This course is part of the Entrepreneurship: Launching an Innovative Business Specialization

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Michael R. Pratt

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Entrepreneurship: Launching an Innovative Business SpecializationUniversity of Maryland, College Park

About this Course

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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.

Flexible deadlines

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Course 3 of 4 in the

Entrepreneurship: Launching an Innovative Business Specialization

Approx. 20 hours to complete

English

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Skills you will gain

Venture Capital
Investor
Investment
Entrepreneurship

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Course 3 of 4 in the

Entrepreneurship: Launching an Innovative Business Specialization

Approx. 20 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.46/5 (32 Ratings)

Michael R. Pratt

Lecturer of Technology Entrepreneurship

Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech)

40,900 Learners

3 Courses

Offered by

University of Maryland, College Park

The University of Maryland 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 37,000 students, 9,000 faculty and staff, and 250 academic programs. Its faculty includes three Nobel laureates, three Pulitzer Prize winners, 47 members of the national academies and scores of Fulbright scholars. The institution has a $1.8 billion operating budget, secures $500 million annually in external research funding and recently completed a $1 billion fundraising campaign.

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating95%(4,406 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

8 hours to complete

The Early Stage Investment Landscape

8 hours to complete

14 videos (Total 124 min), 43 readings, 2 quizzes

14 videos

Preview of the Course1mWelcome to New Venture Finance3mSpecial Interview with Andrew Sherman, Attorney and Author24mThe investment landscape4mDo you speak the language of raising start-up capital?15mWhy should you start with the business plan?5mWhat do venture capitalists look for in a "good plan"?7mWhat financial statements do investors want to see?6mHow do you develop a balance sheet?4mWhat should an income statement present?6mWhat is the purpose of the cash flow statement?5mWhat corporate structure should I use?8mSpecial Interview with Michael Labriola, Attorney21mHow do investors view your early stage venture?9m

43 readings

Meet Michael Pratt3mCourse overview3mOur suggested book for the course3mConnect with your classmates3mAccelerate Your Career with the #1 Online Master’s Degree for Startup Entrepreneurs and Corporate Innovators5mE&Y Global Venture Capital Insights10mThe Shifting Investor Landscape10mNew Venture Landscape10mOptional Reading: Sherman10mLecture Slides1mForbes - 10 Terms You Must Know Before Raising Startup Capital10mTech Republic - Startup and Venture Capital Terms You Should Know10mWashington, DC Archangels - Financing Terms10mOptional Reading: Sherman10mLecture Slides1mForbes - How To Build A Billion Dollar Business Plan: 10 Top Points10mU.S. Small Business Administration - How to Write a Business Plan10mOptional Reading: Sherman10mLecture Slides1mGlobal Entrepreneurship Institute - What Financials Do We Need For Investors?10mTomasz Tunguz - The 10 Most Important Metrics In A Startup’s Financial Statements10mLecture Slides1mLecture Slides1mForbes - Mastering the Balance Sheet Can Make or Break A Startup10mTD Bank - How to Develop a Balance Sheet10mLecture Slides1mTD Bank - Sample Balance Sheet10mPurchase Area Development District - Balance Sheet Template in PDF10mMoney-Zine - Building an Income Statement10mForbes - Top 5 Reasons EBITDA is a Great Big Lie10mLecture Slides1mAccounting Coach - Introduction to Cash Flow Statement10mLecture Slides1mEntrepreneur - How to Choose the Best Legal Structure for Your Startup10mLaunchhouse - Deciding the Best Business Structure for Your Startup10mOptional Reading: Sherman10mLecture Slides1mSeedcamp - How Does an Early-stage Investor View Early-stage Companies10mQuora - What Metrics Do VCs Look for in Early-stage Companies?10mBoth Sides of the Table - The Four Main Things Investors Look for in a Startup10mOptional Reading: Sherman10mLecture Slides1mNEWCO Project Worksheet10m

2 practice exercises

Early Stage Investment Landscape30mNEWCO Project30m

Week2

Week 2

4 hours to complete

Sources of Capital for the Early Stage Company

4 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 75 min), 16 readings, 2 quizzes

8 videos

Sources of capital8mWhere to find investors?7mWhy consider friends and family as investors?4mWhat’s bootstrapping?8mAre incubators and accelerators a fit?8mSpecial Interview with Rick Gordon of Mach3717mWhat are angel investors?10mAre you ready to raise capital?9m

16 readings

Entrepreneur - Four Common Venture Capital Myths10mMadison Park Group - Guide to Venture Capital10mOptional Reading: Sherman10mLecture Slides1mOptional Reading: Sherman10mLecture Slides1mOptional Reading: Sherman10mLecture Slides1mOptional Reading: Sherman10mLecture Slides1mOptional Reading: Sherman10mLecture Slides1mOptional Reading: Sherman10mLecture Slides1mOptional Reading: Sherman10mLecture Slides1m

2 practice exercises

Sources of Capital30mProject - Sources of Capital30m

Week3

Week 3

5 hours to complete

Getting Funded – Steps in the Funding Process

5 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 83 min), 21 readings, 2 quizzes

9 videos

Steps in the funding process1mSpecial Interview with Jonathan Aberman, Venture Capitalist13mWhat is due diligence?6mWhat is your company worth?10mHow to negotiate a term sheet?9mHow to establish common stock?7mWhen to use convertible notes?12mWhat is preferred stock?15mWhen to use alternative sources of capital?7m

21 readings

Lecture Slides1mOptional Reading: Sherman10mLecture Slides1mStartup Valuation Calculator10mOptional Reading: Sherman10mLecture Slides1mOptional Reading: Sherman10mLecture Slides1mOptional Reading: Sherman10mLecture Slides1mK9 Ventures - Thoughts on Convertible Notes10mSeries Seed - Why Series Seed is better than capped convertible notes10mSample - Form of convertible promissory note10mOptional Reading: Sherman10mLecture Slides1mOptional Reading: Sherman10mLecture Slides1mCB Insights - Top 15 Corporate VCs10mCB Insights - Evaluating the effectiveness of corporate venture capital investment in tech10mOptional Reading: Sherman10mLecture Slides1m

2 practice exercises

Principles of Funding Strategies30mCreate a Funding Strategy for a New Venture Concept30m

Week4

Week 4

4 hours to complete

Pitching Investors and Closing the Round

4 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 43 min), 16 readings, 2 quizzes

6 videos

What do investors want to see?6mGuest Lecture with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker - What are Investors Looking for in a Business Plan?1mHow to create the pitch deck?9mHow to tell your story?4mWhat are the do’s and don’ts of the pitch?12mHow to close the round?7m

16 readings

Entrepreneur - What Investors Really Want10mLecture Slides1mForbes - The ultimate pitch deck to raise money for startups10mBestPitchDecks.com - The best startup pitch decks10mLecture Slides1mInc. Magazine - How to tell your company’s story10mLecture Slides1mKC Source Link - Pitches gone wild: What not to do when you pitch your startup to investors10mInc. Magazine - Simple pitch tips that will attract investors to your startup10mLecture Slides1mEntrepreneur - Closing a startup financing deal10mLecture Slides1mSeries A Startup - CEO Salary10mStartup Equity for Employees10mSeries Seed (full set of deal documents)10mAccelerate Your Career with the #1 Online Master’s Degree for Startup Entrepreneurs and Corporate Innovators5m

2 practice exercises

Fundamentals of "The Pitch"30mCreate "The Pitch" for a New Venture Concept30m

Reviews

4.6

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TOP REVIEWS FROM NEW VENTURE FINANCE: STARTUP FUNDING FOR ENTREPRENEURS

by KMJan 29, 2021

Great course to learn about Startup Funding for Entrepreneurs. I highly recommend this course. Thank you for offering this valuable course to me.

by MSMar 19, 2017

Outstanding. An excellent mix of reading and videos. Gave me professional, technical skills in the esoteric field of entrepreneurship.

by GANov 20, 2020

Module 3 has been the most challenging for me but I have gained a lot of knowledge on for to get finance for my start-up.

by COJun 5, 2020

The module was very deep and delivered by an aptly equipped lecturer. As an Entrepreneur it gives clear perspectives on where I should be focusing to effectively raise funding for my venture.

View all reviews

About the Entrepreneurship: Launching an Innovative Business Specialization

Develop your entrepreneurial mindset and skill sets, learn how to bring innovations to market, and craft a business model to successfully launch your new business.

The Entrepreneurship Specialization examines the entrepreneurial mindset and skill sets, indicators of innovation opportunities, critical steps to bring innovations to the marketplace, and innovation strategies to establish and maintain a competitive advantage. Fundamentals of new venture financing are explored with attention to capital structures for new ventures, term sheets and how to negotiate them, and the differences between early-stage versus later-stage financing. You will develop an understanding of how to develop winning investor pitches, who and when to pitch, how to avoid common mistakes, and how to ‘get to the close’. In the final Capstone Project, you will apply the tools and concepts from the specialization courses by crafting a comprehensive, customer-validated business model, and creating a business plan and investor pitch.

Entrepreneurship: Launching an Innovative Business

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

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New Venture Finance: Startup Funding for Entrepreneurs

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