How to raise VC for your start-up – Step-by-Step

Raising capital is stressful and often an opaque process. This talk, presented at Harvard Business School to 35 MBA entrepreneurs, is meant to demystify the VC fundraising process and provide an actionable playbook for raising capital for your start-up. This talk touches on:

1. What are market valuations for Pre-Seed and Seed start-ups

2. What do VCs look for in start-ups. How can you put your best foot forward?

3. What is the timeline of a VC fundraising process? What actions should you be taking at each step along the way?

4. How do you identify potential investors for your business? How should you act in these pitch meetings?

5. What diligence materials do investors expect at the seed and pre-seed stage? 

6. How should you position yourself to force VC investors to take action and move forward?

7. In particular, it addresses the key issues with raising money in 2023 in the new high interest rate environment.

The talk is given by Oliver Spalding who has spent his entire career as a VC and is now an Instructor at The Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania. He is an early-stage investor and an advisor to several start-ups and has helped companies raise from top venture funds including Bessemer Venture Partners, General Catalyst, Oak HC/FT and more.

Why did we design this course? If you’ve ever taught some one your favorite card or board game and watched them play for the first time, you’ll empathize with the pain you feel watching some one make all the classic mistakes. As venture investors, that is how we some times felt watching our portfolio companies fundraise. This was not because they were unsophisticated or lacked the capability. It was because we had the benefit of seeing dozens of transactions every month, watching the best of the best fundraise. Our Founders on the other hand, had to spend all their time working on their business and often would only fundraise once every 18-36 months.

We built this playbook to ensure our Founders didn’t make those common simple mistakes that so many founders make in their fundraising journey. We wanted to give our Founders a simple playbook that they could follow to ensure they ran a competitive, momentum driven process and got the best outcome they could for their business. Therefore, this course is not about theory. This is a field manual that will guide you along the steps to get the best terms for your startup.

Today, this playbook has been transformed into a talk that has been given at accelerators and some of the top MBA programs in the world, including Wharton, Harvard Business School, and Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. Some testimonials below:

“Ollie effectively leverages his finance and venture capital experience to demystify the opaque VC world for early-stage tech founders. He helps them understand U.S. investor expectations so that they may be more successful in navigating the fundraising journey.

His sessions consistently receive rave reviews in our accelerator programs.”

– Head of Innovit Start-up Accelerator

“The Fundraising playbook is a great resource for early-stage entrepreneurs looking for a framework to organize their VC fundraising process. Ollie’s experience helps entrepreneurs better understand how investors evaluate deals and what they can do to navigate the capital raising process. I definitely recommend his workshop for new entrepreneurs.”

– Head of Wharton SF VIP-X Accelerator

“[Ollie] brought a nuanced understanding of the intricate workings of the investment landscape. Ollie’s keen insights into market dynamics and finance background provide a comprehensive environment for his mentor sessions. Understanding investor motivations for closing deals can be a challenge; however, Ollie connected with the founders and effectively communicated how to navigate the fundraising landscape.

I highly recommend taking Ollie’s Fundraising Fundamentals class!”

– Principal at Starburst Start-up Accelerator

“Ollie brings a fresh perspective to current and future Entrepreneurs with his “Fundraising Playbook” session. He is able to breakdown both the culture around fundraising from VCs as well as specific steps that will help entrepreneurs successfully raise funds in a sustainable manner.

Those who attended the session had rave reviews and even asked for more time to review the information in more detail. Ollie’s session is a must for entrepreneurs looking for tactical advice about raising funds.”

-President of Kellogg’s E-Club

“OIlie brought a lot of expertise to the table in this session. He had a lot of nuanced perspectives which the aspiring founders in the room found very useful. He has a very engaging style, accounting for the audience’s interests rather than getting through his slides.

Everyone who missed out is begging us to bring him back!”

– President of Wharton’s MBA Entrepreneurship Club

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have access to the course materials?

You can view and review the lecture materials indefinitely, like an on-demand channel.

Can I take my courses with me wherever I go?

Definitely! If you have an internet connection, courses on Udemy are available on any device at any time. If you don’t have an internet connection, some instructors also let their students download course lectures. That’s up to the instructor though, so make sure you get on their good side!