How to Fund Your Startup
This session explores how to choose the right funding path for your startup business. We’ll cover bootstrapping, grants, accelerators, and various types of investment vehicles (convertibles, equity, SAFE’s, debts and debentures) – including what makes sense based on your management team and your product, and what investors look for at each stage.
Key Takeaways:
- Understanding funding types and trade-offs
- Choosing the right model for your team and product
- What investors want to see at early stages
- Building a funding roadmap that works
The goal of the session is to equip founders to make informed strategic decisions about funding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this event?
A practical training session on how to pitch your startup to investors, accelerators, and competitions. The session combines proven pitch frameworks with media training techniques to help you present with clarity and confidence.
Who is it for?
1. Early-stage founders preparing to fundraise or apply to accelerators.
2. Students or professionals who want to build pitch and presentation skills.
3. Anyone interested in learning how to clearly communicate their startup ideas for investment purposes.
What will I learn?
1. How to structure a compelling pitch.
2. How to adapt your pitch depending on business stage and funding type (equity, grants, competitions).
3. Delivery techniques: storytelling, managing live presentation nerves, handling on-the-spot questions.
4. Common mistakes and how to avoid them.
Will there be investors?
This is a training-focused event, not a demo day or pitch competition. The goal is to prepare you for investor meetings, competitions, and applications. You’ll also meet other founders and ecosystem peers in the room.
Why is there a fee?
The fee keeps the session accessible but ensures commitment. It also reflects the fact that you’re receiving professional training normally only offered in accelerators or paid startup programs.
Who is running the session?
The event is hosted by Doyle Blackfriars, a London and Barcelona-based advisory, research and education firm working with startups and the startup ecosystem across Europe.
The session is led by Maria Martyak, an experienced startup professional, holding director-level roles at international startups across the US, UK and Europe, in fintech, advanced tech (LLMs, Data fabrics & AI), healthcare, ecommerce, and edtech. She has been media trained in NYC and London, and has been a trainer for television and stage presenters across various media outlets including Fox Business, the Nasdaq, the NYSE and large universities in the US and Europe. She has also been a pitch competition and Dragon’s Den judge across Europe, judging founder pitches for both mentorship, equity and cash investments.
