Course Description

Introducing our newest VentureWrench course - Raising Capital in a Down Economy! 

Things have changed dramatically since the pandemic arrived in early 2020. The public equity markets plunged and continue to gyrate.  The "end date" of the economic lockdown is unknown, but the pattern of startup investor behavior is pretty well understood by those of us who've skiied the market avalanche before.

Importantly these changes in investor behavior may last 2 to 3 years!

I created this new course, Raising Capital in a Down Economy, building on our unique philosophy of "Designing the Perfect Investor", and adding the latest information on what's happening in venture capital to help you better navigate today's challenges in securing capital for your venture.

This course includes all of the content of our flagship course - Designing the Perfect Investor, as well as additional custom content specifically related to the ways things are different in a down or declining economy, and techniques and strategies to help improve your success!

The purpose of this course is to educate and support you, to help you navigate a funding environment which has become, and we should expect to stay, increasingly treacherous!

The Core Objectives are to help you:

  • understand how investors work
  • understand the background information needed to be ready to raise capital
  • understand how to develop compelling tools needed to be prepared to approach investors.  

Finally, you will understand how to Design the Perfect Investor for your business, your stage and your industry, and then how to search for, and find, those “perfect investors".

Only you, the entrepreneur and your team can properly prepare yourself and put these ideas and philosophy to work, but if you put what you learn here to work, you will be better prepared for the negotiation of your lifetime - raising money from investors!

President & CEO and co-Founder, Enclavix, LLC, Creator of AI-Powered VentureWrench Startup Coaching Community, Private Company Board Member, Serial Entrepreneur, Innovator, Capital Coach, Successful Fundraiser

Nicole Toomey Davis

Nicole Toomey Davis is President & CEO of Enclavix, LLC, creators of VentureWrench.com, a free online application that uses artificial intelligence to curate the most useful resources for entrepreneurs. Ms. Davis is a serial entrepreneur who has raised millions of dollars from angel and VC investors as well as over $1.2 million in funding from the NSF SBIR program.  She has mentored hundreds of entrepreneurs and spent 6 years running a grant funding program for the State of Utah to help bring to market some of the state's most advanced technologies. Ms. Davis blogs at Notes.Venturewrench.comThis course is an extension of a presentation she has been asked to give to many groups of entrepreneurs to help level the playing field with investors! Ms. Davis holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Brigham Young University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She is a published author, with both textbook contributions and press articles to her credit, and is frequently called upon to speak at industry events and has been recognized by her peers with many industry awards.  

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Chapter 1 Introduction to Raising Capital in a Down Economy - Designing the Perfect Investor

    • Welcome to Raising Capital in a Down Economy - Designing the Perfect Investor

    • Skiing the (Stock Market) Avalanche

    • 5 Changes In Raising Startup Capital when Stock Markets Plunge!

    • Introduction Video of Designing the Perfect Investor

    • VentureWrench Workbook Chapters 1-9 - Designing the Perfect Investor

    • VentureWrench Workbook Chapters 10-bonus - Designing the Perfect Investor

    • VentureWrench Guide to Investor Capital - More Insights on Investors
  • 2

    Chapter 2 - How This Course can Help you Raise Money for your Startup

    • How this course can Help You

    • Legal Stuff

    • What Question Will You Answer with This Course?
  • 3

    Chapter 3 Be In the Market

    • 3 Be In The Market

    • Where Are YOU In Your Market - SWOT Analysis

    • Key Customer Benefits Worksheet

    • Competition Worksheet

    • Intellectual Property Worksheet

    • Financial View Worksheet
  • 4

    Chapter 4 Know Yourself

    • 4 Know Yourself

    • Worksheet - Know Yourself
  • 5

    Chapter 5 Who are your Big Friends?

    • Who are Your Big Friends?

    • Worksheet - Who are Your Big Friends?
  • 6

    Chapter 6 Identify Your Theme

    • Identify Your Theme

    • Worksheet - Identify Your Theme
  • 7

    Chapter 7 Understanding What Drives Angel Investors

    • Understanding What Drives Angel Investors
  • 8

    Chapter 8 How Venture Capital Firms Work

    • Chapter 8 How Venture Capital Firms Work!
  • 9

    Chapter 9 The Designer Investor!

    • The Designer Investor!

    • Your Designer Investor - Worksheet and Description Pages
  • 10

    Chapter 10 Explain Yourself - Overview of Tools of the Trade

    • Overview of Tools of the Trade
  • 11

    Chapter 11 Tools of the Trade - Develop Your Basic Elevator Pitch

    • Develop Your Elevator Pitch

    • Your Turn Elevator Pitch Outline

    • Elevator PItch Alternative Model Worksheet
  • 12

    Chapter 12 Tools of the Trade - Elevate your Elevator Pitch!

    • Elevate Your Elevator Pitch

    • Worksheet - Add Wow!
  • 13

    Chapter 13 Tools of the Trade - Execute an Amazing Executive Summary

    • Execute an Amazing Executive Summary

    • An Example of an Executive Summary
  • 14

    Chapter 14 Tools of the Trade - Batter Up for an Awesome Pitch Deck

    • Your Awesome Pitch Deck - Part 1

    • Your Awesome Pitch Deck - Part 2

    • Pitch Deck 15 Slide Worksheet

    • Pitch Deck 10 Slide Worksheet

    • Pitch Deck 12-20 Slide Canaan Model Worksheet
  • 15

    Chapter 15 Finessing Your Financials

    • Tools of the Trade - Finessing your Financials
  • 16

    Chapter 16 Dialing for Dollars

    • Dialling for Dollars

    • Some tricks to find angels

    • InvestorFind can Help (Note InvestorFind is an additional fee-based service available to Course participants)

    • InvestorFind™ Launch Announcement
  • 17

    Chapter 17 Getting to Yes! from Investors

    • Getting to Yes!
  • 18

    Chapter 18 Take More Money Than You Think You Need and Other PItfalls

    • Take More More Money than you think you need and other pitfalls
  • 19

    Bonus Content - Some Alternatives to Raising Money from Investors

    • Bonus Content - Alternatives to Investor Financing to Consider

    • VentureWrench Sources of (other types) of Startup Capital
  • 20

    Do you want more help? Bonus: Discounted rate on any future coaching needs

    • Do you want more help? Bonus: Discounted rate on any future coaching needs