Jargon that hides the real deal
Pre-money, post-money, SAFE, cap, dilution. Mix them up and you can give away equity you did not mean to.
Mastering Fundraising for Entrepreneurs
Raise your first round without the expensive mistakes.
Fundraising Fundamentals is a video course that gives first-time founders the language, the timing and the strategy investors expect, before you sit down at the table.
Video lessons, a hands-on action step after every lesson, and quizzes to check your progress.
Raising money for the first time is confusing.
The quiz probably showed you where. These are the gaps that cost first-time founders the most.
Bad timing
Start raising with three months of cash left and investors hold all the leverage.
A number pulled from thin air
Too little and you stall before the next round. Too much and you sell equity you did not need.
The wrong investor
Pitching a fund that never backs your stage or sector wastes months and signals you skipped your homework.
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- Place your startup on the funding lifecycle and know what investors expect at each stage.
- Calculate valuation, ownership and dilution, and explain them with confidence.
- Choose between a SAFE, a convertible note and a priced round.
- Tell angels, VCs, corporate VCs and non-dilutive sources apart, and know which fit you.
- Decide whether to raise, how much, and when, with a plan tied to milestones.
- Build a fundraising story and get ready for due diligence.
The six courses.
Mastering Fundraising for Entrepreneurs has six courses, each sold separately. Open a course to see what you will learn.
1. Fundraising Fundamentals
- The startup funding lifecycle, from Pre-Seed to later stages, and how to cross the Valley of Death
- The language of investors: valuation, dilution, cap table, SAFE, convertible note, priced round, term sheet and due diligence
- Who invests and why: angels, VCs, corporate VCs and non-dilutive sources
- Strategy: whether to raise, how much, when, and how to tell your fundraising story
2. Sweat Equity and Bootstrapping Strategies
- Valuing time, skills, IP and network, and documenting equity splits and vesting in founder agreements
- Lean Startup methods: building an MVP, validated learning, and when to pivot or persevere
- Early monetisation: pre-sales, pilots and finding your first paying customers
- Frugal operations that stretch your cash further
3. Pre-Seed and Early Validation Funding
- What Pre-Seed funding is, how much to expect, and the metrics that make you fundable
- Accelerators and incubators: how they work and how to choose one
- Friends and family rounds: how to approach them and structure the deal
- Crowdfunding and alternative platforms
4. Non-Dilutive and Supplementary Funding Sources
- The full map of funding that keeps your equity: grants, debt, R&D tax credits and competitions
- Debt and revenue-based financing, and how to use them responsibly
- Grants: finding opportunities, how reviews work, why applications get rejected, and reporting
- Competitions and awards as a source of cash and visibility
5. Angel Investment and Seed Funding
- A readiness check: traction, team, market validation and the red flags investors spot
- How angels, angel groups, seed funds and micro VCs differ
- Building an investor target list and writing outreach that gets replies
- Term sheets and negotiation: valuation cap, liquidation preference, option pool and control terms
6. Venture Capital and Growth Funding
- How VC funds work and why the Power Law shapes what they back
- Funding stages from VC-led seed to Series A and growth rounds
- Due diligence: what VCs investigate and how to prepare your data room
- Growth strategy and exit planning, including M&A and IPO
Taught by people who raise money for a living.
€100M+
secured for startups in 4 years by Strata
Mastering Fundraising for Entrepreneurs is taught by a team of experts from Strata and its network: specialists in innovation, IP, finance and funding, a former VC, startup founders, coaches and mentors. Every course in the series is led by the expert best placed to teach it.
Start here. Go as deep as you need.
Fundraising Fundamentals is the first of six courses in Mastering Fundraising for Entrepreneurs. Each course is sold separately, so you only buy what you need.
Frequently asked questions
Who are the instructors of the courses?
Strata’s experts teach the funding courses available on FundingTrip:
- Aracelia Tamariz (Courses 1, 2 and 3: Fundraising Fundamentals; Sweat Equity and Bootstrapping Strategies; Pre-Seed and Early Validation Funding). Aracelia helps founders go from research and prototypes to real-world impact by building smart innovation strategies, securing funding (grants and investment), and protecting what matters through IP. Today, she leads innovation funding for Life Sciences companies at Strata.
- David Arias (Course 4: Non-Dilutive and Supplementary Funding Sources). David works with European deep-tech startups and small and medium companies, helping them with fundraising and go-to-market strategies. He also works as a coach in various European acceleration and startup coaching programmes and has co-founded several startups. He is the founder of Strata and FundingTrip.com.
- Martin Stanford (Course 5: Angel Investment and Seed Funding). Martin works with deep tech companies to assess their eligibility and suitability for public and private fundraising. He leads a dedicated team of funding and innovation consultants who secure large European grants.
- Alejandra Palomino (Course 6: Venture Capital and Growth Funding). Ex-VC, Alejandra worked at a leading European VC focused on the health and quality of life sector. She holds a PhD in Pharmacology and Physiology and an MBA, and is an expert in translational research projects, with a focus on preclinical drug R&D and clinical research.
What is Strata?
Strata is a consultancy based in Madrid, Spain, that helps deep tech and life sciences startups secure funding through different European funding programmes.
What is the scope of the courses?
The six courses focus on fundraising, entrepreneurship and innovation, to help researchers and founders launch their ventures and guide them through the process:
- Fundraising Fundamentals
- Sweat Equity and Bootstrapping Strategies
- Pre-Seed and Early Validation Funding
- Non-Dilutive and Supplementary Funding Sources
- Angel Investment and Seed Funding
- Venture Capital and Growth Funding
Are the courses sold separately?
Yes. Each course is sold separately, so you only buy what you need. Fundraising Fundamentals is the best place to start.
Who are these courses for?
Researchers, first-time founders and early-stage teams building technology or science-based ventures who want to understand how funding works before they raise. They are especially useful if you are developing a technological innovation that could be commercialised. No prior fundraising experience is needed.
What will I learn?
Across the series, you will be able to:
Course 1: Fundraising Fundamentals
- Articulate the stages of the startup funding lifecycle and identify appropriate funding sources for each stage.
- Master the key fundraising terminology and concepts you need to communicate effectively with investors.
Course 2: Sweat Equity and Bootstrapping Strategies
- Develop and implement effective bootstrapping and sweat equity strategies to maximise early-stage growth with limited capital.
Course 3: Pre-Seed and Early Validation Funding
- Evaluate and pursue pre-seed funding opportunities, including accelerators, incubators, and friends and family rounds.
Course 4: Non-Dilutive and Supplementary Funding Sources
- Identify and apply for non-dilutive funding sources, such as grants and competitions, to supplement capital.
Course 5: Angel Investment and Seed Funding
- Assess your startup’s readiness for angel investment and develop a targeted approach to find and engage angel investors.
- Understand the core components of term sheets and develop foundational negotiation skills.
Course 6: Venture Capital and Growth Funding
- Describe the venture capital landscape, understand VC motivations, and prepare for the due diligence process.
- Formulate a basic growth strategy and understand the importance of exit planning in the context of VC funding.
Is there a fixed timeline to complete the courses?
No. The courses are designed for flexible, self-paced study, so you can fit them around your entrepreneurial journey.
Is it an online course or in-person?
FundingTrip courses are 100% online.
What is the language of the courses?
The whole training is in English.
If I complete the courses successfully, do I receive a certificate?
Yes. After completion you receive a certification, issued by Strata.
Ready to raise with confidence?
Learn the fundamentals before your first investor meeting, not during it.
