​Overview:

​Growing a business requires making smart financing decisions at the right time. In this workshop, RBCx will break down the key differences between debt and equity financing, when each option makes sense, and how startups can position themselves for funding success.

​Find out how financial institutions assess businesses, what funding options are available at different growth stages, and how to build strong banking relationships.

​What You'll Learn:

• ​Gain clarity on your startup's runway and how to bridge working capital gaps

• ​Delve into the differences between debt and equity financing and when to use each to finance the next milestone in your startup journey

• ​Explore financing options available at different stages of the startup lifecycle

• ​Learn how banks evaluate startups and growth-stage businesses for lending opportunities

• ​Gain practical tips for building strong banking relationships and preparing for funding conversations

• ​Identify common non-dilutive funding sources, including loans, lines of credit, and government programs

​About the Speaker:

​Blake Farquharson is the Assistant Vice President of Early-Stage Banking at RBCx. Blake works with pre-seed and seed stage founders as a strategic partner on banking, funding, and scaling needs. Blake brings ten years of experience working within the startup ecosystem and digital product space to this role.

​Before supporting founders at RBCx, Blake was building and leading startup programs at Elevate Innovation, The DMZ at TMU, and TechAlliance. He was also a part of the first Techstars Toronto cohort in 2018, joining the team as a business development intern. Blake graduated from Western University with an Honours Business Administration.