We are excited to launch BUILD @ The Fund!

Launching a company can be a daunting process, particularly as a new founder with limited access or resources. With this in mind, The Fund is launching BUILD, an 8 week course providing the nuts and bolts of how to start a company, along with access to a community of experienced founders, operators and entrepreneurial peers. We provide insider knowledge for founders; nothing sugar-coated, just straight talk and resources to help founders build the skills and network to succeed. This is a no-equity, no-fee program built with the intention of supporting the entrepreneurial ecosystem. This is not an Accelerator but an educational resource to help early stage innovators from underrepresented backgrounds.

More about BUILD

BUILD is run by Members of The Fund who have collectively built hundreds of companies and who get what it truly takes to succeed. It starts with an overview of the tools and resources to set up a company, then helps build the financial and operations models needed to launch and grow. We also focus on finding, pitching and closing the ideal target customer(s) and preparing to pitch a compelling narrative to investors and the world.

The purpose of the initiative is to help reduce barriers to access in entrepreneurship by creating a community that enables founders and aspiring founders to learn the inner workings of starting a company, benefit from mentors and industry experts, network, access resources, and join a thriving community of like-minded builders.

The inaugural session will place participants into small cohorts and will feature weekly programming around eight core business competencies. Participants will have the opportunity to learn from best in class founders, operators and experts through The Fund’s network, as well as from one another in a peer-centric model.

By the end of the 8 weeks, participants will have:

• A step-by-step understanding of setting up your business from a legal perspective
• A comprehensive financial and operating model
• A killer investor ready deck, investor pipeline doc and pitch
• A look into the inside baseball on navigating the startup landscape and networking
• An understanding of how to get organized, along with useful tools
• An incredible network of experienced and first time founders
• Support and feedback from experienced founders on the topics covered each week

Every week, participants will:

• Attend workshops: Weekly workshops on the topic of the week will be hosted by experienced entrepreneurs, where participants can learn more about each topic, and from experienced founders’ experiences. (Mondays)
• Have moderated discussions on the weekly topic: Following the discussion, founders will participate in a moderated discussion on the weekly topic, and have the opportunity to ask more pointed questions about the topic, or the assignment (Wednesdays)