UPCOMING COHORT

Cohort 7: Spring 2024

Dates: 7th February - 27th March

7 WEEKS · COHORT-BASED COURSE

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

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

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

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 seven-weeks

Why you should apply for the funding school

Testimonials from our global Kinship 🌍

Romek Goj, Founder, 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, 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, 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."

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!"

Esme profile home page

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, 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.

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. 
  • Available both live and on-demand
  • 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, 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
  • An accountability group with four other founders with similar interests to help hold you accountable, 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

Faces (9)

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

Some of the funders in our network

Zebras Unite
Logos (7)
Purpose
6
Village Capital
24
26
Workshop client logos (2)
23
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

Early Bird Pricing

without coaching

with coaching

Single founder seat

£795 £595

  • Price for one founder to enrol in our seven-week Alt Funding School
  • Available as 4 payments of £148.50
  • Bulk discount available for Co-Founders & Teams

Discounts available for underserved founders

 

Every year we offer discounted seats for people of colour, those outside of the binary gender spectrum, and others who are underrepresented in entrepreneurship.

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 seven 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.

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!).

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.

Seven-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

Learning exercise: complete your investor profile

Alina Klarner

Week three and four

Week five and six

Types of funding: innovative funding

Revenue-based funding

Structured exits

Steward-ownership

Meet the alternative funders

Learning exercise: complete your fundraising database

Week five and six

Week seven

Create your customised fundraising plan

Fundraising strategy: planning your fundraising roadmap

Learning exercise: complete your funding proposal

Week seven

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:

  • financial reporting and getting the numbers right
  • legal and governance structures for impact business
  • networking hours
Beyond the course
Plus (1)

2 BONUS interactive workshops

Access to a live Deep Dive into:

- coming soon!

Our expert network 

Get personalised guidance from experts, instructors and coaches with years of fundraising experience. Our global network consists of impact angels, impact investors, VCs, debt providers and innovative funders.

Jem Stein

Jem Stein
Daring Capital 🇬🇧

Impact Angels

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 🇺🇸
Alternative Exits

Jess Bailey

Jess Bailey

Crowd 360 🇬🇧
Crowdfunding

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

You'll be building founder friendships for life and leave with a new-found fundraising confidence

“With the knowledge, tools, and global community offered by Alternative Funding School, you'll empower yourself to take the lead in any funding discussion and make informed funding decisions for your impact startup.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

- Derya İzgür

“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. Whilst it has felt overwhelming the tools I now have to map out our funding strategy are invaluable and we’re enjoying working through them all.  ” 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 - Natalie Silverman

“I feel more confident about my fundraising journey !”

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

- Atinuke Awe

“I would absolutely recommend the Alternative Funding School to a friend who is wanting to learn the bones of fundraising. 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.” 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 - Donna Stimson

“I loved how candid it was. I feel like I've learned a lot from having this personal look at VC funding from the other side. Thank you!”

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

- Romek Goj

“it was a really safe space to ask questions and get solid foundations about fundraising.”

⭐⭐⭐⭐

- Caitlin Rozario

Why should I participate? 

If you're still considering snapping up one of the early bird 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 seven-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

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