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Course 17 lessons

Fundraising 101

Master the art and science of raising your first round. From pre-seed to seed, learn how to build a compelling narrative and close investors.

DC
Dave Cotter
Founder, Kelsor Ventures

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"The Fundraising Mindset" is free to read.

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Course Curriculum

1
The Fundraising Mindset
Why most founders approach fundraising wrong — and the mental models that actually work.
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2
When NOT to Raise: The Case for Bootstrapping First
Most founder advice is "raise money, build, scale." That's not always right. Sometimes the best decision is to not raise — yet.
3
Pre-Seed vs. Seed: Check Sizes, Valuations & Terms
How pre-seed rounds actually differ from seed rounds — the numbers, instruments, and deal dynamics you need to understand.
4
Fundraising While Operating: Staying Alive During the Raise
Fundraising is a full-time job that has to fit into your full-time job. Here's how to do both without killing either.
5
Fundraising Narrative — Not Just Your Pitch Deck
Your pitch deck gets meetings. Your narrative gets funded. Learn to build the story investors repeat when you're not in the room.
6
Your Pre-Seed Pitch Deck: What Early Investors Expect
The pre-seed deck is a different animal than a seed deck. Here's what early investors actually want to see — and what they don't.
7
Building Your Seed Pitch Deck
The 12-slide framework that has raised over $50M. Build a deck that investors actually want to read.
8
Building Credibility Without Revenue
How to demonstrate momentum, insight, and execution ability when you have no customers, no MRR, and nothing to show but an idea.
9
Finding the Right Investors
How to build a targeted investor list and get warm introductions that actually convert.
10
Founder–Investor Fit: Diligencing Your Investors
Most founders evaluate investors by check size. That's backwards. The wrong investor will cost you more than the right one will ever help you.
11
Pre-Seed Fundraising: Raising Before You Have Traction
How to raise your first $100K–$750K from friends & family, angels, and pre-seed funds — before you have revenue or significant traction.
12
Creating Investor FOMO: How to Run a Tight Process
FOMO in fundraising isn't about tricks — it's about running a process tight enough that scarcity becomes real. Real scarcity creates real urgency.
13
Handling Investor Pushback and Objections
Objections aren't rejections. They're opportunities to provide information and build credibility. Here's how to handle the four most common ones.
14
The Term Sheet Decoded
Understand every clause in a term sheet. Know what to negotiate and what to let go.
15
The Data Room: What to Prepare and When
Diligence is where deals die. A clean data room signals a clean business. Here's exactly what to prepare and when to have it ready.
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16
Closing the Round
From term sheet to wire: the operational playbook for closing your fundraise efficiently.
17
Bridge Rounds, SAFEs, and Extensions
When your raise stalls, you have options. Here's how bridges, SAFEs, and extensions work — and when each is the right call.
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One-time payment · Lifetime access

17 in-depth lessons
Self-paced, learn on your schedule
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About This Course

Raising money is the single most misunderstood part of building a startup. Most founders waste months chasing the wrong investors with the wrong pitch at the wrong time.

This course distills 15+ years of fundraising experience into a practical, no-BS guide. You'll learn how to build a pitch deck that actually converts, identify the right investors for your stage, navigate term sheets without getting fleeced, and close rounds efficiently.

Whether you're pre-revenue or post-PMF, these frameworks will help you raise smarter — not just harder.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Fundraising 101 for?

Fundraising 101 is for founders preparing to raise a first pre-seed or seed round, especially first-time founders who want a practical process for reaching and closing the right investors.

What will I learn in Fundraising 101?

You'll learn to shape your fundraising narrative and pitch, target investors, run an organized outreach and meeting process, evaluate term sheets, prepare for diligence, and close a round.

How does lifetime access work?

Your one-time purchase gives your account ongoing access to every lesson, so you can learn at your own pace and revisit the material later. There is no recurring subscription.

How is Fundraising 101 different from the other Founder Academy courses?

Fundraising 101 focuses on raising your first round. Ops & Finance for Seed Stage covers runway, cash flow, unit economics, hiring, and board reporting; Scaling from Seed to Series B covers the systems, leadership, metrics, and fundraising readiness needed to grow after seed.