How to know when to Fundraise; Where to access financing for D2C brands; New $20m Alternative Fund

For founders seeking the best alternatives to VC

May 1

Hello folks! I’m Esme, the founder of Considered Capital. This is the 18th issue of The Considered Club - a bi-weekly newsletter for founders seeking the best alternatives to VC. Welcome to the 98 people who signed up this week. The most clicked post from last week’s issue was the Social Impact Award. If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve read today, please like it above and share with friends!

The Countdown begins! If you are fundraising in the next 6-12 months, apply to join our Alternative Funding School. Doors close May 11th.

Become a Considered Capital expert speaker! If you are an expert in leveraging web3, Blockchain and NFTs to fundraise we’ve love to invite you to speak to our founders. Hit reply to this email and get in touch.

Since March 2021 I have been based in Accra, Ghana and I’ve loved it..! This week I’ve been reflecting on the last year and all that Considered Capital has achieved.

In the last 3 months we have:

🎊 Invited 15 new investors, lawyers and academics into the Considered Capital community to train founders to raise money

🎟️ Filled 70% of our seats with founders ready to take the leap with our Alternative Funding School and learn everything there is to know about raising funding (apply using this link to snap up the last remaining seats)

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Celebrated as Considered Capital Alumni all over the world raise funding, including the incredible Ines Schiller, founder of Vyld

⭐ Delivered a Safety Tech Academy for DCMS working with 15 founders keeping humans safe online

🧨 Published our free Considered Funding Directory, downloaded by 100 people in just 24hrs

🎈 Welcomed new workshop clients including Foundervine & Innovate UK to name a few!

💡 Hosted our very first Considered Capital community event on Startup Grants welcoming 75+ participants across the world to learn about grant funding

🗞 Finalised plans for our BIGGEST Funding guide yet including a secret collaboration with an incredible founder

And so much more…! It’s been brilliant to collaborate with so many incredible people as we continue our mission to get great founders the right funding.

Now, the next big step is making our next alternative funding school cohort the best one yet! Lots of you have been signing up this week - with 70% of seats already filled.

If you’re curious to explore all your funding options (and wondering if VC is the way to go) or building a company that doesn't fit the 'grow at all costs' venture capital funding model the Alternative Funding school is for you.

We won’t run this again until 2023 so you know what to do if you want to join!

Follow this link to reserve your seat today.

Find out more

Grab your free seat to our Alternative Funding Masterclass

Yes, that’s right! Emma Shaw, co-founder of Library of Things is back and we have invited her to share part of her fundraising journey with all of you! 89 of you have already signed up and this is why👇

"Something that's really changed the way I think about funding was being being introduced to ‘Library of Things’. They're a business I've always admired. Learning how an alternative route enabled them to raise £1million in alternative capital was relatable, interesting and empowering. They've really forged their own path when it's come to fundraising."

- Sophie Slater, founder of Birdsong and Alternative Funding School Graduate

Join our Masterclass with Emma Shaw this Thursday May 5th at 4PM (BST), 5pm (CET), 8am (PT). We have limited tickets so that we can keep the class a reasonable size, so make sure to secure your seat now.

Emma will be sharing her full journey with our Alternative Funding School participants so this is a great opportunity to get a sneak peak into her journey before signing up.

Grab your seat

MONEY

Find grants, upcoming accelerators, pitch competitions, & more!

Grants & Prizes

Innovate UK Smart Grants | apply for a share of up to £25 million for commercially viable R&D innovation that can significantly impact the UK economy
GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize 2022 | win US $50,000 for food warriors who are fighting to transform Africa’s food system

No fee, no equity Accelerators

Blossom Impact Accelerator | a 4-month programme for UK founders plus access to £1M Blossom Investment Pot and a 15K cash prize
The SPP Accelerator | receive an all-expense paid coaching program in Italy to take your solution from idea to implementation
LIFT Building a Digital Business | a 10-week programme designed to support digital and technology-enabled businesses from idea stage to market launch
Impact Shakers | a nine-month virtual accelerator for underrepresented founders to grow and scale their impact business

Insights

Thingtesting | explains how bootstrapped direct-to-consumer brands can access their first financing

Sifted | explores London-based D2, who just raised raised a $20m fund, and how they let startups raise money against a share of future revenue streams

Incase you missed it

If you’re new here, catch up on our most popular posts

Thanks for reading!

Esme

Founder, Considered Capital

Want more? I'm here on the other side of this email, so just hit ‘reply’ and ask away!

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