Sample Letter for Requesting School Support and Credit for the Glaring Gap Summit
Note: Not all of the statements apply to each student nor the desires of each applicant. This letter should only be used as an example, not a definitive model, and carefully examined for content that may or may not be accurate or relevant to your situation.
Dear [NAME],
I am writing to request your support to attend the Glaring Gap Summit by Embarc Collective to learn how to invest in and work with startups. I’ve considered what this entails and concluded that participating in this summit will help me apply my classroom learnings to this real-world application.
I am requesting to be excused from school on Thursday, October 26 from 8:30AM - 5:30PM, Friday, October 27 from 9AM - 11AM, and Friday, November 3 from 11:45AM - 1PM. In addition, I'm requesting to receive [X CREDIT] for my participation in this program*.*
The program is valued at $4,500 and the benefits to my personal and educational development are:
- Relevant, cutting-edge content: The curriculum was developed and is taught by the Chief Innovation Officer and top-rated Professor from Columbia Business School. I will graduate from the program having experienced a startup deal from start to finish. Specific topics taught are:
- Deal sourcing: Who to partner with to source high-quality deal flow? Who are the players in the startup ecosystem?
- Diligence: How to diligence startups – their team, market, and product?
- Valuation: How to negotiate when a startup states its multi-million dollar valuation?
- Legal terms: What is the difference between a convertible note and priced equity? What terms do investors need to watch out for?
- Post-Investment: How does dilution work? What happens in later fundraising rounds?
- Portfolio strategy: How to think about seed stage investing as part of a larger portfolio?
- Access to Florida's Women Investor Network: I will come out of the program with a greater understanding of the startup ecosystem: who the players are and how to be a value-add member of the startup community. I will participate with 50 like-minded women who are also building investing expertise.
- Professional development as a young woman leader: I believe a combination of my coursework and the rigor of this program is the perfect formula to develop my skill-set in investing.
I am happy to answer any questions and look forward to your response by [DATE].
Sincerely,
[NAME]