Alt Funding School Logo
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Early Bird ends soon

 £650 £795

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

7 WEEKS · COHORT-BASED COURSE

May 2025

*SEATS ARE CAPPED 40 FOUNDERS

Find your fundraising confidence in 7 weeks.

300

companies supported

32

countries in our community

93%

feel more confident

97%

recommend the school

PAY ONLY ONCE YOU'RE ACCEPTED

Get funding aligned with your values

Testimonials from our global Kinship

Charis Crawford Corri (400 x 400 px)

Charis Crawford Corri

Global Pariahs

"The Alt Funding School enabled me as a 22-year-old WOC to feel confident and equipped to approach funding mindfully. I've attended many funding webinars, workshops & masterclasses over the years, but none of them have gone into the detail that this did."

aela callan (400 x 400 px)

Aela Callan 🇧🇪

Head Set

"If you’re considering doing one of the traditional accelerator programmes, do this! It will save you a lot of time and spare you conversations with funders you aren't aligned with. The Funding School is carefully thought through and is the perfect antidote to the powerful marketing of the VC world."

Image of Laura Harnett

Laura Harnett 🇬🇧

Seep

"There is very little chat about alternative funding paths out there or ways of evaluating one funding path over the other. Attending The Alternative Funding School allowed me to understand the hierarchy and learn that raising equity finance isn't the be-all and end-all!"

Sarah Bailey

Sarah Bailey 🇬🇧

Even

"Before this course I really only understood funding to mean either VC or grants but really there is an entire rich, impact aligned valley of funding options inbetween. This course has already paid for itself x3 in funding and partership opportunities. I HIGHLY recommend!"

Ella Shone(400 x 400 px)

Ella Shone 🇬🇧

Topup Truck

"With invaluable guidance from Considered Capital I was able to secure impact first funding for my product based business"

Renée Davis (400 x 400 px)

Renée Davis 🇬🇧

Out The Box

For a long time, I'd been putting off delving into the world of fundraising (out of fear) but promised myself this year I'd bite the bullet and get on with it, so when Esme presented this opportunity to me, I signed up! It's been an amazing informative space and I look forward to applying everything I've learnt on our fundraising journey.

Verity Hall (400 x 400 px)

Verity Hall 🇬🇧

Vegi

"We successfully raised our third equity-free grant following the valuable insights learned on this course."

Kamalah Fletcher (400 x 400 px)

Kamalah Fletcher 🇺🇸

Sweetlivity

"I cannot recommend the Alt Funding School enough. I felt validated when my peers were excited about what I was building, and it was really helpful to meet investors and angels and hear from them why they invest, what they offer and what they look for."

Fiona Oka (400 x 400 px)

Fiona Murden 🇬🇧

Oka

"A truly brilliant course covering ALL aspects of fundraising, encouraging you to really think through your own options and challenge existing assumptions. I would (and have) highly recommend to anyone who is at the early stages of their startup journey."

Diana Marie Lee (400 x 400 px)

Diana Marie Lee 🇺🇸

Sweet Livity

"I was at a place where I had a block about funding. Through The Alt Funding School, I challenged my assumptions around fundraising and decided I deserved support at this point in the business. We changed our business model and started charging differently."

PAY ONLY ONCE YOU'RE ACCEPTED

Our community of purpose-led founders

PAY ONLY ONCE YOU'RE ACCEPTED

Connecting you with an ecosystem of funders & investors

Zebras Unite
Logos (7)
Purpose
6
Village Capital
24
26
36
23
35
5

Seven weeks at the Alt Funding School will bring you:

newfound confidence to fundraise

Break down the complicated funding world

into manageable chunks

accountability and peer support

Gain a peer network that can hold you accountable and make the process of seeking funding more collaborative

new fundraising paths

Open your eyes to potential funding models for businesses with a social purpose that you perhaps haven’t heard of or considered for your business and show you how to access it

lots and lots of time saved

 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 seven-weeks

PAY ONLY ONCE YOU'RE ACCEPTED

This course is for you if you're looking to

raise money for your purpose led startup

Thinking about fundraising over the next 6 - 12 months but hitting a wall? Learn how and where to find the right funding that aligns with your stage, vision and future goals. 

plan out your next funding steps

You're stuck and don't know what to do next. Navigating the world of funding is super tricky, and we're going to help develop a step-by-step plan to successfully fundraise.

build an investor network

You've just started fundraising but don't know how to find the right funders. Learn how to build an investor profile, identify your ideal funder and how to approach them.

PAY ONLY ONCE YOU'RE ACCEPTED

Meet our founder

Faces (9)

She Founds Podcast

Dot To Dot podcast

Impact 10X podcast

For the last five years, I’ve been working with thousands of founders to connect them to the right sources of funding and support. I found early on that when founders aren’t shown all the funding options available, they can quickly hit a brick wall with their business. This can create a blocker, not only to the business moving forward but to your confidence.

So I built Considered Capital to support founders to feel more confident and to think outside the box when going after what they need to build a successful business.

So far, we’ve empowered thousands of founders to think beyond VC-style funding and consider other funding routes. Our mission is to open up alternative funding and the world of funding options available for startups, founders and socially-led businesses. We are determined to challenge the notion that Venture Capital is the only way to fund your business and teach everyone to find a funding fit that aligns with their values and to feel confident to go and get it.

Esme Verity

Esme Verity, Founder of Considered Capital

Sound familiar?

Founders join the Alternative Funding School worldwide. From the seed of a business idea to startups hitting a funding wall,

we will help you find the best funding channel for your startup.

You are in the right place.

I'm craving a community that gets how it feels to be a fundraising founder!

I need practical tips on how we can ensure we maintain integrity in our impact as we raise and grow (and possibly exit)

I just want someone to put all the essential funding knowledge on a plate!

I'm ready for my new full-of-confidence fundraising era

We are all hyped and believe in our mission...we just need to go in a funding direction that works for us!

I'm so frustrated by fundraising and feel excited and empowered to go out there and get the money our team deserves.

ONE-TO-ONE COACHING

Accountability = confidence

About

We recognize that accountability is a key ingredient to the confidence you need to go out there and fundraise for your business. Our one-to-one coaching with Esme is built on this principle. We want to offer tailored support at every step of your funding journey. Our coaching isn't just about providing information; it's about ensuring that your focus is sharp and confidence is high. With Esme as your dedicated coach, guiding you throughout your fundraising process, you’ll not only build your fundraising knowledge, but you’ll get expert advice and accountability to propel you forward.

If one-to-one coaching interests you, select the package that includes coaching calls with Esme when you apply.

PAY ONLY ONCE YOU'RE ACCEPTED

Top three things to know

Time commitment

Our school is flexible and built with busy founders in mind. You can pick which live sessions you join and watch only the most relevant pre-recorded videos. On average, you can expect to invest 1-3 hours per week, and sessions will be every Tuesday at 2 pm BST. If you miss a session or don't manage to watch all the videos, you'll get lifetime access to all the recordings.

Affordable payment plans

No payment is needed during the application process. You'll only pay the school fee if you're accepted onto the course and after we've answered your questions. Anyone can benefit from our four-month payment plan, meaning you'll pay just £198.75 a month. (PLUS, your enrolment in the school counts as a business expense!).

Curated & small cohort

We only accept 40 founders into each cohort, so the experience is highly personalised and intimate.  We curate each cohort to ensure synergy among students which means each cohort is on a similar journey and is truly like-minded. As well as sharing live sessions together, you'll be connected in small groups to provide peer-to-peer learning.

Aligned funding

What's included in the school?

CLICK TO EXPAND

  • The cohort includes 90-minute live workshops every Tuesday at 2pm BST with the best funding experts globally 
  • Each session includes Q&A's with your instructor and group work with your peers
  • Lifetime access to 20+ hours of expert content from our video library
  • Access to a Global Funding Directory full of grants, non-dilutive funding and impact investors 
  • Weekly exercises to hold you accountable and turn thought into action
  • Practical worksheets, tools & guides,  that will save you hours of work
  • Case studies of innovative companies and their financing structures
  • Discounts on selected specialist services and fundraising platforms 
  • Lifetime access to an online network of purpose-led founders where you can meet like-minded people, ask questions and share knowledge. 
  • An online digital space built just for your cohort
  • After the Alt Funding School, you'll have access to The Kinship to continue your learning journey with 250 other Alt Funding School alumni

To help you strategise you are put into accountability groups with four other founders with similar interests to share knowledge and build new connections - a student favourite!

You can access a copy of our curriculum by clicking the link below.

Download curriculum.

Did you know:

Your enrolment in the Alt Funding School is a business expense. Which means you can deduct it from your taxes! Invest in yourself by applying today.

WHAT'S COVERED

Everything you need to

start raising alternative funding

Each week you'll access a 90-minute live session, on demand video training, and time saving templates to complete in your own time.

Week one

Developing a positive money mindset

Developing and nurturing a strong money mindset is vital to succeed. It helps you grow your business, develop partnerships, overcome challenges, and bring in external investment.  

Week one

Week two

Choosing the right legal and governance model

Whether you're just starting out or your business is growing, it's crucial to understand the options as an impact company. Our legal experts will explore these legal and governance models and how to choose the right structure for your organisation.

Week two

Week three

Navigating the funding landscape

Assess the different funding routes open to you with expert guidance from our resident capital strategist. Volunteer for the 1:1 hot seat and receive direct feedback on your fundraising plan. 

Week three

Week four

Alternative ways to fund your business

Discover 16 new ways to fund your impact venture. Showcasing the best alternatives to VC, you'll learn how to unlock grants, debt financing, angel funding, impact investing, family offices, revenue-based funding, impact links loans and much more. 

Week four

Week five

The Reverse Pitch: Impact Funder Edition

We're flipping the traditional script and putting three impact-first funders in the hot seat as they pitch directly to you. They'll peel back the curtain and reveal the inner workings of their investment strategies.  

Week five

Week six

A Step-By-Step Guide For Raising Mission-aligned funding

Delve into the world of fundraising as a female founder. Join us live to hear the extraordinary story of Claire Rampen and how she raised over a million in funding that put purpose on the same pedestal as profit. 


Week six

Week seven

Steward ownership and purpose-driven funding

Meet Purpose Ventures, who help purpose-driven companies grow on terms that will not undermine their mission or independence.

Week seven

Beyond the course

Upon graduation, you'll join The Kinship, our ever-growing global community of 250+ founders from all over the world! 

We run expert workshops, host in-person networking events and make direct introductions to investors and supporters in our community.

Beyond the course
Plus (1)

Optional in-person breakfast

in London

Get lifetime access to an ever-growing library of on demand training

The course includes a library of tools, resources and exercises and more to help you execute what I teach.

Experts - Alt funding

Fundraising strategy

Learn how to build a fundraising strategy. Identify the best funding sources and where to access them.

Astrid

Impact Investing

Demystify the world of impact investing and hear from one of the pioneers behind the Zebra movement, Astrid Scholz.

Jem Stein

Angel Funding

Hear from active angel investors. If you’re focused on raising from angels learn everything you need to know to secure funding.

Laura

Impact Linked Finance

Delve into the world of impact-linked finance. Unlock funding that is linked to the social value you create.

Asher

Revenue-based funding

Discover how to access money without giving away equity and pay it back using your own revenue.

Emma Shaw

Impact First Angels

Learn how to raise 1.5 million in impact-first funding that puts purpose on the same pedestal as profit.

Invest in The Alt Funding School
and get lifetime access to our network

Alt Funding School Logo

EARLY BIRD DEADLINE

Ends soon

SCHOOL DATES

May 2025

This is one of the best funding resources I have stumbled on!

I loved how practical this course is. So many resources to reflect on, and how the information is framed helps you immediately identify a course of action for you/your business.

The narrative of traditional VC drowns out the possibility and opportunity of other alternative funding sources. It helped me identify funding options reflective of my startup's mission and values!

- Lenae Storey, Neighborish & Perennial Product Consulting

I feel much more confident about what we want to do and what direction to go in.  

I sought a service to show me the ropes and help me feel confident in this new landscape. 

Not only did Esme take us through the basics, but it opened me up to a whole new world of exciting financing options that I hadn’t even considered.  

It's been great! I feel much more confident about what we want to do and what direction to go in.  

- Jane Middlehurst, HomeNotes

The resources you will unlock and the connections with other founders you will make are invaluable.

The accountability gang was one of the highlights of your course. The community and feeling so much less alone as a founder, especially as a first-time founder! We'll continue to meet up. 

I'm an alum of Cohort 4, and I cannot recommend this course highly enough!

- Jordan Borg, Sustainability & Purpose Copywriter & Comms Strategist

I've learned to think about things differently

I've learned to not accept the status quo and believe you can find more aligned investors. 

It was inspiring to be in a cohort of values-driven entrepreneurs from all around the world. It is a program that works for almost any early part of your journey

- Rachael Shaw, Noisy Cricket

Pricing

Single early bird seat

Price for one founder to enrol in our seven-week Alt Funding School

Single founder seat: £650 Single founder (payment plan): £162.50 x 4

Apply here

Single early bird + coaching

Enrol in our seven-week Alt Funding School

Everything included in the single founder seat

PLUS, 121 guidance with 2 hours of coaching calls with Esme Verity

Single founder + coaching: £1045 Single founder + coaching (payment plan): 4 x £261.25

Apply here

For teams

Enrol in our seven-week Alt Funding School as a team (coaching not included)

Price includes one founder seat plus additional seats for team members at 50% off

 

Apply here

Join hundreds of founders raising their funding confidence

Testimonials from our global Kinship

Moral Masuoka

Moral Masuoka 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Beautify Earth

"This course completely transformed my perspective around fundraising & investing."

Sem Lee

Sem Lee 🇬🇧

OURI Labs

"When I started the idea of fundraising felt completely out of reach for me and my early stage business. But I now feel more confident in understanding the different options and ways to build fundraising into my business strategy."

Martha Bentley

Martha Bentley 🇺🇸

Proprietor

"The grounding of funding in mission, values, & purpose; not just in making the most money as quickly as possible, was a mental & psychological tonic."

Donna Stimson

Donna Stimson 🇬🇧

The Green Skills Library

"I have made a group of solid friends to whom I am now accountable for my fundraising, and have most of the tools at my disposal to seek funding."

Derya İzgür

Derya İzgür 🇹🇷

Wellow

"I really appreciated how the course materials were structured. I've never encountered such easily accessible, concise, and time-efficient knowledge before."

Sam Pieperhoff

Sam Pieperhoff 🇬🇧

Barboxes Ltd

"The Alt Funding School has given me the confidence and knowledge to keep going with my early stage business. I now understand much better why some of the fundraising activities I was trying were not successful, and I have plenty of new ideas to try next."

Marie Carlisle

Marie Carlisle 🇬🇧

Goldfinger Design

"Esme and her team created a truly unique and insightful resources into alternative sources of funding which as a social enterprise is so refreshing. I can't recommend this course enough to anyone with a purpose-led business looking for funding."

Kate Fleming

Kate Fleming 🇬🇧

Horizontl

"Esme is so knowledgeable & passionate about purpose-led businesses & alternative sources of funding...The community she has built, including those who have successfully fundraised/are fundraising are so generous with their hard-won knowledge and experiences."

Atinuke Awe

Atinuke Awe 🇬🇧

Learning with Ez

"I feel more confident about my fundraising journey with learning with Ez and have practical steps to follow now as well as lifetime access for if I ever need to refer back!"

Caitlin Rozario

Caitlin Rozario 🇬🇧

Interlude

"The Alternative Funding School was a really safe space to ask questions and get solid foundations about fundraising. I loved that we started with learning more about ourselves – I've come to learn that skipping this step makes everything else harder, so it was the perfect starting point!"

Sol Escobar

Sol Escobar 🇬🇧

Give Your Best

"I am more confident about approaching different avenues for funding and financing, it's not as scary as I thought!"

Claire Fram

Claire Fram 🇺🇸

Diagonal Works

"I have very, very high praise for the format, communication, and structure of the virtual program. There was a combo of live sessions, peer-to-peer mentoring that fit participant's schedules & levels of interest, as well as a library of pre-work that participants could do independently between live sessions. I thought this format was extremely effective."

Natalie Silverman

Nat Silverman 🇬🇧

Fertility Matters at Work CIC

"I’m speaking a whole new language having completed Esme’s Considered Capital having learnt more about the options available to our business than I could ever have imagined."

Beth Pilgrim

Beth Pilgrim 🇬🇧

Supply Change

"The alternative funding school is a great way to kickstart your fundraising journey and simplifies what can sometimes be an overwhelming process for many founders, I would recommend for anyone looking to understand more about different funding options & models"

Kat Bury

Kat Bury 🇬🇧

The Human Edge

"Really enjoyed the course - it gave me the clarity I needed to plan for the short and long term"

Georgia Bondy

Georgia Bondy 🇬🇧

Well Adapt

"If you're trying to figure out how to balance mission with money and have struggled to find useful information elsewhere, this is definitely the right course."

Jessica Hornsby

Jessica Hornsby 🇬🇧

Equalital

"Being surrounded by so many wonderful people re-shaping the world of business and investment was pretty magical..."

Mahara Haque

Mahara Haque 🇬🇧

My Landlord Cares LTD

"Great course content and loads to learn!"

PAY ONLY ONCE YOU'RE ACCEPTED

YOUR QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

FAQS

Work with us (5)

Have more questions?

Say hello at esme@consideredcapital.io, and we'll help you figure out if this is a good fit for you.

Or you can take 5 minutes to fill out the short form below with your questions, and we'll get back to you ASAP.

There's no pressure and no obligation. We will not talk you into signing up if it's not a good fit.

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