The Alternative Funding School (5)
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UPCOMING COHORT

Cohort 6: Summer 2023

Dates: 14th June - 26th July

6 WEEKS · COHORT-BASED COURSE

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

*DOORS CLOSE ON 7th JUNE OR WHEN SEATS ARE FULL

Funders we've worked with

Zebras Unite
5
Purpose
6
Village Capital
24
26
Workshop client logos (2)
23
22
Virgin Startup

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

Our community

companies supported
countries in our global community
%
average increase in confidence
%
would recommend the funding school to a friend

Six weeks at the Alt Funding School will bring you:

newfound confidence to fundraise

Break down the complicated funding world

into manageable chunks

like-minded founders

A peer group to learn together and to 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 six-weeks

Sound familiar?

Founders join the Alternative Funding School worldwide. From the seed of a business idea to startups hitting a funding wall, the school will help you navigate the alternative funding landscape regardless of business model or sector.

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.

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Meet your host

Esme Verity

Fundraising coach and Founder, Considered Capital

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.

Why you should apply for the funding school

Testimonials from our global Kinship 🌍

Brodie Meah, Founder, Top Cuvée 🇬🇧

"Learning about some of the alternative options was very helpful, and we've now been offered £75k in alternative funding which is pretty much what we need right now. Thanks a million!"

Claire Fram, Co-founder Diagonal Works 🇺🇸

"I have very, very high praise for the format, communication, and structure. There was a combination of live sessions, peer-to-peer mentoring, as well as a library of pre-work that participants could do independently between live sessions. I thought this format was extremely effective.  I have stayed connected with many of the people who were on my course - and they have connected me with their networks, opened partnership opportunities, and shared their good/bad/ugly experiences with me"

Fiona Murden, Founder, 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."

Aela Callan, Co-founder, 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 who 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."

Sonja Mewes, Remote Times 🇩🇪

"The course was a perfect kick-in-the-ass for me to finally make some decisions about funding or not and its great to be part of a crowd of people looking for alternative roads!"

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 slightly 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 founder

Team package

Single founder

£595

  • Price for one founder to enrol in our six-week Alt Funding School
  • Available as 4 payments of £148.50
  • Limited availability!
Day
Hour
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Doors close on 7th June 2023, or when seats are full

Discounts available for underserved founders

 

Every year we offer discounted seats for charities, students and underserved founders.

Why? Lack of confidence around funding and pitching can be a blocker for so many, and we want to be part of that change.

Email esme@consideredcapital.io for your discount.

Top three things to know

Time commitment

Our school has been shaped with busy founders in mind. Over the six weeks, you'll invest two to three hours of your time per week. Live Zoom sessions are every Wednesday at 4pm BST, 5pm CEST, 8am PST, and each session lasts for an hour and a half.

Curated cohort

There are only founders/people running businesses inside the school. We curate each cohort to ensure there'll be synergy among students. This means each cohort is on a similar journey and is truly like-minded.

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 anyone can benefit from our four-month payment plan, meaning you'll pay just £148.50 a month. (PLUS, your enrolment in the school counts as a business expense!).

Aligned funding

What's included in the school?

CLICK TO EXPAND

  • Six live sessions where you can ask questions directly to me and our funding experts. Available both live and on-demand
  • Lifetime access to 20+ hours of interviews with expert speakers on wide-ranging funding topics
  • A selection of practical worksheets, tools & guides, including a Global Funding Directory that will save you hours of work
  • Case studies of innovative companies and their financing structures
  • Weekly exercises to hold you accountable and turn thought into action
  • Discounts on selected specialist services and fundraising platforms i.e Seedrs, Crowdcube
  • Our exclusive community where you can meet, ask questions and share knowledge with supportive and likeminded social entrepreneurs

  • An online digital space built just for your cohort 

  • Self-organised pods based on similar interests for peer learning, brainstorming and accountability.

  • After the Alt Funding School, you'll have access to The Kinship to continue your learning journey with 150 other Funding School alumni

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.

Six-week programme outline

Week one

Finding the right capital

Overcoming your limited beliefs around money

Understanding yourself and your funding needs

Learning exercise: Complete your Founder Evaluation

Week one

Week two

Types of funding: grants & non-dilutive

Your own revenue

Grants & challenges

Incubators, accelerators & venture studios

Rewards-based crowdfunding

A bootstrapping Case Study

Week two

Week three and four

Types of funding - debt & equity

Types of debt financing

Raising equity funding

Equity crowdfunding

Angel investors

Impact investing, family offices and innovative VC

Community shares

A founder case study

Learning exercise: complete your investor profile

Week three and four

Week five

Types of funding: innovative funding

Revenue-based funding

Structured exits

Steward-ownership

A founder case study

Meet the alternative funders

Learning exercise: complete your fundraising database

Week five

Week six

Create your customised fundraising plan

Fundraising strategy: planning your fundraising roadmap

Learning exercise: complete your funding proposal

Week six

Beyond the course

During the Alternative Funding School and beyond, you'll have access to The Kinship, our ever-growing global community of founders.

You'll get access to the following:

  • a deep dive into alternative funding in Germany 
  • a networking hour with Aunnie Patton Power 
  • a networking hour with Exit to Community
Beyond the course
Plus (1)

2 BONUS interactive workshops

Access to a live Deep Dive into:

- Raising Angel Funding

-Alternative Funding in the US

Learn from the funding experts 

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

Sibi

Sibi Murugesan

Chief of Staff Calm Company Fund

Topic: New Financing Instruments

CC expert photos (1)

Aunnie Patton Power

Author Adventure Finance

Topic: Your funding roadmap

Daria Urman

Daria Urman

Investment Partner at Purpose Economy

Topic: Steward Ownership

Juho

Juho Makkonen

Co-founder Sharetribe
Topic: How I fundraised

Asher Ismail

Asher Ismail

Investor & Co-Founder Upcapped

Topic: Revenue Based funding

CC expert photos

Emma Shaw

Co-Founder Library of Things
Topic: How I fundraised

Will Stringer

Will Stringer

Founder at Chisos
Topic: New Funding Instruments
Amory

Amory Poulden

Founding Partner at D2
Topic: New Financing Instruments

Jenny Kassan

Jenny Kassan

Attorney & Capital raising coach
Topic: Debt & Equity

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

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.

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 long 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

Are you a Funder looking to broaden your funding options?

Our partnership with Aunnie Patton Power 

Screenshot 2023-05-28 at 10.02.33 AM

As a funder, you can assess your funding options for organisations in your pipeline and portfolio based on their company characteristics, their mission alignment and their funding needs.

BONUS: Get 15% off using this code:  CONSIDEREDTVQ1FXO

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Doors close on the 7th June or when seats are full

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