA is a Great Big Lie•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
Accounting Coach - Introduction to Cash Flow Statement•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
Entrepreneur - How to Choose the Best Legal Structure for Your Startup•10 minutes
Launchhouse - Deciding the Best Business Structure for Your Startup•10 minutes
Optional Reading: Sherman•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
Seedcamp - How Does an Early-stage Investor View Early-stage Companies•10 minutes
Quora - What Metrics Do VCs Look for in Early-stage Companies?•10 minutes
Both Sides of the Table - The Four Main Things Investors Look for in a Startup•10 minutes
Optional Reading: Sherman•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
NEWCO Project Worksheet•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 60 minutes
Early Stage Investment Landscape•30 minutes
NEWCO Project•30 minutes
Sources of Capital for the Early Stage Company
Module 2•4 hours to complete
Module details
This session examines the options that entrepreneurs face in where to raise their financial capital from in the early stages of their venture. From friends and family, to angel investors and venture capitalists, the pros and cons of each source of capital are explored.
What's included
8 videos16 readings2 assignments
Show info about module content
8 videos•Total 75 minutes
Sources of capital•9 minutes
Where to find investors?•7 minutes
Why consider friends and family as investors?•4 minutes
What’s bootstrapping?•9 minutes
Are incubators and accelerators a fit?•9 minutes
Special Interview with Rick Gordon of Mach37•17 minutes
What are angel investors?•10 minutes
Are you ready to raise capital?•9 minutes
16 readings•Total 97 minutes
Entrepreneur - Four Common Venture Capital Myths•10 minutes
Madison Park Group - Guide to Venture Capital•10 minutes
Optional Reading: Sherman•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
Optional Reading: Sherman•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
Optional Reading: Sherman•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
Optional Reading: Sherman•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
Optional Reading: Sherman•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
Optional Reading: Sherman•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
Optional Reading: Sherman•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
2 assignments•Total 60 minutes
Sources of Capital•30 minutes
Project - Sources of Capital•30 minutes
Getting Funded – Steps in the Funding Process
Module 3•5 hours to complete
Module details
This session discusses the techniques and tools to secure funding for a new venture. This provides insights into how entrepreneurs can create a comprehensive funding strategy for their new venture.
What's included
9 videos21 readings2 assignments
Show info about module content
9 videos•Total 83 minutes
Steps in the funding process•2 minutes
Special Interview with Jonathan Aberman, Venture Capitalist•14 minutes
What is due diligence?•7 minutes
What is your company worth?•10 minutes
How to negotiate a term sheet?•9 minutes
How to establish common stock?•7 minutes
When to use convertible notes?•12 minutes
What is preferred stock?•15 minutes
When to use alternative sources of capital?•8 minutes
21 readings•Total 138 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
Optional Reading: Sherman•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
Startup Valuation Calculator•10 minutes
Optional Reading: Sherman•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
Optional Reading: Sherman•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
Optional Reading: Sherman•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
K9 Ventures - Thoughts on Convertible Notes•10 minutes
Series Seed - Why Series Seed is better than capped convertible notes•10 minutes
Sample - Form of convertible promissory note•10 minutes
Optional Reading: Sherman•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
Optional Reading: Sherman•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
CB Insights - Top 15 Corporate VCs•10 minutes
CB Insights - Evaluating the effectiveness of corporate venture capital investment in tech•10 minutes
Optional Reading: Sherman•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
2 assignments•Total 60 minutes
Principles of Funding Strategies•30 minutes
Create a Funding Strategy for a New Venture Concept•30 minutes
Pitching Investors and Closing the Round
Module 4•4 hours to complete
Module details
This final session instructs learners on how to share their investment opportunity with investors and partners. With practical tips on the do's and don'ts of pitching, learners are able to develop a compelling story for their new venture.
What's included
6 videos16 readings2 assignments
Show info about module content
6 videos•Total 43 minutes
What do investors want to see?•7 minutes
Guest Lecture with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker - What are Investors Looking for in a Business Plan?•2 minutes
How to create the pitch deck?•9 minutes
How to tell your story?•5 minutes
What are the do’s and don’ts of the pitch?•13 minutes
How to close the round?•8 minutes
16 readings•Total 110 minutes
Entrepreneur - What Investors Really Want•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
Forbes - The ultimate pitch deck to raise money for startups•10 minutes
BestPitchDecks.com - The best startup pitch decks•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
Inc. Magazine - How to tell your company’s story•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
KC Source Link - Pitches gone wild: What not to do when you pitch your startup to investors•10 minutes
Inc. Magazine - Simple pitch tips that will attract investors to your startup•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
Entrepreneur - Closing a startup financing deal•10 minutes
Lecture Slides•1 minute
Series A Startup - CEO Salary•10 minutes
Startup Equity for Employees•10 minutes
Series Seed (full set of deal documents)•10 minutes
Accelerate Your Career with the #1 Online Master’s Degree for Startup Entrepreneurs and Corporate Innovators•5 minutes
2 assignments•Total 60 minutes
Fundamentals of "The Pitch"•30 minutes
Create "The Pitch" for a New Venture Concept•30 minutes
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The University of Maryland, College Park is the state's flagship university and one of the nation's preeminent public research universities. A global leader in research, entrepreneurship and innovation, the university is home to more than 40,700 students, 14,000 faculty and staff, and nearly 400,000 alumni. The university’s faculty includes two Nobel laureates, 10 Pulitzer Prize winners, 69 members of the national academies and scores of Fulbright scholars. Located just outside Washington, D.C., the University of Maryland is committed to social entrepreneurship as the nation’s first “Do Good” campus, and discovers and shares new knowledge every day through research and programs in academics, the arts, and athletics.
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