Entrepreneurial Finance Training Course

Participants can convert a business model into explicit, testable financial assumptions.

• Business Model Canvas translated into revenue, cost and working-capital assumptions
• Revenue architecture distinguishes subscriptions, transactions, licences and usage charges
• Pricing hypotheses tested against willingness-to-pay, discounting and churn assumptions
• Cost behaviour classified as fixed, variable, step-fixed and discretionary
• Operating assumptions documented with source evidence, ownership and review dates
• Assumption register ranks uncertainty by cash impact and decision sensitivity

Participants can interpret and connect financial statements used in entrepreneurial finance.

• Income statement separates recognised revenue from bookings, billings and cash collections
• Balance sheet identifies working capital, capitalised costs and financing obligations
• Cash flow statement reconciles operating profit, non-cash items and movements
• Three-statement links tested using balance checks and cash reconciliation
• IFRS revenue recognition considerations examined for subscription and milestone contracts
• Management accounts distinguish recurring performance from exceptional financing events

Participants can prepare a rolling cash forecast and identify liquidity intervention points.

• 13-week rolling cash forecast built from receipts, payroll and supplier data
• Cash runway calculated under base, downside and delayed-funding scenarios
• Weekly collections forecast uses invoice ageing, payment patterns and dispute status
• Payment calendar prioritises payroll, tax, debt service and critical suppliers
• Minimum liquidity threshold linked to board-approved contingency actions
• Variance analysis separates forecast error, timing shifts and operating deterioration

Participants can calculate and challenge the unit economics behind a growth plan.

• Contribution margin calculated after direct fulfilment, support and transaction costs
• Customer acquisition cost reconciled to channel spend and attributable new customers
• Lifetime value model incorporates retention, gross margin and cohort behaviour
• CAC payback period measures months required to recover acquisition expenditure
• Cohort analysis separates acquisition quality from aggregate revenue growth
• Rule of 40 interpreted alongside growth rate, margin and cash consumption

Participants can build an auditable integrated financial model for a growth venture.

• Model architecture separates inputs, calculations, outputs and control checks
• Revenue build uses drivers, conversion rates, cohorts and pricing schedules
• Headcount plan connects hiring dates, salaries, benefits and onboarding lags
• Working-capital schedule forecasts receivables, payables, inventory and deferred revenue
• Integrated statements update automatically from operating and financing assumptions
• Error checks test balance, circularity, sign conventions and formula consistency

Participants can quantify funding requirements under alternative operating and market conditions.

• Base case aligns management plan with evidenced operating assumptions
• Downside scenario models slower sales, weaker retention and collection delays
• Upside case tests capacity constraints, hiring lead times and working-capital demands
• Sensitivity tables isolate valuation and cash effects of key drivers
• Funding requirement calculated from peak cumulative cash deficit and liquidity buffer
• Decision triggers define actions for missed milestones and financing delays

Participants can assess equity funding options against strategic and economic requirements.

• Angel, seed, venture capital and growth-equity investors compared systematically
• Investor screening assesses sector thesis, cheque size, reserves and portfolio conflicts
• Funding round strategy links capital raised to measurable value-creation milestones
• Pre-money and post-money valuation distinguished using equity ownership calculations
• Syndicate structure examines lead investor roles, signalling and follow-on capacity
• Investor targeting list prioritises fit, process timing and decision-makers

Participants can compare debt and non-dilutive financing with equity alternatives.

• Bank loans assessed against collateral, covenants, amortisation and repayment capacity
• Venture debt evaluated through interest, warrants, covenants and drawdown conditions
• Revenue-based finance modelled using repayment caps and revenue-share percentages
• Asset finance matched to equipment life, residual value and cash generation
• Grants and tax incentives assessed for eligibility, restrictions and timing
• Debt service coverage ratio tested against downside cash flow scenarios

Participants can construct fully diluted ownership models for convertible financing structures.

• Capitalisation table records founders, employees, investors, options and convertibles
• Fully diluted ownership includes option pools, warrants and conversion shares
• SAFE conversion modelled using valuation caps, discounts and pro-rata rights
• Convertible note terms assess interest accrual, maturity and conversion mechanics
• Option-pool shuffle quantifies dilution between founders and incoming investors
• Waterfall analysis allocates proceeds under multiple financing and exit scenarios

Participants can value early-stage ventures using methods suited to limited financial history.

• Venture Capital Method derives present value from targeted exit returns
• First Chicago Method weights upside, base and downside valuation cases
• Comparable-company analysis normalises revenue multiples, growth and gross margins
• Precedent transactions adjusted for control premiums and market timing
• Discounted cash flow tests terminal value, discount rate and forecast credibility
• Valuation range communicates uncertainty rather than false numerical precision

Participants can assess investor return expectations and financing costs across capital sources.

• Required return reflects stage risk, illiquidity, concentration and execution uncertainty
• Cost of equity estimated using comparable returns and risk-adjusted judgement
• Weighted average cost of capital applied cautiously to mature forecast periods
• Internal rate of return calculated from investment timing and exit proceeds
• Multiple on invested capital compared with realised cash return profiles
• Hurdle rates tested against holding period, dilution and follow-on investment

Participants can present financial evidence in a concise investor-facing format.

• Investment narrative links customer problem, traction, economics and funding use
• Use-of-funds schedule assigns capital to milestones, capability and runway
• Key performance indicators selected for business model, stage and investor concerns
• Financial slides reconcile headline metrics with detailed model outputs
• Data room index organises assumptions, statements, contracts and legal records
• Management presentation anticipates questions on risks, dilution and exit potential

Participants can perform focused financial due diligence on an entrepreneurial investment opportunity.

• Quality of earnings review separates recurring revenue from one-off activity
• Revenue testing traces contracts, invoices, cash receipts and customer concentration
• Working-capital review identifies ageing, liabilities and cash conversion pressure
• Forecast challenge tests assumptions against historical evidence and market data
• Red-flag register ranks financial, commercial, tax and governance concerns
• Investment memorandum states findings, conditions and residual decision risks

Participants can analyse term-sheet provisions and model their economic consequences.

• Term sheet structure distinguishes economic terms from control and process terms
• Liquidation preference models participating, non-participating and capped outcomes
• Anti-dilution provisions compare broad-based weighted average and full-ratchet formulas
• Pro-rata rights assessed for follow-on participation and ownership protection
• Board rights define governance influence, reserved matters and information access
• Drag-along and tag-along clauses tested against exit decision scenarios

Participants can prepare and conduct evidence-based negotiations on funding terms.

• Negotiation objectives distinguish non-negotiables, tradeable items and preferred outcomes
• BATNA analysis establishes alternatives to the proposed funding transaction
• Issue map connects valuation, control, liquidation and future-financing implications
• Concession strategy exchanges lower-priority terms for measurable economic value
• Investor questions answered using model evidence, assumptions and sensitivity analysis
• Negotiation record captures agreed terms, open items and accountable owners

Participants can design governance and reporting routines appropriate for funded growth businesses.

• Board pack combines performance, runway, risks, decisions and forward indicators
• Monthly investor reporting reconciles operational metrics with financial statements
• Delegated authority matrix sets approval thresholds for spending and commitments
• Treasury controls separate payment initiation, approval and bank reconciliation duties
• Related-party transactions disclosed through clear approval and reporting procedures
• Audit trail requirements documented for financing, share issuance and option grants

Participants can identify and manage treasury risks affecting entrepreneurial liquidity and value.

• Foreign-exchange exposure mapped by currency, timing, certainty and natural offsets
• Interest-rate risk assessed for floating-rate debt and refinancing requirements
• Counterparty risk reviewed for banks, payment providers and major customers
• Cash concentration procedures set account limits and liquidity transfer routines
• Crisis cash plan sequences collections, spending controls and stakeholder communication
• Risk register assigns indicators, mitigations, owners and escalation thresholds

Participants can assess exit options and their effects on stakeholder value realisation.

• Trade sale, secondary sale, management buyout and IPO routes compared
• Exit readiness assesses financial reporting, contracts, governance and management depth
• Buyer universe analysis identifies strategic synergies and financial sponsor interest
• Exit valuation bridges enterprise value, debt, cash and equity proceeds
• Distribution waterfall allocates proceeds among shareholders under contractual preferences
• Pre-exit actions address working capital, customer concentration and key-person dependency

Participants can build, review and present a complete investor-ready entrepreneurial finance pack for a growth venture.

• Integrated model consolidates operating plan, statements, cash forecast and funding rounds
• Funding strategy compares equity, debt and convertible alternatives against milestones
• Capitalisation table calculates dilution, option requirements and investor ownership outcomes
• Valuation analysis triangulates Venture Capital, First Chicago and comparable methods
• Investment recommendation states risks, terms, conditions and proposed decision
• Board presentation defends assumptions, liquidity plan and stakeholder value outcomes