New Cohort launching Sept 11th -> Join the Waitlist.
We help purpose-led founders get funding
"We successfully raised our third equity-free grant following the valuable insights learned on this course."
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Verity Hall, Vegi
"Top Cuvée has now been offered a £75k in alternative funding which is pretty much all we need right now"
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Brodie Meah, Top Cuvée
"With invaluable guidance from Considered Capital I was able to secure funding for my impact driven business"
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Ella Shone, Topup Truck
Our community
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
RAISING MONEY FOR YOUR 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.
FIGURING OUT YOUR NEXT 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.
BUILDING 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.
What our alumni have to say
Testimonials from our global Kinship
Romek Goj, Notebits
"The Alternative Funding School has been a wonderful experience! A true wealth of perspectives, resources, guidance, inspiration and fundraising support - both in the course sessions and online materials themselves, i.e. Esme's and guest speakers' knowledge, as well as in the incredible people who participated!!"
Claire Fram, 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, 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, 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."
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."
Meet our founder
Esme Verity
Fundraising coach and Alternative Funding Expert
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.
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.
- The cohort includes 90-minute live workshops every Wednesday 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-mindedpeople, 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 200 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!
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.
Accountability = confidence
Our one-to-one coaching package.
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 this interests you, then select the package that includes two one-to-one coaching calls with Esme.
Coaching testimonial
I’ve now spent a good few hours exploring, filing away, prioritising the resources, and making notes based on our conversation. I feel it’s been very, very valuable. With the combination of the foundation of The Alternative Funding School, its wealth of resources, and Esme's one-to-one guidance, I must say this combination feels just perfect!
- Romek Goj, Founder of Notebits
Connecting you with an ecosystem of funders & investors
Pricing
without coaching
with coaching
Early Bird Seat
£795 £650
- Early bird price for one founder to enrol in our seven-week Alt Funding School
- Available as 4 payments of £162.50
- 50% off co-founder & team tickets
Hear what our founders have to say
Top three things to know
Each week you'll access a 90 miniute live session, on demand video training, and time saving templates to complete in your own time.
Week one
Welcome!
Meet the rest of your cohort, share your journey, and delve into your money beliefs as a group.
Week two
Legal & Governance Structures for Impact Businesses
Dive deep into legal and governance structures that protect against mission drift and understand the best legal structure to secure funding. You'll also be put in your accountability groups to share your ideas with our legal experts.
Week three
Your roadmap to fundraising
Join us for a hot seat session where you can present your assignment to the cohort and get direct feedback from our experts and the group. You'll also explore crucial questions for building out your fundraising roadmap.
Week four
Winning grants & early stage funding
Discover what it takes to fundraise without giving away equity. Learn how to unlock non-dilutive funding and hear the extraordinary story of Climate Farmers and how they landed an unconventional investment that put purpose on the same pedestal as profit.
Week five
Raising debt & equity
Showcasing the best alternatives to VC, we'll dig into debt financing, impact investing, family offices, innovative VCs and community shares. You'll join us live to explore angel funding and how to find the right funding fit.
Week six
A Step-By-Step Guide For Raising £1.5 Million On Your Terms
Delve into innovative funding and learn how to raise mission-aligned funding, including RBF, Structured exits, impact-linked financing and raising as a steward-owned business. Join us live to hear from the Library of Things and how they raised mission-aligned equity funding.
Week seven
Finalising your fundraise
Join us for an AMA with one of the pioneers behind the Zebra movement, and an absolute driving force in the world of Alt Funding, Astrid Scholz. After some closing words, we'll then put you in accountability groups to present your funding plan.
Beyond the course
Upon graduation, you'll join The Kinship, our ever-growing global community of 200+ 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.
bonus workshops:
-to be announced
You'll also get lifetime access to an ever-growing library of resources and videos from experts
The course includes a library of tools, resources and exercises and more to help you execute what I teach.
Aunnie Patton Power
Adventure Finance 🇿🇦
Innovative Funding
Sibi Murugesan
Calm Company Fund
Shared Earnings Agreement
Daria Urman
Purpose Fund
Steward-Owned aligned financing
Jenny Kassan
Attorney 🇺🇸
Debt & Equity
Asher Ismail
Uncapped 🇬🇧
Revenue Based funding
Laura Marras
Roots Of Impact 🇪🇸
Impact linked finance
Will Stringer
Chisos
The Convertible Income Share Agreement
Danny Spitzburg
Exit to Community
Purposeful Exits
Jess Bailey
Crowd 360
Crowdfunding
Build founder friendships for life and leave with a new-found fundraising confidence
“I didn't finish all the coursework, and yet the school is still the most valuable thing I've EVER done compared to any other accelerator/incubator I've been on in the past. The people I met at The Alt Funding School are much more helpful because they are genuinely plugged into funding opportunities. The value beyond the course has been invaluable considering the connections and community I now have around me for ongoing support."
- Ella Shone, founder of Topup Truck
“I’m speaking a whole new language having completed Esme’s Alt Funding School. I've learnt more about the options available to our business than I could ever have imagined. Fundraising has always felt so overwhelming but the tools I now have to map out our funding strategy are invaluable and we’re enjoying working through them all. ”
- Natalie Silverman, Fertility Matters at Work
“This course is the best overview of the alternative funding market available.
It is the equivalent of thousands of pounds worth of consultancy and advice and many months of research delivered in a digestible, clear, concise and in a time-frame appropriate for busy entrepreneurs."
-Jane Murray, Peace Beam
“I was looking for a dummies guide to fundraising for startups...
-Rebekah Clark, Happy Marlo
“I've never encountered such easily accessible, concise, and time-efficient knowledge before. With all these tools and a global community I feel more confident to take the lead in any funding discussion”
- Derya İzgür, Wellow
“I was seeking something that was alternative to the traditional VC path. The Alt Funding School gave me that right foundation, language and knowledge to understand how to match my goals and values with different funding sources. What was my favourite thing about participating in the school? The whole thing was amazing.”
- Lenae Storey, Perennial
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
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.
For Organisations
contact@consideredcapital.io