The Alternative

Funding School

6 WEEKS · COHORT-BASED COURSE

Practical hands-on support for founders raising mission-aligned funding all over the globe.

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COURSE OVERVIEW

Watch our 5 reasons to join the next Alternative Funding School cohort below

UPCOMING COHORT

Cohort 6: Summer 2023

Dates: 14th June - 26th July

150 founders, 75%+ of which are underrepresented, have joined since launching in November 2020

This course is for you if...

1.

You're ready to grow your business or kick start an idea and need to know your funding options

 

2.

You're looking to save time and money as you build a fundraising plan

3.

You're seeking a supportive community of fellow purpose led entrepreneurs to learn from

Investors we've worked with

Social proof banner
Pipe
Ada Ventures
Uncapped
Chisos
D2

What you'll learn in 6 weeks

Alternatives to VC

Pros & cons of different funding models

How to understand alternative funding structures

Where to access funding

How to build a successful fundraising strategy

How to speak with investors

The Alt Funding School + life time access to our network

EARLY BIRD SEAT

£650

PAYMENT OPTION

4 payments of  £162.50

SCHOOL DATES

11th September - 30th October 2024

APPLICATION DEADLINE

2nd September 2024

Seats capped at 45

Learn from 

the experts

Over 50 investors, founders and academics have joined the Considered Capital community to train founders to raise alternative funding

CC expert photos

Emma Shaw

Co-Founder Library of Things
Topic: How I fundraised

Jenny Kassan

Jenny Kassan

Attorney & Capital raising coach
Topic: Debt & Equity
CC expert photos (1)

Aunnie Patton Power

Author Adventure Finance

Topic: Your funding roadmap

Juho

Juho Makkonen

Co-founder Sharetribe
Topic: How I fundraised

Asher Ismail

Asher Ismail

Investor & Co-Founder Upcapped

Topic: Revenue Based funding

Sibi

Sibi Murugesan

Chief of Staff Calm Company Fund

Topic: New Financing Instruments

Will Stringer

Will Stringer

Founder at Chisos
Topic: New Funding Instruments
Amory

Amory Poulden

Founding Partner at D2
Topic: New Financing Instruments

Daria Urman

Daria Urman

Investment Partner at Purpose Economy

Topic: Steward Ownership

What our graduates are saying

“If you’re thinking of doing one of the traditional accelerator programmes, do this first! It will save you a lot of time and spare you conversations with funders who you weren’t aligned with in the first place. Esme’s Programme is carefully thought through and has become the perfect antidote to the powerful marketing of the VC world."

- Aela Callan, founder of Headset, cohort 4

"I've been seeking funding for a while and often find this sort of information a little repetitive - BUT as we got deeper into the details, there was huge value in the training and resources - things that made me stop and think - things that challenged my assumptions - and useful processes, tips and suggestions that I was able to action immediately."

- Gary Todd, founder of Centrakin, cohort 3

"8 months ago I was feeling lost. Despite lots of research I still felt like I was missing the basic knowledge to put my meetings with investors into context. Then I found the Alternative Funding School. Not only did Esme take us through the basics but opened me up to a whole new world of exciting financing options that I hadn’t even considered. I’ve now got the language and the structure to understand the different options available to us and what we need to do to start our funding journey."

- Jane Middlehurst, founder of Home Notes, cohort 4

Meet your instructor

Esme profile home page

Esme Verity

Fundraising coach and Founder, Considered Capital

Over the course of 6 weeks, Esme will host 5 live sessions where she’ll invite founders and investors to share their knowledge and expertise. During these live sessions you'll gain real insights into what it takes to successfully fundraise.

If you aren’t able to make a session, we’ll have recordings available for you.

The Alternative Funding School

COST

£595

PAYMENT OPTION

4 payments of  £148.50

SCHOOL DATES

14th June - 24th July

APPLICATION DEADLINE

1st June 2023

In the school we will:

1. Meet your cohort

In our one-hour orientation, you’ll access the course curriculum, set your intentions and get to know the rest of the cohort with a learning exercise.

We’ll explore our beliefs around money and how they impact our approach to fundraising. You'll step away with a clearer idea of how to overcome the limiting beliefs holding you back.

2. Find the right capital

We'll walk through a framework for module two to assess your funding options. This module will help you define your funding needs and determine the right funding path to take.

3. Understand Grants, Equity and Debt

The easiest way to secure funding is to know your options and where to access them. By the end of this module, you'll leave with a complete funding database packed full of funding opportunities.

4. Meet the alt investors

Get to know brilliant funders and understand their mindset when making investment decisions. You'll meet different investor types and learn what they're looking for when investing.

5. Meet the funded founders

Emma and her co-founders raised 1 million pounds for Library of Things, and we'll hear her exclusively share the highs and lows of their entire funding story.

Emma will walk us through how they identified and tested potential funding options, decided on equity as the correct route and secured funding from socially conscious investors.

6. Build Your Funding Roadmap

In this final module, we’ll recap our lessons learned and together identify what you need to create a crystal clear funding plan for your business.

School schedule

2-4 hours per week (all sessions are recorded)

📅 Runs from 14th June - 24th July 2023

6 Modules Over 6 Weeks

We host just one cohort a year to guarantee the quality of our cohorts.

🖥️ Live Zoom sessions every Wednesday

4-5pm GMT/5-6pm CET/8-9am PDT

Each session is one hour long and always recorded, so you never miss a thing.

📚 Self-paced videos & projects

2-3 hours per week

You'll get life time access to a library of content from our best experts. We'll hold you accountable with weekly exercises to complete in your own time.

The Alternative Funding School

COST

£595

PAYMENT OPTION

4 payments of  £148.50

SCHOOL DATES

14th June - 24th July

APPLICATION DEADLINE

1st June 2023

You'll get lifetime access to an ever-growing library of resources and videos from experts

The Alternative Funding School

COST

£595

PAYMENT OPTION

4 payments of  £148.50

SCHOOL DATES

14th June - 24th July

APPLICATION DEADLINE

1st June 2023

Why should I participate? 

If you're still considering snapping up one of the last seats on this year's Alternative Funding School, then let me give you 2 reasons to get a ticket:

2.

You'll save thousands of pounds! Some people can spend months, maybe a year or MORE searching and sometimes failing to find funding. Instead, we’re condensing a lonnnnnng journey into just six-weeks.

You'll meet experts in funding that have been there, done it all before and been successful! We're lifting the veil on where all the alternative funding is and how to access it.

FAQs

I can't join this cohort, will there be more?

This is the only cohort we'll be running this year.

 

I'm a founder and money is tight, is it worth it?

We have condensed hundreds of hours of research and thousands of pounds of consulting time into a 6 week course. If you’re considering fundraising in the next 6-12 months and think that venture capital isn’t right for you, this will be the best investment you’ll make.

I'm already fundraising. Will this still be helpful?

Yes, many people join who are already fundraising but want to understand if there are options they still need to consider. In our last cohort, we even had someone who had already received term sheets from investors but wanted to be sure they were making the right decision.

What's the time commitment?

2-3 hrs per week. Live Zoom sessions are every Wednesday, and each session is one hour long.

What do I need to have done to join?

You don't need any experience in fundraising as long as you've got a business, an idea or a project you're looking to get funded.

What if I'm unhappy with the course?

If you watched all of the videos, attended the live sessions and completed all the exercises and you're not satisfied, get in touch in the first 30 days and you will receive a full refund.

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