The world of investment is a tricky place. FinTechs need access to funding and the capital is certainly out there: but there are many challenges involved before you can close a deal and start scaling your business.
London FinTech Week, Mountside Ventures and FinTech Alliance are collaborating on a series of events that will deal with the ups and downs of the fundraising journey.
Founded by the team that co-founded and ran one of the Big 4’s leading international startup propositions, Mountside Ventures’ objective is to help the most ambitious entrepreneurs raise their next round of funding, with terms that are right for them, and causing the least amount of disruption to their business. They accomplish this through supporting startups in preparing for investment, introductions to relevant investors, and term sheet support.
London Fintech Week aims to bring together the world’s leading global network for FinTech, blockchain and digital impact to discuss the biggest trends in the FinTech landscape. This year, with physical events off the table, the week has gone online to support the ecosystem throughout Covid-19.
Sparked by its recent investment series as well as general conversations with the community, FinTech Alliance has identified some key challenges founders currently face. These include building the perfect pitch deck that will really catch an investor’s eye, but also be measured and realistic; building relationships with investors at an early stage; knowing the right time to start raising a round; and many more.
At present with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, even more issues are at play. How can you pitch to investors or even start to build relationships when you can no longer go out and meet people face to face? Will investors be more cautious due to the uncertain climate, or is FinTech still a strong proposition as it becomes more vital than ever?
Together, Mountside, FinTech Alliance and London Fintech Week will deliver a series of online events to help FinTechs best prepare for the fundraising experience. The event is also supported by the UK Government’s Department for International Trade.
Including interactive workshops, panels and time for audience Q and A participation, the events will run across three days from 7-9 July and will include:
- Day 1: Putting your best foot forward
- This topic will look at how you can build credibility and prove you’re a venture backable company. It will touch on the pitch deck, financial modelling best practice and other important pieces of the puzzle.
- Day 2: Engaging investors
- How do you pique an investor’s interest? This topic focuses on best practice when engaging investors, the investment process once you have a meeting, and how to put yourself in a VC’s shoes to understand why they would invest. It will of course touch on how to engage remotely at this time.
- Day 3: Term sheets.
- What is a term sheet? How should you go about analysing them? This day will also include some tips for negotiating terms.
The series should equip founders with everything they need to prepare for their first funding round. It will also offer insight into the issues faced by FinTechs and investors at the moment, and what the future market may look like.
