New Cohort launching Sept 11th -> Join the Waitlist.  

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UPCOMING COHORT DATES

Cohort 8: 11th September - 30th October

7 WEEKS · COHORT-BASED COURSE

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

*SEATS ARE CAPPED 45 FOUNDERS

We help purpose-led founders get funding

Verity Hall

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

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Verity Hall, Vegi

Brodie Meah

"Top Cuvée has now been offered a £75k in alternative funding which is pretty much all we need right now"

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Brodie Meah, Top Cuvée

Ella Shone

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

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ella Shone, Topup Truck

Our community

companies supported
countries in our global community
%
feel more confident after graduating
%
would recommend the funding school to a friend

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

This course is for you if you need help with

RAISING MONEY FOR YOUR STARTUP

4

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

5

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

6

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."

"I would highly recommend it to anyone, especially if you're mission led because it really helps you to understand what choices you have when it comes to fundraising and how to make the best decision."

- Heather Payne at Toast 91

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Dot To Dot podcast

Impact 10X podcast

Be & Think in the House of Trust

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.

Aligned funding

What's included in the school?

CLICK TO EXPAND

  • 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

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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

Zebras Unite
Logos (7)
Purpose
6
Village Capital
24
26
Workshop client logos (2)
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22
5

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

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

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 Wednesday at 2 pm GMT. If you miss a session or don't manage to watch all the videos, you'll get life time 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.

WHAT'S COVERED

Everything you need to

start raising alternative funding

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 one

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 two

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 three

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 four

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 five

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 six

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. 

Week seven

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.

Beyond the course
Plus (1)

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

Person-Aunnie-Patton-Power
Adventure Finance 🇿🇦

Innovative Funding

Sibi Murugesan

Sibi
Calm Company Fund 🇺🇸
Shared Earnings Agreement 

Daria Urman

Daria Urman
Purpose Fund 🇩🇪

Steward-Owned aligned financing

Jenny Kassan

Jenny Kassan
Attorney 🇺🇸
 Debt & Equity

Asher Ismail

Asher Ismail
 Uncapped 🇬🇧

Revenue Based funding

Laura Marras

Laura Marras

 Roots Of Impact 🇪🇸
Impact linked finance

Will Stringer

Will Stringer
Chisos 🇺🇸
The Convertible Income Share Agreement

Danny Spitzburg

Danny Spitzburg
Exit to Community 🇺🇸
Purposeful Exits

Jess Bailey

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...

This course is much more than that. Considered Capital is a brilliant introduction to alternative funding. As a first-time founder, the financial aspect of the business seemed hugely overwhelming.

Esme did a brilliant job of breaking the different options down, outlining the consequences to consider, myth-busting, and presenting everything in clear, plain language.

-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

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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